Discover the world of the Markdown tag language and find out who they are created for. Below you will find the best applications, practical advice and a handful of curiosities that can make you never return to the text editors you know.
Markdown editor – who can be useful, what applications are the best?
If you’ve ever spent a lot of time formatting the text, copying it between different programs, you know how many nerves it can cost. You start writing in Word, then you transfer something to Google Docs, at the end you throw it into the e-mail or CMS of your blog. Along the way, something changes as usual, the text ceases to look as it should be, all letters and indentations fall apart. And here the Markdown marker system appears to organize everything.
The Markdown editor may seem like another strange toy for geeks, but the truth is that this system (because Markdown is a little more than the editor itself) saves time, nerves and additionally allows you to maintain extraordinary consistency in formatting. In the article below, I will explain why it is worth trying.
Markdown editor – who is this solution for?
To start with, it is worth explaining what Markdown is at all. This is a light tag language (Markup Language), whose main task is to simplify the formatting of content. Markdown was created with a view to writing texts that will be easy to read in a “raw” form (i.e. in the one you see in a text file), but also easy to convert to HTML, PDF or other formats.
What distinguishes Markdown?
- The simplicity of the syntax: You don’t have to learn dozens of commands.
- Readability of the text in the “bare” form: You can easily see where the headline is, where thickening and where the link.
- Versatility: One file can be used in hundreds of places, without fear that formatting will spread along the way.
Markdown was initially taken to the workshop mainly programmers and very technological people. Well, because they most often shared the code, wrote Readme to their projects on Githuba or created documentation. Today, however, Markdown comes out of the shadows and begins to gain popularity also among bloggers, copywriters or even students writing essays.
Do you think you would like an easy -to -use writing tool that does not offer a million buttons and options like Word, and it allows you to keep formatting in all conditions? If the answer sounds like this, read on.
Why do people love Markdown?
- No distractions: A few tags are enough in Markdown. You do not waste time looking for options in the menu or hidden toolbars, because you write everything “from your finger” or use shortcuts.
- Fast formatting: If you want to make a header, you put the hasha (#). If you need a bulleted list, you use duties. It’s very easy, but it requires a change in habits.
- Flexibility: Do you need HTML, PDF, or maybe the EPUB format? Lots of tools will allow you to convert the file from Markdown to any format in a few seconds.
- Cooperation with Git: Developers love Markdown for how smoothly he can be thrown into the repositories on Github. Nothing is falling apart, and the project documentation looks professional.
Markdown is such a golden mean – few problems, a lot of possibilities. But to fully use its potential, it’s good to have the right editor for it.
The best applications for working with Markdown – which one to choose?
Choosing the Markdown editor may seem difficult, because there are a lot of options. Below you will find a list of some of the most popular (and in my opinion the best) tools. Each of them has its pros and cons, so it’s best to check what suits you best. After watching dozens of videos on YouTube, I had to click myself through various solutions and come to what is best for my tasks and projects.
Typora
Let’s start with the classics and tools that I use myself. Typora has been praising for years for an extremely friendly interface. There is no “divided” view (text separately, preview separately), only one in which you can see a formatted text while writing.
- For whom? For people who want to feel that they write in a minimalist editor, not in a raw console.
- Pros: convenient, intuitive interface, a lot of motifs and the ability to create your own styles.
- Disadvantages: The application is unfortunately paid, although until recently it could be used for free in beta.
Obsidian
Obsidian is more than an ordinary editor – it is the whole ecosystem that allows you to create an extensive knowledge base. It is based on .md files, thanks to which your notes are stored locally.
- For whom? For people who like to create a network of notes, wiki or extensive databases with internal links.
- Pros: great navigation and visualization of relationships between notes (so -called Graph View), numerous plugins and motifs.
- Disadvantages: At the beginning it can overwhelm a multitude of functions, so it requires a moment to embrace.
Visual Studio Code (with the Markdown plug)
One of the most popular programming editors in the world has a powerful plug -in ecosystem, including Markdown.
- For whom? For programmers and people who are already using vs code for coding anyway.
- Pros: fast, free, mass of extensions. You can do almost anything in it, from PDF preview to automatic converting the code in snippets.
- Disadvantages: For someone non -technical, the interface itself and the multitude of vs Code functions can overwhelm.
Mark Text
Mark Text is an open source project, known for its simple, transparent appearance.
- For whom? For anyone who wants to have a free, comfortable and constantly developed tool.
- Pros: Open Source, nice design, available on Windows, MacOS and Linux.
- Disadvantages: Compared to typora, it is not so refined, although it still gains new functions.
Ia Writer
A well -known and valued writing application that sticks to minimalist design and offers support for Markdown.
- For whom? For those who love minimalism and just want to write without any distractions.
- Pros: great focus mode, automatic export and integration with the cloud.
- Disadvantages: paid license and lack of many advanced functions, although this is just part of its charm.
Markdown: A few practical advice for beginners
- Learn the basics of the syntax: learn how to make a header, numbered list, insert a link and a picture. This is just a dozen or so minutes of work, and you will be able to act more efficiently in the new ecosystem.
- Don’t be afraid of a strict view: At the beginning there is no buttons and the menu can be frightening, but remember that this is the biggest advantage of Markdowna.
- Reach for “cheat sheet”: On the internet you will find a lot of “cheattach” with commands and keyboard shortcuts. They will really make your adaptation easier, especially at the beginning.
- Save in the cloud: If you want to be sure that you do not lose data, use Google, Dropbox or other solution that creates backups. Remember, however, that files are always available also offline.
- Export to various formats: Check how easy you can make from the .md PDF file or ready to paste the HTML code – it is a really revealing experience that it can be done so quickly and easily.
Markdown in everyday work
Writing articles for blog, creating documentation, notes in college or even the list of task – Markdown works in many scenarios. Note that you don’t have to reach for more extensive Word or Google Docs programs. Just a simple editor without distractions. What’s more, in the era of remote and continuous need to exchange information, .md files are light and compatible with many tools. Github, Gitlab or Bitbucket love Markdown and integrate him in their repositories. And if you run a blog, many CMS natively support this format.
If you haven’t tried yet, take a moment and install one of the mentioned editors. The difference in everyday work can really surprise you, because suddenly it will turn out that you are able to write faster and easier to organize your notes or articles. And then it will be really difficult to go back to heavy and overloaded text editors. Technology is to make life easier, not complicate it. Markdown is a great example of a tool that does not need hundreds of buttons and functions to be effective.
