Markdown Cheatsheet Tools
Markdown cheatsheet tooling: separates inline from block syntax, covers compatibility differences in tables, strikethrough and task lists, and explains fenced versus indented code blocks including the self-hosting problem.
Markdown syntax is simple, yet the inline/block boundary is frequently missed, which is why content fails to render.
Approach Comparison
| Aspect | Inline elements | Block elements |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | bold, inline code, links | lists, quotes, code blocks, tables |
| Blank line before | Not required | Required |
| Blank line after | Not required | Recommended |
| Nestable | No | Yes, with 2–4 spaces |
| Failure mode | Markers render literally | Absorbed into the previous paragraph |
| Typical syntax | bold, inline code, link | list, quote, table |
| Indent sensitive | No | Yes, affecting nested lists |
| Platform variance | Small | Large, since tables and strikethrough are extensions |
Edge Cases
- A block element immediately after a paragraph without a blank line is parsed as part of that paragraph — the leading cause of lists not rendering.
- Nested lists need two to four spaces; one space behaves inconsistently across renderers and more than four turns the item into a code block.
- Inline code containing a backtick must be wrapped in double backticks or the marker closes early.
- Tables and strikethrough are GitHub extensions rather than CommonMark, so other renderers expose the raw markers.
Common Pitfalls
- Placing a list directly after a paragraph with no blank line, so the whole thing renders as prose.
- Indenting a nested list by one space, which works on GitHub and collapses elsewhere.
- Nesting an image inside a blockquote and getting plain text, because the block element lacked a preceding blank line.
- Publishing on a platform without table support, leaving pipe characters visible in the prose.
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