Blocks

Paragraphs

Paragraphs consist of blocks of left-aligned text with no markup indicating any other body element.

  • Blank lines separate paragraphs from each other and from other body elements.

  • Paragraphs may contain inline markup.

The two paragraphs shown below are separated by a blank line.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras dignissim auctor semper.
Pellentesque dolor turpis, bibendum ac justo ac, sollicitudin condimentum elit.

In porta ipsum in ligula auctor, dictum gravida ante vulputate. Suspendisse id urna scelerisque,
facilisis lacus at, consequat ipsum. Pellentesque nunc ipsum vestibulum luctus purus.

You can insert empty lines between paragraphs with the pipe character (|).

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras dignissim auctor semper.
Pellentesque dolor turpis, bibendum ac justo ac, sollicitudin condimentum elit.

|

In porta ipsum in ligula auctor, dictum gravida ante vulputate. Suspendisse id urna scelerisque,
facilisis lacus at, consequat ipsum. Pellentesque nunc ipsum vestibulum luctus purus.

You can also create a block quote by indenting a text block.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras dignissim auctor semper.
Pellentesque dolor turpis, bibendum ac justo ac, sollicitudin condimentum elit.

        In porta ipsum in ligula auctor, dictum gravida ante vulputate. Suspendisse id urna scelerisque,
        facilisis lacus at, consequat ipsum. Pellentesque nunc ipsum vestibulum luctus purus.

Literal blocks

Literal blocks are defined by two colons (::) after a paragraph, and must either be indented or quoted as described below.

  • The colons are included immediately after the paragraph, or on a separate line after the paragraph.

  • Blank lines are required before and after a literal block, but are not included as part of the block.

  • No markup is processed within a literal block, and it is typically rendered in a monospace font.

  • All whitespace (excluding minimum indentation for indented literal blocks) is preserved.

Indented literal blocks

Indented literal blocks are indicated by indentation relative to the surrounding text.

  • The minimum indentation will be removed from each line of an indented literal block.

  • Blank lines are allowed between sections of indented text.

  • The literal block ends with the end of the indentation.

For example, you can create an indented literal block by placing two colons preceded by a space immediately after a paragraph.

Include the colons immediately after the paragraph. ::

        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras dignissim auctor semper.
        Pellentesque dolor turpis, bibendum ac justo ac, sollicitudin condimentum elit.

You can also place the colons on a separate line after a paragraph.

Include the colons on a separate line.
::

        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras dignissim auctor semper.
        Pellentesque dolor turpis, bibendum ac justo ac, sollicitudin condimentum elit.

Quoted literal blocks

Quoted literal blocks are unindented contiguous blocks of text where each line begins with the same quoting character.

  • Supported quoting characters include >, |, ", $, and # among many others.

  • Quoting characters are preserved in the processed document.

  • The literal block ends with a blank line.

For example, to create a quoted literal block with the > character.

> Useful for quotes from email and
> for Haskell literate programming.

Line Blocks

Line blocks are groups of lines beginning with a vertical bar (|) character. They are useful for addresses, verse, and adornment-free lists.

  • Each vertical bar indicates a new line, so line breaks are preserved.

  • Initial indents are also preserved, which produces a nested structure.

  • Inline markup is supported.

  • Continuation lines are wrapped portions of long lines, and begin with a space in place of the vertical bar.

  • A line block ends with a blank line.

This following line block example illustrates indentation and inline markup.

| Each new line begins with a
| vertical bar (``|``).
|     Line breaks and initial indents
|     are preserved.

which is rendered as

Each new line begins with a
vertical bar (|).
Line breaks and initial indents
are preserved.

Transitions

Transitions separate other body elements and can be used to mark text divisions or signal changes in subject, time, point of view, or emphasis.

To create a transition:

  • Type a horizontal line of 4 or more repeated characters.

    • The available characters are the same ones used for section titles.

    • All characters produce the same result; pick one and use it consistently.

  • Include a blank line before and after the transition characters.

  • Do not begin or end a section or document with a transition, and do not specify adjacent transitions.

The following characters all produce a transition.

----

====

****

The transition is rendered as a HTML <hr> element.

Remember, you can’t end a document with a transition!