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Markdown at a glance

Every Varlig note is plain Markdown: a handful of simple symbols for headings, lists and emphasis. Type the symbols, or use the Format menu and its shortcuts, and Varlig styles the note as you write. This page is the whole picture on one screen, with links to the details.

New to Markdown? Your first note walks through the basics one step at a time.

One note, lots of Markdown

Here’s a single note using a bit of everything. The left side is exactly what’s saved; the right side is what you see in Varlig.

You type
# Lisbon weekend
Flights are **booked** and the hotel is ==paid==. #travel/portugal

## Before we go
- [x] Book the hotel
- [ ] Download the offline map
- [ ] Read [[Lisbon bookings]]

> [!TIP] Tram 28
> Board at the first stop to get a seat.

| Day      | Plan              |
| -------- | ----------------- |
| Saturday | Castle and Alfama |
| Sunday   | Belém             |

```calc
hotel = €145 * 2
hotel / 2
```
Varlig shows

Lisbon weekend

Flights are booked and the hotel is paid. #travel/portugal

Before we go

  • Book the hotel
  • Download the offline map
  • Read Lisbon bookings
Day Plan
Saturday Castle and Alfama
Sunday Belém
calc
hotel = €145 * 2 gives €290.00
hotel / 2 gives €145.00

How Varlig shows Markdown

Varlig tucks the symbols away so you read the note, not the syntax, and shows them again when you need them:

  • Styles and links: the **, _, ~, == and bracket symbols stay hidden until the cursor is inside the styled text or a selection touches it.
  • Headings: the # signs are always hidden. An icon in the margin shows the level while the cursor is in the heading.
  • Lists: bullets are drawn as dots, todos as checkboxes, and numbers stay as they are.
  • Quotes keep a faint >; callouts hide their [!TIP] marker until the cursor is in them.
  • Code and calc blocks hide their backtick lines until the cursor is in the block.
  • Tables, pictures and separators are drawn in place. Their Markdown shows while Find (⌘F) is open.
  • Tags are drawn as small capsules.

To see a note’s complete Markdown, open the note’s … menu and choose Copy As › Markdown, then paste it anywhere.

Cheat sheet

Text

Style Type Shortcut More
Bold **bold** ⌘B Text styles
Italic _italic_ ⌘I
Underline ~underline~ ⌘U
Strikethrough ~~struck~~ ⇧⌘U
Highlight ==highlight== ⇧⌘M Highlight colours
Red highlight ==🔴urgent==
Inline code `code` ⌥⌘C Code

Structure

Element Type Shortcut More
Headings # to ###### ⌘1 to ⌘6 Headings
Quote > ⇧⌘T Quotes and callouts
Callout > [!TIP] Title
Separator ---, with an empty line above ⌥⌘S Separators
Footnote [^1], and [^1]: text at the end ⇧⌘E Footnotes

Lists

List Type Shortcut More
Bulleted list - ⌘L Lists and todos
Numbered list 1. ⇧⌘L
Todo - [ ] ⌘T Todos
Done todo - [x] ⌘.
Link or tag Type Shortcut More
Web link [title](https://…) ⌘K Web links
Note link [[Note title]] ⌘D Link notes
Link with other words [[Note title|shown text]]
Link to a heading [[Note title/Heading]]
Tag #recipes Tags
Nested tag #work/clients
Tag with spaces #road trips#

Blocks

Block Type Shortcut More
Table Rows of cells between | ⌥⌘T Tables
Code block ```language ⌃⌘C Code blocks
Calc block ```calc ⌘Y Your first calculation
Formula $\pi r^2$ Formulas
Formula block $$ lines around the formula
Diagram ```mermaid Mermaid diagrams

Pictures and files

Item How Shortcut More
Picture Drag it in or paste it: ![name](assets/…) Pictures and files
File Drag it in or use Format › Attach Files… ⇧⌘V
Sketch Format › Sketch…

Keys while you write

  • Return continues a list, a numbered list or a quote. On an empty item, it steps out.
  • Tab and Shift-Tab indent and outdent list items and code.
  • #, [[ and : open suggestions for tags, note titles and emoji. Use the arrow keys, then Return or Tab to choose.
  • Escape in a calc block suggests function names.

Every shortcut is on the Keyboard shortcuts page.