Markdown Italics: Instructions, Pitfalls, and Solutions

There are plenty of markup languages available. This page is written on HTML, a markup language. One of them is Markdown, a lightweight markup language that lets writers, developers, and website administrators to format text easily. In Markdown, one of the most used formatting features is italics. In Markdown italics is used to emphasize text, one of the reasons why HTML uses “em” in tag to indicate emphasis.

It is also used to highlight key points and improve the readability of the overall content. In this article, let us take you through the different ways to use Markdown italics, the best practices, its use cases in documentation, blogs, and programming.

How to Use Italics in Markdown

In Markdown, you can format text in italics using either of these two methods:

• Asterisks: *
• Underscores: _

Using this is very easy. Here is the syntax:

Let's put this text in italics: *unixmen is the best*

The output will be:

Let's put this text in italics: unixmen is the best

Let’s try the second option:

Now for the second option, the underscore: _unixmen rocks_

The output will be:

Now for the second option, the underscore: unixmen rocks

While both the methods produce the same output, the preference comes down to your personal preference or project guidelines.

Best Practices to Follow While Using Markdown Italics

Always Maintain Consistency

While asterisk and underscore work in the same way and produce the same result, it is always good to prefer the same option throughout your document. This helps you to maintain the readability and uniformity.

Avoid Nested Formatting Issues

Markdown allows multiple formatting options like bold and italics. Combining them can sometimes leads to issues. In case you need to combine both the bold and italics formatting, you can use either three asterisks or three underscores. Here are some examples:

This text will be in both ***bold and italics***

The output will be:

This text will be in both bold and italics.

Let us see the other option now.

This is another way to combine both formats: ___bold and italics___

The output will render as:

This is another way to combine both formats: bold and italics

Italics is for Emphasis and Not Decoration

As we explained in the introduction itself, italics formatting is for emphasizing a part of the text and it is not for decorative purposes. When you want to emphasize a piece of content like important words, technical jargons, or book titles, you can use italics.

Where Will You Need Markdown Italics

Here are some common areas where you will need Markdown italics:

Technical Documentation

In a lot of unix-based products, SaaS applications, and Git based projects, the documentation often uses Markdown for their README files, wiki documentation, and project descriptions. If you are working in any of the related fields, here is how you can use Markdown italics:

To learn more, refer to our _Shell Scripting guide_ series.

Blogs and Content Writing

Markdown is preferred by bloggers and content writers who use platforms like Jekyll, Hugo, and Ghost. This is because the markdown syntax is easier to use than HTML. Italics help in highlighting key points and enhance the readability score.

Remember: Italics is not for *decorative* purposes

Code and GitHub Repositories

Many CI/CD platforms like GitHub, Git, GitLab, and Bitbucket use Markdown for their README files and documentation.

The default option is _Yes_

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Now that we know how to use Markdown italics and their applications, let us see some common errors and how to fix them.

Unclosed Syntax

Always remember to enclose the piece of content with asterisk or underscore. Using just one will throw errors. Here is an example:

The author has missed to add the *closing asterisk

Combining Asterisks and Underscores

While they both perform the same function, using a mix of both is not recommended.

Do not mix *asterisk and underscore_

Key Takeaways

Markdown italics is a simple but powerful formatting feature. It enhances the text presentation, readability quotient of blogs, documentation, and other coding projects. Follow the best practices listed in this article to avoid the common pitfalls. Use this guide to ensure your Markdown content is well-structured, properly formatted, and aesthetically pleasing.

An Interesting Read You Might Be Interested In

Open-source Markdown guide

How to Install Arch Linux | Unixmen

The post Markdown Italics: Instructions, Pitfalls, and Solutions appeared first on Unixmen.