Formatting

Unlocking the Art of Text Transformation: From Plain to Polished!

In the last chapter, you learned how to make a room and how to use it to try things out.

Please do not join a public room and try out the formatting options there. Create and use a personal test-room instead.

Markdown

Markdown is a small markup language for creating formatted text using in plain-text. Element supports a subset of the Markdown language to help you formatting your message and thereby create a visually more appealing content

Code Blocks

Code blocks are probably not only the most important form of formatting in our community, we even require them to be used when sharing code.

Fenced Code Block

Fenced Code blocks are primarily used to display code snippets. They ensure that the code is presented in a fixed-width font and with appropriate formatting, making it easy to read and distinguish from the regular text.

They preserve the exact spacing and indentation of code, which is crucial for maintaining code integrity and readability and they prevent Markdown's default behavior of interpreting multiple spaces as a single space.

The Markdown processor used in element supports syntax highlighting within fenced code blocks. This feature color-codes different elements of the code (keywords, comments, strings, etc.) like in a code editor, making it more understandable and visually appealing

To create a fenced code block, begin on an empty line with three backticks ` like ```. To enable syntax highliting, use three backticks followed by the language name, like ```language. Then, move to the next line and paste your code. To finish the fenced code block, insert another three backticks ``` on a separate empty line.

Keep in mind that:

  • not every language is supported by the syntax highlighter
  • the language name must be precise (see highlight.js - Supported Languages for more information)
  • if you omit the language after the initial three backticks, without any spaces between the language and backticks, it may not highlight your code correctly or at all

Element features automatic language detection for fenced code blocks, if the language is omitted. It can be enabled in the settings but it often does not choose the correct language and the syntax highlighting is off

Schema

```language
Your (multiline) code here
```

Example without syntax highlighting

```
def say_hello_to(name: str):
    print(f"Hello {name}!")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    say_hello_to("Michael")
```

Example with syntax highlighting

```python
def say_hello_to(name: str):
    print(f"Hello {name}!")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    say_hello_to("Michael")
```

Code Spans

Code spans or inline code blocks enclose their content within a small box. This feature isn't limited to programming-related terms or code; it can serve as a versatile formatting tool for various purposes. It's important to note that inline code doesn't provide syntax highlighting.
`your inline code here` or `here`

Emphasis

Text emphasis is a valuable typographic tool that enhances the communication and readability of written content. It is used to draw attention to specific words, phrases, or portions of text to convey meaning, emotion, and emphasis in written communication.



Italic text is created by wrapping the text with a single asterisk * or underscore _.

Bold text is displayed when enclosing content between two asterisk * or underscore _ symbols.

Bold Italic text can be rendered by using three asterisk * or underscore _ symbols.
*This is italic text*
_This is italic text_

**This is bold text**
__This is bold text__

***This is bold italic text***
___This is bold italic text___

The name of the link is enclosed within square brackets [ and ] and followed by the URL enclosed within parentheses ( and ). The link’s name or description should be something that is easily recognizable for the user, helping them understand where they will be directed when they click on the link.

[Link Name](URL)
For example, you wanted to create a link to this website you would do it like this.
[Matrix+Python](https://matrixpython.org)

Lists

A list is a structured and itemized presentation of information, typically consisting of a series of related items, ideas, or tasks. It serves to simplify content, enhance readability, and facilitate understanding by organizing data in a clear and concise manner.

Markdown supports two kinds of lists which by themselves or between each type can be nested.

Ordered Lists

Ordered lists, sometimes also called numbered lists, start with an integer, followed by either a period . or alternatively a right parenthesis ).

The crucial factor is the integer used for the first item because from there on, each subsequent integer will be one greater than the preceding one, even if it’s the same number repeated. This system simplifies the process of adding, removing or re-ordering elements from the list without the need to manually adjust the numbers each time.

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
44. Fourth item
13. Fifth item
1. Sixth item
Therefore, it's quite common to encounter something like seen in the second example in Markdown.

In any case, the implementation in element comes with a caveat. As the list expands and requires double-digit integers, the leftmost elements may not be displayed correctly.

1. First item
1. Second item
1. Third item
1. Fourth item

Unsorted Lists

Unordered lists start with an asterisk *, a hyphen character - or plus + symbol.
- First item
- Second item
- Third item
- Fourth item

Nested Lists

We've discussed both ordered and unordered lists, now comes nesting. Nesting is achieved by adding four spaces for each level of nesting in front of the element you intend to nest. This means the first level of indentation consists of four spaces, the second level has eight, and the third level requires twelve and so on.
1. First item
   1. Second item
   2. Third item
      - unordered one
      - unordered two
        - unordered three
2. Fourth item
3. Fifth item
   - another unordered element
4. Sixth item

Headings

Headings produce large to massive sized fonts. They are created using the pound (or hash/hashtag) character # at the beginning of a line followed by text. The number of pound symbols used determines the size of the heading. One pound character infornt of text symbolizes the largest available heading. Five of them the smallest one.

In most messages they are more disrupting than usful, so be considerate with using them. For structuring large text H5 (five pound symbols) to H4 (four pound symbols) are usually enough.

# Heading H1

## Heading H2

### Heading H3

#### Heading H4

##### Heading H5

Blockquote

Blockquotes are typically employed for citations, introducing text with a line and slightly muted font. To create a blockquote, begin with a greater-than sign > followed by a space and the text. You can create nested blockquotes with multiple levels by using one greater-than sign, separated by one space for each level. Blockquotes are not limited to text; they can encompass various Markdown formatting supported.
> This could be some citation using `blockquotes`.
> Another
>
> > Even nested blockquotes
> > are possible!

Horizontal Rule

Three dashes - like --- at the beginning of a line are rendered as a horizontal line that extends over the entire message body.

Please take note of the empty line between the three horizontal dashes and the two sentences in the example. It’s presence is crucial to ensure consistent rendering; without it, the results may vary. However, at the start or end of a message in the message bodies boundaries, this empty line is not required.

In Element, these horizontal dashes are not rendered subtly. They appear rather bold and can be quite disruptive.

Some example text

---

Another example text

LaTeX Math

Unfortunately, not all Matrix clients offer support for $ {\LaTeX} $ math yet. In fact, many clients, including Element, don’t even have this feature enabled by default. To enable it in Element, you’ll need a client that has the “labs” feature activated, in which you can enable the feature “Render LaTeX maths in messages”.

Delving into an extensive discussion on LaTeX math is beyond the scope of this tutorial. Thus, we’ll focus solely on the specifics related to element.

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This part of our new Website is not ready yet.

raise NotImplementedError("Stay Tuned")
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