# Message formatting 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 For a summary of message formatting in Zulip, click the icon located at the bottom left of your messaging box or the cog () in the upper right corner of the right sidebar and choose “Message formatting” from the drop-down menu. The following modal window will appear. ![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 Link Popup](/static/images/help/stream-link-pop-screenshot.png) ![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) ## 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). ## 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`````` or indented with four spaces. ![No code syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/no-syntax.png) In addition, to highlight language syntax, add the file extension of the language (for example, Python would be **.py**) right after the first set of back-ticks. ![Python syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/python-syntax.png) ![JavaScript syntax highlighting](/static/images/help/javascript-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)