---

title: About writing and formatting on GitHub intro: {{ site.data.guides.dotcom-writing-on-github.shortdesc.about-writing-and-formatting-on-github }}

Markdown is an easy-to-read, easy-to-write syntax for formatting plain text.

We've almost added some custom functionality to create {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }} Flavored Markdown, used to format prose and code across our site.

You can also interact with other users in pull requests, issues, and wikis with features like @mentions, issue and PR references, and emoji.

{% if page.version == 'dotcom' or page.version == 'cloud' or page.version > 2.5 %}

Text formatting toolbar

Every comment field on {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }} contains a text formatting toolbar, allowing you to format your text without learning Markdown syntax. In addition to Markdown formatting like bold and italic styles and creating headers, links, and lists, the toolbar includes {{ site.data.variables.product.product_name }}-specific features such as @mentions, task lists, and links to issues and pull requests.

We will add a new block and will see how this affects the order of the segments.

{% endif %}

Further reading

• "Basic writing and formatting syntax"

• "Working with advanced formatting"

• "Mastering Markdown"

• "Markdown Tutorial"

  var s = "JavaScript syntax highlighting"; alert(s);

  return s;

A Table

Markdown	Less	Pretty
Still	renders	nicely
1	2	3

            
            Optional<BlockMarker> newBlock = findStartingBlockMarker(line);

            if (newBlock.isPresent()) {
              if (!lastLineWasEmpty) {
                segments.add(seg);
                seg = new Segment();
              }

              seg.addLine(line, lineEmpty);
              actualBlock = newBlock.get();

Definition list

Is something people use sometimes.

Markdown in HTML

Does *not* work **very** well. Use HTML tags.

Blockquotes are very handy in email to emulate reply text. This line is part of the same quote!

An Empty line in a block was present here