zulip/templates/zerver/help/format-your-message-using-markdown.md

# Format your message using Markdown

Zulip uses a variant of
[GitHub Flavored Markdown](https://github.com/adam-p/markdown-here/wiki/Markdown-Cheatsheet#tables)
(GFM) to allow you to easily format your messages.

## Summary

To see a summary of message formatting in Zulip, click the A (<i
class="icon-vector-font"></i>) icon located in the bottom left corner of
your messaging box. You can alternatively click the cog (<i
class="icon-vector-cog"></i>) icon in the top right corner of the right
sidebar and choose **Message formatting** from the dropdown menu that
appears.

![Message formatting modal](/static/images/help/message-formatting-summary.png)

## Emphasis

You can surround your text with a combination of asterisks `*` and
tildes `~` to emphasize words or phrases in your messages.

### Italics

For italics, surround your text with `*asterisks*`.

![Italicized text](/static/images/help/italics-screenshot.png)

### Bold

For bold text, surround your text with `**two asterisks**`.

![Bold text](/static/images/help/bold-screenshot.png)

### Strikethrough

For strikethrough text, surround your text with `~~two tildes~~`.

![Strikethrough text](/static/images/help/strikethrough-screenshot.png)

### Extra emphasis

To add more variety, flavor, and emphasis to your messages, you can
combine different styles of formatting.

![Extra emphasized text](/static/images/help/extra-emphasis-screenshot.png)

## Links

To include hyperlinks in your messages, you can either enter the
link's URL address directly or surround the link's display text
with`[brackets]` and the URL address of the link in `(parentheses)`
immediately after.

![Link](/static/images/help/link-screenshot.png)

Zulip currently does not support image embedding through links.

## Stream Links

To link to another stream in one of your messages, you can either type
`#streamName` and click the stream name in the popup, or you can start
with `#` and surround your message with double asteriks `**`.

![Stream Links](/static/images/help/stream-link-screenshot.png)

## Lists

Begin each item in your list with `* an asterisk followed by a space`
to include lists in your messages.

![Lists](/static/images/help/lists-screenshot.png)

!!! tip ""
    You can add nested bullets within lists by adding two spaces before each
    nested bullet.

## Emojis

Zulip features a variety of emojis provided by the
[Noto Project](https://code.google.com/p/noto/). To include emojis in
your messages, surround the emoji phrase with `:colons:`.

A dropdown will appear with suggested emojis as you enter the emoji phrase.

![Emojis](/static/images/help/emojis-screenshot.png)

A complete list of emojis can be found [here](http://www.webpagefx.com/tools/emoji-cheat-sheet/).

## Mentions

To call the attention of another member, you can alert them by typing
`@**username**`

If you type `@` and then begin typing the user's email address or the
user's name, the system will offer you auto-completion suggestions.

![Mentions](/static/images/help/mention-screenshot.png)

Typing `@**all**` will alert all users in the stream, and a
confirmation message will appear.

![Mention All](/static/images/help/all-confirm.png)

For more information on mentions, visit [here](/help/at-mention-a-team-member).

## Status Messages

You can send messages that display your name and profile before a string by
beginning a message with `/me`. You can utilize this feature to send status
messages or other messages written in a similar third-person voice.

For example, if your username is **Cordelia Lear** and you send the message
`/me is now away`, your message will be displayed as:

![Status message](/static/images/help/status-message.png).

## Code

You can surround a portion of code with `` `back-ticks` `` to display it as
inline code.

![Inline code](/static/images/help/inline-code-screenshot.png)

Multi-line blocks of code are either:

- Fenced by lines with three back-ticks (` ``` `).
- Fenced by lines with three tildes (`~~~`).
- Indented with four spaces.

![No code syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/no-syntax.png)

Zulip also supports syntax highlighting of multi-line code blocks using
[Pygments](http://pygments.org). To add syntax highlighting to a multi-line code
block, add the language's **first**
[Pygments short name](http://pygments.org/docs/lexers/) after the first set of
back-ticks; as you type out a code block's short name, a dropdown with short
name suggestions will appear.

!!! warn ""
    **Note:** You can only specify the language's short name in fenced code
    blocks. It is not possible to use the syntax highlighter in blocks
    indented with spaces.

![Python syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/python-syntax.png)

![JavaScript syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/javascript-syntax.png)

![Rust syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/rust-syntax.png)

![C# syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/csharp-syntax.png)

## Quotes

To insert quotes, you can either add a greater-than symbol ```>``` and
a space before your phrase or submit it as a quote block by following
the code syntax highlighting format.

![Quotes](/static/images/help/quotes-screenshot.png)

## TeX math

You can display mathematical symbols, expressions and equations using Zulip's
[TeX](http://www.tug.org/interest.html#doc) typesetting implementation,
based on [KaTeX](https://github.com/Khan/KaTeX).

!!! tip ""
    Visit the [KaTeX Wiki](https://github.com/Khan/KaTeX/wiki/Function-Support-in-KaTeX)
    to view a complete of compatible commands.

Surround elements in valid TeX syntax with `$$two dollar signs$$` to display it
as inline content.

![Inline TeX](/static/images/help/inline-tex-screenshot.png)

Also, you can show expressions, such as expanded integrals, in TeX
*display mode* to present them fully-sized in the center of the messages by
fencing them with three back-ticks ` ``` ` or tildes `~~~`, with **math**,
**tex** or **latex** immediately after the first set of back-ticks.

![Display mode TeX](/static/images/help/display-mode-tex-screenshot.png)