Lesson 1: Markdown or .md file

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the first lesson of my journey to become a better software engineer. Today, we will explore one of the most fundamental yet crucial document type for all software engineers: the README file. If you’ve ever browsed a GitHub repository or worked on projects within your organization, you’ve likely encountered this simple plain text document written in Markdown (.md).

Markdown is a streamlined markup language, which can be considered a simpler version of HTML (HyperText Markup Language).

My Experience with Markdown

After six months of wrestling with backend debugging tasks, I finally had the opportunity to update our organizational documents in Markdown. This experience made me realize that every new developer should start by learning these basic rules. Understanding Markdown can significantly aid in grasping concepts such as clean coding and programming principles.

Core Concepts of Markdown

Now, let’s delve into the essential concepts of the Markdown file format, illustrated with some screenshots of key rules. Although I am using Visual Studio Code (an Integrated Development Environment, or IDE), you can write Markdown files in Notepad++ or any other IDE—just remember to save the file with a .md extension.

Please Note: On the left-hand side you can see the actual mark-down code and at the right-hand side the preview of output of that code.

1. Headings

To create headings, add # (hash) before the word or phrase. More # symbols indicate a lower-level heading. Also add space after the # symbol

2. Paragraphs

Paragraphs are written as usual. Use &nbsp; to add spaces and <br> to break lines within the paragraph.

3. Bold, Italic, and Strikethrough

You can format text using the * and ~ (tilde) symbols:

  • Italic text: *Italic*
  • Bold text: **Bold**
  • Bold and Italic text: ***Bold and Italic***
  • Strikethrough: ~~Strikethrough~~

4. URLs

Finally, let’s discuss how to include URLs. There are two ways to represent them in Markdown, and the second method is preferable if you have multiple URLs on a single page. Note that we use the > symbol to create a blockquote, and the backtick (`) to denote inline code.

By mastering these simple rules, you can enhance the readability and maintainability of your documentation. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue this journey of becoming a better software engineer.

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