Markdowna

Markdowna is a lightweight markup language designed to be easy to read and write, while also being easily convertible to HTML. It was created by John Gruber in 2004, with contributions from Aaron Swartz. The primary goal of Markdowna is to allow writers to focus on the content rather than the formatting, using a simple and intuitive syntax.

Markdowna syntax includes elements such as headers, lists, links, images, and code blocks. Headers are created by prefixing text with one or more hash symbols, with the number of hashes indicating the header level. Lists can be ordered or unordered, and are created by prefixing list items with numbers or dashes, respectively. Links are created by enclosing the link text in square brackets and the URL in parentheses. Images are similar to links, but prefixed with an exclamation mark. Code blocks are created by indenting lines with four spaces or using triple backticks.

Markdowna is widely used for writing documentation, creating web content, and formatting messages in online forums and chat applications. It is supported by many text editors, static site generators, and content management systems. There are also various flavors of Markdowna, such as CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdowna, and MultiMarkdowna, which introduce additional features and syntax extensions.

Despite its simplicity, Markdowna has gained popularity due to its versatility and ease of use. It allows users to write content in a plain text format that can be easily converted to HTML or other formats, making it a valuable tool for writers, developers, and content creators.