Postalgic uses the Ink markdown parser to convert your markdown text into beautiful HTML. This guide covers all the formatting options available when writing your blog posts.

                    What is Markdown?

                    Markdown is a simple, readable way to format text using plain characters. It lets you create rich content without complex HTML tags.

Text Formatting

Bold and Italic Text

Bold and Italic

**bold text** or __bold text__
*italic text* or _italic text_
**_bold and italic_**
~~strikethrough text~~

bold text or bold text

italic text or italic text

bold and italic

~~strikethrough text~~

Headers

Headers (H1-H6)

# Main Heading (H1)
## Section Heading (H2)
### Subsection (H3)
#### Sub-subsection (H4)

Main Heading (H1)

Section Heading (H2)

Subsection (H3)

Sub-subsection (H4)

Links and Images

Links

Link Formatting

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title")

Reference links:
[GitHub][github-link]

[github-link]: https://github.com

Link text

Link with title

Reference links:

GitHub

Images

Image Formatting

![Alt text](image-url.jpg)
![Image with title](image.jpg "Title")

Images would display here with the specified alt text

Lists

Unordered Lists

Bullet Lists

- First item
- Second item
- Third item
  - Nested item
  - Another nested item

First item
Second item
Third item
- Nested item
- Another nested item

Ordered Lists

Numbered Lists

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step
   1. Sub-step
   2. Another sub-step

First step
Second step
Third step
1. Sub-step
2. Another sub-step

Blockquotes

Postalgic has special support for blockquotes with custom line break handling:

Simple Blockquotes

Basic Blockquote

> This is a simple blockquote.
> It can span multiple lines.

This is a simple blockquote. It can span multiple lines.

Multi-line Blockquotes with Line Breaks

Postalgic supports a special syntax for precise line break control in blockquotes:

Blockquote with Line Breaks

> First line of the quote \
Second line (no > needed) \
Third line \
Final line (no backslash)

First line of the quote
Second line (no > needed)
Third line
Final line (no backslash)

Blockquote Tips:

Use \ (backslash) at the end of lines to force line breaks
Don't use \ on the final line
After the first >, you don't need to repeat it for continuation lines

Code

Inline Code

Use `backticks` for inline code.
Here's a `variable` in a sentence.

Use backticks for inline code.

Here's a variable in a sentence.

Code Blocks

```
function hello() {
    console.log("Hello, world!");
}
```

function hello() {
    console.log("Hello, world!");
}

Line Breaks

Postalgic provides special line break support through the toolbar:

The BR Button

The BR button in Postalgic's toolbar adds \ (space + backslash) to create line breaks:

Line Breaks with BR Button

This is the first line \
This is the second line \
This is the third line

This is the first line
This is the second line
This is the third line

Pro Tip: The BR button is especially useful for poetry, addresses, or any content where you need precise line break control.

Additional Features

Horizontal Rules

Horizontal Lines

Text above the line

---

Text below the line

Text above the line

Text below the line

Tables

Simple Tables

| Header 1 | Header 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   |
| Cell 3   | Cell 4   |

Header 1	Header 2
Cell 1	Cell 2
Cell 3	Cell 4

Smart Toolbar Features

Link Button Intelligence

The link button in Postalgic's toolbar has smart behavior:

Text selected + URL in clipboard: Automatically creates [selected text](clipboard URL)
Text selected + no URL in clipboard: Prompts for URL
No text selected: Prompts for both text and URL

Quote Button

The quote button automatically handles the special blockquote formatting with line break support described above.

Best Practices

                    Writing Tips:
                    Use headers to structure your content logically
Keep paragraphs short for better readability on mobile
Use lists to break up dense information
Include alt text for images for accessibility
Use blockquotes for emphasis or citations
Preview your posts before publishing

                

Mobile-Friendly Content

Since many readers will view your blog on mobile devices:

Keep lines short (use the BR button for line breaks)
Use plenty of whitespace
Avoid wide tables or code blocks
Test your content on different screen sizes

Integration with Postalgic Features

Embeds

Beyond standard markdown, Postalgic also supports:

YouTube embeds: Paste YouTube URLs for automatic video embedding
Link previews: Rich link previews with images and metadata
Image galleries: Multiple images with lightbox functionality

Tags and Categories

While not part of markdown itself, you can organize your content using:

Tags: Add multiple tags to help readers find related content
Categories: Assign posts to categories for broader organization

Note: Tags and categories are set through the Postalgic app interface, not within the markdown content itself.