commonmark 0.2 → 0.2.1

raw patch · 6 files changed

+9774/−9714 lines, 6 filesPVP ok

version bump matches the API change (PVP)

API changes (from Hackage documentation)

Files

• README.md +1/−1
• changelog.md +10/−0
• commonmark.cabal +1/−1
• src/Commonmark/Blocks.hs +2/−2
• src/Commonmark/Inlines.hs +7/−3
• test/spec.txt +9753/−9707

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Further changes should be expected.  The library is **fully commonmark-compliant** and passes the-test suite for version 0.29 of the commonmark spec.+test suite for version 0.30 of the commonmark spec. It is designed to be **customizable and easily extensible.**  To customize the output, create an AST, or support a new output format, one need only define some

@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@ # Changelog for commonmark ++## 0.2.1++  * Use official 0.30 spec.txt.+  * Update HTML block parser for recent spec changes.+  * Fix test case from commonmark/cmark#383.  We need to index the list+    of stack bottoms not just by the length mod 3 of the closer but by+    whether it can be an opener, since this goes into the calculation of+    whether the delimiters can match.+ ## 0.2  * Commonmark.Inlines: export LinkInfo(..) [API change].

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ cabal-version:  2.2 name:           commonmark-version:        0.2+version:        0.2.1 synopsis:       Pure Haskell commonmark parser. description:    This library provides the core data types and functions

@@ -1119,7 +1119,7 @@  startCond :: Monad m => Int -> BlockParser m il bl () startCond 1 = void $ try $ do-  satisfyWord (isOneOfCI ["script","pre","style"])+  satisfyWord (isOneOfCI ["script","pre","style","textarea"])   spaceTok      <|> symbol '>'      <|> lookAhead lineEnd@@ -1165,7 +1165,7 @@   let closer = try $ do         symbol '<'         symbol '/'-        satisfyWord (isOneOfCI ["script","pre","style"])+        satisfyWord (isOneOfCI ["script","pre","style","textarea"])         symbol '>'   skipManyTill (satisfyTok (not . hasType LineEnd)) closer endCond 2 = try $ do

@@ -573,12 +573,14 @@                             Just c  -> c : befores (rightCursor st)         (Nothing, Just (Chunk Delim{ delimType = c-                                  , delimCanClose = True } pos ts)) ->+                                  , delimCanClose = True+                                  , delimCanOpen = canopen } pos ts)) ->            processEm            st{ leftCursor   = right              , rightCursor  = moveRight right              , stackBottoms = M.insert-                   (T.pack (c : show (length ts `mod` 3))) pos+                   (T.pack ([c, if canopen then '1' else '0']+                              ++ show (length ts `mod` 3))) pos                    $ stackBottoms st              } @@ -589,6 +591,7 @@         (Just chunk, Just closedelim@(Chunk Delim{ delimType = c,                                                   delimCanClose = True,+                                                  delimCanOpen = canopen,                                                   delimSpec = Just spec}                                            closePos ts))          | delimsMatch chunk closedelim ->@@ -638,7 +641,8 @@                   st{ leftCursor   = right                     , rightCursor  = moveRight right                     , stackBottoms =  M.insert-                        (T.pack (c : show (length ts `mod` 3)))+                        (T.pack ([c, if canopen then '1' else '0']+                                   ++ show (length ts `mod` 3)))                         (chunkPos closedelim)                         $ stackBottoms st                     }

@@ -1,9710 +1,9756 @@ --- title: CommonMark Spec author: John MacFarlane-version: 0.29-date: '2019-04-06'-license: '[CC-BY-SA 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)'-...--# Introduction--## What is Markdown?--Markdown is a plain text format for writing structured documents,-based on conventions for indicating formatting in email-and usenet posts.  It was developed by John Gruber (with-help from Aaron Swartz) and released in 2004 in the form of a-[syntax description](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax)-and a Perl script (`Markdown.pl`) for converting Markdown to-HTML.  In the next decade, dozens of implementations were-developed in many languages.  Some extended the original-Markdown syntax with conventions for footnotes, tables, and-other document elements.  Some allowed Markdown documents to be-rendered in formats other than HTML.  Websites like Reddit,-StackOverflow, and GitHub had millions of people using Markdown.-And Markdown started to be used beyond the web, to author books,-articles, slide shows, letters, and lecture notes.--What distinguishes Markdown from many other lightweight markup-syntaxes, which are often easier to write, is its readability.-As Gruber writes:--> The overriding design goal for Markdown's formatting syntax is-> to make it as readable as possible. The idea is that a-> Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as-> plain text, without looking like it's been marked up with tags-> or formatting instructions.-> (<http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/>)--The point can be illustrated by comparing a sample of-[AsciiDoc](http://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc/) with-an equivalent sample of Markdown.  Here is a sample of-AsciiDoc from the AsciiDoc manual:--```-1. List item one.-+-List item one continued with a second paragraph followed by an-Indented block.-+-.................-$ ls *.sh-$ mv *.sh ~/tmp-.................-+-List item continued with a third paragraph.--2. List item two continued with an open block.-+----This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.--a. This list is nested and does not require explicit item-continuation.-+-This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.--b. List item b.--This paragraph belongs to item two of the outer list.----```--And here is the equivalent in Markdown:-```-1.  List item one.--    List item one continued with a second paragraph followed by an-    Indented block.--        $ ls *.sh-        $ mv *.sh ~/tmp--    List item continued with a third paragraph.--2.  List item two continued with an open block.--    This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.--    1. This list is nested and does not require explicit item continuation.--       This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.--    2. List item b.--    This paragraph belongs to item two of the outer list.-```--The AsciiDoc version is, arguably, easier to write. You don't need-to worry about indentation.  But the Markdown version is much easier-to read.  The nesting of list items is apparent to the eye in the-source, not just in the processed document.--## Why is a spec needed?--John Gruber's [canonical description of Markdown's-syntax](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax)-does not specify the syntax unambiguously.  Here are some examples of-questions it does not answer:--1.  How much indentation is needed for a sublist?  The spec says that-    continuation paragraphs need to be indented four spaces, but is-    not fully explicit about sublists.  It is natural to think that-    they, too, must be indented four spaces, but `Markdown.pl` does-    not require that.  This is hardly a "corner case," and divergences-    between implementations on this issue often lead to surprises for-    users in real documents. (See [this comment by John-    Gruber](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.text.markdown.general/1997).)--2.  Is a blank line needed before a block quote or heading?-    Most implementations do not require the blank line.  However,-    this can lead to unexpected results in hard-wrapped text, and-    also to ambiguities in parsing (note that some implementations-    put the heading inside the blockquote, while others do not).-    (John Gruber has also spoken [in favor of requiring the blank-    lines](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.text.markdown.general/2146).)--3.  Is a blank line needed before an indented code block?-    (`Markdown.pl` requires it, but this is not mentioned in the-    documentation, and some implementations do not require it.)--    ``` markdown-    paragraph-        code?-    ```--4.  What is the exact rule for determining when list items get-    wrapped in `<p>` tags?  Can a list be partially "loose" and partially-    "tight"?  What should we do with a list like this?--    ``` markdown-    1. one--    2. two-    3. three-    ```--    Or this?--    ``` markdown-    1.  one-        - a--        - b-    2.  two-    ```--    (There are some relevant comments by John Gruber-    [here](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.text.markdown.general/2554).)--5.  Can list markers be indented?  Can ordered list markers be right-aligned?--    ``` markdown-     8. item 1-     9. item 2-    10. item 2a-    ```--6.  Is this one list with a thematic break in its second item,-    or two lists separated by a thematic break?--    ``` markdown-    * a-    * * * * *-    * b-    ```--7.  When list markers change from numbers to bullets, do we have-    two lists or one?  (The Markdown syntax description suggests two,-    but the perl scripts and many other implementations produce one.)--    ``` markdown-    1. fee-    2. fie-    -  foe-    -  fum-    ```--8.  What are the precedence rules for the markers of inline structure?-    For example, is the following a valid link, or does the code span-    take precedence ?--    ``` markdown-    [a backtick (`)](/url) and [another backtick (`)](/url).-    ```--9.  What are the precedence rules for markers of emphasis and strong-    emphasis?  For example, how should the following be parsed?--    ``` markdown-    *foo *bar* baz*-    ```--10. What are the precedence rules between block-level and inline-level-    structure?  For example, how should the following be parsed?--    ``` markdown-    - `a long code span can contain a hyphen like this-      - and it can screw things up`-    ```--11. Can list items include section headings?  (`Markdown.pl` does not-    allow this, but does allow blockquotes to include headings.)--    ``` markdown-    - # Heading-    ```--12. Can list items be empty?--    ``` markdown-    * a-    *-    * b-    ```--13. Can link references be defined inside block quotes or list items?--    ``` markdown-    > Blockquote [foo].-    >-    > [foo]: /url-    ```--14. If there are multiple definitions for the same reference, which takes-    precedence?--    ``` markdown-    [foo]: /url1-    [foo]: /url2--    [foo][]-    ```--In the absence of a spec, early implementers consulted `Markdown.pl`-to resolve these ambiguities.  But `Markdown.pl` was quite buggy, and-gave manifestly bad results in many cases, so it was not a-satisfactory replacement for a spec.--Because there is no unambiguous spec, implementations have diverged-considerably.  As a result, users are often surprised to find that-a document that renders one way on one system (say, a GitHub wiki)-renders differently on another (say, converting to docbook using-pandoc).  To make matters worse, because nothing in Markdown counts-as a "syntax error," the divergence often isn't discovered right away.--## About this document--This document attempts to specify Markdown syntax unambiguously.-It contains many examples with side-by-side Markdown and-HTML.  These are intended to double as conformance tests.  An-accompanying script `spec_tests.py` can be used to run the tests-against any Markdown program:--    python test/spec_tests.py --spec spec.txt --program PROGRAM--Since this document describes how Markdown is to be parsed into-an abstract syntax tree, it would have made sense to use an abstract-representation of the syntax tree instead of HTML.  But HTML is capable-of representing the structural distinctions we need to make, and the-choice of HTML for the tests makes it possible to run the tests against-an implementation without writing an abstract syntax tree renderer.--This document is generated from a text file, `spec.txt`, written-in Markdown with a small extension for the side-by-side tests.-The script `tools/makespec.py` can be used to convert `spec.txt` into-HTML or CommonMark (which can then be converted into other formats).--In the examples, the `→` character is used to represent tabs.--# Preliminaries--## Characters and lines--Any sequence of [characters] is a valid CommonMark-document.--A [character](@) is a Unicode code point.  Although some-code points (for example, combining accents) do not correspond to-characters in an intuitive sense, all code points count as characters-for purposes of this spec.--This spec does not specify an encoding; it thinks of lines as composed-of [characters] rather than bytes.  A conforming parser may be limited-to a certain encoding.--A [line](@) is a sequence of zero or more [characters]-other than newline (`U+000A`) or carriage return (`U+000D`),-followed by a [line ending] or by the end of file.--A [line ending](@) is a newline (`U+000A`), a carriage return-(`U+000D`) not followed by a newline, or a carriage return and a-following newline.--A line containing no characters, or a line containing only spaces-(`U+0020`) or tabs (`U+0009`), is called a [blank line](@).--The following definitions of character classes will be used in this spec:--A [whitespace character](@) is a space-(`U+0020`), tab (`U+0009`), newline (`U+000A`), line tabulation (`U+000B`),-form feed (`U+000C`), or carriage return (`U+000D`).--[Whitespace](@) is a sequence of one or more [whitespace-characters].--A [Unicode whitespace character](@) is-any code point in the Unicode `Zs` general category, or a tab (`U+0009`),-carriage return (`U+000D`), newline (`U+000A`), or form feed-(`U+000C`).--[Unicode whitespace](@) is a sequence of one-or more [Unicode whitespace characters].--A [space](@) is `U+0020`.--A [non-whitespace character](@) is any character-that is not a [whitespace character].--An [ASCII punctuation character](@)-is `!`, `"`, `#`, `$`, `%`, `&`, `'`, `(`, `)`,-`*`, `+`, `,`, `-`, `.`, `/` (U+0021–2F), -`:`, `;`, `<`, `=`, `>`, `?`, `@` (U+003A–0040),-`[`, `\`, `]`, `^`, `_`, `` ` `` (U+005B–0060), -`{`, `|`, `}`, or `~` (U+007B–007E).--A [punctuation character](@) is an [ASCII-punctuation character] or anything in-the general Unicode categories  `Pc`, `Pd`, `Pe`, `Pf`, `Pi`, `Po`, or `Ps`.--## Tabs--Tabs in lines are not expanded to [spaces].  However,-in contexts where whitespace helps to define block structure,-tabs behave as if they were replaced by spaces with a tab stop-of 4 characters.--Thus, for example, a tab can be used instead of four spaces-in an indented code block.  (Note, however, that internal-tabs are passed through as literal tabs, not expanded to-spaces.)--```````````````````````````````` example-→foo→baz→→bim-.-<pre><code>foo→baz→→bim-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-  →foo→baz→→bim-.-<pre><code>foo→baz→→bim-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-    a→a-    ὐ→a-.-<pre><code>a→a-ὐ→a-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````--In the following example, a continuation paragraph of a list-item is indented with a tab; this has exactly the same effect-as indentation with four spaces would:--```````````````````````````````` example-  - foo--→bar-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<p>bar</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo--→→bar-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<pre><code>  bar-</code></pre>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--Normally the `>` that begins a block quote may be followed-optionally by a space, which is not considered part of the-content.  In the following case `>` is followed by a tab,-which is treated as if it were expanded into three spaces.-Since one of these spaces is considered part of the-delimiter, `foo` is considered to be indented six spaces-inside the block quote context, so we get an indented-code block starting with two spaces.--```````````````````````````````` example->→→foo-.-<blockquote>-<pre><code>  foo-</code></pre>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example--→→foo-.-<ul>-<li>-<pre><code>  foo-</code></pre>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-    foo-→bar-.-<pre><code>foo-bar-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example- - foo-   - bar-→ - baz-.-<ul>-<li>foo-<ul>-<li>bar-<ul>-<li>baz</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-#→Foo-.-<h1>Foo</h1>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-*→*→*→-.-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---## Insecure characters--For security reasons, the Unicode character `U+0000` must be replaced-with the REPLACEMENT CHARACTER (`U+FFFD`).--# Blocks and inlines--We can think of a document as a sequence of-[blocks](@)---structural elements like paragraphs, block-quotations, lists, headings, rules, and code blocks.  Some blocks (like-block quotes and list items) contain other blocks; others (like-headings and paragraphs) contain [inline](@) content---text,-links, emphasized text, images, code spans, and so on.--## Precedence--Indicators of block structure always take precedence over indicators-of inline structure.  So, for example, the following is a list with-two items, not a list with one item containing a code span:--```````````````````````````````` example-- `one-- two`-.-<ul>-<li>`one</li>-<li>two`</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---This means that parsing can proceed in two steps:  first, the block-structure of the document can be discerned; second, text lines inside-paragraphs, headings, and other block constructs can be parsed for inline-structure.  The second step requires information about link reference-definitions that will be available only at the end of the first-step.  Note that the first step requires processing lines in sequence,-but the second can be parallelized, since the inline parsing of-one block element does not affect the inline parsing of any other.--## Container blocks and leaf blocks--We can divide blocks into two types:-[container blocks](@),-which can contain other blocks, and [leaf blocks](@),-which cannot.--# Leaf blocks--This section describes the different kinds of leaf block that make up a-Markdown document.--## Thematic breaks--A line consisting of 0-3 spaces of indentation, followed by a sequence-of three or more matching `-`, `_`, or `*` characters, each followed-optionally by any number of spaces or tabs, forms a-[thematic break](@).--```````````````````````````````` example-***-----___-.-<hr />-<hr />-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---Wrong characters:--```````````````````````````````` example-+++-.-<p>+++</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-===-.-<p>===</p>-````````````````````````````````---Not enough characters:--```````````````````````````````` example----**-__-.-<p>---**-__</p>-````````````````````````````````---One to three spaces indent are allowed:--```````````````````````````````` example- ***-  ***-   ***-.-<hr />-<hr />-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---Four spaces is too many:--```````````````````````````````` example-    ***-.-<pre><code>***-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-    ***-.-<p>Foo-***</p>-````````````````````````````````---More than three characters may be used:--```````````````````````````````` example-_____________________________________-.-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---Spaces are allowed between the characters:--```````````````````````````````` example- - - --.-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example- **  * ** * ** * **-.-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example--     -      -      --.-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---Spaces are allowed at the end:--```````````````````````````````` example-- - - -    -.-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---However, no other characters may occur in the line:--```````````````````````````````` example-_ _ _ _ a--a-----------a----.-<p>_ _ _ _ a</p>-<p>a------</p>-<p>---a---</p>-````````````````````````````````---It is required that all of the [non-whitespace characters] be the same.-So, this is not a thematic break:--```````````````````````````````` example- *-*-.-<p><em>-</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Thematic breaks do not need blank lines before or after:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo-***-- bar-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-<hr />-<ul>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---Thematic breaks can interrupt a paragraph:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-***-bar-.-<p>Foo</p>-<hr />-<p>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---If a line of dashes that meets the above conditions for being a-thematic break could also be interpreted as the underline of a [setext-heading], the interpretation as a-[setext heading] takes precedence. Thus, for example,-this is a setext heading, not a paragraph followed by a thematic break:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-----bar-.-<h2>Foo</h2>-<p>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---When both a thematic break and a list item are possible-interpretations of a line, the thematic break takes precedence:--```````````````````````````````` example-* Foo-* * *-* Bar-.-<ul>-<li>Foo</li>-</ul>-<hr />-<ul>-<li>Bar</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---If you want a thematic break in a list item, use a different bullet:--```````````````````````````````` example-- Foo-- * * *-.-<ul>-<li>Foo</li>-<li>-<hr />-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---## ATX headings--An [ATX heading](@)-consists of a string of characters, parsed as inline content, between an-opening sequence of 1--6 unescaped `#` characters and an optional-closing sequence of any number of unescaped `#` characters.-The opening sequence of `#` characters must be followed by a-[space] or by the end of line. The optional closing sequence of `#`s must be-preceded by a [space] and may be followed by spaces only.  The opening-`#` character may be indented 0-3 spaces.  The raw contents of the-heading are stripped of leading and trailing spaces before being parsed-as inline content.  The heading level is equal to the number of `#`-characters in the opening sequence.--Simple headings:--```````````````````````````````` example-# foo-## foo-### foo-#### foo-##### foo-###### foo-.-<h1>foo</h1>-<h2>foo</h2>-<h3>foo</h3>-<h4>foo</h4>-<h5>foo</h5>-<h6>foo</h6>-````````````````````````````````---More than six `#` characters is not a heading:--```````````````````````````````` example-####### foo-.-<p>####### foo</p>-````````````````````````````````---At least one space is required between the `#` characters and the-heading's contents, unless the heading is empty.  Note that many-implementations currently do not require the space.  However, the-space was required by the-[original ATX implementation](http://www.aaronsw.com/2002/atx/atx.py),-and it helps prevent things like the following from being parsed as-headings:--```````````````````````````````` example-#5 bolt--#hashtag-.-<p>#5 bolt</p>-<p>#hashtag</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not a heading, because the first `#` is escaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-\## foo-.-<p>## foo</p>-````````````````````````````````---Contents are parsed as inlines:--```````````````````````````````` example-# foo *bar* \*baz\*-.-<h1>foo <em>bar</em> *baz*</h1>-````````````````````````````````---Leading and trailing [whitespace] is ignored in parsing inline content:--```````````````````````````````` example-#                  foo                     -.-<h1>foo</h1>-````````````````````````````````---One to three spaces indentation are allowed:--```````````````````````````````` example- ### foo-  ## foo-   # foo-.-<h3>foo</h3>-<h2>foo</h2>-<h1>foo</h1>-````````````````````````````````---Four spaces are too much:--```````````````````````````````` example-    # foo-.-<pre><code># foo-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo-    # bar-.-<p>foo-# bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---A closing sequence of `#` characters is optional:--```````````````````````````````` example-## foo ##-  ###   bar    ###-.-<h2>foo</h2>-<h3>bar</h3>-````````````````````````````````---It need not be the same length as the opening sequence:--```````````````````````````````` example-# foo ##################################-##### foo ##-.-<h1>foo</h1>-<h5>foo</h5>-````````````````````````````````---Spaces are allowed after the closing sequence:--```````````````````````````````` example-### foo ###     -.-<h3>foo</h3>-````````````````````````````````---A sequence of `#` characters with anything but [spaces] following it-is not a closing sequence, but counts as part of the contents of the-heading:--```````````````````````````````` example-### foo ### b-.-<h3>foo ### b</h3>-````````````````````````````````---The closing sequence must be preceded by a space:--```````````````````````````````` example-# foo#-.-<h1>foo#</h1>-````````````````````````````````---Backslash-escaped `#` characters do not count as part-of the closing sequence:--```````````````````````````````` example-### foo \###-## foo #\##-# foo \#-.-<h3>foo ###</h3>-<h2>foo ###</h2>-<h1>foo #</h1>-````````````````````````````````---ATX headings need not be separated from surrounding content by blank-lines, and they can interrupt paragraphs:--```````````````````````````````` example-****-## foo-****-.-<hr />-<h2>foo</h2>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-Foo bar-# baz-Bar foo-.-<p>Foo bar</p>-<h1>baz</h1>-<p>Bar foo</p>-````````````````````````````````---ATX headings can be empty:--```````````````````````````````` example-## -#-### ###-.-<h2></h2>-<h1></h1>-<h3></h3>-````````````````````````````````---## Setext headings--A [setext heading](@) consists of one or more-lines of text, each containing at least one [non-whitespace-character], with no more than 3 spaces indentation, followed by-a [setext heading underline].  The lines of text must be such-that, were they not followed by the setext heading underline,-they would be interpreted as a paragraph:  they cannot be-interpretable as a [code fence], [ATX heading][ATX headings],-[block quote][block quotes], [thematic break][thematic breaks],-[list item][list items], or [HTML block][HTML blocks].--A [setext heading underline](@) is a sequence of-`=` characters or a sequence of `-` characters, with no more than 3-spaces indentation and any number of trailing spaces.  If a line-containing a single `-` can be interpreted as an-empty [list items], it should be interpreted this way-and not as a [setext heading underline].--The heading is a level 1 heading if `=` characters are used in-the [setext heading underline], and a level 2 heading if `-`-characters are used.  The contents of the heading are the result-of parsing the preceding lines of text as CommonMark inline-content.--In general, a setext heading need not be preceded or followed by a-blank line.  However, it cannot interrupt a paragraph, so when a-setext heading comes after a paragraph, a blank line is needed between-them.--Simple examples:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo *bar*-=========--Foo *bar*-----------.-<h1>Foo <em>bar</em></h1>-<h2>Foo <em>bar</em></h2>-````````````````````````````````---The content of the header may span more than one line:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo *bar-baz*-====-.-<h1>Foo <em>bar-baz</em></h1>-````````````````````````````````--The contents are the result of parsing the headings's raw-content as inlines.  The heading's raw content is formed by-concatenating the lines and removing initial and final-[whitespace].--```````````````````````````````` example-  Foo *bar-baz*→-====-.-<h1>Foo <em>bar-baz</em></h1>-````````````````````````````````---The underlining can be any length:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo----------------------------Foo-=-.-<h2>Foo</h2>-<h1>Foo</h1>-````````````````````````````````---The heading content can be indented up to three spaces, and need-not line up with the underlining:--```````````````````````````````` example-   Foo------  Foo--------  Foo-  ===-.-<h2>Foo</h2>-<h2>Foo</h2>-<h1>Foo</h1>-````````````````````````````````---Four spaces indent is too much:--```````````````````````````````` example-    Foo-    -----    Foo-----.-<pre><code>Foo------Foo-</code></pre>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---The setext heading underline can be indented up to three spaces, and-may have trailing spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-   ----      -.-<h2>Foo</h2>-````````````````````````````````---Four spaces is too much:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-    ----.-<p>Foo----</p>-````````````````````````````````---The setext heading underline cannot contain internal spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-= =--Foo---- --.-<p>Foo-= =</p>-<p>Foo</p>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---Trailing spaces in the content line do not cause a line break:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo  -------.-<h2>Foo</h2>-````````````````````````````````---Nor does a backslash at the end:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo\------.-<h2>Foo\</h2>-````````````````````````````````---Since indicators of block structure take precedence over-indicators of inline structure, the following are setext headings:--```````````````````````````````` example-`Foo------`--<a title="a lot-----of dashes"/>-.-<h2>`Foo</h2>-<p>`</p>-<h2>&lt;a title=&quot;a lot</h2>-<p>of dashes&quot;/&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---The setext heading underline cannot be a [lazy continuation-line] in a list item or block quote:--```````````````````````````````` example-> Foo-----.-<blockquote>-<p>Foo</p>-</blockquote>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> foo-bar-===-.-<blockquote>-<p>foo-bar-===</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-- Foo-----.-<ul>-<li>Foo</li>-</ul>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---A blank line is needed between a paragraph and a following-setext heading, since otherwise the paragraph becomes part-of the heading's content:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-Bar-----.-<h2>Foo-Bar</h2>-````````````````````````````````---But in general a blank line is not required before or after-setext headings:--```````````````````````````````` example-----Foo-----Bar-----Baz-.-<hr />-<h2>Foo</h2>-<h2>Bar</h2>-<p>Baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---Setext headings cannot be empty:--```````````````````````````````` example--====-.-<p>====</p>-````````````````````````````````---Setext heading text lines must not be interpretable as block-constructs other than paragraphs.  So, the line of dashes-in these examples gets interpreted as a thematic break:--```````````````````````````````` example---------.-<hr />-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-- foo-------.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-    foo-----.-<pre><code>foo-</code></pre>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> foo-------.-<blockquote>-<p>foo</p>-</blockquote>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---If you want a heading with `> foo` as its literal text, you can-use backslash escapes:--```````````````````````````````` example-\> foo--------.-<h2>&gt; foo</h2>-````````````````````````````````---**Compatibility note:**  Most existing Markdown implementations-do not allow the text of setext headings to span multiple lines.-But there is no consensus about how to interpret--``` markdown-Foo-bar-----baz-```--One can find four different interpretations:--1. paragraph "Foo", heading "bar", paragraph "baz"-2. paragraph "Foo bar", thematic break, paragraph "baz"-3. paragraph "Foo bar --- baz"-4. heading "Foo bar", paragraph "baz"--We find interpretation 4 most natural, and interpretation 4-increases the expressive power of CommonMark, by allowing-multiline headings.  Authors who want interpretation 1 can-put a blank line after the first paragraph:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo--bar-----baz-.-<p>Foo</p>-<h2>bar</h2>-<p>baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---Authors who want interpretation 2 can put blank lines around-the thematic break,--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-bar-------baz-.-<p>Foo-bar</p>-<hr />-<p>baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---or use a thematic break that cannot count as a [setext heading-underline], such as--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-bar-* * *-baz-.-<p>Foo-bar</p>-<hr />-<p>baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---Authors who want interpretation 3 can use backslash escapes:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-bar-\----baz-.-<p>Foo-bar-----baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---## Indented code blocks--An [indented code block](@) is composed of one or more-[indented chunks] separated by blank lines.-An [indented chunk](@) is a sequence of non-blank lines,-each indented four or more spaces. The contents of the code block are-the literal contents of the lines, including trailing-[line endings], minus four spaces of indentation.-An indented code block has no [info string].--An indented code block cannot interrupt a paragraph, so there must be-a blank line between a paragraph and a following indented code block.-(A blank line is not needed, however, between a code block and a following-paragraph.)--```````````````````````````````` example-    a simple-      indented code block-.-<pre><code>a simple-  indented code block-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---If there is any ambiguity between an interpretation of indentation-as a code block and as indicating that material belongs to a [list-item][list items], the list item interpretation takes precedence:--```````````````````````````````` example-  - foo--    bar-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<p>bar</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-1.  foo--    - bar-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<ul>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````----The contents of a code block are literal text, and do not get parsed-as Markdown:--```````````````````````````````` example-    <a/>-    *hi*--    - one-.-<pre><code>&lt;a/&gt;-*hi*--- one-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Here we have three chunks separated by blank lines:--```````````````````````````````` example-    chunk1--    chunk2-  - - -    chunk3-.-<pre><code>chunk1--chunk2----chunk3-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Any initial spaces beyond four will be included in the content, even-in interior blank lines:--```````````````````````````````` example-    chunk1-      -      chunk2-.-<pre><code>chunk1-  -  chunk2-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---An indented code block cannot interrupt a paragraph.  (This-allows hanging indents and the like.)--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-    bar--.-<p>Foo-bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---However, any non-blank line with fewer than four leading spaces ends-the code block immediately.  So a paragraph may occur immediately-after indented code:--```````````````````````````````` example-    foo-bar-.-<pre><code>foo-</code></pre>-<p>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---And indented code can occur immediately before and after other kinds of-blocks:--```````````````````````````````` example-# Heading-    foo-Heading--------    foo------.-<h1>Heading</h1>-<pre><code>foo-</code></pre>-<h2>Heading</h2>-<pre><code>foo-</code></pre>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---The first line can be indented more than four spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-        foo-    bar-.-<pre><code>    foo-bar-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Blank lines preceding or following an indented code block-are not included in it:--```````````````````````````````` example--    -    foo-    --.-<pre><code>foo-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Trailing spaces are included in the code block's content:--```````````````````````````````` example-    foo  -.-<pre><code>foo  -</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````----## Fenced code blocks--A [code fence](@) is a sequence-of at least three consecutive backtick characters (`` ` ``) or-tildes (`~`).  (Tildes and backticks cannot be mixed.)-A [fenced code block](@)-begins with a code fence, indented no more than three spaces.--The line with the opening code fence may optionally contain some text-following the code fence; this is trimmed of leading and trailing-whitespace and called the [info string](@). If the [info string] comes-after a backtick fence, it may not contain any backtick-characters.  (The reason for this restriction is that otherwise-some inline code would be incorrectly interpreted as the-beginning of a fenced code block.)--The content of the code block consists of all subsequent lines, until-a closing [code fence] of the same type as the code block-began with (backticks or tildes), and with at least as many backticks-or tildes as the opening code fence.  If the leading code fence is-indented N spaces, then up to N spaces of indentation are removed from-each line of the content (if present).  (If a content line is not-indented, it is preserved unchanged.  If it is indented less than N-spaces, all of the indentation is removed.)--The closing code fence may be indented up to three spaces, and may be-followed only by spaces, which are ignored.  If the end of the-containing block (or document) is reached and no closing code fence-has been found, the code block contains all of the lines after the-opening code fence until the end of the containing block (or-document).  (An alternative spec would require backtracking in the-event that a closing code fence is not found.  But this makes parsing-much less efficient, and there seems to be no real down side to the-behavior described here.)--A fenced code block may interrupt a paragraph, and does not require-a blank line either before or after.--The content of a code fence is treated as literal text, not parsed-as inlines.  The first word of the [info string] is typically used to-specify the language of the code sample, and rendered in the `class`-attribute of the `code` tag.  However, this spec does not mandate any-particular treatment of the [info string].--Here is a simple example with backticks:--```````````````````````````````` example-```-<- >-```-.-<pre><code>&lt;- &gt;-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---With tildes:--```````````````````````````````` example-~~~-<- >-~~~-.-<pre><code>&lt;- &gt;-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````--Fewer than three backticks is not enough:--```````````````````````````````` example-``-foo-``-.-<p><code>foo</code></p>-````````````````````````````````--The closing code fence must use the same character as the opening-fence:--```````````````````````````````` example-```-aaa-~~~-```-.-<pre><code>aaa-~~~-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-~~~-aaa-```-~~~-.-<pre><code>aaa-```-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---The closing code fence must be at least as long as the opening fence:--```````````````````````````````` example-````-aaa-```-``````-.-<pre><code>aaa-```-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-~~~~-aaa-~~~-~~~~-.-<pre><code>aaa-~~~-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Unclosed code blocks are closed by the end of the document-(or the enclosing [block quote][block quotes] or [list item][list items]):--```````````````````````````````` example-```-.-<pre><code></code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-`````--```-aaa-.-<pre><code>-```-aaa-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> ```-> aaa--bbb-.-<blockquote>-<pre><code>aaa-</code></pre>-</blockquote>-<p>bbb</p>-````````````````````````````````---A code block can have all empty lines as its content:--```````````````````````````````` example-```--  -```-.-<pre><code>-  -</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---A code block can be empty:--```````````````````````````````` example-```-```-.-<pre><code></code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Fences can be indented.  If the opening fence is indented,-content lines will have equivalent opening indentation removed,-if present:--```````````````````````````````` example- ```- aaa-aaa-```-.-<pre><code>aaa-aaa-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-  ```-aaa-  aaa-aaa-  ```-.-<pre><code>aaa-aaa-aaa-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-   ```-   aaa-    aaa-  aaa-   ```-.-<pre><code>aaa- aaa-aaa-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Four spaces indentation produces an indented code block:--```````````````````````````````` example-    ```-    aaa-    ```-.-<pre><code>```-aaa-```-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Closing fences may be indented by 0-3 spaces, and their indentation-need not match that of the opening fence:--```````````````````````````````` example-```-aaa-  ```-.-<pre><code>aaa-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-   ```-aaa-  ```-.-<pre><code>aaa-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---This is not a closing fence, because it is indented 4 spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-```-aaa-    ```-.-<pre><code>aaa-    ```-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````----Code fences (opening and closing) cannot contain internal spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-``` ```-aaa-.-<p><code> </code>-aaa</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-~~~~~~-aaa-~~~ ~~-.-<pre><code>aaa-~~~ ~~-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Fenced code blocks can interrupt paragraphs, and can be followed-directly by paragraphs, without a blank line between:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo-```-bar-```-baz-.-<p>foo</p>-<pre><code>bar-</code></pre>-<p>baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---Other blocks can also occur before and after fenced code blocks-without an intervening blank line:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo-----~~~-bar-~~~-# baz-.-<h2>foo</h2>-<pre><code>bar-</code></pre>-<h1>baz</h1>-````````````````````````````````---An [info string] can be provided after the opening code fence.-Although this spec doesn't mandate any particular treatment of-the info string, the first word is typically used to specify-the language of the code block. In HTML output, the language is-normally indicated by adding a class to the `code` element consisting-of `language-` followed by the language name.--```````````````````````````````` example-```ruby-def foo(x)-  return 3-end-```-.-<pre><code class="language-ruby">def foo(x)-  return 3-end-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-~~~~    ruby startline=3 $%@#$-def foo(x)-  return 3-end-~~~~~~~-.-<pre><code class="language-ruby">def foo(x)-  return 3-end-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-````;-````-.-<pre><code class="language-;"></code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---[Info strings] for backtick code blocks cannot contain backticks:--```````````````````````````````` example-``` aa ```-foo-.-<p><code>aa</code>-foo</p>-````````````````````````````````---[Info strings] for tilde code blocks can contain backticks and tildes:--```````````````````````````````` example-~~~ aa ``` ~~~-foo-~~~-.-<pre><code class="language-aa">foo-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Closing code fences cannot have [info strings]:--```````````````````````````````` example-```-``` aaa-```-.-<pre><code>``` aaa-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````----## HTML blocks--An [HTML block](@) is a group of lines that is treated-as raw HTML (and will not be escaped in HTML output).--There are seven kinds of [HTML block], which can be defined by their-start and end conditions.  The block begins with a line that meets a-[start condition](@) (after up to three spaces optional indentation).-It ends with the first subsequent line that meets a matching [end-condition](@), or the last line of the document, or the last line of-the [container block](#container-blocks) containing the current HTML-block, if no line is encountered that meets the [end condition].  If-the first line meets both the [start condition] and the [end-condition], the block will contain just that line.--1.  **Start condition:**  line begins with the string `<script`,-`<pre`, or `<style` (case-insensitive), followed by whitespace,-the string `>`, or the end of the line.\-**End condition:**  line contains an end tag-`</script>`, `</pre>`, or `</style>` (case-insensitive; it-need not match the start tag).--2.  **Start condition:** line begins with the string `<!--`.\-**End condition:**  line contains the string `-->`.--3.  **Start condition:** line begins with the string `<?`.\-**End condition:** line contains the string `?>`.--4.  **Start condition:** line begins with the string `<!`-followed by an uppercase ASCII letter.\-**End condition:** line contains the character `>`.--5.  **Start condition:**  line begins with the string-`<![CDATA[`.\-**End condition:** line contains the string `]]>`.--6.  **Start condition:** line begins the string `<` or `</`-followed by one of the strings (case-insensitive) `address`,-`article`, `aside`, `base`, `basefont`, `blockquote`, `body`,-`caption`, `center`, `col`, `colgroup`, `dd`, `details`, `dialog`,-`dir`, `div`, `dl`, `dt`, `fieldset`, `figcaption`, `figure`,-`footer`, `form`, `frame`, `frameset`,-`h1`, `h2`, `h3`, `h4`, `h5`, `h6`, `head`, `header`, `hr`,-`html`, `iframe`, `legend`, `li`, `link`, `main`, `menu`, `menuitem`,-`nav`, `noframes`, `ol`, `optgroup`, `option`, `p`, `param`,-`section`, `source`, `summary`, `table`, `tbody`, `td`,-`tfoot`, `th`, `thead`, `title`, `tr`, `track`, `ul`, followed-by [whitespace], the end of the line, the string `>`, or-the string `/>`.\-**End condition:** line is followed by a [blank line].--7.  **Start condition:**  line begins with a complete [open tag]-(with any [tag name] other than `script`,-`style`, or `pre`) or a complete [closing tag],-followed only by [whitespace] or the end of the line.\-**End condition:** line is followed by a [blank line].--HTML blocks continue until they are closed by their appropriate-[end condition], or the last line of the document or other [container-block](#container-blocks).  This means any HTML **within an HTML-block** that might otherwise be recognised as a start condition will-be ignored by the parser and passed through as-is, without changing-the parser's state.--For instance, `<pre>` within a HTML block started by `<table>` will not affect-the parser state; as the HTML block was started in by start condition 6, it-will end at any blank line. This can be surprising:--```````````````````````````````` example-<table><tr><td>-<pre>-**Hello**,--_world_.-</pre>-</td></tr></table>-.-<table><tr><td>-<pre>-**Hello**,-<p><em>world</em>.-</pre></p>-</td></tr></table>-````````````````````````````````--In this case, the HTML block is terminated by the newline — the `**Hello**`-text remains verbatim — and regular parsing resumes, with a paragraph,-emphasised `world` and inline and block HTML following.--All types of [HTML blocks] except type 7 may interrupt-a paragraph.  Blocks of type 7 may not interrupt a paragraph.-(This restriction is intended to prevent unwanted interpretation-of long tags inside a wrapped paragraph as starting HTML blocks.)--Some simple examples follow.  Here are some basic HTML blocks-of type 6:--```````````````````````````````` example-<table>-  <tr>-    <td>-           hi-    </td>-  </tr>-</table>--okay.-.-<table>-  <tr>-    <td>-           hi-    </td>-  </tr>-</table>-<p>okay.</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example- <div>-  *hello*-         <foo><a>-.- <div>-  *hello*-         <foo><a>-````````````````````````````````---A block can also start with a closing tag:--```````````````````````````````` example-</div>-*foo*-.-</div>-*foo*-````````````````````````````````---Here we have two HTML blocks with a Markdown paragraph between them:--```````````````````````````````` example-<DIV CLASS="foo">--*Markdown*--</DIV>-.-<DIV CLASS="foo">-<p><em>Markdown</em></p>-</DIV>-````````````````````````````````---The tag on the first line can be partial, as long-as it is split where there would be whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-<div id="foo"-  class="bar">-</div>-.-<div id="foo"-  class="bar">-</div>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<div id="foo" class="bar-  baz">-</div>-.-<div id="foo" class="bar-  baz">-</div>-````````````````````````````````---An open tag need not be closed:-```````````````````````````````` example-<div>-*foo*--*bar*-.-<div>-*foo*-<p><em>bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````----A partial tag need not even be completed (garbage-in, garbage out):--```````````````````````````````` example-<div id="foo"-*hi*-.-<div id="foo"-*hi*-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<div class-foo-.-<div class-foo-````````````````````````````````---The initial tag doesn't even need to be a valid-tag, as long as it starts like one:--```````````````````````````````` example-<div *???-&&&-<----*foo*-.-<div *???-&&&-<----*foo*-````````````````````````````````---In type 6 blocks, the initial tag need not be on a line by-itself:--```````````````````````````````` example-<div><a href="bar">*foo*</a></div>-.-<div><a href="bar">*foo*</a></div>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<table><tr><td>-foo-</td></tr></table>-.-<table><tr><td>-foo-</td></tr></table>-````````````````````````````````---Everything until the next blank line or end of document-gets included in the HTML block.  So, in the following-example, what looks like a Markdown code block-is actually part of the HTML block, which continues until a blank-line or the end of the document is reached:--```````````````````````````````` example-<div></div>-``` c-int x = 33;-```-.-<div></div>-``` c-int x = 33;-```-````````````````````````````````---To start an [HTML block] with a tag that is *not* in the-list of block-level tags in (6), you must put the tag by-itself on the first line (and it must be complete):--```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="foo">-*bar*-</a>-.-<a href="foo">-*bar*-</a>-````````````````````````````````---In type 7 blocks, the [tag name] can be anything:--```````````````````````````````` example-<Warning>-*bar*-</Warning>-.-<Warning>-*bar*-</Warning>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<i class="foo">-*bar*-</i>-.-<i class="foo">-*bar*-</i>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-</ins>-*bar*-.-</ins>-*bar*-````````````````````````````````---These rules are designed to allow us to work with tags that-can function as either block-level or inline-level tags.-The `<del>` tag is a nice example.  We can surround content with-`<del>` tags in three different ways.  In this case, we get a raw-HTML block, because the `<del>` tag is on a line by itself:--```````````````````````````````` example-<del>-*foo*-</del>-.-<del>-*foo*-</del>-````````````````````````````````---In this case, we get a raw HTML block that just includes-the `<del>` tag (because it ends with the following blank-line).  So the contents get interpreted as CommonMark:--```````````````````````````````` example-<del>--*foo*--</del>-.-<del>-<p><em>foo</em></p>-</del>-````````````````````````````````---Finally, in this case, the `<del>` tags are interpreted-as [raw HTML] *inside* the CommonMark paragraph.  (Because-the tag is not on a line by itself, we get inline HTML-rather than an [HTML block].)--```````````````````````````````` example-<del>*foo*</del>-.-<p><del><em>foo</em></del></p>-````````````````````````````````---HTML tags designed to contain literal content-(`script`, `style`, `pre`), comments, processing instructions,-and declarations are treated somewhat differently.-Instead of ending at the first blank line, these blocks-end at the first line containing a corresponding end tag.-As a result, these blocks can contain blank lines:--A pre tag (type 1):--```````````````````````````````` example-<pre language="haskell"><code>-import Text.HTML.TagSoup--main :: IO ()-main = print $ parseTags tags-</code></pre>-okay-.-<pre language="haskell"><code>-import Text.HTML.TagSoup--main :: IO ()-main = print $ parseTags tags-</code></pre>-<p>okay</p>-````````````````````````````````---A script tag (type 1):--```````````````````````````````` example-<script type="text/javascript">-// JavaScript example--document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello JavaScript!";-</script>-okay-.-<script type="text/javascript">-// JavaScript example--document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello JavaScript!";-</script>-<p>okay</p>-````````````````````````````````---A style tag (type 1):--```````````````````````````````` example-<style-  type="text/css">-h1 {color:red;}--p {color:blue;}-</style>-okay-.-<style-  type="text/css">-h1 {color:red;}--p {color:blue;}-</style>-<p>okay</p>-````````````````````````````````---If there is no matching end tag, the block will end at the-end of the document (or the enclosing [block quote][block quotes]-or [list item][list items]):--```````````````````````````````` example-<style-  type="text/css">--foo-.-<style-  type="text/css">--foo-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> <div>-> foo--bar-.-<blockquote>-<div>-foo-</blockquote>-<p>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-- <div>-- foo-.-<ul>-<li>-<div>-</li>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---The end tag can occur on the same line as the start tag:--```````````````````````````````` example-<style>p{color:red;}</style>-*foo*-.-<style>p{color:red;}</style>-<p><em>foo</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<!-- foo -->*bar*-*baz*-.-<!-- foo -->*bar*-<p><em>baz</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that anything on the last line after the-end tag will be included in the [HTML block]:--```````````````````````````````` example-<script>-foo-</script>1. *bar*-.-<script>-foo-</script>1. *bar*-````````````````````````````````---A comment (type 2):--```````````````````````````````` example-<!-- Foo--bar-   baz -->-okay-.-<!-- Foo--bar-   baz -->-<p>okay</p>-````````````````````````````````----A processing instruction (type 3):--```````````````````````````````` example-<?php--  echo '>';--?>-okay-.-<?php--  echo '>';--?>-<p>okay</p>-````````````````````````````````---A declaration (type 4):--```````````````````````````````` example-<!DOCTYPE html>-.-<!DOCTYPE html>-````````````````````````````````---CDATA (type 5):--```````````````````````````````` example-<![CDATA[-function matchwo(a,b)-{-  if (a < b && a < 0) then {-    return 1;--  } else {--    return 0;-  }-}-]]>-okay-.-<![CDATA[-function matchwo(a,b)-{-  if (a < b && a < 0) then {-    return 1;--  } else {--    return 0;-  }-}-]]>-<p>okay</p>-````````````````````````````````---The opening tag can be indented 1-3 spaces, but not 4:--```````````````````````````````` example-  <!-- foo -->--    <!-- foo -->-.-  <!-- foo -->-<pre><code>&lt;!-- foo --&gt;-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-  <div>--    <div>-.-  <div>-<pre><code>&lt;div&gt;-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---An HTML block of types 1--6 can interrupt a paragraph, and need not be-preceded by a blank line.--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-<div>-bar-</div>-.-<p>Foo</p>-<div>-bar-</div>-````````````````````````````````---However, a following blank line is needed, except at the end of-a document, and except for blocks of types 1--5, [above][HTML-block]:--```````````````````````````````` example-<div>-bar-</div>-*foo*-.-<div>-bar-</div>-*foo*-````````````````````````````````---HTML blocks of type 7 cannot interrupt a paragraph:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-<a href="bar">-baz-.-<p>Foo-<a href="bar">-baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---This rule differs from John Gruber's original Markdown syntax-specification, which says:--> The only restrictions are that block-level HTML elements —-> e.g. `<div>`, `<table>`, `<pre>`, `<p>`, etc. — must be separated from-> surrounding content by blank lines, and the start and end tags of the-> block should not be indented with tabs or spaces.--In some ways Gruber's rule is more restrictive than the one given-here:--- It requires that an HTML block be preceded by a blank line.-- It does not allow the start tag to be indented.-- It requires a matching end tag, which it also does not allow to-  be indented.--Most Markdown implementations (including some of Gruber's own) do not-respect all of these restrictions.--There is one respect, however, in which Gruber's rule is more liberal-than the one given here, since it allows blank lines to occur inside-an HTML block.  There are two reasons for disallowing them here.-First, it removes the need to parse balanced tags, which is-expensive and can require backtracking from the end of the document-if no matching end tag is found. Second, it provides a very simple-and flexible way of including Markdown content inside HTML tags:-simply separate the Markdown from the HTML using blank lines:--Compare:--```````````````````````````````` example-<div>--*Emphasized* text.--</div>-.-<div>-<p><em>Emphasized</em> text.</p>-</div>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<div>-*Emphasized* text.-</div>-.-<div>-*Emphasized* text.-</div>-````````````````````````````````---Some Markdown implementations have adopted a convention of-interpreting content inside tags as text if the open tag has-the attribute `markdown=1`.  The rule given above seems a simpler and-more elegant way of achieving the same expressive power, which is also-much simpler to parse.--The main potential drawback is that one can no longer paste HTML-blocks into Markdown documents with 100% reliability.  However,-*in most cases* this will work fine, because the blank lines in-HTML are usually followed by HTML block tags.  For example:--```````````````````````````````` example-<table>--<tr>--<td>-Hi-</td>--</tr>--</table>-.-<table>-<tr>-<td>-Hi-</td>-</tr>-</table>-````````````````````````````````---There are problems, however, if the inner tags are indented-*and* separated by spaces, as then they will be interpreted as-an indented code block:--```````````````````````````````` example-<table>--  <tr>--    <td>-      Hi-    </td>--  </tr>--</table>-.-<table>-  <tr>-<pre><code>&lt;td&gt;-  Hi-&lt;/td&gt;-</code></pre>-  </tr>-</table>-````````````````````````````````---Fortunately, blank lines are usually not necessary and can be-deleted.  The exception is inside `<pre>` tags, but as described-[above][HTML blocks], raw HTML blocks starting with `<pre>`-*can* contain blank lines.--## Link reference definitions--A [link reference definition](@)-consists of a [link label], indented up to three spaces, followed-by a colon (`:`), optional [whitespace] (including up to one-[line ending]), a [link destination],-optional [whitespace] (including up to one-[line ending]), and an optional [link-title], which if it is present must be separated-from the [link destination] by [whitespace].-No further [non-whitespace characters] may occur on the line.--A [link reference definition]-does not correspond to a structural element of a document.  Instead, it-defines a label which can be used in [reference links]-and reference-style [images] elsewhere in the document.  [Link-reference definitions] can come either before or after the links that use-them.--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url "title"--[foo]-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-   [foo]: -      /url  -           'the title'  --[foo]-.-<p><a href="/url" title="the title">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[Foo*bar\]]:my_(url) 'title (with parens)'--[Foo*bar\]]-.-<p><a href="my_(url)" title="title (with parens)">Foo*bar]</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[Foo bar]:-<my url>-'title'--[Foo bar]-.-<p><a href="my%20url" title="title">Foo bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The title may extend over multiple lines:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url '-title-line1-line2-'--[foo]-.-<p><a href="/url" title="-title-line1-line2-">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---However, it may not contain a [blank line]:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url 'title--with blank line'--[foo]-.-<p>[foo]: /url 'title</p>-<p>with blank line'</p>-<p>[foo]</p>-````````````````````````````````---The title may be omitted:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]:-/url--[foo]-.-<p><a href="/url">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The link destination may not be omitted:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]:--[foo]-.-<p>[foo]:</p>-<p>[foo]</p>-````````````````````````````````-- However, an empty link destination may be specified using- angle brackets:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: <>--[foo]-.-<p><a href="">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--The title must be separated from the link destination by-whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: <bar>(baz)--[foo]-.-<p>[foo]: <bar>(baz)</p>-<p>[foo]</p>-````````````````````````````````---Both title and destination can contain backslash escapes-and literal backslashes:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url\bar\*baz "foo\"bar\baz"--[foo]-.-<p><a href="/url%5Cbar*baz" title="foo&quot;bar\baz">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---A link can come before its corresponding definition:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]--[foo]: url-.-<p><a href="url">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---If there are several matching definitions, the first one takes-precedence:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]--[foo]: first-[foo]: second-.-<p><a href="first">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---As noted in the section on [Links], matching of labels is-case-insensitive (see [matches]).--```````````````````````````````` example-[FOO]: /url--[Foo]-.-<p><a href="/url">Foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[ΑΓΩ]: /φου--[αγω]-.-<p><a href="/%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%85">αγω</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Here is a link reference definition with no corresponding link.-It contributes nothing to the document.--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url-.-````````````````````````````````---Here is another one:--```````````````````````````````` example-[-foo-]: /url-bar-.-<p>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not a link reference definition, because there are-[non-whitespace characters] after the title:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url "title" ok-.-<p>[foo]: /url &quot;title&quot; ok</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is a link reference definition, but it has no title:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url-"title" ok-.-<p>&quot;title&quot; ok</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not a link reference definition, because it is indented-four spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-    [foo]: /url "title"--[foo]-.-<pre><code>[foo]: /url &quot;title&quot;-</code></pre>-<p>[foo]</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not a link reference definition, because it occurs inside-a code block:--```````````````````````````````` example-```-[foo]: /url-```--[foo]-.-<pre><code>[foo]: /url-</code></pre>-<p>[foo]</p>-````````````````````````````````---A [link reference definition] cannot interrupt a paragraph.--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-[bar]: /baz--[bar]-.-<p>Foo-[bar]: /baz</p>-<p>[bar]</p>-````````````````````````````````---However, it can directly follow other block elements, such as headings-and thematic breaks, and it need not be followed by a blank line.--```````````````````````````````` example-# [Foo]-[foo]: /url-> bar-.-<h1><a href="/url">Foo</a></h1>-<blockquote>-<p>bar</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url-bar-===-[foo]-.-<h1>bar</h1>-<p><a href="/url">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url-===-[foo]-.-<p>===-<a href="/url">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Several [link reference definitions]-can occur one after another, without intervening blank lines.--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /foo-url "foo"-[bar]: /bar-url-  "bar"-[baz]: /baz-url--[foo],-[bar],-[baz]-.-<p><a href="/foo-url" title="foo">foo</a>,-<a href="/bar-url" title="bar">bar</a>,-<a href="/baz-url">baz</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---[Link reference definitions] can occur-inside block containers, like lists and block quotations.  They-affect the entire document, not just the container in which they-are defined:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]--> [foo]: /url-.-<p><a href="/url">foo</a></p>-<blockquote>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---Whether something is a [link reference definition] is-independent of whether the link reference it defines is-used in the document.  Thus, for example, the following-document contains just a link reference definition, and-no visible content:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url-.-````````````````````````````````---## Paragraphs--A sequence of non-blank lines that cannot be interpreted as other-kinds of blocks forms a [paragraph](@).-The contents of the paragraph are the result of parsing the-paragraph's raw content as inlines.  The paragraph's raw content-is formed by concatenating the lines and removing initial and final-[whitespace].--A simple example with two paragraphs:--```````````````````````````````` example-aaa--bbb-.-<p>aaa</p>-<p>bbb</p>-````````````````````````````````---Paragraphs can contain multiple lines, but no blank lines:--```````````````````````````````` example-aaa-bbb--ccc-ddd-.-<p>aaa-bbb</p>-<p>ccc-ddd</p>-````````````````````````````````---Multiple blank lines between paragraph have no effect:--```````````````````````````````` example-aaa---bbb-.-<p>aaa</p>-<p>bbb</p>-````````````````````````````````---Leading spaces are skipped:--```````````````````````````````` example-  aaa- bbb-.-<p>aaa-bbb</p>-````````````````````````````````---Lines after the first may be indented any amount, since indented-code blocks cannot interrupt paragraphs.--```````````````````````````````` example-aaa-             bbb-                                       ccc-.-<p>aaa-bbb-ccc</p>-````````````````````````````````---However, the first line may be indented at most three spaces,-or an indented code block will be triggered:--```````````````````````````````` example-   aaa-bbb-.-<p>aaa-bbb</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-    aaa-bbb-.-<pre><code>aaa-</code></pre>-<p>bbb</p>-````````````````````````````````---Final spaces are stripped before inline parsing, so a paragraph-that ends with two or more spaces will not end with a [hard line-break]:--```````````````````````````````` example-aaa     -bbb     -.-<p>aaa<br />-bbb</p>-````````````````````````````````---## Blank lines--[Blank lines] between block-level elements are ignored,-except for the role they play in determining whether a [list]-is [tight] or [loose].--Blank lines at the beginning and end of the document are also ignored.--```````````````````````````````` example-  --aaa-  --# aaa--  -.-<p>aaa</p>-<h1>aaa</h1>-````````````````````````````````----# Container blocks--A [container block](#container-blocks) is a block that has other-blocks as its contents.  There are two basic kinds of container blocks:-[block quotes] and [list items].-[Lists] are meta-containers for [list items].--We define the syntax for container blocks recursively.  The general-form of the definition is:--> If X is a sequence of blocks, then the result of-> transforming X in such-and-such a way is a container of type Y-> with these blocks as its content.--So, we explain what counts as a block quote or list item by explaining-how these can be *generated* from their contents. This should suffice-to define the syntax, although it does not give a recipe for *parsing*-these constructions.  (A recipe is provided below in the section entitled-[A parsing strategy](#appendix-a-parsing-strategy).)--## Block quotes--A [block quote marker](@)-consists of 0-3 spaces of initial indent, plus (a) the character `>` together-with a following space, or (b) a single character `>` not followed by a space.--The following rules define [block quotes]:--1.  **Basic case.**  If a string of lines *Ls* constitute a sequence-    of blocks *Bs*, then the result of prepending a [block quote-    marker] to the beginning of each line in *Ls*-    is a [block quote](#block-quotes) containing *Bs*.--2.  **Laziness.**  If a string of lines *Ls* constitute a [block-    quote](#block-quotes) with contents *Bs*, then the result of deleting-    the initial [block quote marker] from one or-    more lines in which the next [non-whitespace character] after the [block-    quote marker] is [paragraph continuation-    text] is a block quote with *Bs* as its content.-    [Paragraph continuation text](@) is text-    that will be parsed as part of the content of a paragraph, but does-    not occur at the beginning of the paragraph.--3.  **Consecutiveness.**  A document cannot contain two [block-    quotes] in a row unless there is a [blank line] between them.--Nothing else counts as a [block quote](#block-quotes).--Here is a simple example:--```````````````````````````````` example-> # Foo-> bar-> baz-.-<blockquote>-<h1>Foo</h1>-<p>bar-baz</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---The spaces after the `>` characters can be omitted:--```````````````````````````````` example-># Foo->bar-> baz-.-<blockquote>-<h1>Foo</h1>-<p>bar-baz</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---The `>` characters can be indented 1-3 spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-   > # Foo-   > bar- > baz-.-<blockquote>-<h1>Foo</h1>-<p>bar-baz</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---Four spaces gives us a code block:--```````````````````````````````` example-    > # Foo-    > bar-    > baz-.-<pre><code>&gt; # Foo-&gt; bar-&gt; baz-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---The Laziness clause allows us to omit the `>` before-[paragraph continuation text]:--```````````````````````````````` example-> # Foo-> bar-baz-.-<blockquote>-<h1>Foo</h1>-<p>bar-baz</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---A block quote can contain some lazy and some non-lazy-continuation lines:--```````````````````````````````` example-> bar-baz-> foo-.-<blockquote>-<p>bar-baz-foo</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---Laziness only applies to lines that would have been continuations of-paragraphs had they been prepended with [block quote markers].-For example, the `> ` cannot be omitted in the second line of--``` markdown-> foo-> ----```--without changing the meaning:--```````````````````````````````` example-> foo-----.-<blockquote>-<p>foo</p>-</blockquote>-<hr />-````````````````````````````````---Similarly, if we omit the `> ` in the second line of--``` markdown-> - foo-> - bar-```--then the block quote ends after the first line:--```````````````````````````````` example-> - foo-- bar-.-<blockquote>-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-</blockquote>-<ul>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---For the same reason, we can't omit the `> ` in front of-subsequent lines of an indented or fenced code block:--```````````````````````````````` example->     foo-    bar-.-<blockquote>-<pre><code>foo-</code></pre>-</blockquote>-<pre><code>bar-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> ```-foo-```-.-<blockquote>-<pre><code></code></pre>-</blockquote>-<p>foo</p>-<pre><code></code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Note that in the following case, we have a [lazy-continuation line]:--```````````````````````````````` example-> foo-    - bar-.-<blockquote>-<p>foo-- bar</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---To see why, note that in--```markdown-> foo->     - bar-```--the `- bar` is indented too far to start a list, and can't-be an indented code block because indented code blocks cannot-interrupt paragraphs, so it is [paragraph continuation text].--A block quote can be empty:--```````````````````````````````` example->-.-<blockquote>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example->->  -> -.-<blockquote>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---A block quote can have initial or final blank lines:--```````````````````````````````` example->-> foo->  -.-<blockquote>-<p>foo</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---A blank line always separates block quotes:--```````````````````````````````` example-> foo--> bar-.-<blockquote>-<p>foo</p>-</blockquote>-<blockquote>-<p>bar</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---(Most current Markdown implementations, including John Gruber's-original `Markdown.pl`, will parse this example as a single block quote-with two paragraphs.  But it seems better to allow the author to decide-whether two block quotes or one are wanted.)--Consecutiveness means that if we put these block quotes together,-we get a single block quote:--```````````````````````````````` example-> foo-> bar-.-<blockquote>-<p>foo-bar</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---To get a block quote with two paragraphs, use:--```````````````````````````````` example-> foo->-> bar-.-<blockquote>-<p>foo</p>-<p>bar</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---Block quotes can interrupt paragraphs:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo-> bar-.-<p>foo</p>-<blockquote>-<p>bar</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---In general, blank lines are not needed before or after block-quotes:--```````````````````````````````` example-> aaa-***-> bbb-.-<blockquote>-<p>aaa</p>-</blockquote>-<hr />-<blockquote>-<p>bbb</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---However, because of laziness, a blank line is needed between-a block quote and a following paragraph:--```````````````````````````````` example-> bar-baz-.-<blockquote>-<p>bar-baz</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> bar--baz-.-<blockquote>-<p>bar</p>-</blockquote>-<p>baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> bar->-baz-.-<blockquote>-<p>bar</p>-</blockquote>-<p>baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---It is a consequence of the Laziness rule that any number-of initial `>`s may be omitted on a continuation line of a-nested block quote:--```````````````````````````````` example-> > > foo-bar-.-<blockquote>-<blockquote>-<blockquote>-<p>foo-bar</p>-</blockquote>-</blockquote>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example->>> foo-> bar->>baz-.-<blockquote>-<blockquote>-<blockquote>-<p>foo-bar-baz</p>-</blockquote>-</blockquote>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---When including an indented code block in a block quote,-remember that the [block quote marker] includes-both the `>` and a following space.  So *five spaces* are needed after-the `>`:--```````````````````````````````` example->     code-->    not code-.-<blockquote>-<pre><code>code-</code></pre>-</blockquote>-<blockquote>-<p>not code</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````----## List items--A [list marker](@) is a-[bullet list marker] or an [ordered list marker].--A [bullet list marker](@)-is a `-`, `+`, or `*` character.--An [ordered list marker](@)-is a sequence of 1--9 arabic digits (`0-9`), followed by either a-`.` character or a `)` character.  (The reason for the length-limit is that with 10 digits we start seeing integer overflows-in some browsers.)--The following rules define [list items]:--1.  **Basic case.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls* constitute a sequence of-    blocks *Bs* starting with a [non-whitespace character], and *M* is a-    list marker of width *W* followed by 1 ≤ *N* ≤ 4 spaces, then the result-    of prepending *M* and the following spaces to the first line of-    *Ls*, and indenting subsequent lines of *Ls* by *W + N* spaces, is a-    list item with *Bs* as its contents.  The type of the list item-    (bullet or ordered) is determined by the type of its list marker.-    If the list item is ordered, then it is also assigned a start-    number, based on the ordered list marker.--    Exceptions:--    1. When the first list item in a [list] interrupts-       a paragraph---that is, when it starts on a line that would-       otherwise count as [paragraph continuation text]---then (a)-       the lines *Ls* must not begin with a blank line, and (b) if-       the list item is ordered, the start number must be 1.-    2. If any line is a [thematic break][thematic breaks] then-       that line is not a list item.--For example, let *Ls* be the lines--```````````````````````````````` example-A paragraph-with two lines.--    indented code--> A block quote.-.-<p>A paragraph-with two lines.</p>-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<blockquote>-<p>A block quote.</p>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---And let *M* be the marker `1.`, and *N* = 2.  Then rule #1 says-that the following is an ordered list item with start number 1,-and the same contents as *Ls*:--```````````````````````````````` example-1.  A paragraph-    with two lines.--        indented code--    > A block quote.-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>A paragraph-with two lines.</p>-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<blockquote>-<p>A block quote.</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---The most important thing to notice is that the position of-the text after the list marker determines how much indentation-is needed in subsequent blocks in the list item.  If the list-marker takes up two spaces, and there are three spaces between-the list marker and the next [non-whitespace character], then blocks-must be indented five spaces in order to fall under the list-item.--Here are some examples showing how far content must be indented to be-put under the list item:--```````````````````````````````` example-- one-- two-.-<ul>-<li>one</li>-</ul>-<p>two</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-- one--  two-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>one</p>-<p>two</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example- -    one--     two-.-<ul>-<li>one</li>-</ul>-<pre><code> two-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example- -    one--      two-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>one</p>-<p>two</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---It is tempting to think of this in terms of columns:  the continuation-blocks must be indented at least to the column of the first-[non-whitespace character] after the list marker. However, that is not quite right.-The spaces after the list marker determine how much relative indentation-is needed.  Which column this indentation reaches will depend on-how the list item is embedded in other constructions, as shown by-this example:--```````````````````````````````` example-   > > 1.  one->>->>     two-.-<blockquote>-<blockquote>-<ol>-<li>-<p>one</p>-<p>two</p>-</li>-</ol>-</blockquote>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---Here `two` occurs in the same column as the list marker `1.`,-but is actually contained in the list item, because there is-sufficient indentation after the last containing blockquote marker.--The converse is also possible.  In the following example, the word `two`-occurs far to the right of the initial text of the list item, `one`, but-it is not considered part of the list item, because it is not indented-far enough past the blockquote marker:--```````````````````````````````` example->>- one->>-  >  > two-.-<blockquote>-<blockquote>-<ul>-<li>one</li>-</ul>-<p>two</p>-</blockquote>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---Note that at least one space is needed between the list marker and-any following content, so these are not list items:--```````````````````````````````` example--one--2.two-.-<p>-one</p>-<p>2.two</p>-````````````````````````````````---A list item may contain blocks that are separated by more than-one blank line.--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo---  bar-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<p>bar</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---A list item may contain any kind of block:--```````````````````````````````` example-1.  foo--    ```-    bar-    ```--    baz--    > bam-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<pre><code>bar-</code></pre>-<p>baz</p>-<blockquote>-<p>bam</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---A list item that contains an indented code block will preserve-empty lines within the code block verbatim.--```````````````````````````````` example-- Foo--      bar---      baz-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>Foo</p>-<pre><code>bar---baz-</code></pre>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--Note that ordered list start numbers must be nine digits or less:--```````````````````````````````` example-123456789. ok-.-<ol start="123456789">-<li>ok</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-1234567890. not ok-.-<p>1234567890. not ok</p>-````````````````````````````````---A start number may begin with 0s:--```````````````````````````````` example-0. ok-.-<ol start="0">-<li>ok</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-003. ok-.-<ol start="3">-<li>ok</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---A start number may not be negative:--```````````````````````````````` example--1. not ok-.-<p>-1. not ok</p>-````````````````````````````````----2.  **Item starting with indented code.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls*-    constitute a sequence of blocks *Bs* starting with an indented code-    block, and *M* is a list marker of width *W* followed by-    one space, then the result of prepending *M* and the following-    space to the first line of *Ls*, and indenting subsequent lines of-    *Ls* by *W + 1* spaces, is a list item with *Bs* as its contents.-    If a line is empty, then it need not be indented.  The type of the-    list item (bullet or ordered) is determined by the type of its list-    marker.  If the list item is ordered, then it is also assigned a-    start number, based on the ordered list marker.--An indented code block will have to be indented four spaces beyond-the edge of the region where text will be included in the list item.-In the following case that is 6 spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo--      bar-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<pre><code>bar-</code></pre>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---And in this case it is 11 spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-  10.  foo--           bar-.-<ol start="10">-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<pre><code>bar-</code></pre>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---If the *first* block in the list item is an indented code block,-then by rule #2, the contents must be indented *one* space after the-list marker:--```````````````````````````````` example-    indented code--paragraph--    more code-.-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<p>paragraph</p>-<pre><code>more code-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-1.     indented code--   paragraph--       more code-.-<ol>-<li>-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<p>paragraph</p>-<pre><code>more code-</code></pre>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Note that an additional space indent is interpreted as space-inside the code block:--```````````````````````````````` example-1.      indented code--   paragraph--       more code-.-<ol>-<li>-<pre><code> indented code-</code></pre>-<p>paragraph</p>-<pre><code>more code-</code></pre>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Note that rules #1 and #2 only apply to two cases:  (a) cases-in which the lines to be included in a list item begin with a-[non-whitespace character], and (b) cases in which-they begin with an indented code-block.  In a case like the following, where the first block begins with-a three-space indent, the rules do not allow us to form a list item by-indenting the whole thing and prepending a list marker:--```````````````````````````````` example-   foo--bar-.-<p>foo</p>-<p>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example--    foo--  bar-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-<p>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not a significant restriction, because when a block begins-with 1-3 spaces indent, the indentation can always be removed without-a change in interpretation, allowing rule #1 to be applied.  So, in-the above case:--```````````````````````````````` example--  foo--   bar-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<p>bar</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---3.  **Item starting with a blank line.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls*-    starting with a single [blank line] constitute a (possibly empty)-    sequence of blocks *Bs*, not separated from each other by more than-    one blank line, and *M* is a list marker of width *W*,-    then the result of prepending *M* to the first line of *Ls*, and-    indenting subsequent lines of *Ls* by *W + 1* spaces, is a list-    item with *Bs* as its contents.-    If a line is empty, then it need not be indented.  The type of the-    list item (bullet or ordered) is determined by the type of its list-    marker.  If the list item is ordered, then it is also assigned a-    start number, based on the ordered list marker.--Here are some list items that start with a blank line but are not empty:--```````````````````````````````` example---  foo---  ```-  bar-  ```---      baz-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-<li>-<pre><code>bar-</code></pre>-</li>-<li>-<pre><code>baz-</code></pre>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--When the list item starts with a blank line, the number of spaces-following the list marker doesn't change the required indentation:--```````````````````````````````` example--   -  foo-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---A list item can begin with at most one blank line.-In the following example, `foo` is not part of the list-item:--```````````````````````````````` example----  foo-.-<ul>-<li></li>-</ul>-<p>foo</p>-````````````````````````````````---Here is an empty bullet list item:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo---- bar-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-<li></li>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---It does not matter whether there are spaces following the [list marker]:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo--   -- bar-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-<li></li>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---Here is an empty ordered list item:--```````````````````````````````` example-1. foo-2.-3. bar-.-<ol>-<li>foo</li>-<li></li>-<li>bar</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---A list may start or end with an empty list item:--```````````````````````````````` example-*-.-<ul>-<li></li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--However, an empty list item cannot interrupt a paragraph:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo-*--foo-1.-.-<p>foo-*</p>-<p>foo-1.</p>-````````````````````````````````---4.  **Indentation.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls* constitutes a list item-    according to rule #1, #2, or #3, then the result of indenting each line-    of *Ls* by 1-3 spaces (the same for each line) also constitutes a-    list item with the same contents and attributes.  If a line is-    empty, then it need not be indented.--Indented one space:--```````````````````````````````` example- 1.  A paragraph-     with two lines.--         indented code--     > A block quote.-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>A paragraph-with two lines.</p>-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<blockquote>-<p>A block quote.</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Indented two spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-  1.  A paragraph-      with two lines.--          indented code--      > A block quote.-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>A paragraph-with two lines.</p>-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<blockquote>-<p>A block quote.</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Indented three spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-   1.  A paragraph-       with two lines.--           indented code--       > A block quote.-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>A paragraph-with two lines.</p>-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<blockquote>-<p>A block quote.</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Four spaces indent gives a code block:--```````````````````````````````` example-    1.  A paragraph-        with two lines.--            indented code--        > A block quote.-.-<pre><code>1.  A paragraph-    with two lines.--        indented code--    &gt; A block quote.-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````----5.  **Laziness.**  If a string of lines *Ls* constitute a [list-    item](#list-items) with contents *Bs*, then the result of deleting-    some or all of the indentation from one or more lines in which the-    next [non-whitespace character] after the indentation is-    [paragraph continuation text] is a-    list item with the same contents and attributes.  The unindented-    lines are called-    [lazy continuation line](@)s.--Here is an example with [lazy continuation lines]:--```````````````````````````````` example-  1.  A paragraph-with two lines.--          indented code--      > A block quote.-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>A paragraph-with two lines.</p>-<pre><code>indented code-</code></pre>-<blockquote>-<p>A block quote.</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Indentation can be partially deleted:--```````````````````````````````` example-  1.  A paragraph-    with two lines.-.-<ol>-<li>A paragraph-with two lines.</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---These examples show how laziness can work in nested structures:--```````````````````````````````` example-> 1. > Blockquote-continued here.-.-<blockquote>-<ol>-<li>-<blockquote>-<p>Blockquote-continued here.</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-> 1. > Blockquote-> continued here.-.-<blockquote>-<ol>-<li>-<blockquote>-<p>Blockquote-continued here.</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-</ol>-</blockquote>-````````````````````````````````----6.  **That's all.** Nothing that is not counted as a list item by rules-    #1--5 counts as a [list item](#list-items).--The rules for sublists follow from the general rules-[above][List items].  A sublist must be indented the same number-of spaces a paragraph would need to be in order to be included-in the list item.--So, in this case we need two spaces indent:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo-  - bar-    - baz-      - boo-.-<ul>-<li>foo-<ul>-<li>bar-<ul>-<li>baz-<ul>-<li>boo</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---One is not enough:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo- - bar-  - baz-   - boo-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-<li>bar</li>-<li>baz</li>-<li>boo</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---Here we need four, because the list marker is wider:--```````````````````````````````` example-10) foo-    - bar-.-<ol start="10">-<li>foo-<ul>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Three is not enough:--```````````````````````````````` example-10) foo-   - bar-.-<ol start="10">-<li>foo</li>-</ol>-<ul>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---A list may be the first block in a list item:--```````````````````````````````` example-- - foo-.-<ul>-<li>-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-1. - 2. foo-.-<ol>-<li>-<ul>-<li>-<ol start="2">-<li>foo</li>-</ol>-</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---A list item can contain a heading:--```````````````````````````````` example-- # Foo-- Bar-  ----  baz-.-<ul>-<li>-<h1>Foo</h1>-</li>-<li>-<h2>Bar</h2>-baz</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---### Motivation--John Gruber's Markdown spec says the following about list items:--1. "List markers typically start at the left margin, but may be indented-   by up to three spaces. List markers must be followed by one or more-   spaces or a tab."--2. "To make lists look nice, you can wrap items with hanging indents....-   But if you don't want to, you don't have to."--3. "List items may consist of multiple paragraphs. Each subsequent-   paragraph in a list item must be indented by either 4 spaces or one-   tab."--4. "It looks nice if you indent every line of the subsequent paragraphs,-   but here again, Markdown will allow you to be lazy."--5. "To put a blockquote within a list item, the blockquote's `>`-   delimiters need to be indented."--6. "To put a code block within a list item, the code block needs to be-   indented twice — 8 spaces or two tabs."--These rules specify that a paragraph under a list item must be indented-four spaces (presumably, from the left margin, rather than the start of-the list marker, but this is not said), and that code under a list item-must be indented eight spaces instead of the usual four.  They also say-that a block quote must be indented, but not by how much; however, the-example given has four spaces indentation.  Although nothing is said-about other kinds of block-level content, it is certainly reasonable to-infer that *all* block elements under a list item, including other-lists, must be indented four spaces.  This principle has been called the-*four-space rule*.--The four-space rule is clear and principled, and if the reference-implementation `Markdown.pl` had followed it, it probably would have-become the standard.  However, `Markdown.pl` allowed paragraphs and-sublists to start with only two spaces indentation, at least on the-outer level.  Worse, its behavior was inconsistent: a sublist of an-outer-level list needed two spaces indentation, but a sublist of this-sublist needed three spaces.  It is not surprising, then, that different-implementations of Markdown have developed very different rules for-determining what comes under a list item.  (Pandoc and python-Markdown,-for example, stuck with Gruber's syntax description and the four-space-rule, while discount, redcarpet, marked, PHP Markdown, and others-followed `Markdown.pl`'s behavior more closely.)--Unfortunately, given the divergences between implementations, there-is no way to give a spec for list items that will be guaranteed not-to break any existing documents.  However, the spec given here should-correctly handle lists formatted with either the four-space rule or-the more forgiving `Markdown.pl` behavior, provided they are laid out-in a way that is natural for a human to read.--The strategy here is to let the width and indentation of the list marker-determine the indentation necessary for blocks to fall under the list-item, rather than having a fixed and arbitrary number.  The writer can-think of the body of the list item as a unit which gets indented to the-right enough to fit the list marker (and any indentation on the list-marker).  (The laziness rule, #5, then allows continuation lines to be-unindented if needed.)--This rule is superior, we claim, to any rule requiring a fixed level of-indentation from the margin.  The four-space rule is clear but-unnatural. It is quite unintuitive that--``` markdown-- foo--  bar--  - baz-```--should be parsed as two lists with an intervening paragraph,--``` html-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-<p>bar</p>-<ul>-<li>baz</li>-</ul>-```--as the four-space rule demands, rather than a single list,--``` html-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<p>bar</p>-<ul>-<li>baz</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-```--The choice of four spaces is arbitrary.  It can be learned, but it is-not likely to be guessed, and it trips up beginners regularly.--Would it help to adopt a two-space rule?  The problem is that such-a rule, together with the rule allowing 1--3 spaces indentation of the-initial list marker, allows text that is indented *less than* the-original list marker to be included in the list item. For example,-`Markdown.pl` parses--``` markdown-   - one--  two-```--as a single list item, with `two` a continuation paragraph:--``` html-<ul>-<li>-<p>one</p>-<p>two</p>-</li>-</ul>-```--and similarly--``` markdown->   - one->->  two-```--as--``` html-<blockquote>-<ul>-<li>-<p>one</p>-<p>two</p>-</li>-</ul>-</blockquote>-```--This is extremely unintuitive.--Rather than requiring a fixed indent from the margin, we could require-a fixed indent (say, two spaces, or even one space) from the list marker (which-may itself be indented).  This proposal would remove the last anomaly-discussed.  Unlike the spec presented above, it would count the following-as a list item with a subparagraph, even though the paragraph `bar`-is not indented as far as the first paragraph `foo`:--``` markdown- 10. foo--   bar  -```--Arguably this text does read like a list item with `bar` as a subparagraph,-which may count in favor of the proposal.  However, on this proposal indented-code would have to be indented six spaces after the list marker.  And this-would break a lot of existing Markdown, which has the pattern:--``` markdown-1.  foo--        indented code-```--where the code is indented eight spaces.  The spec above, by contrast, will-parse this text as expected, since the code block's indentation is measured-from the beginning of `foo`.--The one case that needs special treatment is a list item that *starts*-with indented code.  How much indentation is required in that case, since-we don't have a "first paragraph" to measure from?  Rule #2 simply stipulates-that in such cases, we require one space indentation from the list marker-(and then the normal four spaces for the indented code).  This will match the-four-space rule in cases where the list marker plus its initial indentation-takes four spaces (a common case), but diverge in other cases.--## Lists--A [list](@) is a sequence of one or more-list items [of the same type].  The list items-may be separated by any number of blank lines.--Two list items are [of the same type](@)-if they begin with a [list marker] of the same type.-Two list markers are of the-same type if (a) they are bullet list markers using the same character-(`-`, `+`, or `*`) or (b) they are ordered list numbers with the same-delimiter (either `.` or `)`).--A list is an [ordered list](@)-if its constituent list items begin with-[ordered list markers], and a-[bullet list](@) if its constituent list-items begin with [bullet list markers].--The [start number](@)-of an [ordered list] is determined by the list number of-its initial list item.  The numbers of subsequent list items are-disregarded.--A list is [loose](@) if any of its constituent-list items are separated by blank lines, or if any of its constituent-list items directly contain two block-level elements with a blank line-between them.  Otherwise a list is [tight](@).-(The difference in HTML output is that paragraphs in a loose list are-wrapped in `<p>` tags, while paragraphs in a tight list are not.)--Changing the bullet or ordered list delimiter starts a new list:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo-- bar-+ baz-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-<ul>-<li>baz</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-1. foo-2. bar-3) baz-.-<ol>-<li>foo</li>-<li>bar</li>-</ol>-<ol start="3">-<li>baz</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---In CommonMark, a list can interrupt a paragraph. That is,-no blank line is needed to separate a paragraph from a following-list:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo-- bar-- baz-.-<p>Foo</p>-<ul>-<li>bar</li>-<li>baz</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--`Markdown.pl` does not allow this, through fear of triggering a list-via a numeral in a hard-wrapped line:--``` markdown-The number of windows in my house is-14.  The number of doors is 6.-```--Oddly, though, `Markdown.pl` *does* allow a blockquote to-interrupt a paragraph, even though the same considerations might-apply.--In CommonMark, we do allow lists to interrupt paragraphs, for-two reasons.  First, it is natural and not uncommon for people-to start lists without blank lines:--``` markdown-I need to buy-- new shoes-- a coat-- a plane ticket-```--Second, we are attracted to a--> [principle of uniformity](@):-> if a chunk of text has a certain-> meaning, it will continue to have the same meaning when put into a-> container block (such as a list item or blockquote).--(Indeed, the spec for [list items] and [block quotes] presupposes-this principle.) This principle implies that if--``` markdown-  * I need to buy-    - new shoes-    - a coat-    - a plane ticket-```--is a list item containing a paragraph followed by a nested sublist,-as all Markdown implementations agree it is (though the paragraph-may be rendered without `<p>` tags, since the list is "tight"),-then--``` markdown-I need to buy-- new shoes-- a coat-- a plane ticket-```--by itself should be a paragraph followed by a nested sublist.--Since it is well established Markdown practice to allow lists to-interrupt paragraphs inside list items, the [principle of-uniformity] requires us to allow this outside list items as-well.  ([reStructuredText](http://docutils.sourceforge.net/rst.html)-takes a different approach, requiring blank lines before lists-even inside other list items.)--In order to solve of unwanted lists in paragraphs with-hard-wrapped numerals, we allow only lists starting with `1` to-interrupt paragraphs.  Thus,--```````````````````````````````` example-The number of windows in my house is-14.  The number of doors is 6.-.-<p>The number of windows in my house is-14.  The number of doors is 6.</p>-````````````````````````````````--We may still get an unintended result in cases like--```````````````````````````````` example-The number of windows in my house is-1.  The number of doors is 6.-.-<p>The number of windows in my house is</p>-<ol>-<li>The number of doors is 6.</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````--but this rule should prevent most spurious list captures.--There can be any number of blank lines between items:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo--- bar---- baz-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>bar</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>baz</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo-  - bar-    - baz---      bim-.-<ul>-<li>foo-<ul>-<li>bar-<ul>-<li>-<p>baz</p>-<p>bim</p>-</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---To separate consecutive lists of the same type, or to separate a-list from an indented code block that would otherwise be parsed-as a subparagraph of the final list item, you can insert a blank HTML-comment:--```````````````````````````````` example-- foo-- bar--<!-- -->--- baz-- bim-.-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-<!-- -->-<ul>-<li>baz</li>-<li>bim</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example--   foo--    notcode---   foo--<!-- -->--    code-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<p>notcode</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-</li>-</ul>-<!-- -->-<pre><code>code-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---List items need not be indented to the same level.  The following-list items will be treated as items at the same list level,-since none is indented enough to belong to the previous list-item:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a- - b-  - c-   - d-  - e- - f-- g-.-<ul>-<li>a</li>-<li>b</li>-<li>c</li>-<li>d</li>-<li>e</li>-<li>f</li>-<li>g</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-1. a--  2. b--   3. c-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>a</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>b</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>c</p>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````--Note, however, that list items may not be indented more than-three spaces.  Here `- e` is treated as a paragraph continuation-line, because it is indented more than three spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a- - b-  - c-   - d-    - e-.-<ul>-<li>a</li>-<li>b</li>-<li>c</li>-<li>d-- e</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--And here, `3. c` is treated as in indented code block,-because it is indented four spaces and preceded by a-blank line.--```````````````````````````````` example-1. a--  2. b--    3. c-.-<ol>-<li>-<p>a</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>b</p>-</li>-</ol>-<pre><code>3. c-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---This is a loose list, because there is a blank line between-two of the list items:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a-- b--- c-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>a</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>b</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>c</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---So is this, with a empty second item:--```````````````````````````````` example-* a-*--* c-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>a</p>-</li>-<li></li>-<li>-<p>c</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---These are loose lists, even though there is no space between the items,-because one of the items directly contains two block-level elements-with a blank line between them:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a-- b--  c-- d-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>a</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>b</p>-<p>c</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>d</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-- a-- b--  [ref]: /url-- d-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>a</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>b</p>-</li>-<li>-<p>d</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---This is a tight list, because the blank lines are in a code block:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a-- ```-  b---  ```-- c-.-<ul>-<li>a</li>-<li>-<pre><code>b---</code></pre>-</li>-<li>c</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---This is a tight list, because the blank line is between two-paragraphs of a sublist.  So the sublist is loose while-the outer list is tight:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a-  - b--    c-- d-.-<ul>-<li>a-<ul>-<li>-<p>b</p>-<p>c</p>-</li>-</ul>-</li>-<li>d</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---This is a tight list, because the blank line is inside the-block quote:--```````````````````````````````` example-* a-  > b-  >-* c-.-<ul>-<li>a-<blockquote>-<p>b</p>-</blockquote>-</li>-<li>c</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---This list is tight, because the consecutive block elements-are not separated by blank lines:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a-  > b-  ```-  c-  ```-- d-.-<ul>-<li>a-<blockquote>-<p>b</p>-</blockquote>-<pre><code>c-</code></pre>-</li>-<li>d</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---A single-paragraph list is tight:--```````````````````````````````` example-- a-.-<ul>-<li>a</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-- a-  - b-.-<ul>-<li>a-<ul>-<li>b</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---This list is loose, because of the blank line between the-two block elements in the list item:--```````````````````````````````` example-1. ```-   foo-   ```--   bar-.-<ol>-<li>-<pre><code>foo-</code></pre>-<p>bar</p>-</li>-</ol>-````````````````````````````````---Here the outer list is loose, the inner list tight:--```````````````````````````````` example-* foo-  * bar--  baz-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>foo</p>-<ul>-<li>bar</li>-</ul>-<p>baz</p>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-- a-  - b-  - c--- d-  - e-  - f-.-<ul>-<li>-<p>a</p>-<ul>-<li>b</li>-<li>c</li>-</ul>-</li>-<li>-<p>d</p>-<ul>-<li>e</li>-<li>f</li>-</ul>-</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````---# Inlines--Inlines are parsed sequentially from the beginning of the character-stream to the end (left to right, in left-to-right languages).-Thus, for example, in--```````````````````````````````` example-`hi`lo`-.-<p><code>hi</code>lo`</p>-````````````````````````````````--`hi` is parsed as code, leaving the backtick at the end as a literal-backtick.---## Backslash escapes--Any ASCII punctuation character may be backslash-escaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-\!\"\#\$\%\&\'\(\)\*\+\,\-\.\/\:\;\<\=\>\?\@\[\\\]\^\_\`\{\|\}\~-.-<p>!&quot;#$%&amp;'()*+,-./:;&lt;=&gt;?@[\]^_`{|}~</p>-````````````````````````````````---Backslashes before other characters are treated as literal-backslashes:--```````````````````````````````` example-\→\A\a\ \3\φ\«-.-<p>\→\A\a\ \3\φ\«</p>-````````````````````````````````---Escaped characters are treated as regular characters and do-not have their usual Markdown meanings:--```````````````````````````````` example-\*not emphasized*-\<br/> not a tag-\[not a link](/foo)-\`not code`-1\. not a list-\* not a list-\# not a heading-\[foo]: /url "not a reference"-\&ouml; not a character entity-.-<p>*not emphasized*-&lt;br/&gt; not a tag-[not a link](/foo)-`not code`-1. not a list-* not a list-# not a heading-[foo]: /url &quot;not a reference&quot;-&amp;ouml; not a character entity</p>-````````````````````````````````---If a backslash is itself escaped, the following character is not:--```````````````````````````````` example-\\*emphasis*-.-<p>\<em>emphasis</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---A backslash at the end of the line is a [hard line break]:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo\-bar-.-<p>foo<br />-bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---Backslash escapes do not work in code blocks, code spans, autolinks, or-raw HTML:--```````````````````````````````` example-`` \[\` ``-.-<p><code>\[\`</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-    \[\]-.-<pre><code>\[\]-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-~~~-\[\]-~~~-.-<pre><code>\[\]-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<http://example.com?find=\*>-.-<p><a href="http://example.com?find=%5C*">http://example.com?find=\*</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="/bar\/)">-.-<a href="/bar\/)">-````````````````````````````````---But they work in all other contexts, including URLs and link titles,-link references, and [info strings] in [fenced code blocks]:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo](/bar\* "ti\*tle")-.-<p><a href="/bar*" title="ti*tle">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]--[foo]: /bar\* "ti\*tle"-.-<p><a href="/bar*" title="ti*tle">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-``` foo\+bar-foo-```-.-<pre><code class="language-foo+bar">foo-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````----## Entity and numeric character references--Valid HTML entity references and numeric character references-can be used in place of the corresponding Unicode character,-with the following exceptions:--- Entity and character references are not recognized in code-  blocks and code spans.--- Entity and character references cannot stand in place of-  special characters that define structural elements in-  CommonMark.  For example, although `&#42;` can be used-  in place of a literal `*` character, `&#42;` cannot replace-  `*` in emphasis delimiters, bullet list markers, or thematic-  breaks.--Conforming CommonMark parsers need not store information about-whether a particular character was represented in the source-using a Unicode character or an entity reference.--[Entity references](@) consist of `&` + any of the valid-HTML5 entity names + `;`. The-document <https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/entities.json>-is used as an authoritative source for the valid entity-references and their corresponding code points.--```````````````````````````````` example-&nbsp; &amp; &copy; &AElig; &Dcaron;-&frac34; &HilbertSpace; &DifferentialD;-&ClockwiseContourIntegral; &ngE;-.-<p>  &amp; © Æ Ď-¾ ℋ ⅆ-∲ ≧̸</p>-````````````````````````````````---[Decimal numeric character-references](@)-consist of `&#` + a string of 1--7 arabic digits + `;`. A-numeric character reference is parsed as the corresponding-Unicode character. Invalid Unicode code points will be replaced by-the REPLACEMENT CHARACTER (`U+FFFD`).  For security reasons,-the code point `U+0000` will also be replaced by `U+FFFD`.--```````````````````````````````` example-&#35; &#1234; &#992; &#0;-.-<p># Ӓ Ϡ �</p>-````````````````````````````````---[Hexadecimal numeric character-references](@) consist of `&#` +-either `X` or `x` + a string of 1-6 hexadecimal digits + `;`.-They too are parsed as the corresponding Unicode character (this-time specified with a hexadecimal numeral instead of decimal).--```````````````````````````````` example-&#X22; &#XD06; &#xcab;-.-<p>&quot; ആ ಫ</p>-````````````````````````````````---Here are some nonentities:--```````````````````````````````` example-&nbsp &x; &#; &#x;-&#987654321;-&#abcdef0;-&ThisIsNotDefined; &hi?;-.-<p>&amp;nbsp &amp;x; &amp;#; &amp;#x;-&amp;#987654321;-&amp;#abcdef0;-&amp;ThisIsNotDefined; &amp;hi?;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Although HTML5 does accept some entity references-without a trailing semicolon (such as `&copy`), these are not-recognized here, because it makes the grammar too ambiguous:--```````````````````````````````` example-&copy-.-<p>&amp;copy</p>-````````````````````````````````---Strings that are not on the list of HTML5 named entities are not-recognized as entity references either:--```````````````````````````````` example-&MadeUpEntity;-.-<p>&amp;MadeUpEntity;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Entity and numeric character references are recognized in any-context besides code spans or code blocks, including-URLs, [link titles], and [fenced code block][] [info strings]:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="&ouml;&ouml;.html">-.-<a href="&ouml;&ouml;.html">-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo](/f&ouml;&ouml; "f&ouml;&ouml;")-.-<p><a href="/f%C3%B6%C3%B6" title="föö">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]--[foo]: /f&ouml;&ouml; "f&ouml;&ouml;"-.-<p><a href="/f%C3%B6%C3%B6" title="föö">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-``` f&ouml;&ouml;-foo-```-.-<pre><code class="language-föö">foo-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Entity and numeric character references are treated as literal-text in code spans and code blocks:--```````````````````````````````` example-`f&ouml;&ouml;`-.-<p><code>f&amp;ouml;&amp;ouml;</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-    f&ouml;f&ouml;-.-<pre><code>f&amp;ouml;f&amp;ouml;-</code></pre>-````````````````````````````````---Entity and numeric character references cannot be used-in place of symbols indicating structure in CommonMark-documents.--```````````````````````````````` example-&#42;foo&#42;-*foo*-.-<p>*foo*-<em>foo</em></p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-&#42; foo--* foo-.-<p>* foo</p>-<ul>-<li>foo</li>-</ul>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-foo&#10;&#10;bar-.-<p>foo--bar</p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-&#9;foo-.-<p>→foo</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[a](url &quot;tit&quot;)-.-<p>[a](url &quot;tit&quot;)</p>-````````````````````````````````---## Code spans--A [backtick string](@)-is a string of one or more backtick characters (`` ` ``) that is neither-preceded nor followed by a backtick.--A [code span](@) begins with a backtick string and ends with-a backtick string of equal length.  The contents of the code span are-the characters between the two backtick strings, normalized in the-following ways:--- First, [line endings] are converted to [spaces].-- If the resulting string both begins *and* ends with a [space]-  character, but does not consist entirely of [space]-  characters, a single [space] character is removed from the-  front and back.  This allows you to include code that begins-  or ends with backtick characters, which must be separated by-  whitespace from the opening or closing backtick strings.--This is a simple code span:--```````````````````````````````` example-`foo`-.-<p><code>foo</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---Here two backticks are used, because the code contains a backtick.-This example also illustrates stripping of a single leading and-trailing space:--```````````````````````````````` example-`` foo ` bar ``-.-<p><code>foo ` bar</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---This example shows the motivation for stripping leading and trailing-spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-` `` `-.-<p><code>``</code></p>-````````````````````````````````--Note that only *one* space is stripped:--```````````````````````````````` example-`  ``  `-.-<p><code> `` </code></p>-````````````````````````````````--The stripping only happens if the space is on both-sides of the string:--```````````````````````````````` example-` a`-.-<p><code> a</code></p>-````````````````````````````````--Only [spaces], and not [unicode whitespace] in general, are-stripped in this way:--```````````````````````````````` example-` b `-.-<p><code> b </code></p>-````````````````````````````````--No stripping occurs if the code span contains only spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-` `-`  `-.-<p><code> </code>-<code>  </code></p>-````````````````````````````````---[Line endings] are treated like spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-``-foo-bar  -baz-``-.-<p><code>foo bar   baz</code></p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-``-foo -``-.-<p><code>foo </code></p>-````````````````````````````````---Interior spaces are not collapsed:--```````````````````````````````` example-`foo   bar -baz`-.-<p><code>foo   bar  baz</code></p>-````````````````````````````````--Note that browsers will typically collapse consecutive spaces-when rendering `<code>` elements, so it is recommended that-the following CSS be used:--    code{white-space: pre-wrap;}---Note that backslash escapes do not work in code spans. All backslashes-are treated literally:--```````````````````````````````` example-`foo\`bar`-.-<p><code>foo\</code>bar`</p>-````````````````````````````````---Backslash escapes are never needed, because one can always choose a-string of *n* backtick characters as delimiters, where the code does-not contain any strings of exactly *n* backtick characters.--```````````````````````````````` example-``foo`bar``-.-<p><code>foo`bar</code></p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-` foo `` bar `-.-<p><code>foo `` bar</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---Code span backticks have higher precedence than any other inline-constructs except HTML tags and autolinks.  Thus, for example, this is-not parsed as emphasized text, since the second `*` is part of a code-span:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo`*`-.-<p>*foo<code>*</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---And this is not parsed as a link:--```````````````````````````````` example-[not a `link](/foo`)-.-<p>[not a <code>link](/foo</code>)</p>-````````````````````````````````---Code spans, HTML tags, and autolinks have the same precedence.-Thus, this is code:--```````````````````````````````` example-`<a href="`">`-.-<p><code>&lt;a href=&quot;</code>&quot;&gt;`</p>-````````````````````````````````---But this is an HTML tag:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="`">`-.-<p><a href="`">`</p>-````````````````````````````````---And this is code:--```````````````````````````````` example-`<http://foo.bar.`baz>`-.-<p><code>&lt;http://foo.bar.</code>baz&gt;`</p>-````````````````````````````````---But this is an autolink:--```````````````````````````````` example-<http://foo.bar.`baz>`-.-<p><a href="http://foo.bar.%60baz">http://foo.bar.`baz</a>`</p>-````````````````````````````````---When a backtick string is not closed by a matching backtick string,-we just have literal backticks:--```````````````````````````````` example-```foo``-.-<p>```foo``</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-`foo-.-<p>`foo</p>-````````````````````````````````--The following case also illustrates the need for opening and-closing backtick strings to be equal in length:--```````````````````````````````` example-`foo``bar``-.-<p>`foo<code>bar</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---## Emphasis and strong emphasis--John Gruber's original [Markdown syntax-description](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax#em) says:--> Markdown treats asterisks (`*`) and underscores (`_`) as indicators of-> emphasis. Text wrapped with one `*` or `_` will be wrapped with an HTML-> `<em>` tag; double `*`'s or `_`'s will be wrapped with an HTML `<strong>`-> tag.--This is enough for most users, but these rules leave much undecided,-especially when it comes to nested emphasis.  The original-`Markdown.pl` test suite makes it clear that triple `***` and-`___` delimiters can be used for strong emphasis, and most-implementations have also allowed the following patterns:--``` markdown-***strong emph***-***strong** in emph*-***emph* in strong**-**in strong *emph***-*in emph **strong***-```--The following patterns are less widely supported, but the intent-is clear and they are useful (especially in contexts like bibliography-entries):--``` markdown-*emph *with emph* in it*-**strong **with strong** in it**-```--Many implementations have also restricted intraword emphasis to-the `*` forms, to avoid unwanted emphasis in words containing-internal underscores.  (It is best practice to put these in code-spans, but users often do not.)--``` markdown-internal emphasis: foo*bar*baz-no emphasis: foo_bar_baz-```--The rules given below capture all of these patterns, while allowing-for efficient parsing strategies that do not backtrack.--First, some definitions.  A [delimiter run](@) is either-a sequence of one or more `*` characters that is not preceded or-followed by a non-backslash-escaped `*` character, or a sequence-of one or more `_` characters that is not preceded or followed by-a non-backslash-escaped `_` character.--A [left-flanking delimiter run](@) is-a [delimiter run] that is (1) not followed by [Unicode whitespace],-and either (2a) not followed by a [punctuation character], or-(2b) followed by a [punctuation character] and-preceded by [Unicode whitespace] or a [punctuation character].-For purposes of this definition, the beginning and the end of-the line count as Unicode whitespace.--A [right-flanking delimiter run](@) is-a [delimiter run] that is (1) not preceded by [Unicode whitespace],-and either (2a) not preceded by a [punctuation character], or-(2b) preceded by a [punctuation character] and-followed by [Unicode whitespace] or a [punctuation character].-For purposes of this definition, the beginning and the end of-the line count as Unicode whitespace.--Here are some examples of delimiter runs.--  - left-flanking but not right-flanking:--    ```-    ***abc-      _abc-    **"abc"-     _"abc"-    ```--  - right-flanking but not left-flanking:--    ```-     abc***-     abc_-    "abc"**-    "abc"_-    ```--  - Both left and right-flanking:--    ```-     abc***def-    "abc"_"def"-    ```--  - Neither left nor right-flanking:--    ```-    abc *** def-    a _ b-    ```--(The idea of distinguishing left-flanking and right-flanking-delimiter runs based on the character before and the character-after comes from Roopesh Chander's-[vfmd](http://www.vfmd.org/vfmd-spec/specification/#procedure-for-identifying-emphasis-tags).-vfmd uses the terminology "emphasis indicator string" instead of "delimiter-run," and its rules for distinguishing left- and right-flanking runs-are a bit more complex than the ones given here.)--The following rules define emphasis and strong emphasis:--1.  A single `*` character [can open emphasis](@)-    iff (if and only if) it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run].--2.  A single `_` character [can open emphasis] iff-    it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]-    and either (a) not part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]-    or (b) part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]-    preceded by punctuation.--3.  A single `*` character [can close emphasis](@)-    iff it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run].--4.  A single `_` character [can close emphasis] iff-    it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]-    and either (a) not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]-    or (b) part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]-    followed by punctuation.--5.  A double `**` [can open strong emphasis](@)-    iff it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run].--6.  A double `__` [can open strong emphasis] iff-    it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]-    and either (a) not part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]-    or (b) part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]-    preceded by punctuation.--7.  A double `**` [can close strong emphasis](@)-    iff it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run].--8.  A double `__` [can close strong emphasis] iff-    it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]-    and either (a) not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]-    or (b) part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]-    followed by punctuation.--9.  Emphasis begins with a delimiter that [can open emphasis] and ends-    with a delimiter that [can close emphasis], and that uses the same-    character (`_` or `*`) as the opening delimiter.  The-    opening and closing delimiters must belong to separate-    [delimiter runs].  If one of the delimiters can both-    open and close emphasis, then the sum of the lengths of the-    delimiter runs containing the opening and closing delimiters-    must not be a multiple of 3 unless both lengths are-    multiples of 3.--10. Strong emphasis begins with a delimiter that-    [can open strong emphasis] and ends with a delimiter that-    [can close strong emphasis], and that uses the same character-    (`_` or `*`) as the opening delimiter.  The-    opening and closing delimiters must belong to separate-    [delimiter runs].  If one of the delimiters can both open-    and close strong emphasis, then the sum of the lengths of-    the delimiter runs containing the opening and closing-    delimiters must not be a multiple of 3 unless both lengths-    are multiples of 3.--11. A literal `*` character cannot occur at the beginning or end of-    `*`-delimited emphasis or `**`-delimited strong emphasis, unless it-    is backslash-escaped.--12. A literal `_` character cannot occur at the beginning or end of-    `_`-delimited emphasis or `__`-delimited strong emphasis, unless it-    is backslash-escaped.--Where rules 1--12 above are compatible with multiple parsings,-the following principles resolve ambiguity:--13. The number of nestings should be minimized. Thus, for example,-    an interpretation `<strong>...</strong>` is always preferred to-    `<em><em>...</em></em>`.--14. An interpretation `<em><strong>...</strong></em>` is always-    preferred to `<strong><em>...</em></strong>`.--15. When two potential emphasis or strong emphasis spans overlap,-    so that the second begins before the first ends and ends after-    the first ends, the first takes precedence. Thus, for example,-    `*foo _bar* baz_` is parsed as `<em>foo _bar</em> baz_` rather-    than `*foo <em>bar* baz</em>`.--16. When there are two potential emphasis or strong emphasis spans-    with the same closing delimiter, the shorter one (the one that-    opens later) takes precedence. Thus, for example,-    `**foo **bar baz**` is parsed as `**foo <strong>bar baz</strong>`-    rather than `<strong>foo **bar baz</strong>`.--17. Inline code spans, links, images, and HTML tags group more tightly-    than emphasis.  So, when there is a choice between an interpretation-    that contains one of these elements and one that does not, the-    former always wins.  Thus, for example, `*[foo*](bar)` is-    parsed as `*<a href="bar">foo*</a>` rather than as-    `<em>[foo</em>](bar)`.--These rules can be illustrated through a series of examples.--Rule 1:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo bar*-.-<p><em>foo bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not emphasis, because the opening `*` is followed by-whitespace, and hence not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]:--```````````````````````````````` example-a * foo bar*-.-<p>a * foo bar*</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not emphasis, because the opening `*` is preceded-by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation, and hence-not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]:--```````````````````````````````` example-a*"foo"*-.-<p>a*&quot;foo&quot;*</p>-````````````````````````````````---Unicode nonbreaking spaces count as whitespace, too:--```````````````````````````````` example-* a *-.-<p>* a *</p>-````````````````````````````````---Intraword emphasis with `*` is permitted:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo*bar*-.-<p>foo<em>bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-5*6*78-.-<p>5<em>6</em>78</p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 2:--```````````````````````````````` example-_foo bar_-.-<p><em>foo bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not emphasis, because the opening `_` is followed by-whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-_ foo bar_-.-<p>_ foo bar_</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not emphasis, because the opening `_` is preceded-by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation:--```````````````````````````````` example-a_"foo"_-.-<p>a_&quot;foo&quot;_</p>-````````````````````````````````---Emphasis with `_` is not allowed inside words:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo_bar_-.-<p>foo_bar_</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-5_6_78-.-<p>5_6_78</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-пристаням_стремятся_-.-<p>пристаням_стремятся_</p>-````````````````````````````````---Here `_` does not generate emphasis, because the first delimiter run-is right-flanking and the second left-flanking:--```````````````````````````````` example-aa_"bb"_cc-.-<p>aa_&quot;bb&quot;_cc</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is emphasis, even though the opening delimiter is-both left- and right-flanking, because it is preceded by-punctuation:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo-_(bar)_-.-<p>foo-<em>(bar)</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 3:--This is not emphasis, because the closing delimiter does-not match the opening delimiter:--```````````````````````````````` example-_foo*-.-<p>_foo*</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not emphasis, because the closing `*` is preceded by-whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo bar *-.-<p>*foo bar *</p>-````````````````````````````````---A newline also counts as whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo bar-*-.-<p>*foo bar-*</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not emphasis, because the second `*` is-preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric-(hence it is not part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]:--```````````````````````````````` example-*(*foo)-.-<p>*(*foo)</p>-````````````````````````````````---The point of this restriction is more easily appreciated-with this example:--```````````````````````````````` example-*(*foo*)*-.-<p><em>(<em>foo</em>)</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Intraword emphasis with `*` is allowed:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo*bar-.-<p><em>foo</em>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````----Rule 4:--This is not emphasis, because the closing `_` is preceded by-whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-_foo bar _-.-<p>_foo bar _</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not emphasis, because the second `_` is-preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric:--```````````````````````````````` example-_(_foo)-.-<p>_(_foo)</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is emphasis within emphasis:--```````````````````````````````` example-_(_foo_)_-.-<p><em>(<em>foo</em>)</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Intraword emphasis is disallowed for `_`:--```````````````````````````````` example-_foo_bar-.-<p>_foo_bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_пристаням_стремятся-.-<p>_пристаням_стремятся</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_foo_bar_baz_-.-<p><em>foo_bar_baz</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is emphasis, even though the closing delimiter is-both left- and right-flanking, because it is followed by-punctuation:--```````````````````````````````` example-_(bar)_.-.-<p><em>(bar)</em>.</p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 5:--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo bar**-.-<p><strong>foo bar</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not strong emphasis, because the opening delimiter is-followed by whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-** foo bar**-.-<p>** foo bar**</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not strong emphasis, because the opening `**` is preceded-by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation, and hence-not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]:--```````````````````````````````` example-a**"foo"**-.-<p>a**&quot;foo&quot;**</p>-````````````````````````````````---Intraword strong emphasis with `**` is permitted:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo**bar**-.-<p>foo<strong>bar</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 6:--```````````````````````````````` example-__foo bar__-.-<p><strong>foo bar</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not strong emphasis, because the opening delimiter is-followed by whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-__ foo bar__-.-<p>__ foo bar__</p>-````````````````````````````````---A newline counts as whitespace:-```````````````````````````````` example-__-foo bar__-.-<p>__-foo bar__</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not strong emphasis, because the opening `__` is preceded-by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation:--```````````````````````````````` example-a__"foo"__-.-<p>a__&quot;foo&quot;__</p>-````````````````````````````````---Intraword strong emphasis is forbidden with `__`:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo__bar__-.-<p>foo__bar__</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-5__6__78-.-<p>5__6__78</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-пристаням__стремятся__-.-<p>пристаням__стремятся__</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__foo, __bar__, baz__-.-<p><strong>foo, <strong>bar</strong>, baz</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is strong emphasis, even though the opening delimiter is-both left- and right-flanking, because it is preceded by-punctuation:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo-__(bar)__-.-<p>foo-<strong>(bar)</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````----Rule 7:--This is not strong emphasis, because the closing delimiter is preceded-by whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo bar **-.-<p>**foo bar **</p>-````````````````````````````````---(Nor can it be interpreted as an emphasized `*foo bar *`, because of-Rule 11.)--This is not strong emphasis, because the second `**` is-preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric:--```````````````````````````````` example-**(**foo)-.-<p>**(**foo)</p>-````````````````````````````````---The point of this restriction is more easily appreciated-with these examples:--```````````````````````````````` example-*(**foo**)*-.-<p><em>(<strong>foo</strong>)</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**Gomphocarpus (*Gomphocarpus physocarpus*, syn.-*Asclepias physocarpa*)**-.-<p><strong>Gomphocarpus (<em>Gomphocarpus physocarpus</em>, syn.-<em>Asclepias physocarpa</em>)</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo "*bar*" foo**-.-<p><strong>foo &quot;<em>bar</em>&quot; foo</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---Intraword emphasis:--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo**bar-.-<p><strong>foo</strong>bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 8:--This is not strong emphasis, because the closing delimiter is-preceded by whitespace:--```````````````````````````````` example-__foo bar __-.-<p>__foo bar __</p>-````````````````````````````````---This is not strong emphasis, because the second `__` is-preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric:--```````````````````````````````` example-__(__foo)-.-<p>__(__foo)</p>-````````````````````````````````---The point of this restriction is more easily appreciated-with this example:--```````````````````````````````` example-_(__foo__)_-.-<p><em>(<strong>foo</strong>)</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Intraword strong emphasis is forbidden with `__`:--```````````````````````````````` example-__foo__bar-.-<p>__foo__bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__пристаням__стремятся-.-<p>__пристаням__стремятся</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__foo__bar__baz__-.-<p><strong>foo__bar__baz</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is strong emphasis, even though the closing delimiter is-both left- and right-flanking, because it is followed by-punctuation:--```````````````````````````````` example-__(bar)__.-.-<p><strong>(bar)</strong>.</p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 9:--Any nonempty sequence of inline elements can be the contents of an-emphasized span.--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo [bar](/url)*-.-<p><em>foo <a href="/url">bar</a></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo-bar*-.-<p><em>foo-bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---In particular, emphasis and strong emphasis can be nested-inside emphasis:--```````````````````````````````` example-_foo __bar__ baz_-.-<p><em>foo <strong>bar</strong> baz</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_foo _bar_ baz_-.-<p><em>foo <em>bar</em> baz</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__foo_ bar_-.-<p><em><em>foo</em> bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo *bar**-.-<p><em>foo <em>bar</em></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo **bar** baz*-.-<p><em>foo <strong>bar</strong> baz</em></p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo**bar**baz*-.-<p><em>foo<strong>bar</strong>baz</em></p>-````````````````````````````````--Note that in the preceding case, the interpretation--``` markdown-<p><em>foo</em><em>bar<em></em>baz</em></p>-```---is precluded by the condition that a delimiter that-can both open and close (like the `*` after `foo`)-cannot form emphasis if the sum of the lengths of-the delimiter runs containing the opening and-closing delimiters is a multiple of 3 unless-both lengths are multiples of 3.---For the same reason, we don't get two consecutive-emphasis sections in this example:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo**bar*-.-<p><em>foo**bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---The same condition ensures that the following-cases are all strong emphasis nested inside-emphasis, even when the interior spaces are-omitted:---```````````````````````````````` example-***foo** bar*-.-<p><em><strong>foo</strong> bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo **bar***-.-<p><em>foo <strong>bar</strong></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo**bar***-.-<p><em>foo<strong>bar</strong></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---When the lengths of the interior closing and opening-delimiter runs are *both* multiples of 3, though,-they can match to create emphasis:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo***bar***baz-.-<p>foo<em><strong>bar</strong></em>baz</p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-foo******bar*********baz-.-<p>foo<strong><strong><strong>bar</strong></strong></strong>***baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---Indefinite levels of nesting are possible:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo **bar *baz* bim** bop*-.-<p><em>foo <strong>bar <em>baz</em> bim</strong> bop</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo [*bar*](/url)*-.-<p><em>foo <a href="/url"><em>bar</em></a></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---There can be no empty emphasis or strong emphasis:--```````````````````````````````` example-** is not an empty emphasis-.-<p>** is not an empty emphasis</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**** is not an empty strong emphasis-.-<p>**** is not an empty strong emphasis</p>-````````````````````````````````----Rule 10:--Any nonempty sequence of inline elements can be the contents of an-strongly emphasized span.--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo [bar](/url)**-.-<p><strong>foo <a href="/url">bar</a></strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo-bar**-.-<p><strong>foo-bar</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---In particular, emphasis and strong emphasis can be nested-inside strong emphasis:--```````````````````````````````` example-__foo _bar_ baz__-.-<p><strong>foo <em>bar</em> baz</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__foo __bar__ baz__-.-<p><strong>foo <strong>bar</strong> baz</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-____foo__ bar__-.-<p><strong><strong>foo</strong> bar</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo **bar****-.-<p><strong>foo <strong>bar</strong></strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo *bar* baz**-.-<p><strong>foo <em>bar</em> baz</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo*bar*baz**-.-<p><strong>foo<em>bar</em>baz</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-***foo* bar**-.-<p><strong><em>foo</em> bar</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo *bar***-.-<p><strong>foo <em>bar</em></strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---Indefinite levels of nesting are possible:--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo *bar **baz**-bim* bop**-.-<p><strong>foo <em>bar <strong>baz</strong>-bim</em> bop</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo [*bar*](/url)**-.-<p><strong>foo <a href="/url"><em>bar</em></a></strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---There can be no empty emphasis or strong emphasis:--```````````````````````````````` example-__ is not an empty emphasis-.-<p>__ is not an empty emphasis</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-____ is not an empty strong emphasis-.-<p>____ is not an empty strong emphasis</p>-````````````````````````````````----Rule 11:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo ***-.-<p>foo ***</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo *\**-.-<p>foo <em>*</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo *_*-.-<p>foo <em>_</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo *****-.-<p>foo *****</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo **\***-.-<p>foo <strong>*</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo **_**-.-<p>foo <strong>_</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that when delimiters do not match evenly, Rule 11 determines-that the excess literal `*` characters will appear outside of the-emphasis, rather than inside it:--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo*-.-<p>*<em>foo</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo**-.-<p><em>foo</em>*</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-***foo**-.-<p>*<strong>foo</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-****foo*-.-<p>***<em>foo</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**foo***-.-<p><strong>foo</strong>*</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo****-.-<p><em>foo</em>***</p>-````````````````````````````````----Rule 12:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo ___-.-<p>foo ___</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo _\__-.-<p>foo <em>_</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo _*_-.-<p>foo <em>*</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo _____-.-<p>foo _____</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo __\___-.-<p>foo <strong>_</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo __*__-.-<p>foo <strong>*</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__foo_-.-<p>_<em>foo</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that when delimiters do not match evenly, Rule 12 determines-that the excess literal `_` characters will appear outside of the-emphasis, rather than inside it:--```````````````````````````````` example-_foo__-.-<p><em>foo</em>_</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-___foo__-.-<p>_<strong>foo</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-____foo_-.-<p>___<em>foo</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__foo___-.-<p><strong>foo</strong>_</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_foo____-.-<p><em>foo</em>___</p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 13 implies that if you want emphasis nested directly inside-emphasis, you must use different delimiters:--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo**-.-<p><strong>foo</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*_foo_*-.-<p><em><em>foo</em></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__foo__-.-<p><strong>foo</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_*foo*_-.-<p><em><em>foo</em></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---However, strong emphasis within strong emphasis is possible without-switching delimiters:--```````````````````````````````` example-****foo****-.-<p><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-____foo____-.-<p><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></p>-````````````````````````````````----Rule 13 can be applied to arbitrarily long sequences of-delimiters:--```````````````````````````````` example-******foo******-.-<p><strong><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 14:--```````````````````````````````` example-***foo***-.-<p><em><strong>foo</strong></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_____foo_____-.-<p><em><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 15:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo _bar* baz_-.-<p><em>foo _bar</em> baz_</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo __bar *baz bim__ bam*-.-<p><em>foo <strong>bar *baz bim</strong> bam</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 16:--```````````````````````````````` example-**foo **bar baz**-.-<p>**foo <strong>bar baz</strong></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo *bar baz*-.-<p>*foo <em>bar baz</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Rule 17:--```````````````````````````````` example-*[bar*](/url)-.-<p>*<a href="/url">bar*</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_foo [bar_](/url)-.-<p>_foo <a href="/url">bar_</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*<img src="foo" title="*"/>-.-<p>*<img src="foo" title="*"/></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**<a href="**">-.-<p>**<a href="**"></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__<a href="__">-.-<p>__<a href="__"></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*a `*`*-.-<p><em>a <code>*</code></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-_a `_`_-.-<p><em>a <code>_</code></em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-**a<http://foo.bar/?q=**>-.-<p>**a<a href="http://foo.bar/?q=**">http://foo.bar/?q=**</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-__a<http://foo.bar/?q=__>-.-<p>__a<a href="http://foo.bar/?q=__">http://foo.bar/?q=__</a></p>-````````````````````````````````----## Links--A link contains [link text] (the visible text), a [link destination]-(the URI that is the link destination), and optionally a [link title].-There are two basic kinds of links in Markdown.  In [inline links] the-destination and title are given immediately after the link text.  In-[reference links] the destination and title are defined elsewhere in-the document.--A [link text](@) consists of a sequence of zero or more-inline elements enclosed by square brackets (`[` and `]`).  The-following rules apply:--- Links may not contain other links, at any level of nesting. If-  multiple otherwise valid link definitions appear nested inside each-  other, the inner-most definition is used.--- Brackets are allowed in the [link text] only if (a) they-  are backslash-escaped or (b) they appear as a matched pair of brackets,-  with an open bracket `[`, a sequence of zero or more inlines, and-  a close bracket `]`.--- Backtick [code spans], [autolinks], and raw [HTML tags] bind more tightly-  than the brackets in link text.  Thus, for example,-  `` [foo`]` `` could not be a link text, since the second `]`-  is part of a code span.--- The brackets in link text bind more tightly than markers for-  [emphasis and strong emphasis]. Thus, for example, `*[foo*](url)` is a link.--A [link destination](@) consists of either--- a sequence of zero or more characters between an opening `<` and a-  closing `>` that contains no line breaks or unescaped-  `<` or `>` characters, or--- a nonempty sequence of characters that does not start with-  `<`, does not include ASCII space or control characters, and-  includes parentheses only if (a) they are backslash-escaped or-  (b) they are part of a balanced pair of unescaped parentheses.-  (Implementations may impose limits on parentheses nesting to-  avoid performance issues, but at least three levels of nesting-  should be supported.)--A [link title](@)  consists of either--- a sequence of zero or more characters between straight double-quote-  characters (`"`), including a `"` character only if it is-  backslash-escaped, or--- a sequence of zero or more characters between straight single-quote-  characters (`'`), including a `'` character only if it is-  backslash-escaped, or--- a sequence of zero or more characters between matching parentheses-  (`(...)`), including a `(` or `)` character only if it is-  backslash-escaped.--Although [link titles] may span multiple lines, they may not contain-a [blank line].--An [inline link](@) consists of a [link text] followed immediately-by a left parenthesis `(`, optional [whitespace], an optional-[link destination], an optional [link title] separated from the link-destination by [whitespace], optional [whitespace], and a right-parenthesis `)`. The link's text consists of the inlines contained-in the [link text] (excluding the enclosing square brackets).-The link's URI consists of the link destination, excluding enclosing-`<...>` if present, with backslash-escapes in effect as described-above.  The link's title consists of the link title, excluding its-enclosing delimiters, with backslash-escapes in effect as described-above.--Here is a simple inline link:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/uri "title")-.-<p><a href="/uri" title="title">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The title may be omitted:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/uri)-.-<p><a href="/uri">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Both the title and the destination may be omitted:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link]()-.-<p><a href="">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[link](<>)-.-<p><a href="">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--The destination can only contain spaces if it is-enclosed in pointy brackets:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/my uri)-.-<p>[link](/my uri)</p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](</my uri>)-.-<p><a href="/my%20uri">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--The destination cannot contain line breaks,-even if enclosed in pointy brackets:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](foo-bar)-.-<p>[link](foo-bar)</p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](<foo-bar>)-.-<p>[link](<foo-bar>)</p>-````````````````````````````````--The destination can contain `)` if it is enclosed-in pointy brackets:--```````````````````````````````` example-[a](<b)c>)-.-<p><a href="b)c">a</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--Pointy brackets that enclose links must be unescaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](<foo\>)-.-<p>[link](&lt;foo&gt;)</p>-````````````````````````````````--These are not links, because the opening pointy bracket-is not matched properly:--```````````````````````````````` example-[a](<b)c-[a](<b)c>-[a](<b>c)-.-<p>[a](&lt;b)c-[a](&lt;b)c&gt;-[a](<b>c)</p>-````````````````````````````````--Parentheses inside the link destination may be escaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](\(foo\))-.-<p><a href="(foo)">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--Any number of parentheses are allowed without escaping, as long as they are-balanced:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](foo(and(bar)))-.-<p><a href="foo(and(bar))">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--However, if you have unbalanced parentheses, you need to escape or use the-`<...>` form:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](foo\(and\(bar\))-.-<p><a href="foo(and(bar)">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[link](<foo(and(bar)>)-.-<p><a href="foo(and(bar)">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Parentheses and other symbols can also be escaped, as usual-in Markdown:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](foo\)\:)-.-<p><a href="foo):">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---A link can contain fragment identifiers and queries:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](#fragment)--[link](http://example.com#fragment)--[link](http://example.com?foo=3#frag)-.-<p><a href="#fragment">link</a></p>-<p><a href="http://example.com#fragment">link</a></p>-<p><a href="http://example.com?foo=3#frag">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that a backslash before a non-escapable character is-just a backslash:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](foo\bar)-.-<p><a href="foo%5Cbar">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---URL-escaping should be left alone inside the destination, as all-URL-escaped characters are also valid URL characters. Entity and-numerical character references in the destination will be parsed-into the corresponding Unicode code points, as usual.  These may-be optionally URL-escaped when written as HTML, but this spec-does not enforce any particular policy for rendering URLs in-HTML or other formats.  Renderers may make different decisions-about how to escape or normalize URLs in the output.--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](foo%20b&auml;)-.-<p><a href="foo%20b%C3%A4">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that, because titles can often be parsed as destinations,-if you try to omit the destination and keep the title, you'll-get unexpected results:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link]("title")-.-<p><a href="%22title%22">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Titles may be in single quotes, double quotes, or parentheses:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/url "title")-[link](/url 'title')-[link](/url (title))-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">link</a>-<a href="/url" title="title">link</a>-<a href="/url" title="title">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Backslash escapes and entity and numeric character references-may be used in titles:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/url "title \"&quot;")-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title &quot;&quot;">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Titles must be separated from the link using a [whitespace].-Other [Unicode whitespace] like non-breaking space doesn't work.--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/url "title")-.-<p><a href="/url%C2%A0%22title%22">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Nested balanced quotes are not allowed without escaping:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/url "title "and" title")-.-<p>[link](/url &quot;title &quot;and&quot; title&quot;)</p>-````````````````````````````````---But it is easy to work around this by using a different quote type:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](/url 'title "and" title')-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title &quot;and&quot; title">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---(Note:  `Markdown.pl` did allow double quotes inside a double-quoted-title, and its test suite included a test demonstrating this.-But it is hard to see a good rationale for the extra complexity this-brings, since there are already many ways---backslash escaping,-entity and numeric character references, or using a different-quote type for the enclosing title---to write titles containing-double quotes.  `Markdown.pl`'s handling of titles has a number-of other strange features.  For example, it allows single-quoted-titles in inline links, but not reference links.  And, in-reference links but not inline links, it allows a title to begin-with `"` and end with `)`.  `Markdown.pl` 1.0.1 even allows-titles with no closing quotation mark, though 1.0.2b8 does not.-It seems preferable to adopt a simple, rational rule that works-the same way in inline links and link reference definitions.)--[Whitespace] is allowed around the destination and title:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link](   /uri-  "title"  )-.-<p><a href="/uri" title="title">link</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---But it is not allowed between the link text and the-following parenthesis:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link] (/uri)-.-<p>[link] (/uri)</p>-````````````````````````````````---The link text may contain balanced brackets, but not unbalanced ones,-unless they are escaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link [foo [bar]]](/uri)-.-<p><a href="/uri">link [foo [bar]]</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[link] bar](/uri)-.-<p>[link] bar](/uri)</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[link [bar](/uri)-.-<p>[link <a href="/uri">bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[link \[bar](/uri)-.-<p><a href="/uri">link [bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The link text may contain inline content:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link *foo **bar** `#`*](/uri)-.-<p><a href="/uri">link <em>foo <strong>bar</strong> <code>#</code></em></a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[![moon](moon.jpg)](/uri)-.-<p><a href="/uri"><img src="moon.jpg" alt="moon" /></a></p>-````````````````````````````````---However, links may not contain other links, at any level of nesting.--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo [bar](/uri)](/uri)-.-<p>[foo <a href="/uri">bar</a>](/uri)</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo *[bar [baz](/uri)](/uri)*](/uri)-.-<p>[foo <em>[bar <a href="/uri">baz</a>](/uri)</em>](/uri)</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![[[foo](uri1)](uri2)](uri3)-.-<p><img src="uri3" alt="[foo](uri2)" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---These cases illustrate the precedence of link text grouping over-emphasis grouping:--```````````````````````````````` example-*[foo*](/uri)-.-<p>*<a href="/uri">foo*</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo *bar](baz*)-.-<p><a href="baz*">foo *bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that brackets that *aren't* part of links do not take-precedence:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo [bar* baz]-.-<p><em>foo [bar</em> baz]</p>-````````````````````````````````---These cases illustrate the precedence of HTML tags, code spans,-and autolinks over link grouping:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo <bar attr="](baz)">-.-<p>[foo <bar attr="](baz)"></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo`](/uri)`-.-<p>[foo<code>](/uri)</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo<http://example.com/?search=](uri)>-.-<p>[foo<a href="http://example.com/?search=%5D(uri)">http://example.com/?search=](uri)</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---There are three kinds of [reference link](@)s:-[full](#full-reference-link), [collapsed](#collapsed-reference-link),-and [shortcut](#shortcut-reference-link).--A [full reference link](@)-consists of a [link text] immediately followed by a [link label]-that [matches] a [link reference definition] elsewhere in the document.--A [link label](@)  begins with a left bracket (`[`) and ends-with the first right bracket (`]`) that is not backslash-escaped.-Between these brackets there must be at least one [non-whitespace character].-Unescaped square bracket characters are not allowed inside the-opening and closing square brackets of [link labels].  A link-label can have at most 999 characters inside the square-brackets.--One label [matches](@)-another just in case their normalized forms are equal.  To normalize a-label, strip off the opening and closing brackets,-perform the *Unicode case fold*, strip leading and trailing-[whitespace] and collapse consecutive internal-[whitespace] to a single space.  If there are multiple-matching reference link definitions, the one that comes first in the-document is used.  (It is desirable in such cases to emit a warning.)--The contents of the first link label are parsed as inlines, which are-used as the link's text.  The link's URI and title are provided by the-matching [link reference definition].--Here is a simple example:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][bar]--[bar]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The rules for the [link text] are the same as with-[inline links].  Thus:--The link text may contain balanced brackets, but not unbalanced ones,-unless they are escaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link [foo [bar]]][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p><a href="/uri">link [foo [bar]]</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[link \[bar][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p><a href="/uri">link [bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The link text may contain inline content:--```````````````````````````````` example-[link *foo **bar** `#`*][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p><a href="/uri">link <em>foo <strong>bar</strong> <code>#</code></em></a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[![moon](moon.jpg)][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p><a href="/uri"><img src="moon.jpg" alt="moon" /></a></p>-````````````````````````````````---However, links may not contain other links, at any level of nesting.--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo [bar](/uri)][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p>[foo <a href="/uri">bar</a>]<a href="/uri">ref</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo *bar [baz][ref]*][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p>[foo <em>bar <a href="/uri">baz</a></em>]<a href="/uri">ref</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---(In the examples above, we have two [shortcut reference links]-instead of one [full reference link].)--The following cases illustrate the precedence of link text grouping over-emphasis grouping:--```````````````````````````````` example-*[foo*][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p>*<a href="/uri">foo*</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo *bar][ref]--[ref]: /uri-.-<p><a href="/uri">foo *bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---These cases illustrate the precedence of HTML tags, code spans,-and autolinks over link grouping:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo <bar attr="][ref]">--[ref]: /uri-.-<p>[foo <bar attr="][ref]"></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo`][ref]`--[ref]: /uri-.-<p>[foo<code>][ref]</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo<http://example.com/?search=][ref]>--[ref]: /uri-.-<p>[foo<a href="http://example.com/?search=%5D%5Bref%5D">http://example.com/?search=][ref]</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Matching is case-insensitive:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][BaR]--[bar]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Unicode case fold is used:--```````````````````````````````` example-[Толпой][Толпой] is a Russian word.--[ТОЛПОЙ]: /url-.-<p><a href="/url">Толпой</a> is a Russian word.</p>-````````````````````````````````---Consecutive internal [whitespace] is treated as one space for-purposes of determining matching:--```````````````````````````````` example-[Foo-  bar]: /url--[Baz][Foo bar]-.-<p><a href="/url">Baz</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---No [whitespace] is allowed between the [link text] and the-[link label]:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo] [bar]--[bar]: /url "title"-.-<p>[foo] <a href="/url" title="title">bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]-[bar]--[bar]: /url "title"-.-<p>[foo]-<a href="/url" title="title">bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---This is a departure from John Gruber's original Markdown syntax-description, which explicitly allows whitespace between the link-text and the link label.  It brings reference links in line with-[inline links], which (according to both original Markdown and-this spec) cannot have whitespace after the link text.  More-importantly, it prevents inadvertent capture of consecutive-[shortcut reference links]. If whitespace is allowed between the-link text and the link label, then in the following we will have-a single reference link, not two shortcut reference links, as-intended:--``` markdown-[foo]-[bar]--[foo]: /url1-[bar]: /url2-```--(Note that [shortcut reference links] were introduced by Gruber-himself in a beta version of `Markdown.pl`, but never included-in the official syntax description.  Without shortcut reference-links, it is harmless to allow space between the link text and-link label; but once shortcut references are introduced, it is-too dangerous to allow this, as it frequently leads to-unintended results.)--When there are multiple matching [link reference definitions],-the first is used:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]: /url1--[foo]: /url2--[bar][foo]-.-<p><a href="/url1">bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that matching is performed on normalized strings, not parsed-inline content.  So the following does not match, even though the-labels define equivalent inline content:--```````````````````````````````` example-[bar][foo\!]--[foo!]: /url-.-<p>[bar][foo!]</p>-````````````````````````````````---[Link labels] cannot contain brackets, unless they are-backslash-escaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][ref[]--[ref[]: /uri-.-<p>[foo][ref[]</p>-<p>[ref[]: /uri</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][ref[bar]]--[ref[bar]]: /uri-.-<p>[foo][ref[bar]]</p>-<p>[ref[bar]]: /uri</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[[[foo]]]--[[[foo]]]: /url-.-<p>[[[foo]]]</p>-<p>[[[foo]]]: /url</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][ref\[]--[ref\[]: /uri-.-<p><a href="/uri">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that in this example `]` is not backslash-escaped:--```````````````````````````````` example-[bar\\]: /uri--[bar\\]-.-<p><a href="/uri">bar\</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---A [link label] must contain at least one [non-whitespace character]:--```````````````````````````````` example-[]--[]: /uri-.-<p>[]</p>-<p>[]: /uri</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[- ]--[- ]: /uri-.-<p>[-]</p>-<p>[-]: /uri</p>-````````````````````````````````---A [collapsed reference link](@)-consists of a [link label] that [matches] a-[link reference definition] elsewhere in the-document, followed by the string `[]`.-The contents of the first link label are parsed as inlines,-which are used as the link's text.  The link's URI and title are-provided by the matching reference link definition.  Thus,-`[foo][]` is equivalent to `[foo][foo]`.--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[*foo* bar][]--[*foo* bar]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title"><em>foo</em> bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The link labels are case-insensitive:--```````````````````````````````` example-[Foo][]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">Foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````----As with full reference links, [whitespace] is not-allowed between the two sets of brackets:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo] -[]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a>-[]</p>-````````````````````````````````---A [shortcut reference link](@)-consists of a [link label] that [matches] a-[link reference definition] elsewhere in the-document and is not followed by `[]` or a link label.-The contents of the first link label are parsed as inlines,-which are used as the link's text.  The link's URI and title-are provided by the matching link reference definition.-Thus, `[foo]` is equivalent to `[foo][]`.--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[*foo* bar]--[*foo* bar]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title"><em>foo</em> bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[[*foo* bar]]--[*foo* bar]: /url "title"-.-<p>[<a href="/url" title="title"><em>foo</em> bar</a>]</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-[[bar [foo]--[foo]: /url-.-<p>[[bar <a href="/url">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---The link labels are case-insensitive:--```````````````````````````````` example-[Foo]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><a href="/url" title="title">Foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---A space after the link text should be preserved:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo] bar--[foo]: /url-.-<p><a href="/url">foo</a> bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---If you just want bracketed text, you can backslash-escape the-opening bracket to avoid links:--```````````````````````````````` example-\[foo]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p>[foo]</p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that this is a link, because a link label ends with the first-following closing bracket:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo*]: /url--*[foo*]-.-<p>*<a href="/url">foo*</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Full and compact references take precedence over shortcut-references:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][bar]--[foo]: /url1-[bar]: /url2-.-<p><a href="/url2">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][]--[foo]: /url1-.-<p><a href="/url1">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--Inline links also take precedence:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo]()--[foo]: /url1-.-<p><a href="">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo](not a link)--[foo]: /url1-.-<p><a href="/url1">foo</a>(not a link)</p>-````````````````````````````````--In the following case `[bar][baz]` is parsed as a reference,-`[foo]` as normal text:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][bar][baz]--[baz]: /url-.-<p>[foo]<a href="/url">bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Here, though, `[foo][bar]` is parsed as a reference, since-`[bar]` is defined:--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][bar][baz]--[baz]: /url1-[bar]: /url2-.-<p><a href="/url2">foo</a><a href="/url1">baz</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Here `[foo]` is not parsed as a shortcut reference, because it-is followed by a link label (even though `[bar]` is not defined):--```````````````````````````````` example-[foo][bar][baz]--[baz]: /url1-[foo]: /url2-.-<p>[foo]<a href="/url1">bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````----## Images--Syntax for images is like the syntax for links, with one-difference. Instead of [link text], we have an-[image description](@).  The rules for this are the-same as for [link text], except that (a) an-image description starts with `![` rather than `[`, and-(b) an image description may contain links.-An image description has inline elements-as its contents.  When an image is rendered to HTML,-this is standardly used as the image's `alt` attribute.--```````````````````````````````` example-![foo](/url "title")-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![foo *bar*]--[foo *bar*]: train.jpg "train & tracks"-.-<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="train &amp; tracks" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![foo ![bar](/url)](/url2)-.-<p><img src="/url2" alt="foo bar" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![foo [bar](/url)](/url2)-.-<p><img src="/url2" alt="foo bar" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---Though this spec is concerned with parsing, not rendering, it is-recommended that in rendering to HTML, only the plain string content-of the [image description] be used.  Note that in-the above example, the alt attribute's value is `foo bar`, not `foo-[bar](/url)` or `foo <a href="/url">bar</a>`.  Only the plain string-content is rendered, without formatting.--```````````````````````````````` example-![foo *bar*][]--[foo *bar*]: train.jpg "train & tracks"-.-<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="train &amp; tracks" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![foo *bar*][foobar]--[FOOBAR]: train.jpg "train & tracks"-.-<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="train &amp; tracks" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![foo](train.jpg)-.-<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-My ![foo bar](/path/to/train.jpg  "title"   )-.-<p>My <img src="/path/to/train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![foo](<url>)-.-<p><img src="url" alt="foo" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![](/url)-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---Reference-style:--```````````````````````````````` example-![foo][bar]--[bar]: /url-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![foo][bar]--[BAR]: /url-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---Collapsed:--```````````````````````````````` example-![foo][]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![*foo* bar][]--[*foo* bar]: /url "title"-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo bar" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---The labels are case-insensitive:--```````````````````````````````` example-![Foo][]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="Foo" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---As with reference links, [whitespace] is not allowed-between the two sets of brackets:--```````````````````````````````` example-![foo] -[]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" />-[]</p>-````````````````````````````````---Shortcut:--```````````````````````````````` example-![foo]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-![*foo* bar]--[*foo* bar]: /url "title"-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="foo bar" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that link labels cannot contain unescaped brackets:--```````````````````````````````` example-![[foo]]--[[foo]]: /url "title"-.-<p>![[foo]]</p>-<p>[[foo]]: /url &quot;title&quot;</p>-````````````````````````````````---The link labels are case-insensitive:--```````````````````````````````` example-![Foo]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p><img src="/url" alt="Foo" title="title" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---If you just want a literal `!` followed by bracketed text, you can-backslash-escape the opening `[`:--```````````````````````````````` example-!\[foo]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p>![foo]</p>-````````````````````````````````---If you want a link after a literal `!`, backslash-escape the-`!`:--```````````````````````````````` example-\![foo]--[foo]: /url "title"-.-<p>!<a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---## Autolinks--[Autolink](@)s are absolute URIs and email addresses inside-`<` and `>`. They are parsed as links, with the URL or email address-as the link label.--A [URI autolink](@) consists of `<`, followed by an-[absolute URI] followed by `>`.  It is parsed as-a link to the URI, with the URI as the link's label.--An [absolute URI](@),-for these purposes, consists of a [scheme] followed by a colon (`:`)-followed by zero or more characters other than ASCII-[whitespace] and control characters, `<`, and `>`.  If-the URI includes these characters, they must be percent-encoded-(e.g. `%20` for a space).--For purposes of this spec, a [scheme](@) is any sequence-of 2--32 characters beginning with an ASCII letter and followed-by any combination of ASCII letters, digits, or the symbols plus-("+"), period ("."), or hyphen ("-").--Here are some valid autolinks:--```````````````````````````````` example-<http://foo.bar.baz>-.-<p><a href="http://foo.bar.baz">http://foo.bar.baz</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<http://foo.bar.baz/test?q=hello&id=22&boolean>-.-<p><a href="http://foo.bar.baz/test?q=hello&amp;id=22&amp;boolean">http://foo.bar.baz/test?q=hello&amp;id=22&amp;boolean</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<irc://foo.bar:2233/baz>-.-<p><a href="irc://foo.bar:2233/baz">irc://foo.bar:2233/baz</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Uppercase is also fine:--```````````````````````````````` example-<MAILTO:FOO@BAR.BAZ>-.-<p><a href="MAILTO:FOO@BAR.BAZ">MAILTO:FOO@BAR.BAZ</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Note that many strings that count as [absolute URIs] for-purposes of this spec are not valid URIs, because their-schemes are not registered or because of other problems-with their syntax:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a+b+c:d>-.-<p><a href="a+b+c:d">a+b+c:d</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<made-up-scheme://foo,bar>-.-<p><a href="made-up-scheme://foo,bar">made-up-scheme://foo,bar</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<http://../>-.-<p><a href="http://../">http://../</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<localhost:5001/foo>-.-<p><a href="localhost:5001/foo">localhost:5001/foo</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Spaces are not allowed in autolinks:--```````````````````````````````` example-<http://foo.bar/baz bim>-.-<p>&lt;http://foo.bar/baz bim&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Backslash-escapes do not work inside autolinks:--```````````````````````````````` example-<http://example.com/\[\>-.-<p><a href="http://example.com/%5C%5B%5C">http://example.com/\[\</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---An [email autolink](@)-consists of `<`, followed by an [email address],-followed by `>`.  The link's label is the email address,-and the URL is `mailto:` followed by the email address.--An [email address](@),-for these purposes, is anything that matches-the [non-normative regex from the HTML5-spec](https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/forms.html#e-mail-state-(type=email)):--    /^[a-zA-Z0-9.!#$%&'*+/=?^_`{|}~-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])?-    (?:\.[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])?)*$/--Examples of email autolinks:--```````````````````````````````` example-<foo@bar.example.com>-.-<p><a href="mailto:foo@bar.example.com">foo@bar.example.com</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<foo+special@Bar.baz-bar0.com>-.-<p><a href="mailto:foo+special@Bar.baz-bar0.com">foo+special@Bar.baz-bar0.com</a></p>-````````````````````````````````---Backslash-escapes do not work inside email autolinks:--```````````````````````````````` example-<foo\+@bar.example.com>-.-<p>&lt;foo+@bar.example.com&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---These are not autolinks:--```````````````````````````````` example-<>-.-<p>&lt;&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-< http://foo.bar >-.-<p>&lt; http://foo.bar &gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<m:abc>-.-<p>&lt;m:abc&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<foo.bar.baz>-.-<p>&lt;foo.bar.baz&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-http://example.com-.-<p>http://example.com</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo@bar.example.com-.-<p>foo@bar.example.com</p>-````````````````````````````````---## Raw HTML--Text between `<` and `>` that looks like an HTML tag is parsed as a-raw HTML tag and will be rendered in HTML without escaping.-Tag and attribute names are not limited to current HTML tags,-so custom tags (and even, say, DocBook tags) may be used.--Here is the grammar for tags:--A [tag name](@) consists of an ASCII letter-followed by zero or more ASCII letters, digits, or-hyphens (`-`).--An [attribute](@) consists of [whitespace],-an [attribute name], and an optional-[attribute value specification].--An [attribute name](@)-consists of an ASCII letter, `_`, or `:`, followed by zero or more ASCII-letters, digits, `_`, `.`, `:`, or `-`.  (Note:  This is the XML-specification restricted to ASCII.  HTML5 is laxer.)--An [attribute value specification](@)-consists of optional [whitespace],-a `=` character, optional [whitespace], and an [attribute-value].--An [attribute value](@)-consists of an [unquoted attribute value],-a [single-quoted attribute value], or a [double-quoted attribute value].--An [unquoted attribute value](@)-is a nonempty string of characters not-including [whitespace], `"`, `'`, `=`, `<`, `>`, or `` ` ``.--A [single-quoted attribute value](@)-consists of `'`, zero or more-characters not including `'`, and a final `'`.--A [double-quoted attribute value](@)-consists of `"`, zero or more-characters not including `"`, and a final `"`.--An [open tag](@) consists of a `<` character, a [tag name],-zero or more [attributes], optional [whitespace], an optional `/`-character, and a `>` character.--A [closing tag](@) consists of the string `</`, a-[tag name], optional [whitespace], and the character `>`.--An [HTML comment](@) consists of `<!--` + *text* + `-->`,-where *text* does not start with `>` or `->`, does not end with `-`,-and does not contain `--`.  (See the-[HTML5 spec](http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/syntax.html#comments).)--A [processing instruction](@)-consists of the string `<?`, a string-of characters not including the string `?>`, and the string-`?>`.--A [declaration](@) consists of the-string `<!`, a name consisting of one or more uppercase ASCII letters,-[whitespace], a string of characters not including the-character `>`, and the character `>`.--A [CDATA section](@) consists of-the string `<![CDATA[`, a string of characters not including the string-`]]>`, and the string `]]>`.--An [HTML tag](@) consists of an [open tag], a [closing tag],-an [HTML comment], a [processing instruction], a [declaration],-or a [CDATA section].--Here are some simple open tags:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a><bab><c2c>-.-<p><a><bab><c2c></p>-````````````````````````````````---Empty elements:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a/><b2/>-.-<p><a/><b2/></p>-````````````````````````````````---[Whitespace] is allowed:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a  /><b2-data="foo" >-.-<p><a  /><b2-data="foo" ></p>-````````````````````````````````---With attributes:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a foo="bar" bam = 'baz <em>"</em>'-_boolean zoop:33=zoop:33 />-.-<p><a foo="bar" bam = 'baz <em>"</em>'-_boolean zoop:33=zoop:33 /></p>-````````````````````````````````---Custom tag names can be used:--```````````````````````````````` example-Foo <responsive-image src="foo.jpg" />-.-<p>Foo <responsive-image src="foo.jpg" /></p>-````````````````````````````````---Illegal tag names, not parsed as HTML:--```````````````````````````````` example-<33> <__>-.-<p>&lt;33&gt; &lt;__&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Illegal attribute names:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a h*#ref="hi">-.-<p>&lt;a h*#ref=&quot;hi&quot;&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Illegal attribute values:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="hi'> <a href=hi'>-.-<p>&lt;a href=&quot;hi'&gt; &lt;a href=hi'&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Illegal [whitespace]:--```````````````````````````````` example-< a><-foo><bar/ >-<foo bar=baz-bim!bop />-.-<p>&lt; a&gt;&lt;-foo&gt;&lt;bar/ &gt;-&lt;foo bar=baz-bim!bop /&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Missing [whitespace]:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a href='bar'title=title>-.-<p>&lt;a href='bar'title=title&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Closing tags:--```````````````````````````````` example-</a></foo >-.-<p></a></foo ></p>-````````````````````````````````---Illegal attributes in closing tag:--```````````````````````````````` example-</a href="foo">-.-<p>&lt;/a href=&quot;foo&quot;&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Comments:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo <!-- this is a-comment - with hyphen -->-.-<p>foo <!-- this is a-comment - with hyphen --></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo <!-- not a comment -- two hyphens -->-.-<p>foo &lt;!-- not a comment -- two hyphens --&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Not comments:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo <!--> foo -->--foo <!-- foo--->-.-<p>foo &lt;!--&gt; foo --&gt;</p>-<p>foo &lt;!-- foo---&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---Processing instructions:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo <?php echo $a; ?>-.-<p>foo <?php echo $a; ?></p>-````````````````````````````````---Declarations:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo <!ELEMENT br EMPTY>-.-<p>foo <!ELEMENT br EMPTY></p>-````````````````````````````````---CDATA sections:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo <![CDATA[>&<]]>-.-<p>foo <![CDATA[>&<]]></p>-````````````````````````````````---Entity and numeric character references are preserved in HTML-attributes:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo <a href="&ouml;">-.-<p>foo <a href="&ouml;"></p>-````````````````````````````````---Backslash escapes do not work in HTML attributes:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo <a href="\*">-.-<p>foo <a href="\*"></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="\"">-.-<p>&lt;a href=&quot;&quot;&quot;&gt;</p>-````````````````````````````````---## Hard line breaks--A line break (not in a code span or HTML tag) that is preceded-by two or more spaces and does not occur at the end of a block-is parsed as a [hard line break](@) (rendered-in HTML as a `<br />` tag):--```````````````````````````````` example-foo  -baz-.-<p>foo<br />-baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---For a more visible alternative, a backslash before the-[line ending] may be used instead of two spaces:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo\-baz-.-<p>foo<br />-baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---More than two spaces can be used:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo       -baz-.-<p>foo<br />-baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---Leading spaces at the beginning of the next line are ignored:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo  -     bar-.-<p>foo<br />-bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo\-     bar-.-<p>foo<br />-bar</p>-````````````````````````````````---Line breaks can occur inside emphasis, links, and other constructs-that allow inline content:--```````````````````````````````` example-*foo  -bar*-.-<p><em>foo<br />-bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-*foo\-bar*-.-<p><em>foo<br />-bar</em></p>-````````````````````````````````---Line breaks do not occur inside code spans--```````````````````````````````` example-`code -span`-.-<p><code>code  span</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-`code\-span`-.-<p><code>code\ span</code></p>-````````````````````````````````---or HTML tags:--```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="foo  -bar">-.-<p><a href="foo  -bar"></p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-<a href="foo\-bar">-.-<p><a href="foo\-bar"></p>-````````````````````````````````---Hard line breaks are for separating inline content within a block.-Neither syntax for hard line breaks works at the end of a paragraph or-other block element:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo\-.-<p>foo\</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-foo  -.-<p>foo</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-### foo\-.-<h3>foo\</h3>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-### foo  -.-<h3>foo</h3>-````````````````````````````````---## Soft line breaks--A regular line break (not in a code span or HTML tag) that is not-preceded by two or more spaces or a backslash is parsed as a-[softbreak](@).  (A softbreak may be rendered in HTML either as a-[line ending] or as a space. The result will be the same in-browsers. In the examples here, a [line ending] will be used.)--```````````````````````````````` example-foo-baz-.-<p>foo-baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---Spaces at the end of the line and beginning of the next line are-removed:--```````````````````````````````` example-foo - baz-.-<p>foo-baz</p>-````````````````````````````````---A conforming parser may render a soft line break in HTML either as a-line break or as a space.--A renderer may also provide an option to render soft line breaks-as hard line breaks.--## Textual content--Any characters not given an interpretation by the above rules will-be parsed as plain textual content.--```````````````````````````````` example-hello $.;'there-.-<p>hello $.;'there</p>-````````````````````````````````---```````````````````````````````` example-Foo χρῆν-.-<p>Foo χρῆν</p>-````````````````````````````````---Internal spaces are preserved verbatim:--```````````````````````````````` example-Multiple     spaces-.-<p>Multiple     spaces</p>-````````````````````````````````---<!-- END TESTS -->--# Appendix: A parsing strategy--In this appendix we describe some features of the parsing strategy-used in the CommonMark reference implementations.--## Overview--Parsing has two phases:--1. In the first phase, lines of input are consumed and the block-structure of the document---its division into paragraphs, block quotes,-list items, and so on---is constructed.  Text is assigned to these-blocks but not parsed. Link reference definitions are parsed and a-map of links is constructed.--2. In the second phase, the raw text contents of paragraphs and headings-are parsed into sequences of Markdown inline elements (strings,-code spans, links, emphasis, and so on), using the map of link-references constructed in phase 1.--At each point in processing, the document is represented as a tree of-**blocks**.  The root of the tree is a `document` block.  The `document`-may have any number of other blocks as **children**.  These children-may, in turn, have other blocks as children.  The last child of a block-is normally considered **open**, meaning that subsequent lines of input-can alter its contents.  (Blocks that are not open are **closed**.)-Here, for example, is a possible document tree, with the open blocks-marked by arrows:--``` tree--> document-  -> block_quote-       paragraph-         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."-    -> list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)-         list_item-           paragraph-             "Qui *quodsi iracundia*"-      -> list_item-        -> paragraph-             "aliquando id"-```--## Phase 1: block structure--Each line that is processed has an effect on this tree.  The line is-analyzed and, depending on its contents, the document may be altered-in one or more of the following ways:--1. One or more open blocks may be closed.-2. One or more new blocks may be created as children of the-   last open block.-3. Text may be added to the last (deepest) open block remaining-   on the tree.--Once a line has been incorporated into the tree in this way,-it can be discarded, so input can be read in a stream.--For each line, we follow this procedure:--1. First we iterate through the open blocks, starting with the-root document, and descending through last children down to the last-open block.  Each block imposes a condition that the line must satisfy-if the block is to remain open.  For example, a block quote requires a-`>` character.  A paragraph requires a non-blank line.-In this phase we may match all or just some of the open-blocks.  But we cannot close unmatched blocks yet, because we may have a-[lazy continuation line].--2.  Next, after consuming the continuation markers for existing-blocks, we look for new block starts (e.g. `>` for a block quote).-If we encounter a new block start, we close any blocks unmatched-in step 1 before creating the new block as a child of the last-matched block.--3.  Finally, we look at the remainder of the line (after block-markers like `>`, list markers, and indentation have been consumed).-This is text that can be incorporated into the last open-block (a paragraph, code block, heading, or raw HTML).--Setext headings are formed when we see a line of a paragraph-that is a [setext heading underline].--Reference link definitions are detected when a paragraph is closed;-the accumulated text lines are parsed to see if they begin with-one or more reference link definitions.  Any remainder becomes a-normal paragraph.--We can see how this works by considering how the tree above is-generated by four lines of Markdown:--``` markdown-> Lorem ipsum dolor-sit amet.-> - Qui *quodsi iracundia*-> - aliquando id-```--At the outset, our document model is just--``` tree--> document-```--The first line of our text,--``` markdown-> Lorem ipsum dolor-```--causes a `block_quote` block to be created as a child of our-open `document` block, and a `paragraph` block as a child of-the `block_quote`.  Then the text is added to the last open-block, the `paragraph`:--``` tree--> document-  -> block_quote-    -> paragraph-         "Lorem ipsum dolor"-```--The next line,--``` markdown-sit amet.-```--is a "lazy continuation" of the open `paragraph`, so it gets added-to the paragraph's text:--``` tree--> document-  -> block_quote-    -> paragraph-         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."-```--The third line,--``` markdown-> - Qui *quodsi iracundia*-```--causes the `paragraph` block to be closed, and a new `list` block-opened as a child of the `block_quote`.  A `list_item` is also-added as a child of the `list`, and a `paragraph` as a child of-the `list_item`.  The text is then added to the new `paragraph`:--``` tree--> document-  -> block_quote-       paragraph-         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."-    -> list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)-      -> list_item-        -> paragraph-             "Qui *quodsi iracundia*"-```--The fourth line,--``` markdown-> - aliquando id-```--causes the `list_item` (and its child the `paragraph`) to be closed,-and a new `list_item` opened up as child of the `list`.  A `paragraph`-is added as a child of the new `list_item`, to contain the text.-We thus obtain the final tree:--``` tree--> document-  -> block_quote-       paragraph-         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."-    -> list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)-         list_item-           paragraph-             "Qui *quodsi iracundia*"-      -> list_item-        -> paragraph-             "aliquando id"-```--## Phase 2: inline structure--Once all of the input has been parsed, all open blocks are closed.--We then "walk the tree," visiting every node, and parse raw-string contents of paragraphs and headings as inlines.  At this-point we have seen all the link reference definitions, so we can-resolve reference links as we go.--``` tree-document-  block_quote-    paragraph-      str "Lorem ipsum dolor"-      softbreak-      str "sit amet."-    list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)-      list_item-        paragraph-          str "Qui "-          emph-            str "quodsi iracundia"-      list_item-        paragraph-          str "aliquando id"-```--Notice how the [line ending] in the first paragraph has-been parsed as a `softbreak`, and the asterisks in the first list item-have become an `emph`.--### An algorithm for parsing nested emphasis and links--By far the trickiest part of inline parsing is handling emphasis,-strong emphasis, links, and images.  This is done using the following-algorithm.--When we're parsing inlines and we hit either--- a run of `*` or `_` characters, or-- a `[` or `![`--we insert a text node with these symbols as its literal content, and we-add a pointer to this text node to the [delimiter stack](@).--The [delimiter stack] is a doubly linked list.  Each-element contains a pointer to a text node, plus information about--- the type of delimiter (`[`, `![`, `*`, `_`)-- the number of delimiters,-- whether the delimiter is "active" (all are active to start), and-- whether the delimiter is a potential opener, a potential closer,-  or both (which depends on what sort of characters precede-  and follow the delimiters).--When we hit a `]` character, we call the *look for link or image*-procedure (see below).--When we hit the end of the input, we call the *process emphasis*-procedure (see below), with `stack_bottom` = NULL.--#### *look for link or image*--Starting at the top of the delimiter stack, we look backwards-through the stack for an opening `[` or `![` delimiter.--- If we don't find one, we return a literal text node `]`.--- If we do find one, but it's not *active*, we remove the inactive-  delimiter from the stack, and return a literal text node `]`.--- If we find one and it's active, then we parse ahead to see if-  we have an inline link/image, reference link/image, compact reference-  link/image, or shortcut reference link/image.--  + If we don't, then we remove the opening delimiter from the-    delimiter stack and return a literal text node `]`.--  + If we do, then--    * We return a link or image node whose children are the inlines-      after the text node pointed to by the opening delimiter.--    * We run *process emphasis* on these inlines, with the `[` opener-      as `stack_bottom`.--    * We remove the opening delimiter.--    * If we have a link (and not an image), we also set all-      `[` delimiters before the opening delimiter to *inactive*.  (This-      will prevent us from getting links within links.)--#### *process emphasis*--Parameter `stack_bottom` sets a lower bound to how far we-descend in the [delimiter stack].  If it is NULL, we can-go all the way to the bottom.  Otherwise, we stop before-visiting `stack_bottom`.--Let `current_position` point to the element on the [delimiter stack]-just above `stack_bottom` (or the first element if `stack_bottom`-is NULL).--We keep track of the `openers_bottom` for each delimiter-type (`*`, `_`) and each length of the closing delimiter run-(modulo 3).  Initialize this to `stack_bottom`.--Then we repeat the following until we run out of potential-closers:--- Move `current_position` forward in the delimiter stack (if needed)-  until we find the first potential closer with delimiter `*` or `_`.-  (This will be the potential closer closest-  to the beginning of the input -- the first one in parse order.)--- Now, look back in the stack (staying above `stack_bottom` and-  the `openers_bottom` for this delimiter type) for the-  first matching potential opener ("matching" means same delimiter).--- If one is found:--  + Figure out whether we have emphasis or strong emphasis:-    if both closer and opener spans have length >= 2, we have-    strong, otherwise regular.--  + Insert an emph or strong emph node accordingly, after-    the text node corresponding to the opener.--  + Remove any delimiters between the opener and closer from-    the delimiter stack.--  + Remove 1 (for regular emph) or 2 (for strong emph) delimiters-    from the opening and closing text nodes.  If they become empty-    as a result, remove them and remove the corresponding element-    of the delimiter stack.  If the closing node is removed, reset-    `current_position` to the next element in the stack.--- If none is found:--  + Set `openers_bottom` to the element before `current_position`.-    (We know that there are no openers for this kind of closer up to and-    including this point, so this puts a lower bound on future searches.)--  + If the closer at `current_position` is not a potential opener,-    remove it from the delimiter stack (since we know it can't-    be a closer either).--  + Advance `current_position` to the next element in the stack.--After we're done, we remove all delimiters above `stack_bottom` from the-delimiter stack.-+version: '0.30'+date: '2021-06-19'+license: '[CC-BY-SA 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)'+...++# Introduction++## What is Markdown?++Markdown is a plain text format for writing structured documents,+based on conventions for indicating formatting in email+and usenet posts.  It was developed by John Gruber (with+help from Aaron Swartz) and released in 2004 in the form of a+[syntax description](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax)+and a Perl script (`Markdown.pl`) for converting Markdown to+HTML.  In the next decade, dozens of implementations were+developed in many languages.  Some extended the original+Markdown syntax with conventions for footnotes, tables, and+other document elements.  Some allowed Markdown documents to be+rendered in formats other than HTML.  Websites like Reddit,+StackOverflow, and GitHub had millions of people using Markdown.+And Markdown started to be used beyond the web, to author books,+articles, slide shows, letters, and lecture notes.++What distinguishes Markdown from many other lightweight markup+syntaxes, which are often easier to write, is its readability.+As Gruber writes:++> The overriding design goal for Markdown's formatting syntax is+> to make it as readable as possible. The idea is that a+> Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as+> plain text, without looking like it's been marked up with tags+> or formatting instructions.+> (<http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/>)++The point can be illustrated by comparing a sample of+[AsciiDoc](http://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc/) with+an equivalent sample of Markdown.  Here is a sample of+AsciiDoc from the AsciiDoc manual:++```+1. List item one.+++List item one continued with a second paragraph followed by an+Indented block.+++.................+$ ls *.sh+$ mv *.sh ~/tmp+.................+++List item continued with a third paragraph.++2. List item two continued with an open block.+++--+This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.++a. This list is nested and does not require explicit item+continuation.+++This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.++b. List item b.++This paragraph belongs to item two of the outer list.+--+```++And here is the equivalent in Markdown:+```+1.  List item one.++    List item one continued with a second paragraph followed by an+    Indented block.++        $ ls *.sh+        $ mv *.sh ~/tmp++    List item continued with a third paragraph.++2.  List item two continued with an open block.++    This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.++    1. This list is nested and does not require explicit item continuation.++       This paragraph is part of the preceding list item.++    2. List item b.++    This paragraph belongs to item two of the outer list.+```++The AsciiDoc version is, arguably, easier to write. You don't need+to worry about indentation.  But the Markdown version is much easier+to read.  The nesting of list items is apparent to the eye in the+source, not just in the processed document.++## Why is a spec needed?++John Gruber's [canonical description of Markdown's+syntax](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax)+does not specify the syntax unambiguously.  Here are some examples of+questions it does not answer:++1.  How much indentation is needed for a sublist?  The spec says that+    continuation paragraphs need to be indented four spaces, but is+    not fully explicit about sublists.  It is natural to think that+    they, too, must be indented four spaces, but `Markdown.pl` does+    not require that.  This is hardly a "corner case," and divergences+    between implementations on this issue often lead to surprises for+    users in real documents. (See [this comment by John+    Gruber](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.text.markdown.general/1997).)++2.  Is a blank line needed before a block quote or heading?+    Most implementations do not require the blank line.  However,+    this can lead to unexpected results in hard-wrapped text, and+    also to ambiguities in parsing (note that some implementations+    put the heading inside the blockquote, while others do not).+    (John Gruber has also spoken [in favor of requiring the blank+    lines](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.text.markdown.general/2146).)++3.  Is a blank line needed before an indented code block?+    (`Markdown.pl` requires it, but this is not mentioned in the+    documentation, and some implementations do not require it.)++    ``` markdown+    paragraph+        code?+    ```++4.  What is the exact rule for determining when list items get+    wrapped in `<p>` tags?  Can a list be partially "loose" and partially+    "tight"?  What should we do with a list like this?++    ``` markdown+    1. one++    2. two+    3. three+    ```++    Or this?++    ``` markdown+    1.  one+        - a++        - b+    2.  two+    ```++    (There are some relevant comments by John Gruber+    [here](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.text.markdown.general/2554).)++5.  Can list markers be indented?  Can ordered list markers be right-aligned?++    ``` markdown+     8. item 1+     9. item 2+    10. item 2a+    ```++6.  Is this one list with a thematic break in its second item,+    or two lists separated by a thematic break?++    ``` markdown+    * a+    * * * * *+    * b+    ```++7.  When list markers change from numbers to bullets, do we have+    two lists or one?  (The Markdown syntax description suggests two,+    but the perl scripts and many other implementations produce one.)++    ``` markdown+    1. fee+    2. fie+    -  foe+    -  fum+    ```++8.  What are the precedence rules for the markers of inline structure?+    For example, is the following a valid link, or does the code span+    take precedence ?++    ``` markdown+    [a backtick (`)](/url) and [another backtick (`)](/url).+    ```++9.  What are the precedence rules for markers of emphasis and strong+    emphasis?  For example, how should the following be parsed?++    ``` markdown+    *foo *bar* baz*+    ```++10. What are the precedence rules between block-level and inline-level+    structure?  For example, how should the following be parsed?++    ``` markdown+    - `a long code span can contain a hyphen like this+      - and it can screw things up`+    ```++11. Can list items include section headings?  (`Markdown.pl` does not+    allow this, but does allow blockquotes to include headings.)++    ``` markdown+    - # Heading+    ```++12. Can list items be empty?++    ``` markdown+    * a+    *+    * b+    ```++13. Can link references be defined inside block quotes or list items?++    ``` markdown+    > Blockquote [foo].+    >+    > [foo]: /url+    ```++14. If there are multiple definitions for the same reference, which takes+    precedence?++    ``` markdown+    [foo]: /url1+    [foo]: /url2++    [foo][]+    ```++In the absence of a spec, early implementers consulted `Markdown.pl`+to resolve these ambiguities.  But `Markdown.pl` was quite buggy, and+gave manifestly bad results in many cases, so it was not a+satisfactory replacement for a spec.++Because there is no unambiguous spec, implementations have diverged+considerably.  As a result, users are often surprised to find that+a document that renders one way on one system (say, a GitHub wiki)+renders differently on another (say, converting to docbook using+pandoc).  To make matters worse, because nothing in Markdown counts+as a "syntax error," the divergence often isn't discovered right away.++## About this document++This document attempts to specify Markdown syntax unambiguously.+It contains many examples with side-by-side Markdown and+HTML.  These are intended to double as conformance tests.  An+accompanying script `spec_tests.py` can be used to run the tests+against any Markdown program:++    python test/spec_tests.py --spec spec.txt --program PROGRAM++Since this document describes how Markdown is to be parsed into+an abstract syntax tree, it would have made sense to use an abstract+representation of the syntax tree instead of HTML.  But HTML is capable+of representing the structural distinctions we need to make, and the+choice of HTML for the tests makes it possible to run the tests against+an implementation without writing an abstract syntax tree renderer.++Note that not every feature of the HTML samples is mandated by+the spec.  For example, the spec says what counts as a link+destination, but it doesn't mandate that non-ASCII characters in+the URL be percent-encoded.  To use the automatic tests,+implementers will need to provide a renderer that conforms to+the expectations of the spec examples (percent-encoding+non-ASCII characters in URLs).  But a conforming implementation+can use a different renderer and may choose not to+percent-encode non-ASCII characters in URLs.++This document is generated from a text file, `spec.txt`, written+in Markdown with a small extension for the side-by-side tests.+The script `tools/makespec.py` can be used to convert `spec.txt` into+HTML or CommonMark (which can then be converted into other formats).++In the examples, the `→` character is used to represent tabs.++# Preliminaries++## Characters and lines++Any sequence of [characters] is a valid CommonMark+document.++A [character](@) is a Unicode code point.  Although some+code points (for example, combining accents) do not correspond to+characters in an intuitive sense, all code points count as characters+for purposes of this spec.++This spec does not specify an encoding; it thinks of lines as composed+of [characters] rather than bytes.  A conforming parser may be limited+to a certain encoding.++A [line](@) is a sequence of zero or more [characters]+other than line feed (`U+000A`) or carriage return (`U+000D`),+followed by a [line ending] or by the end of file.++A [line ending](@) is a line feed (`U+000A`), a carriage return+(`U+000D`) not followed by a line feed, or a carriage return and a+following line feed.++A line containing no characters, or a line containing only spaces+(`U+0020`) or tabs (`U+0009`), is called a [blank line](@).++The following definitions of character classes will be used in this spec:++A [Unicode whitespace character](@) is+any code point in the Unicode `Zs` general category, or a tab (`U+0009`),+line feed (`U+000A`), form feed (`U+000C`), or carriage return (`U+000D`).++[Unicode whitespace](@) is a sequence of one or more+[Unicode whitespace characters].++A [tab](@) is `U+0009`.++A [space](@) is `U+0020`.++An [ASCII control character](@) is a character between `U+0000–1F` (both+including) or `U+007F`.++An [ASCII punctuation character](@)+is `!`, `"`, `#`, `$`, `%`, `&`, `'`, `(`, `)`,+`*`, `+`, `,`, `-`, `.`, `/` (U+0021–2F), +`:`, `;`, `<`, `=`, `>`, `?`, `@` (U+003A–0040),+`[`, `\`, `]`, `^`, `_`, `` ` `` (U+005B–0060), +`{`, `|`, `}`, or `~` (U+007B–007E).++A [Unicode punctuation character](@) is an [ASCII+punctuation character] or anything in+the general Unicode categories  `Pc`, `Pd`, `Pe`, `Pf`, `Pi`, `Po`, or `Ps`.++## Tabs++Tabs in lines are not expanded to [spaces].  However,+in contexts where spaces help to define block structure,+tabs behave as if they were replaced by spaces with a tab stop+of 4 characters.++Thus, for example, a tab can be used instead of four spaces+in an indented code block.  (Note, however, that internal+tabs are passed through as literal tabs, not expanded to+spaces.)++```````````````````````````````` example+→foo→baz→→bim+.+<pre><code>foo→baz→→bim+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+  →foo→baz→→bim+.+<pre><code>foo→baz→→bim+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+    a→a+    ὐ→a+.+<pre><code>a→a+ὐ→a+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++In the following example, a continuation paragraph of a list+item is indented with a tab; this has exactly the same effect+as indentation with four spaces would:++```````````````````````````````` example+  - foo++→bar+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<p>bar</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo++→→bar+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<pre><code>  bar+</code></pre>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++Normally the `>` that begins a block quote may be followed+optionally by a space, which is not considered part of the+content.  In the following case `>` is followed by a tab,+which is treated as if it were expanded into three spaces.+Since one of these spaces is considered part of the+delimiter, `foo` is considered to be indented six spaces+inside the block quote context, so we get an indented+code block starting with two spaces.++```````````````````````````````` example+>→→foo+.+<blockquote>+<pre><code>  foo+</code></pre>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+-→→foo+.+<ul>+<li>+<pre><code>  foo+</code></pre>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+    foo+→bar+.+<pre><code>foo+bar+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+ - foo+   - bar+→ - baz+.+<ul>+<li>foo+<ul>+<li>bar+<ul>+<li>baz</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+#→Foo+.+<h1>Foo</h1>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+*→*→*→+.+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++## Insecure characters++For security reasons, the Unicode character `U+0000` must be replaced+with the REPLACEMENT CHARACTER (`U+FFFD`).+++## Backslash escapes++Any ASCII punctuation character may be backslash-escaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+\!\"\#\$\%\&\'\(\)\*\+\,\-\.\/\:\;\<\=\>\?\@\[\\\]\^\_\`\{\|\}\~+.+<p>!&quot;#$%&amp;'()*+,-./:;&lt;=&gt;?@[\]^_`{|}~</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslashes before other characters are treated as literal+backslashes:++```````````````````````````````` example+\→\A\a\ \3\φ\«+.+<p>\→\A\a\ \3\φ\«</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Escaped characters are treated as regular characters and do+not have their usual Markdown meanings:++```````````````````````````````` example+\*not emphasized*+\<br/> not a tag+\[not a link](/foo)+\`not code`+1\. not a list+\* not a list+\# not a heading+\[foo]: /url "not a reference"+\&ouml; not a character entity+.+<p>*not emphasized*+&lt;br/&gt; not a tag+[not a link](/foo)+`not code`+1. not a list+* not a list+# not a heading+[foo]: /url &quot;not a reference&quot;+&amp;ouml; not a character entity</p>+````````````````````````````````+++If a backslash is itself escaped, the following character is not:++```````````````````````````````` example+\\*emphasis*+.+<p>\<em>emphasis</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++A backslash at the end of the line is a [hard line break]:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo\+bar+.+<p>foo<br />+bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslash escapes do not work in code blocks, code spans, autolinks, or+raw HTML:++```````````````````````````````` example+`` \[\` ``+.+<p><code>\[\`</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+    \[\]+.+<pre><code>\[\]+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+~~~+\[\]+~~~+.+<pre><code>\[\]+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<http://example.com?find=\*>+.+<p><a href="http://example.com?find=%5C*">http://example.com?find=\*</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="/bar\/)">+.+<a href="/bar\/)">+````````````````````````````````+++But they work in all other contexts, including URLs and link titles,+link references, and [info strings] in [fenced code blocks]:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo](/bar\* "ti\*tle")+.+<p><a href="/bar*" title="ti*tle">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]++[foo]: /bar\* "ti\*tle"+.+<p><a href="/bar*" title="ti*tle">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+``` foo\+bar+foo+```+.+<pre><code class="language-foo+bar">foo+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++## Entity and numeric character references++Valid HTML entity references and numeric character references+can be used in place of the corresponding Unicode character,+with the following exceptions:++- Entity and character references are not recognized in code+  blocks and code spans.++- Entity and character references cannot stand in place of+  special characters that define structural elements in+  CommonMark.  For example, although `&#42;` can be used+  in place of a literal `*` character, `&#42;` cannot replace+  `*` in emphasis delimiters, bullet list markers, or thematic+  breaks.++Conforming CommonMark parsers need not store information about+whether a particular character was represented in the source+using a Unicode character or an entity reference.++[Entity references](@) consist of `&` + any of the valid+HTML5 entity names + `;`. The+document <https://html.spec.whatwg.org/entities.json>+is used as an authoritative source for the valid entity+references and their corresponding code points.++```````````````````````````````` example+&nbsp; &amp; &copy; &AElig; &Dcaron;+&frac34; &HilbertSpace; &DifferentialD;+&ClockwiseContourIntegral; &ngE;+.+<p>  &amp; © Æ Ď+¾ ℋ ⅆ+∲ ≧̸</p>+````````````````````````````````+++[Decimal numeric character+references](@)+consist of `&#` + a string of 1--7 arabic digits + `;`. A+numeric character reference is parsed as the corresponding+Unicode character. Invalid Unicode code points will be replaced by+the REPLACEMENT CHARACTER (`U+FFFD`).  For security reasons,+the code point `U+0000` will also be replaced by `U+FFFD`.++```````````````````````````````` example+&#35; &#1234; &#992; &#0;+.+<p># Ӓ Ϡ �</p>+````````````````````````````````+++[Hexadecimal numeric character+references](@) consist of `&#` ++either `X` or `x` + a string of 1-6 hexadecimal digits + `;`.+They too are parsed as the corresponding Unicode character (this+time specified with a hexadecimal numeral instead of decimal).++```````````````````````````````` example+&#X22; &#XD06; &#xcab;+.+<p>&quot; ആ ಫ</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Here are some nonentities:++```````````````````````````````` example+&nbsp &x; &#; &#x;+&#87654321;+&#abcdef0;+&ThisIsNotDefined; &hi?;+.+<p>&amp;nbsp &amp;x; &amp;#; &amp;#x;+&amp;#87654321;+&amp;#abcdef0;+&amp;ThisIsNotDefined; &amp;hi?;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Although HTML5 does accept some entity references+without a trailing semicolon (such as `&copy`), these are not+recognized here, because it makes the grammar too ambiguous:++```````````````````````````````` example+&copy+.+<p>&amp;copy</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Strings that are not on the list of HTML5 named entities are not+recognized as entity references either:++```````````````````````````````` example+&MadeUpEntity;+.+<p>&amp;MadeUpEntity;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Entity and numeric character references are recognized in any+context besides code spans or code blocks, including+URLs, [link titles], and [fenced code block][] [info strings]:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="&ouml;&ouml;.html">+.+<a href="&ouml;&ouml;.html">+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo](/f&ouml;&ouml; "f&ouml;&ouml;")+.+<p><a href="/f%C3%B6%C3%B6" title="föö">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]++[foo]: /f&ouml;&ouml; "f&ouml;&ouml;"+.+<p><a href="/f%C3%B6%C3%B6" title="föö">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+``` f&ouml;&ouml;+foo+```+.+<pre><code class="language-föö">foo+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Entity and numeric character references are treated as literal+text in code spans and code blocks:++```````````````````````````````` example+`f&ouml;&ouml;`+.+<p><code>f&amp;ouml;&amp;ouml;</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+    f&ouml;f&ouml;+.+<pre><code>f&amp;ouml;f&amp;ouml;+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Entity and numeric character references cannot be used+in place of symbols indicating structure in CommonMark+documents.++```````````````````````````````` example+&#42;foo&#42;+*foo*+.+<p>*foo*+<em>foo</em></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+&#42; foo++* foo+.+<p>* foo</p>+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+foo&#10;&#10;bar+.+<p>foo++bar</p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+&#9;foo+.+<p>→foo</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[a](url &quot;tit&quot;)+.+<p>[a](url &quot;tit&quot;)</p>+````````````````````````````````++++# Blocks and inlines++We can think of a document as a sequence of+[blocks](@)---structural elements like paragraphs, block+quotations, lists, headings, rules, and code blocks.  Some blocks (like+block quotes and list items) contain other blocks; others (like+headings and paragraphs) contain [inline](@) content---text,+links, emphasized text, images, code spans, and so on.++## Precedence++Indicators of block structure always take precedence over indicators+of inline structure.  So, for example, the following is a list with+two items, not a list with one item containing a code span:++```````````````````````````````` example+- `one+- two`+.+<ul>+<li>`one</li>+<li>two`</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++This means that parsing can proceed in two steps:  first, the block+structure of the document can be discerned; second, text lines inside+paragraphs, headings, and other block constructs can be parsed for inline+structure.  The second step requires information about link reference+definitions that will be available only at the end of the first+step.  Note that the first step requires processing lines in sequence,+but the second can be parallelized, since the inline parsing of+one block element does not affect the inline parsing of any other.++## Container blocks and leaf blocks++We can divide blocks into two types:+[container blocks](#container-blocks),+which can contain other blocks, and [leaf blocks](#leaf-blocks),+which cannot.++# Leaf blocks++This section describes the different kinds of leaf block that make up a+Markdown document.++## Thematic breaks++A line consisting of optionally up to three spaces of indentation, followed by a+sequence of three or more matching `-`, `_`, or `*` characters, each followed+optionally by any number of spaces or tabs, forms a+[thematic break](@).++```````````````````````````````` example+***+---+___+.+<hr />+<hr />+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++Wrong characters:++```````````````````````````````` example+++++.+<p>+++</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+===+.+<p>===</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Not enough characters:++```````````````````````````````` example+--+**+__+.+<p>--+**+__</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Up to three spaces of indentation are allowed:++```````````````````````````````` example+ ***+  ***+   ***+.+<hr />+<hr />+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++Four spaces of indentation is too many:++```````````````````````````````` example+    ***+.+<pre><code>***+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+    ***+.+<p>Foo+***</p>+````````````````````````````````+++More than three characters may be used:++```````````````````````````````` example+_____________________________________+.+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++Spaces and tabs are allowed between the characters:++```````````````````````````````` example+ - - -+.+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+ **  * ** * ** * **+.+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+-     -      -      -+.+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++Spaces and tabs are allowed at the end:++```````````````````````````````` example+- - - -    +.+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++However, no other characters may occur in the line:++```````````````````````````````` example+_ _ _ _ a++a------++---a---+.+<p>_ _ _ _ a</p>+<p>a------</p>+<p>---a---</p>+````````````````````````````````+++It is required that all of the characters other than spaces or tabs be the same.+So, this is not a thematic break:++```````````````````````````````` example+ *-*+.+<p><em>-</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Thematic breaks do not need blank lines before or after:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+***+- bar+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+<hr />+<ul>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++Thematic breaks can interrupt a paragraph:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+***+bar+.+<p>Foo</p>+<hr />+<p>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++If a line of dashes that meets the above conditions for being a+thematic break could also be interpreted as the underline of a [setext+heading], the interpretation as a+[setext heading] takes precedence. Thus, for example,+this is a setext heading, not a paragraph followed by a thematic break:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+---+bar+.+<h2>Foo</h2>+<p>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++When both a thematic break and a list item are possible+interpretations of a line, the thematic break takes precedence:++```````````````````````````````` example+* Foo+* * *+* Bar+.+<ul>+<li>Foo</li>+</ul>+<hr />+<ul>+<li>Bar</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++If you want a thematic break in a list item, use a different bullet:++```````````````````````````````` example+- Foo+- * * *+.+<ul>+<li>Foo</li>+<li>+<hr />+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++## ATX headings++An [ATX heading](@)+consists of a string of characters, parsed as inline content, between an+opening sequence of 1--6 unescaped `#` characters and an optional+closing sequence of any number of unescaped `#` characters.+The opening sequence of `#` characters must be followed by spaces or tabs, or+by the end of line. The optional closing sequence of `#`s must be preceded by+spaces or tabs and may be followed by spaces or tabs only.  The opening+`#` character may be preceded by up to three spaces of indentation.  The raw+contents of the heading are stripped of leading and trailing space or tabs+before being parsed as inline content.  The heading level is equal to the number+of `#` characters in the opening sequence.++Simple headings:++```````````````````````````````` example+# foo+## foo+### foo+#### foo+##### foo+###### foo+.+<h1>foo</h1>+<h2>foo</h2>+<h3>foo</h3>+<h4>foo</h4>+<h5>foo</h5>+<h6>foo</h6>+````````````````````````````````+++More than six `#` characters is not a heading:++```````````````````````````````` example+####### foo+.+<p>####### foo</p>+````````````````````````````````+++At least one space or tab is required between the `#` characters and the+heading's contents, unless the heading is empty.  Note that many+implementations currently do not require the space.  However, the+space was required by the+[original ATX implementation](http://www.aaronsw.com/2002/atx/atx.py),+and it helps prevent things like the following from being parsed as+headings:++```````````````````````````````` example+#5 bolt++#hashtag+.+<p>#5 bolt</p>+<p>#hashtag</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not a heading, because the first `#` is escaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+\## foo+.+<p>## foo</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Contents are parsed as inlines:++```````````````````````````````` example+# foo *bar* \*baz\*+.+<h1>foo <em>bar</em> *baz*</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++Leading and trailing spaces or tabs are ignored in parsing inline content:++```````````````````````````````` example+#                  foo                     +.+<h1>foo</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++Up to three spaces of indentation are allowed:++```````````````````````````````` example+ ### foo+  ## foo+   # foo+.+<h3>foo</h3>+<h2>foo</h2>+<h1>foo</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++Four spaces of indentation is too many:++```````````````````````````````` example+    # foo+.+<pre><code># foo+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo+    # bar+.+<p>foo+# bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A closing sequence of `#` characters is optional:++```````````````````````````````` example+## foo ##+  ###   bar    ###+.+<h2>foo</h2>+<h3>bar</h3>+````````````````````````````````+++It need not be the same length as the opening sequence:++```````````````````````````````` example+# foo ##################################+##### foo ##+.+<h1>foo</h1>+<h5>foo</h5>+````````````````````````````````+++Spaces or tabs are allowed after the closing sequence:++```````````````````````````````` example+### foo ###     +.+<h3>foo</h3>+````````````````````````````````+++A sequence of `#` characters with anything but spaces or tabs following it+is not a closing sequence, but counts as part of the contents of the+heading:++```````````````````````````````` example+### foo ### b+.+<h3>foo ### b</h3>+````````````````````````````````+++The closing sequence must be preceded by a space or tab:++```````````````````````````````` example+# foo#+.+<h1>foo#</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslash-escaped `#` characters do not count as part+of the closing sequence:++```````````````````````````````` example+### foo \###+## foo #\##+# foo \#+.+<h3>foo ###</h3>+<h2>foo ###</h2>+<h1>foo #</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++ATX headings need not be separated from surrounding content by blank+lines, and they can interrupt paragraphs:++```````````````````````````````` example+****+## foo+****+.+<hr />+<h2>foo</h2>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo bar+# baz+Bar foo+.+<p>Foo bar</p>+<h1>baz</h1>+<p>Bar foo</p>+````````````````````````````````+++ATX headings can be empty:++```````````````````````````````` example+## +#+### ###+.+<h2></h2>+<h1></h1>+<h3></h3>+````````````````````````````````+++## Setext headings++A [setext heading](@) consists of one or more+lines of text, not interrupted by a blank line, of which the first line does not+have more than 3 spaces of indentation, followed by+a [setext heading underline].  The lines of text must be such+that, were they not followed by the setext heading underline,+they would be interpreted as a paragraph:  they cannot be+interpretable as a [code fence], [ATX heading][ATX headings],+[block quote][block quotes], [thematic break][thematic breaks],+[list item][list items], or [HTML block][HTML blocks].++A [setext heading underline](@) is a sequence of+`=` characters or a sequence of `-` characters, with no more than 3+spaces of indentation and any number of trailing spaces or tabs.  If a line+containing a single `-` can be interpreted as an+empty [list items], it should be interpreted this way+and not as a [setext heading underline].++The heading is a level 1 heading if `=` characters are used in+the [setext heading underline], and a level 2 heading if `-`+characters are used.  The contents of the heading are the result+of parsing the preceding lines of text as CommonMark inline+content.++In general, a setext heading need not be preceded or followed by a+blank line.  However, it cannot interrupt a paragraph, so when a+setext heading comes after a paragraph, a blank line is needed between+them.++Simple examples:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo *bar*+=========++Foo *bar*+---------+.+<h1>Foo <em>bar</em></h1>+<h2>Foo <em>bar</em></h2>+````````````````````````````````+++The content of the header may span more than one line:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo *bar+baz*+====+.+<h1>Foo <em>bar+baz</em></h1>+````````````````````````````````++The contents are the result of parsing the headings's raw+content as inlines.  The heading's raw content is formed by+concatenating the lines and removing initial and final+spaces or tabs.++```````````````````````````````` example+  Foo *bar+baz*→+====+.+<h1>Foo <em>bar+baz</em></h1>+````````````````````````````````+++The underlining can be any length:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+-------------------------++Foo+=+.+<h2>Foo</h2>+<h1>Foo</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++The heading content can be preceded by up to three spaces of indentation, and+need not line up with the underlining:++```````````````````````````````` example+   Foo+---++  Foo+-----++  Foo+  ===+.+<h2>Foo</h2>+<h2>Foo</h2>+<h1>Foo</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++Four spaces of indentation is too many:++```````````````````````````````` example+    Foo+    ---++    Foo+---+.+<pre><code>Foo+---++Foo+</code></pre>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++The setext heading underline can be preceded by up to three spaces of+indentation, and may have trailing spaces or tabs:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+   ----      +.+<h2>Foo</h2>+````````````````````````````````+++Four spaces of indentation is too many:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+    ---+.+<p>Foo+---</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The setext heading underline cannot contain internal spaces or tabs:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+= =++Foo+--- -+.+<p>Foo+= =</p>+<p>Foo</p>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++Trailing spaces or tabs in the content line do not cause a hard line break:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo  +-----+.+<h2>Foo</h2>+````````````````````````````````+++Nor does a backslash at the end:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo\+----+.+<h2>Foo\</h2>+````````````````````````````````+++Since indicators of block structure take precedence over+indicators of inline structure, the following are setext headings:++```````````````````````````````` example+`Foo+----+`++<a title="a lot+---+of dashes"/>+.+<h2>`Foo</h2>+<p>`</p>+<h2>&lt;a title=&quot;a lot</h2>+<p>of dashes&quot;/&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The setext heading underline cannot be a [lazy continuation+line] in a list item or block quote:++```````````````````````````````` example+> Foo+---+.+<blockquote>+<p>Foo</p>+</blockquote>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> foo+bar+===+.+<blockquote>+<p>foo+bar+===</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+- Foo+---+.+<ul>+<li>Foo</li>+</ul>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++A blank line is needed between a paragraph and a following+setext heading, since otherwise the paragraph becomes part+of the heading's content:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+Bar+---+.+<h2>Foo+Bar</h2>+````````````````````````````````+++But in general a blank line is not required before or after+setext headings:++```````````````````````````````` example+---+Foo+---+Bar+---+Baz+.+<hr />+<h2>Foo</h2>+<h2>Bar</h2>+<p>Baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Setext headings cannot be empty:++```````````````````````````````` example++====+.+<p>====</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Setext heading text lines must not be interpretable as block+constructs other than paragraphs.  So, the line of dashes+in these examples gets interpreted as a thematic break:++```````````````````````````````` example+---+---+.+<hr />+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+-----+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+    foo+---+.+<pre><code>foo+</code></pre>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> foo+-----+.+<blockquote>+<p>foo</p>+</blockquote>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++If you want a heading with `> foo` as its literal text, you can+use backslash escapes:++```````````````````````````````` example+\> foo+------+.+<h2>&gt; foo</h2>+````````````````````````````````+++**Compatibility note:**  Most existing Markdown implementations+do not allow the text of setext headings to span multiple lines.+But there is no consensus about how to interpret++``` markdown+Foo+bar+---+baz+```++One can find four different interpretations:++1. paragraph "Foo", heading "bar", paragraph "baz"+2. paragraph "Foo bar", thematic break, paragraph "baz"+3. paragraph "Foo bar --- baz"+4. heading "Foo bar", paragraph "baz"++We find interpretation 4 most natural, and interpretation 4+increases the expressive power of CommonMark, by allowing+multiline headings.  Authors who want interpretation 1 can+put a blank line after the first paragraph:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo++bar+---+baz+.+<p>Foo</p>+<h2>bar</h2>+<p>baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Authors who want interpretation 2 can put blank lines around+the thematic break,++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+bar++---++baz+.+<p>Foo+bar</p>+<hr />+<p>baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++or use a thematic break that cannot count as a [setext heading+underline], such as++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+bar+* * *+baz+.+<p>Foo+bar</p>+<hr />+<p>baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Authors who want interpretation 3 can use backslash escapes:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+bar+\---+baz+.+<p>Foo+bar+---+baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++## Indented code blocks++An [indented code block](@) is composed of one or more+[indented chunks] separated by blank lines.+An [indented chunk](@) is a sequence of non-blank lines,+each preceded by four or more spaces of indentation. The contents of the code+block are the literal contents of the lines, including trailing+[line endings], minus four spaces of indentation.+An indented code block has no [info string].++An indented code block cannot interrupt a paragraph, so there must be+a blank line between a paragraph and a following indented code block.+(A blank line is not needed, however, between a code block and a following+paragraph.)++```````````````````````````````` example+    a simple+      indented code block+.+<pre><code>a simple+  indented code block+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++If there is any ambiguity between an interpretation of indentation+as a code block and as indicating that material belongs to a [list+item][list items], the list item interpretation takes precedence:++```````````````````````````````` example+  - foo++    bar+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<p>bar</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+1.  foo++    - bar+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<ul>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````++++The contents of a code block are literal text, and do not get parsed+as Markdown:++```````````````````````````````` example+    <a/>+    *hi*++    - one+.+<pre><code>&lt;a/&gt;+*hi*++- one+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Here we have three chunks separated by blank lines:++```````````````````````````````` example+    chunk1++    chunk2+  + + +    chunk3+.+<pre><code>chunk1++chunk2++++chunk3+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Any initial spaces or tabs beyond four spaces of indentation will be included in+the content, even in interior blank lines:++```````````````````````````````` example+    chunk1+      +      chunk2+.+<pre><code>chunk1+  +  chunk2+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++An indented code block cannot interrupt a paragraph.  (This+allows hanging indents and the like.)++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+    bar++.+<p>Foo+bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++However, any non-blank line with fewer than four spaces of indentation ends+the code block immediately.  So a paragraph may occur immediately+after indented code:++```````````````````````````````` example+    foo+bar+.+<pre><code>foo+</code></pre>+<p>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++And indented code can occur immediately before and after other kinds of+blocks:++```````````````````````````````` example+# Heading+    foo+Heading+------+    foo+----+.+<h1>Heading</h1>+<pre><code>foo+</code></pre>+<h2>Heading</h2>+<pre><code>foo+</code></pre>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++The first line can be preceded by more than four spaces of indentation:++```````````````````````````````` example+        foo+    bar+.+<pre><code>    foo+bar+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Blank lines preceding or following an indented code block+are not included in it:++```````````````````````````````` example++    +    foo+    ++.+<pre><code>foo+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Trailing spaces or tabs are included in the code block's content:++```````````````````````````````` example+    foo  +.+<pre><code>foo  +</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++++## Fenced code blocks++A [code fence](@) is a sequence+of at least three consecutive backtick characters (`` ` ``) or+tildes (`~`).  (Tildes and backticks cannot be mixed.)+A [fenced code block](@)+begins with a code fence, preceded by up to three spaces of indentation.++The line with the opening code fence may optionally contain some text+following the code fence; this is trimmed of leading and trailing+spaces or tabs and called the [info string](@). If the [info string] comes+after a backtick fence, it may not contain any backtick+characters.  (The reason for this restriction is that otherwise+some inline code would be incorrectly interpreted as the+beginning of a fenced code block.)++The content of the code block consists of all subsequent lines, until+a closing [code fence] of the same type as the code block+began with (backticks or tildes), and with at least as many backticks+or tildes as the opening code fence.  If the leading code fence is+preceded by N spaces of indentation, then up to N spaces of indentation are+removed from each line of the content (if present).  (If a content line is not+indented, it is preserved unchanged.  If it is indented N spaces or less, all+of the indentation is removed.)++The closing code fence may be preceded by up to three spaces of indentation, and+may be followed only by spaces or tabs, which are ignored.  If the end of the+containing block (or document) is reached and no closing code fence+has been found, the code block contains all of the lines after the+opening code fence until the end of the containing block (or+document).  (An alternative spec would require backtracking in the+event that a closing code fence is not found.  But this makes parsing+much less efficient, and there seems to be no real down side to the+behavior described here.)++A fenced code block may interrupt a paragraph, and does not require+a blank line either before or after.++The content of a code fence is treated as literal text, not parsed+as inlines.  The first word of the [info string] is typically used to+specify the language of the code sample, and rendered in the `class`+attribute of the `code` tag.  However, this spec does not mandate any+particular treatment of the [info string].++Here is a simple example with backticks:++```````````````````````````````` example+```+<+ >+```+.+<pre><code>&lt;+ &gt;+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++With tildes:++```````````````````````````````` example+~~~+<+ >+~~~+.+<pre><code>&lt;+ &gt;+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++Fewer than three backticks is not enough:++```````````````````````````````` example+``+foo+``+.+<p><code>foo</code></p>+````````````````````````````````++The closing code fence must use the same character as the opening+fence:++```````````````````````````````` example+```+aaa+~~~+```+.+<pre><code>aaa+~~~+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+~~~+aaa+```+~~~+.+<pre><code>aaa+```+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++The closing code fence must be at least as long as the opening fence:++```````````````````````````````` example+````+aaa+```+``````+.+<pre><code>aaa+```+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+~~~~+aaa+~~~+~~~~+.+<pre><code>aaa+~~~+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Unclosed code blocks are closed by the end of the document+(or the enclosing [block quote][block quotes] or [list item][list items]):++```````````````````````````````` example+```+.+<pre><code></code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+`````++```+aaa+.+<pre><code>+```+aaa+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> ```+> aaa++bbb+.+<blockquote>+<pre><code>aaa+</code></pre>+</blockquote>+<p>bbb</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A code block can have all empty lines as its content:++```````````````````````````````` example+```++  +```+.+<pre><code>+  +</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++A code block can be empty:++```````````````````````````````` example+```+```+.+<pre><code></code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Fences can be indented.  If the opening fence is indented,+content lines will have equivalent opening indentation removed,+if present:++```````````````````````````````` example+ ```+ aaa+aaa+```+.+<pre><code>aaa+aaa+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+  ```+aaa+  aaa+aaa+  ```+.+<pre><code>aaa+aaa+aaa+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+   ```+   aaa+    aaa+  aaa+   ```+.+<pre><code>aaa+ aaa+aaa+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Four spaces of indentation is too many:++```````````````````````````````` example+    ```+    aaa+    ```+.+<pre><code>```+aaa+```+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Closing fences may be preceded by up to three spaces of indentation, and their+indentation need not match that of the opening fence:++```````````````````````````````` example+```+aaa+  ```+.+<pre><code>aaa+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+   ```+aaa+  ```+.+<pre><code>aaa+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not a closing fence, because it is indented 4 spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+```+aaa+    ```+.+<pre><code>aaa+    ```+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++++Code fences (opening and closing) cannot contain internal spaces or tabs:++```````````````````````````````` example+``` ```+aaa+.+<p><code> </code>+aaa</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+~~~~~~+aaa+~~~ ~~+.+<pre><code>aaa+~~~ ~~+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Fenced code blocks can interrupt paragraphs, and can be followed+directly by paragraphs, without a blank line between:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo+```+bar+```+baz+.+<p>foo</p>+<pre><code>bar+</code></pre>+<p>baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Other blocks can also occur before and after fenced code blocks+without an intervening blank line:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo+---+~~~+bar+~~~+# baz+.+<h2>foo</h2>+<pre><code>bar+</code></pre>+<h1>baz</h1>+````````````````````````````````+++An [info string] can be provided after the opening code fence.+Although this spec doesn't mandate any particular treatment of+the info string, the first word is typically used to specify+the language of the code block. In HTML output, the language is+normally indicated by adding a class to the `code` element consisting+of `language-` followed by the language name.++```````````````````````````````` example+```ruby+def foo(x)+  return 3+end+```+.+<pre><code class="language-ruby">def foo(x)+  return 3+end+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+~~~~    ruby startline=3 $%@#$+def foo(x)+  return 3+end+~~~~~~~+.+<pre><code class="language-ruby">def foo(x)+  return 3+end+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+````;+````+.+<pre><code class="language-;"></code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++[Info strings] for backtick code blocks cannot contain backticks:++```````````````````````````````` example+``` aa ```+foo+.+<p><code>aa</code>+foo</p>+````````````````````````````````+++[Info strings] for tilde code blocks can contain backticks and tildes:++```````````````````````````````` example+~~~ aa ``` ~~~+foo+~~~+.+<pre><code class="language-aa">foo+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Closing code fences cannot have [info strings]:++```````````````````````````````` example+```+``` aaa+```+.+<pre><code>``` aaa+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++++## HTML blocks++An [HTML block](@) is a group of lines that is treated+as raw HTML (and will not be escaped in HTML output).++There are seven kinds of [HTML block], which can be defined by their+start and end conditions.  The block begins with a line that meets a+[start condition](@) (after up to three optional spaces of indentation).+It ends with the first subsequent line that meets a matching+[end condition](@), or the last line of the document, or the last line of+the [container block](#container-blocks) containing the current HTML+block, if no line is encountered that meets the [end condition].  If+the first line meets both the [start condition] and the [end+condition], the block will contain just that line.++1.  **Start condition:**  line begins with the string `<pre`,+`<script`, `<style`, or `<textarea` (case-insensitive), followed by a space,+a tab, the string `>`, or the end of the line.\+**End condition:**  line contains an end tag+`</pre>`, `</script>`, `</style>`, or `</textarea>` (case-insensitive; it+need not match the start tag).++2.  **Start condition:** line begins with the string `<!--`.\+**End condition:**  line contains the string `-->`.++3.  **Start condition:** line begins with the string `<?`.\+**End condition:** line contains the string `?>`.++4.  **Start condition:** line begins with the string `<!`+followed by an ASCII letter.\+**End condition:** line contains the character `>`.++5.  **Start condition:**  line begins with the string+`<![CDATA[`.\+**End condition:** line contains the string `]]>`.++6.  **Start condition:** line begins the string `<` or `</`+followed by one of the strings (case-insensitive) `address`,+`article`, `aside`, `base`, `basefont`, `blockquote`, `body`,+`caption`, `center`, `col`, `colgroup`, `dd`, `details`, `dialog`,+`dir`, `div`, `dl`, `dt`, `fieldset`, `figcaption`, `figure`,+`footer`, `form`, `frame`, `frameset`,+`h1`, `h2`, `h3`, `h4`, `h5`, `h6`, `head`, `header`, `hr`,+`html`, `iframe`, `legend`, `li`, `link`, `main`, `menu`, `menuitem`,+`nav`, `noframes`, `ol`, `optgroup`, `option`, `p`, `param`,+`section`, `source`, `summary`, `table`, `tbody`, `td`,+`tfoot`, `th`, `thead`, `title`, `tr`, `track`, `ul`, followed+by a space, a tab, the end of the line, the string `>`, or+the string `/>`.\+**End condition:** line is followed by a [blank line].++7.  **Start condition:**  line begins with a complete [open tag]+(with any [tag name] other than `pre`, `script`,+`style`, or `textarea`) or a complete [closing tag],+followed by zero or more spaces and tabs, followed by the end of the line.\+**End condition:** line is followed by a [blank line].++HTML blocks continue until they are closed by their appropriate+[end condition], or the last line of the document or other [container+block](#container-blocks).  This means any HTML **within an HTML+block** that might otherwise be recognised as a start condition will+be ignored by the parser and passed through as-is, without changing+the parser's state.++For instance, `<pre>` within an HTML block started by `<table>` will not affect+the parser state; as the HTML block was started in by start condition 6, it+will end at any blank line. This can be surprising:++```````````````````````````````` example+<table><tr><td>+<pre>+**Hello**,++_world_.+</pre>+</td></tr></table>+.+<table><tr><td>+<pre>+**Hello**,+<p><em>world</em>.+</pre></p>+</td></tr></table>+````````````````````````````````++In this case, the HTML block is terminated by the blank line — the `**Hello**`+text remains verbatim — and regular parsing resumes, with a paragraph,+emphasised `world` and inline and block HTML following.++All types of [HTML blocks] except type 7 may interrupt+a paragraph.  Blocks of type 7 may not interrupt a paragraph.+(This restriction is intended to prevent unwanted interpretation+of long tags inside a wrapped paragraph as starting HTML blocks.)++Some simple examples follow.  Here are some basic HTML blocks+of type 6:++```````````````````````````````` example+<table>+  <tr>+    <td>+           hi+    </td>+  </tr>+</table>++okay.+.+<table>+  <tr>+    <td>+           hi+    </td>+  </tr>+</table>+<p>okay.</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+ <div>+  *hello*+         <foo><a>+.+ <div>+  *hello*+         <foo><a>+````````````````````````````````+++A block can also start with a closing tag:++```````````````````````````````` example+</div>+*foo*+.+</div>+*foo*+````````````````````````````````+++Here we have two HTML blocks with a Markdown paragraph between them:++```````````````````````````````` example+<DIV CLASS="foo">++*Markdown*++</DIV>+.+<DIV CLASS="foo">+<p><em>Markdown</em></p>+</DIV>+````````````````````````````````+++The tag on the first line can be partial, as long+as it is split where there would be whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+<div id="foo"+  class="bar">+</div>+.+<div id="foo"+  class="bar">+</div>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<div id="foo" class="bar+  baz">+</div>+.+<div id="foo" class="bar+  baz">+</div>+````````````````````````````````+++An open tag need not be closed:+```````````````````````````````` example+<div>+*foo*++*bar*+.+<div>+*foo*+<p><em>bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````++++A partial tag need not even be completed (garbage+in, garbage out):++```````````````````````````````` example+<div id="foo"+*hi*+.+<div id="foo"+*hi*+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<div class+foo+.+<div class+foo+````````````````````````````````+++The initial tag doesn't even need to be a valid+tag, as long as it starts like one:++```````````````````````````````` example+<div *???-&&&-<---+*foo*+.+<div *???-&&&-<---+*foo*+````````````````````````````````+++In type 6 blocks, the initial tag need not be on a line by+itself:++```````````````````````````````` example+<div><a href="bar">*foo*</a></div>+.+<div><a href="bar">*foo*</a></div>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<table><tr><td>+foo+</td></tr></table>+.+<table><tr><td>+foo+</td></tr></table>+````````````````````````````````+++Everything until the next blank line or end of document+gets included in the HTML block.  So, in the following+example, what looks like a Markdown code block+is actually part of the HTML block, which continues until a blank+line or the end of the document is reached:++```````````````````````````````` example+<div></div>+``` c+int x = 33;+```+.+<div></div>+``` c+int x = 33;+```+````````````````````````````````+++To start an [HTML block] with a tag that is *not* in the+list of block-level tags in (6), you must put the tag by+itself on the first line (and it must be complete):++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="foo">+*bar*+</a>+.+<a href="foo">+*bar*+</a>+````````````````````````````````+++In type 7 blocks, the [tag name] can be anything:++```````````````````````````````` example+<Warning>+*bar*+</Warning>+.+<Warning>+*bar*+</Warning>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<i class="foo">+*bar*+</i>+.+<i class="foo">+*bar*+</i>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+</ins>+*bar*+.+</ins>+*bar*+````````````````````````````````+++These rules are designed to allow us to work with tags that+can function as either block-level or inline-level tags.+The `<del>` tag is a nice example.  We can surround content with+`<del>` tags in three different ways.  In this case, we get a raw+HTML block, because the `<del>` tag is on a line by itself:++```````````````````````````````` example+<del>+*foo*+</del>+.+<del>+*foo*+</del>+````````````````````````````````+++In this case, we get a raw HTML block that just includes+the `<del>` tag (because it ends with the following blank+line).  So the contents get interpreted as CommonMark:++```````````````````````````````` example+<del>++*foo*++</del>+.+<del>+<p><em>foo</em></p>+</del>+````````````````````````````````+++Finally, in this case, the `<del>` tags are interpreted+as [raw HTML] *inside* the CommonMark paragraph.  (Because+the tag is not on a line by itself, we get inline HTML+rather than an [HTML block].)++```````````````````````````````` example+<del>*foo*</del>+.+<p><del><em>foo</em></del></p>+````````````````````````````````+++HTML tags designed to contain literal content+(`pre`, `script`, `style`, `textarea`), comments, processing instructions,+and declarations are treated somewhat differently.+Instead of ending at the first blank line, these blocks+end at the first line containing a corresponding end tag.+As a result, these blocks can contain blank lines:++A pre tag (type 1):++```````````````````````````````` example+<pre language="haskell"><code>+import Text.HTML.TagSoup++main :: IO ()+main = print $ parseTags tags+</code></pre>+okay+.+<pre language="haskell"><code>+import Text.HTML.TagSoup++main :: IO ()+main = print $ parseTags tags+</code></pre>+<p>okay</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A script tag (type 1):++```````````````````````````````` example+<script type="text/javascript">+// JavaScript example++document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello JavaScript!";+</script>+okay+.+<script type="text/javascript">+// JavaScript example++document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello JavaScript!";+</script>+<p>okay</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A textarea tag (type 1):++```````````````````````````````` example+<textarea>++*foo*++_bar_++</textarea>+.+<textarea>++*foo*++_bar_++</textarea>+````````````````````````````````++A style tag (type 1):++```````````````````````````````` example+<style+  type="text/css">+h1 {color:red;}++p {color:blue;}+</style>+okay+.+<style+  type="text/css">+h1 {color:red;}++p {color:blue;}+</style>+<p>okay</p>+````````````````````````````````+++If there is no matching end tag, the block will end at the+end of the document (or the enclosing [block quote][block quotes]+or [list item][list items]):++```````````````````````````````` example+<style+  type="text/css">++foo+.+<style+  type="text/css">++foo+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> <div>+> foo++bar+.+<blockquote>+<div>+foo+</blockquote>+<p>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+- <div>+- foo+.+<ul>+<li>+<div>+</li>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++The end tag can occur on the same line as the start tag:++```````````````````````````````` example+<style>p{color:red;}</style>+*foo*+.+<style>p{color:red;}</style>+<p><em>foo</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<!-- foo -->*bar*+*baz*+.+<!-- foo -->*bar*+<p><em>baz</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that anything on the last line after the+end tag will be included in the [HTML block]:++```````````````````````````````` example+<script>+foo+</script>1. *bar*+.+<script>+foo+</script>1. *bar*+````````````````````````````````+++A comment (type 2):++```````````````````````````````` example+<!-- Foo++bar+   baz -->+okay+.+<!-- Foo++bar+   baz -->+<p>okay</p>+````````````````````````````````++++A processing instruction (type 3):++```````````````````````````````` example+<?php++  echo '>';++?>+okay+.+<?php++  echo '>';++?>+<p>okay</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A declaration (type 4):++```````````````````````````````` example+<!DOCTYPE html>+.+<!DOCTYPE html>+````````````````````````````````+++CDATA (type 5):++```````````````````````````````` example+<![CDATA[+function matchwo(a,b)+{+  if (a < b && a < 0) then {+    return 1;++  } else {++    return 0;+  }+}+]]>+okay+.+<![CDATA[+function matchwo(a,b)+{+  if (a < b && a < 0) then {+    return 1;++  } else {++    return 0;+  }+}+]]>+<p>okay</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The opening tag can be preceded by up to three spaces of indentation, but not+four:++```````````````````````````````` example+  <!-- foo -->++    <!-- foo -->+.+  <!-- foo -->+<pre><code>&lt;!-- foo --&gt;+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+  <div>++    <div>+.+  <div>+<pre><code>&lt;div&gt;+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++An HTML block of types 1--6 can interrupt a paragraph, and need not be+preceded by a blank line.++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+<div>+bar+</div>+.+<p>Foo</p>+<div>+bar+</div>+````````````````````````````````+++However, a following blank line is needed, except at the end of+a document, and except for blocks of types 1--5, [above][HTML+block]:++```````````````````````````````` example+<div>+bar+</div>+*foo*+.+<div>+bar+</div>+*foo*+````````````````````````````````+++HTML blocks of type 7 cannot interrupt a paragraph:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+<a href="bar">+baz+.+<p>Foo+<a href="bar">+baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This rule differs from John Gruber's original Markdown syntax+specification, which says:++> The only restrictions are that block-level HTML elements —+> e.g. `<div>`, `<table>`, `<pre>`, `<p>`, etc. — must be separated from+> surrounding content by blank lines, and the start and end tags of the+> block should not be indented with spaces or tabs.++In some ways Gruber's rule is more restrictive than the one given+here:++- It requires that an HTML block be preceded by a blank line.+- It does not allow the start tag to be indented.+- It requires a matching end tag, which it also does not allow to+  be indented.++Most Markdown implementations (including some of Gruber's own) do not+respect all of these restrictions.++There is one respect, however, in which Gruber's rule is more liberal+than the one given here, since it allows blank lines to occur inside+an HTML block.  There are two reasons for disallowing them here.+First, it removes the need to parse balanced tags, which is+expensive and can require backtracking from the end of the document+if no matching end tag is found. Second, it provides a very simple+and flexible way of including Markdown content inside HTML tags:+simply separate the Markdown from the HTML using blank lines:++Compare:++```````````````````````````````` example+<div>++*Emphasized* text.++</div>+.+<div>+<p><em>Emphasized</em> text.</p>+</div>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<div>+*Emphasized* text.+</div>+.+<div>+*Emphasized* text.+</div>+````````````````````````````````+++Some Markdown implementations have adopted a convention of+interpreting content inside tags as text if the open tag has+the attribute `markdown=1`.  The rule given above seems a simpler and+more elegant way of achieving the same expressive power, which is also+much simpler to parse.++The main potential drawback is that one can no longer paste HTML+blocks into Markdown documents with 100% reliability.  However,+*in most cases* this will work fine, because the blank lines in+HTML are usually followed by HTML block tags.  For example:++```````````````````````````````` example+<table>++<tr>++<td>+Hi+</td>++</tr>++</table>+.+<table>+<tr>+<td>+Hi+</td>+</tr>+</table>+````````````````````````````````+++There are problems, however, if the inner tags are indented+*and* separated by spaces, as then they will be interpreted as+an indented code block:++```````````````````````````````` example+<table>++  <tr>++    <td>+      Hi+    </td>++  </tr>++</table>+.+<table>+  <tr>+<pre><code>&lt;td&gt;+  Hi+&lt;/td&gt;+</code></pre>+  </tr>+</table>+````````````````````````````````+++Fortunately, blank lines are usually not necessary and can be+deleted.  The exception is inside `<pre>` tags, but as described+[above][HTML blocks], raw HTML blocks starting with `<pre>`+*can* contain blank lines.++## Link reference definitions++A [link reference definition](@)+consists of a [link label], optionally preceded by up to three spaces of+indentation, followed+by a colon (`:`), optional spaces or tabs (including up to one+[line ending]), a [link destination],+optional spaces or tabs (including up to one+[line ending]), and an optional [link+title], which if it is present must be separated+from the [link destination] by spaces or tabs.+No further character may occur.++A [link reference definition]+does not correspond to a structural element of a document.  Instead, it+defines a label which can be used in [reference links]+and reference-style [images] elsewhere in the document.  [Link+reference definitions] can come either before or after the links that use+them.++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url "title"++[foo]+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+   [foo]: +      /url  +           'the title'  ++[foo]+.+<p><a href="/url" title="the title">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[Foo*bar\]]:my_(url) 'title (with parens)'++[Foo*bar\]]+.+<p><a href="my_(url)" title="title (with parens)">Foo*bar]</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[Foo bar]:+<my url>+'title'++[Foo bar]+.+<p><a href="my%20url" title="title">Foo bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The title may extend over multiple lines:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url '+title+line1+line2+'++[foo]+.+<p><a href="/url" title="+title+line1+line2+">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++However, it may not contain a [blank line]:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url 'title++with blank line'++[foo]+.+<p>[foo]: /url 'title</p>+<p>with blank line'</p>+<p>[foo]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The title may be omitted:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]:+/url++[foo]+.+<p><a href="/url">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The link destination may not be omitted:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]:++[foo]+.+<p>[foo]:</p>+<p>[foo]</p>+````````````````````````````````++ However, an empty link destination may be specified using+ angle brackets:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: <>++[foo]+.+<p><a href="">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++The title must be separated from the link destination by+spaces or tabs:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: <bar>(baz)++[foo]+.+<p>[foo]: <bar>(baz)</p>+<p>[foo]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Both title and destination can contain backslash escapes+and literal backslashes:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url\bar\*baz "foo\"bar\baz"++[foo]+.+<p><a href="/url%5Cbar*baz" title="foo&quot;bar\baz">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++A link can come before its corresponding definition:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]++[foo]: url+.+<p><a href="url">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++If there are several matching definitions, the first one takes+precedence:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]++[foo]: first+[foo]: second+.+<p><a href="first">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++As noted in the section on [Links], matching of labels is+case-insensitive (see [matches]).++```````````````````````````````` example+[FOO]: /url++[Foo]+.+<p><a href="/url">Foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[ΑΓΩ]: /φου++[αγω]+.+<p><a href="/%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%85">αγω</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Whether something is a [link reference definition] is+independent of whether the link reference it defines is+used in the document.  Thus, for example, the following+document contains just a link reference definition, and+no visible content:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url+.+````````````````````````````````+++Here is another one:++```````````````````````````````` example+[+foo+]: /url+bar+.+<p>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not a link reference definition, because there are+characters other than spaces or tabs after the title:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url "title" ok+.+<p>[foo]: /url &quot;title&quot; ok</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is a link reference definition, but it has no title:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url+"title" ok+.+<p>&quot;title&quot; ok</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not a link reference definition, because it is indented+four spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+    [foo]: /url "title"++[foo]+.+<pre><code>[foo]: /url &quot;title&quot;+</code></pre>+<p>[foo]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not a link reference definition, because it occurs inside+a code block:++```````````````````````````````` example+```+[foo]: /url+```++[foo]+.+<pre><code>[foo]: /url+</code></pre>+<p>[foo]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A [link reference definition] cannot interrupt a paragraph.++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+[bar]: /baz++[bar]+.+<p>Foo+[bar]: /baz</p>+<p>[bar]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++However, it can directly follow other block elements, such as headings+and thematic breaks, and it need not be followed by a blank line.++```````````````````````````````` example+# [Foo]+[foo]: /url+> bar+.+<h1><a href="/url">Foo</a></h1>+<blockquote>+<p>bar</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url+bar+===+[foo]+.+<h1>bar</h1>+<p><a href="/url">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url+===+[foo]+.+<p>===+<a href="/url">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Several [link reference definitions]+can occur one after another, without intervening blank lines.++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /foo-url "foo"+[bar]: /bar-url+  "bar"+[baz]: /baz-url++[foo],+[bar],+[baz]+.+<p><a href="/foo-url" title="foo">foo</a>,+<a href="/bar-url" title="bar">bar</a>,+<a href="/baz-url">baz</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++[Link reference definitions] can occur+inside block containers, like lists and block quotations.  They+affect the entire document, not just the container in which they+are defined:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]++> [foo]: /url+.+<p><a href="/url">foo</a></p>+<blockquote>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++## Paragraphs++A sequence of non-blank lines that cannot be interpreted as other+kinds of blocks forms a [paragraph](@).+The contents of the paragraph are the result of parsing the+paragraph's raw content as inlines.  The paragraph's raw content+is formed by concatenating the lines and removing initial and final+spaces or tabs.++A simple example with two paragraphs:++```````````````````````````````` example+aaa++bbb+.+<p>aaa</p>+<p>bbb</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Paragraphs can contain multiple lines, but no blank lines:++```````````````````````````````` example+aaa+bbb++ccc+ddd+.+<p>aaa+bbb</p>+<p>ccc+ddd</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Multiple blank lines between paragraphs have no effect:++```````````````````````````````` example+aaa+++bbb+.+<p>aaa</p>+<p>bbb</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Leading spaces or tabs are skipped:++```````````````````````````````` example+  aaa+ bbb+.+<p>aaa+bbb</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Lines after the first may be indented any amount, since indented+code blocks cannot interrupt paragraphs.++```````````````````````````````` example+aaa+             bbb+                                       ccc+.+<p>aaa+bbb+ccc</p>+````````````````````````````````+++However, the first line may be preceded by up to three spaces of indentation.+Four spaces of indentation is too many:++```````````````````````````````` example+   aaa+bbb+.+<p>aaa+bbb</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+    aaa+bbb+.+<pre><code>aaa+</code></pre>+<p>bbb</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Final spaces or tabs are stripped before inline parsing, so a paragraph+that ends with two or more spaces will not end with a [hard line+break]:++```````````````````````````````` example+aaa     +bbb     +.+<p>aaa<br />+bbb</p>+````````````````````````````````+++## Blank lines++[Blank lines] between block-level elements are ignored,+except for the role they play in determining whether a [list]+is [tight] or [loose].++Blank lines at the beginning and end of the document are also ignored.++```````````````````````````````` example+  ++aaa+  ++# aaa++  +.+<p>aaa</p>+<h1>aaa</h1>+````````````````````````````````++++# Container blocks++A [container block](#container-blocks) is a block that has other+blocks as its contents.  There are two basic kinds of container blocks:+[block quotes] and [list items].+[Lists] are meta-containers for [list items].++We define the syntax for container blocks recursively.  The general+form of the definition is:++> If X is a sequence of blocks, then the result of+> transforming X in such-and-such a way is a container of type Y+> with these blocks as its content.++So, we explain what counts as a block quote or list item by explaining+how these can be *generated* from their contents. This should suffice+to define the syntax, although it does not give a recipe for *parsing*+these constructions.  (A recipe is provided below in the section entitled+[A parsing strategy](#appendix-a-parsing-strategy).)++## Block quotes++A [block quote marker](@),+optionally preceded by up to three spaces of indentation,+consists of (a) the character `>` together with a following space of+indentation, or (b) a single character `>` not followed by a space of+indentation.++The following rules define [block quotes]:++1.  **Basic case.**  If a string of lines *Ls* constitute a sequence+    of blocks *Bs*, then the result of prepending a [block quote+    marker] to the beginning of each line in *Ls*+    is a [block quote](#block-quotes) containing *Bs*.++2.  **Laziness.**  If a string of lines *Ls* constitute a [block+    quote](#block-quotes) with contents *Bs*, then the result of deleting+    the initial [block quote marker] from one or+    more lines in which the next character other than a space or tab after the+    [block quote marker] is [paragraph continuation+    text] is a block quote with *Bs* as its content.+    [Paragraph continuation text](@) is text+    that will be parsed as part of the content of a paragraph, but does+    not occur at the beginning of the paragraph.++3.  **Consecutiveness.**  A document cannot contain two [block+    quotes] in a row unless there is a [blank line] between them.++Nothing else counts as a [block quote](#block-quotes).++Here is a simple example:++```````````````````````````````` example+> # Foo+> bar+> baz+.+<blockquote>+<h1>Foo</h1>+<p>bar+baz</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++The space or tab after the `>` characters can be omitted:++```````````````````````````````` example+># Foo+>bar+> baz+.+<blockquote>+<h1>Foo</h1>+<p>bar+baz</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++The `>` characters can be preceded by up to three spaces of indentation:++```````````````````````````````` example+   > # Foo+   > bar+ > baz+.+<blockquote>+<h1>Foo</h1>+<p>bar+baz</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++Four spaces of indentation is too many:++```````````````````````````````` example+    > # Foo+    > bar+    > baz+.+<pre><code>&gt; # Foo+&gt; bar+&gt; baz+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++The Laziness clause allows us to omit the `>` before+[paragraph continuation text]:++```````````````````````````````` example+> # Foo+> bar+baz+.+<blockquote>+<h1>Foo</h1>+<p>bar+baz</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++A block quote can contain some lazy and some non-lazy+continuation lines:++```````````````````````````````` example+> bar+baz+> foo+.+<blockquote>+<p>bar+baz+foo</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++Laziness only applies to lines that would have been continuations of+paragraphs had they been prepended with [block quote markers].+For example, the `> ` cannot be omitted in the second line of++``` markdown+> foo+> ---+```++without changing the meaning:++```````````````````````````````` example+> foo+---+.+<blockquote>+<p>foo</p>+</blockquote>+<hr />+````````````````````````````````+++Similarly, if we omit the `> ` in the second line of++``` markdown+> - foo+> - bar+```++then the block quote ends after the first line:++```````````````````````````````` example+> - foo+- bar+.+<blockquote>+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+</blockquote>+<ul>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++For the same reason, we can't omit the `> ` in front of+subsequent lines of an indented or fenced code block:++```````````````````````````````` example+>     foo+    bar+.+<blockquote>+<pre><code>foo+</code></pre>+</blockquote>+<pre><code>bar+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> ```+foo+```+.+<blockquote>+<pre><code></code></pre>+</blockquote>+<p>foo</p>+<pre><code></code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that in the following case, we have a [lazy+continuation line]:++```````````````````````````````` example+> foo+    - bar+.+<blockquote>+<p>foo+- bar</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++To see why, note that in++```markdown+> foo+>     - bar+```++the `- bar` is indented too far to start a list, and can't+be an indented code block because indented code blocks cannot+interrupt paragraphs, so it is [paragraph continuation text].++A block quote can be empty:++```````````````````````````````` example+>+.+<blockquote>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+>+>  +> +.+<blockquote>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++A block quote can have initial or final blank lines:++```````````````````````````````` example+>+> foo+>  +.+<blockquote>+<p>foo</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++A blank line always separates block quotes:++```````````````````````````````` example+> foo++> bar+.+<blockquote>+<p>foo</p>+</blockquote>+<blockquote>+<p>bar</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++(Most current Markdown implementations, including John Gruber's+original `Markdown.pl`, will parse this example as a single block quote+with two paragraphs.  But it seems better to allow the author to decide+whether two block quotes or one are wanted.)++Consecutiveness means that if we put these block quotes together,+we get a single block quote:++```````````````````````````````` example+> foo+> bar+.+<blockquote>+<p>foo+bar</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++To get a block quote with two paragraphs, use:++```````````````````````````````` example+> foo+>+> bar+.+<blockquote>+<p>foo</p>+<p>bar</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++Block quotes can interrupt paragraphs:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo+> bar+.+<p>foo</p>+<blockquote>+<p>bar</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++In general, blank lines are not needed before or after block+quotes:++```````````````````````````````` example+> aaa+***+> bbb+.+<blockquote>+<p>aaa</p>+</blockquote>+<hr />+<blockquote>+<p>bbb</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++However, because of laziness, a blank line is needed between+a block quote and a following paragraph:++```````````````````````````````` example+> bar+baz+.+<blockquote>+<p>bar+baz</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> bar++baz+.+<blockquote>+<p>bar</p>+</blockquote>+<p>baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> bar+>+baz+.+<blockquote>+<p>bar</p>+</blockquote>+<p>baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++It is a consequence of the Laziness rule that any number+of initial `>`s may be omitted on a continuation line of a+nested block quote:++```````````````````````````````` example+> > > foo+bar+.+<blockquote>+<blockquote>+<blockquote>+<p>foo+bar</p>+</blockquote>+</blockquote>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+>>> foo+> bar+>>baz+.+<blockquote>+<blockquote>+<blockquote>+<p>foo+bar+baz</p>+</blockquote>+</blockquote>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++When including an indented code block in a block quote,+remember that the [block quote marker] includes+both the `>` and a following space of indentation.  So *five spaces* are needed+after the `>`:++```````````````````````````````` example+>     code++>    not code+.+<blockquote>+<pre><code>code+</code></pre>+</blockquote>+<blockquote>+<p>not code</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````++++## List items++A [list marker](@) is a+[bullet list marker] or an [ordered list marker].++A [bullet list marker](@)+is a `-`, `+`, or `*` character.++An [ordered list marker](@)+is a sequence of 1--9 arabic digits (`0-9`), followed by either a+`.` character or a `)` character.  (The reason for the length+limit is that with 10 digits we start seeing integer overflows+in some browsers.)++The following rules define [list items]:++1.  **Basic case.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls* constitute a sequence of+    blocks *Bs* starting with a character other than a space or tab, and *M* is+    a list marker of width *W* followed by 1 ≤ *N* ≤ 4 spaces of indentation,+    then the result of prepending *M* and the following spaces to the first line+    of Ls*, and indenting subsequent lines of *Ls* by *W + N* spaces, is a+    list item with *Bs* as its contents.  The type of the list item+    (bullet or ordered) is determined by the type of its list marker.+    If the list item is ordered, then it is also assigned a start+    number, based on the ordered list marker.++    Exceptions:++    1. When the first list item in a [list] interrupts+       a paragraph---that is, when it starts on a line that would+       otherwise count as [paragraph continuation text]---then (a)+       the lines *Ls* must not begin with a blank line, and (b) if+       the list item is ordered, the start number must be 1.+    2. If any line is a [thematic break][thematic breaks] then+       that line is not a list item.++For example, let *Ls* be the lines++```````````````````````````````` example+A paragraph+with two lines.++    indented code++> A block quote.+.+<p>A paragraph+with two lines.</p>+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<blockquote>+<p>A block quote.</p>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++And let *M* be the marker `1.`, and *N* = 2.  Then rule #1 says+that the following is an ordered list item with start number 1,+and the same contents as *Ls*:++```````````````````````````````` example+1.  A paragraph+    with two lines.++        indented code++    > A block quote.+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>A paragraph+with two lines.</p>+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<blockquote>+<p>A block quote.</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++The most important thing to notice is that the position of+the text after the list marker determines how much indentation+is needed in subsequent blocks in the list item.  If the list+marker takes up two spaces of indentation, and there are three spaces between+the list marker and the next character other than a space or tab, then blocks+must be indented five spaces in order to fall under the list+item.++Here are some examples showing how far content must be indented to be+put under the list item:++```````````````````````````````` example+- one++ two+.+<ul>+<li>one</li>+</ul>+<p>two</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+- one++  two+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>one</p>+<p>two</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+ -    one++     two+.+<ul>+<li>one</li>+</ul>+<pre><code> two+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+ -    one++      two+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>one</p>+<p>two</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++It is tempting to think of this in terms of columns:  the continuation+blocks must be indented at least to the column of the first character other than+a space or tab after the list marker.  However, that is not quite right.+The spaces of indentation after the list marker determine how much relative+indentation is needed.  Which column this indentation reaches will depend on+how the list item is embedded in other constructions, as shown by+this example:++```````````````````````````````` example+   > > 1.  one+>>+>>     two+.+<blockquote>+<blockquote>+<ol>+<li>+<p>one</p>+<p>two</p>+</li>+</ol>+</blockquote>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++Here `two` occurs in the same column as the list marker `1.`,+but is actually contained in the list item, because there is+sufficient indentation after the last containing blockquote marker.++The converse is also possible.  In the following example, the word `two`+occurs far to the right of the initial text of the list item, `one`, but+it is not considered part of the list item, because it is not indented+far enough past the blockquote marker:++```````````````````````````````` example+>>- one+>>+  >  > two+.+<blockquote>+<blockquote>+<ul>+<li>one</li>+</ul>+<p>two</p>+</blockquote>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that at least one space or tab is needed between the list marker and+any following content, so these are not list items:++```````````````````````````````` example+-one++2.two+.+<p>-one</p>+<p>2.two</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A list item may contain blocks that are separated by more than+one blank line.++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+++  bar+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<p>bar</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++A list item may contain any kind of block:++```````````````````````````````` example+1.  foo++    ```+    bar+    ```++    baz++    > bam+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<pre><code>bar+</code></pre>+<p>baz</p>+<blockquote>+<p>bam</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++A list item that contains an indented code block will preserve+empty lines within the code block verbatim.++```````````````````````````````` example+- Foo++      bar+++      baz+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>Foo</p>+<pre><code>bar+++baz+</code></pre>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++Note that ordered list start numbers must be nine digits or less:++```````````````````````````````` example+123456789. ok+.+<ol start="123456789">+<li>ok</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+1234567890. not ok+.+<p>1234567890. not ok</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A start number may begin with 0s:++```````````````````````````````` example+0. ok+.+<ol start="0">+<li>ok</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+003. ok+.+<ol start="3">+<li>ok</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++A start number may not be negative:++```````````````````````````````` example+-1. not ok+.+<p>-1. not ok</p>+````````````````````````````````++++2.  **Item starting with indented code.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls*+    constitute a sequence of blocks *Bs* starting with an indented code+    block, and *M* is a list marker of width *W* followed by+    one space of indentation, then the result of prepending *M* and the+    following space to the first line of *Ls*, and indenting subsequent lines+    of *Ls* by *W + 1* spaces, is a list item with *Bs* as its contents.+    If a line is empty, then it need not be indented.  The type of the+    list item (bullet or ordered) is determined by the type of its list+    marker.  If the list item is ordered, then it is also assigned a+    start number, based on the ordered list marker.++An indented code block will have to be preceded by four spaces of indentation+beyond the edge of the region where text will be included in the list item.+In the following case that is 6 spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo++      bar+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<pre><code>bar+</code></pre>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++And in this case it is 11 spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+  10.  foo++           bar+.+<ol start="10">+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<pre><code>bar+</code></pre>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++If the *first* block in the list item is an indented code block,+then by rule #2, the contents must be preceded by *one* space of indentation+after the list marker:++```````````````````````````````` example+    indented code++paragraph++    more code+.+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<p>paragraph</p>+<pre><code>more code+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+1.     indented code++   paragraph++       more code+.+<ol>+<li>+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<p>paragraph</p>+<pre><code>more code+</code></pre>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that an additional space of indentation is interpreted as space+inside the code block:++```````````````````````````````` example+1.      indented code++   paragraph++       more code+.+<ol>+<li>+<pre><code> indented code+</code></pre>+<p>paragraph</p>+<pre><code>more code+</code></pre>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that rules #1 and #2 only apply to two cases:  (a) cases+in which the lines to be included in a list item begin with a+characer other than a space or tab, and (b) cases in which+they begin with an indented code+block.  In a case like the following, where the first block begins with+three spaces of indentation, the rules do not allow us to form a list item by+indenting the whole thing and prepending a list marker:++```````````````````````````````` example+   foo++bar+.+<p>foo</p>+<p>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+-    foo++  bar+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+<p>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not a significant restriction, because when a block is preceded by up to+three spaces of indentation, the indentation can always be removed without+a change in interpretation, allowing rule #1 to be applied.  So, in+the above case:++```````````````````````````````` example+-  foo++   bar+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<p>bar</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++3.  **Item starting with a blank line.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls*+    starting with a single [blank line] constitute a (possibly empty)+    sequence of blocks *Bs*, and *M* is a list marker of width *W*,+    then the result of prepending *M* to the first line of *Ls*, and+    preceding subsequent lines of *Ls* by *W + 1* spaces of indentation, is a+    list item with *Bs* as its contents.+    If a line is empty, then it need not be indented.  The type of the+    list item (bullet or ordered) is determined by the type of its list+    marker.  If the list item is ordered, then it is also assigned a+    start number, based on the ordered list marker.++Here are some list items that start with a blank line but are not empty:++```````````````````````````````` example+-+  foo+-+  ```+  bar+  ```+-+      baz+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+<li>+<pre><code>bar+</code></pre>+</li>+<li>+<pre><code>baz+</code></pre>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++When the list item starts with a blank line, the number of spaces+following the list marker doesn't change the required indentation:++```````````````````````````````` example+-   +  foo+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++A list item can begin with at most one blank line.+In the following example, `foo` is not part of the list+item:++```````````````````````````````` example+-++  foo+.+<ul>+<li></li>+</ul>+<p>foo</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Here is an empty bullet list item:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+-+- bar+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+<li></li>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++It does not matter whether there are spaces or tabs following the [list marker]:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+-   +- bar+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+<li></li>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++Here is an empty ordered list item:++```````````````````````````````` example+1. foo+2.+3. bar+.+<ol>+<li>foo</li>+<li></li>+<li>bar</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++A list may start or end with an empty list item:++```````````````````````````````` example+*+.+<ul>+<li></li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++However, an empty list item cannot interrupt a paragraph:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo+*++foo+1.+.+<p>foo+*</p>+<p>foo+1.</p>+````````````````````````````````+++4.  **Indentation.**  If a sequence of lines *Ls* constitutes a list item+    according to rule #1, #2, or #3, then the result of preceding each line+    of *Ls* by up to three spaces of indentation (the same for each line) also+    constitutes a list item with the same contents and attributes.  If a line is+    empty, then it need not be indented.++Indented one space:++```````````````````````````````` example+ 1.  A paragraph+     with two lines.++         indented code++     > A block quote.+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>A paragraph+with two lines.</p>+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<blockquote>+<p>A block quote.</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Indented two spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+  1.  A paragraph+      with two lines.++          indented code++      > A block quote.+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>A paragraph+with two lines.</p>+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<blockquote>+<p>A block quote.</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Indented three spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+   1.  A paragraph+       with two lines.++           indented code++       > A block quote.+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>A paragraph+with two lines.</p>+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<blockquote>+<p>A block quote.</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Four spaces indent gives a code block:++```````````````````````````````` example+    1.  A paragraph+        with two lines.++            indented code++        > A block quote.+.+<pre><code>1.  A paragraph+    with two lines.++        indented code++    &gt; A block quote.+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````++++5.  **Laziness.**  If a string of lines *Ls* constitute a [list+    item](#list-items) with contents *Bs*, then the result of deleting+    some or all of the indentation from one or more lines in which the+    next character other than a space or tab after the indentation is+    [paragraph continuation text] is a+    list item with the same contents and attributes.  The unindented+    lines are called+    [lazy continuation line](@)s.++Here is an example with [lazy continuation lines]:++```````````````````````````````` example+  1.  A paragraph+with two lines.++          indented code++      > A block quote.+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>A paragraph+with two lines.</p>+<pre><code>indented code+</code></pre>+<blockquote>+<p>A block quote.</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Indentation can be partially deleted:++```````````````````````````````` example+  1.  A paragraph+    with two lines.+.+<ol>+<li>A paragraph+with two lines.</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++These examples show how laziness can work in nested structures:++```````````````````````````````` example+> 1. > Blockquote+continued here.+.+<blockquote>+<ol>+<li>+<blockquote>+<p>Blockquote+continued here.</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+> 1. > Blockquote+> continued here.+.+<blockquote>+<ol>+<li>+<blockquote>+<p>Blockquote+continued here.</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+</ol>+</blockquote>+````````````````````````````````++++6.  **That's all.** Nothing that is not counted as a list item by rules+    #1--5 counts as a [list item](#list-items).++The rules for sublists follow from the general rules+[above][List items].  A sublist must be indented the same number+of spaces of indentation a paragraph would need to be in order to be included+in the list item.++So, in this case we need two spaces indent:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+  - bar+    - baz+      - boo+.+<ul>+<li>foo+<ul>+<li>bar+<ul>+<li>baz+<ul>+<li>boo</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++One is not enough:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+ - bar+  - baz+   - boo+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+<li>bar</li>+<li>baz</li>+<li>boo</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++Here we need four, because the list marker is wider:++```````````````````````````````` example+10) foo+    - bar+.+<ol start="10">+<li>foo+<ul>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Three is not enough:++```````````````````````````````` example+10) foo+   - bar+.+<ol start="10">+<li>foo</li>+</ol>+<ul>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++A list may be the first block in a list item:++```````````````````````````````` example+- - foo+.+<ul>+<li>+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+1. - 2. foo+.+<ol>+<li>+<ul>+<li>+<ol start="2">+<li>foo</li>+</ol>+</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++A list item can contain a heading:++```````````````````````````````` example+- # Foo+- Bar+  ---+  baz+.+<ul>+<li>+<h1>Foo</h1>+</li>+<li>+<h2>Bar</h2>+baz</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++### Motivation++John Gruber's Markdown spec says the following about list items:++1. "List markers typically start at the left margin, but may be indented+   by up to three spaces. List markers must be followed by one or more+   spaces or a tab."++2. "To make lists look nice, you can wrap items with hanging indents....+   But if you don't want to, you don't have to."++3. "List items may consist of multiple paragraphs. Each subsequent+   paragraph in a list item must be indented by either 4 spaces or one+   tab."++4. "It looks nice if you indent every line of the subsequent paragraphs,+   but here again, Markdown will allow you to be lazy."++5. "To put a blockquote within a list item, the blockquote's `>`+   delimiters need to be indented."++6. "To put a code block within a list item, the code block needs to be+   indented twice — 8 spaces or two tabs."++These rules specify that a paragraph under a list item must be indented+four spaces (presumably, from the left margin, rather than the start of+the list marker, but this is not said), and that code under a list item+must be indented eight spaces instead of the usual four.  They also say+that a block quote must be indented, but not by how much; however, the+example given has four spaces indentation.  Although nothing is said+about other kinds of block-level content, it is certainly reasonable to+infer that *all* block elements under a list item, including other+lists, must be indented four spaces.  This principle has been called the+*four-space rule*.++The four-space rule is clear and principled, and if the reference+implementation `Markdown.pl` had followed it, it probably would have+become the standard.  However, `Markdown.pl` allowed paragraphs and+sublists to start with only two spaces indentation, at least on the+outer level.  Worse, its behavior was inconsistent: a sublist of an+outer-level list needed two spaces indentation, but a sublist of this+sublist needed three spaces.  It is not surprising, then, that different+implementations of Markdown have developed very different rules for+determining what comes under a list item.  (Pandoc and python-Markdown,+for example, stuck with Gruber's syntax description and the four-space+rule, while discount, redcarpet, marked, PHP Markdown, and others+followed `Markdown.pl`'s behavior more closely.)++Unfortunately, given the divergences between implementations, there+is no way to give a spec for list items that will be guaranteed not+to break any existing documents.  However, the spec given here should+correctly handle lists formatted with either the four-space rule or+the more forgiving `Markdown.pl` behavior, provided they are laid out+in a way that is natural for a human to read.++The strategy here is to let the width and indentation of the list marker+determine the indentation necessary for blocks to fall under the list+item, rather than having a fixed and arbitrary number.  The writer can+think of the body of the list item as a unit which gets indented to the+right enough to fit the list marker (and any indentation on the list+marker).  (The laziness rule, #5, then allows continuation lines to be+unindented if needed.)++This rule is superior, we claim, to any rule requiring a fixed level of+indentation from the margin.  The four-space rule is clear but+unnatural. It is quite unintuitive that++``` markdown+- foo++  bar++  - baz+```++should be parsed as two lists with an intervening paragraph,++``` html+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+</ul>+<p>bar</p>+<ul>+<li>baz</li>+</ul>+```++as the four-space rule demands, rather than a single list,++``` html+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<p>bar</p>+<ul>+<li>baz</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+```++The choice of four spaces is arbitrary.  It can be learned, but it is+not likely to be guessed, and it trips up beginners regularly.++Would it help to adopt a two-space rule?  The problem is that such+a rule, together with the rule allowing up to three spaces of indentation for+the initial list marker, allows text that is indented *less than* the+original list marker to be included in the list item. For example,+`Markdown.pl` parses++``` markdown+   - one++  two+```++as a single list item, with `two` a continuation paragraph:++``` html+<ul>+<li>+<p>one</p>+<p>two</p>+</li>+</ul>+```++and similarly++``` markdown+>   - one+>+>  two+```++as++``` html+<blockquote>+<ul>+<li>+<p>one</p>+<p>two</p>+</li>+</ul>+</blockquote>+```++This is extremely unintuitive.++Rather than requiring a fixed indent from the margin, we could require+a fixed indent (say, two spaces, or even one space) from the list marker (which+may itself be indented).  This proposal would remove the last anomaly+discussed.  Unlike the spec presented above, it would count the following+as a list item with a subparagraph, even though the paragraph `bar`+is not indented as far as the first paragraph `foo`:++``` markdown+ 10. foo++   bar  +```++Arguably this text does read like a list item with `bar` as a subparagraph,+which may count in favor of the proposal.  However, on this proposal indented+code would have to be indented six spaces after the list marker.  And this+would break a lot of existing Markdown, which has the pattern:++``` markdown+1.  foo++        indented code+```++where the code is indented eight spaces.  The spec above, by contrast, will+parse this text as expected, since the code block's indentation is measured+from the beginning of `foo`.++The one case that needs special treatment is a list item that *starts*+with indented code.  How much indentation is required in that case, since+we don't have a "first paragraph" to measure from?  Rule #2 simply stipulates+that in such cases, we require one space indentation from the list marker+(and then the normal four spaces for the indented code).  This will match the+four-space rule in cases where the list marker plus its initial indentation+takes four spaces (a common case), but diverge in other cases.++## Lists++A [list](@) is a sequence of one or more+list items [of the same type].  The list items+may be separated by any number of blank lines.++Two list items are [of the same type](@)+if they begin with a [list marker] of the same type.+Two list markers are of the+same type if (a) they are bullet list markers using the same character+(`-`, `+`, or `*`) or (b) they are ordered list numbers with the same+delimiter (either `.` or `)`).++A list is an [ordered list](@)+if its constituent list items begin with+[ordered list markers], and a+[bullet list](@) if its constituent list+items begin with [bullet list markers].++The [start number](@)+of an [ordered list] is determined by the list number of+its initial list item.  The numbers of subsequent list items are+disregarded.++A list is [loose](@) if any of its constituent+list items are separated by blank lines, or if any of its constituent+list items directly contain two block-level elements with a blank line+between them.  Otherwise a list is [tight](@).+(The difference in HTML output is that paragraphs in a loose list are+wrapped in `<p>` tags, while paragraphs in a tight list are not.)++Changing the bullet or ordered list delimiter starts a new list:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+- bar++ baz+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+<ul>+<li>baz</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+1. foo+2. bar+3) baz+.+<ol>+<li>foo</li>+<li>bar</li>+</ol>+<ol start="3">+<li>baz</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++In CommonMark, a list can interrupt a paragraph. That is,+no blank line is needed to separate a paragraph from a following+list:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo+- bar+- baz+.+<p>Foo</p>+<ul>+<li>bar</li>+<li>baz</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++`Markdown.pl` does not allow this, through fear of triggering a list+via a numeral in a hard-wrapped line:++``` markdown+The number of windows in my house is+14.  The number of doors is 6.+```++Oddly, though, `Markdown.pl` *does* allow a blockquote to+interrupt a paragraph, even though the same considerations might+apply.++In CommonMark, we do allow lists to interrupt paragraphs, for+two reasons.  First, it is natural and not uncommon for people+to start lists without blank lines:++``` markdown+I need to buy+- new shoes+- a coat+- a plane ticket+```++Second, we are attracted to a++> [principle of uniformity](@):+> if a chunk of text has a certain+> meaning, it will continue to have the same meaning when put into a+> container block (such as a list item or blockquote).++(Indeed, the spec for [list items] and [block quotes] presupposes+this principle.) This principle implies that if++``` markdown+  * I need to buy+    - new shoes+    - a coat+    - a plane ticket+```++is a list item containing a paragraph followed by a nested sublist,+as all Markdown implementations agree it is (though the paragraph+may be rendered without `<p>` tags, since the list is "tight"),+then++``` markdown+I need to buy+- new shoes+- a coat+- a plane ticket+```++by itself should be a paragraph followed by a nested sublist.++Since it is well established Markdown practice to allow lists to+interrupt paragraphs inside list items, the [principle of+uniformity] requires us to allow this outside list items as+well.  ([reStructuredText](http://docutils.sourceforge.net/rst.html)+takes a different approach, requiring blank lines before lists+even inside other list items.)++In order to solve of unwanted lists in paragraphs with+hard-wrapped numerals, we allow only lists starting with `1` to+interrupt paragraphs.  Thus,++```````````````````````````````` example+The number of windows in my house is+14.  The number of doors is 6.+.+<p>The number of windows in my house is+14.  The number of doors is 6.</p>+````````````````````````````````++We may still get an unintended result in cases like++```````````````````````````````` example+The number of windows in my house is+1.  The number of doors is 6.+.+<p>The number of windows in my house is</p>+<ol>+<li>The number of doors is 6.</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````++but this rule should prevent most spurious list captures.++There can be any number of blank lines between items:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo++- bar+++- baz+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>bar</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>baz</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+  - bar+    - baz+++      bim+.+<ul>+<li>foo+<ul>+<li>bar+<ul>+<li>+<p>baz</p>+<p>bim</p>+</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++To separate consecutive lists of the same type, or to separate a+list from an indented code block that would otherwise be parsed+as a subparagraph of the final list item, you can insert a blank HTML+comment:++```````````````````````````````` example+- foo+- bar++<!-- -->++- baz+- bim+.+<ul>+<li>foo</li>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+<!-- -->+<ul>+<li>baz</li>+<li>bim</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+-   foo++    notcode++-   foo++<!-- -->++    code+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<p>notcode</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+</li>+</ul>+<!-- -->+<pre><code>code+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++List items need not be indented to the same level.  The following+list items will be treated as items at the same list level,+since none is indented enough to belong to the previous list+item:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+ - b+  - c+   - d+  - e+ - f+- g+.+<ul>+<li>a</li>+<li>b</li>+<li>c</li>+<li>d</li>+<li>e</li>+<li>f</li>+<li>g</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+1. a++  2. b++   3. c+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>a</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>b</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>c</p>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````++Note, however, that list items may not be preceded by more than+three spaces of indentation.  Here `- e` is treated as a paragraph continuation+line, because it is indented more than three spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+ - b+  - c+   - d+    - e+.+<ul>+<li>a</li>+<li>b</li>+<li>c</li>+<li>d+- e</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````++And here, `3. c` is treated as in indented code block,+because it is indented four spaces and preceded by a+blank line.++```````````````````````````````` example+1. a++  2. b++    3. c+.+<ol>+<li>+<p>a</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>b</p>+</li>+</ol>+<pre><code>3. c+</code></pre>+````````````````````````````````+++This is a loose list, because there is a blank line between+two of the list items:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+- b++- c+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>a</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>b</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>c</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++So is this, with a empty second item:++```````````````````````````````` example+* a+*++* c+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>a</p>+</li>+<li></li>+<li>+<p>c</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++These are loose lists, even though there are no blank lines between the items,+because one of the items directly contains two block-level elements+with a blank line between them:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+- b++  c+- d+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>a</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>b</p>+<p>c</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>d</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+- b++  [ref]: /url+- d+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>a</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>b</p>+</li>+<li>+<p>d</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++This is a tight list, because the blank lines are in a code block:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+- ```+  b+++  ```+- c+.+<ul>+<li>a</li>+<li>+<pre><code>b+++</code></pre>+</li>+<li>c</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++This is a tight list, because the blank line is between two+paragraphs of a sublist.  So the sublist is loose while+the outer list is tight:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+  - b++    c+- d+.+<ul>+<li>a+<ul>+<li>+<p>b</p>+<p>c</p>+</li>+</ul>+</li>+<li>d</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++This is a tight list, because the blank line is inside the+block quote:++```````````````````````````````` example+* a+  > b+  >+* c+.+<ul>+<li>a+<blockquote>+<p>b</p>+</blockquote>+</li>+<li>c</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++This list is tight, because the consecutive block elements+are not separated by blank lines:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+  > b+  ```+  c+  ```+- d+.+<ul>+<li>a+<blockquote>+<p>b</p>+</blockquote>+<pre><code>c+</code></pre>+</li>+<li>d</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++A single-paragraph list is tight:++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+.+<ul>+<li>a</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+  - b+.+<ul>+<li>a+<ul>+<li>b</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++This list is loose, because of the blank line between the+two block elements in the list item:++```````````````````````````````` example+1. ```+   foo+   ```++   bar+.+<ol>+<li>+<pre><code>foo+</code></pre>+<p>bar</p>+</li>+</ol>+````````````````````````````````+++Here the outer list is loose, the inner list tight:++```````````````````````````````` example+* foo+  * bar++  baz+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>foo</p>+<ul>+<li>bar</li>+</ul>+<p>baz</p>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+- a+  - b+  - c++- d+  - e+  - f+.+<ul>+<li>+<p>a</p>+<ul>+<li>b</li>+<li>c</li>+</ul>+</li>+<li>+<p>d</p>+<ul>+<li>e</li>+<li>f</li>+</ul>+</li>+</ul>+````````````````````````````````+++# Inlines++Inlines are parsed sequentially from the beginning of the character+stream to the end (left to right, in left-to-right languages).+Thus, for example, in++```````````````````````````````` example+`hi`lo`+.+<p><code>hi</code>lo`</p>+````````````````````````````````++`hi` is parsed as code, leaving the backtick at the end as a literal+backtick.++++## Code spans++A [backtick string](@)+is a string of one or more backtick characters (`` ` ``) that is neither+preceded nor followed by a backtick.++A [code span](@) begins with a backtick string and ends with+a backtick string of equal length.  The contents of the code span are+the characters between these two backtick strings, normalized in the+following ways:++- First, [line endings] are converted to [spaces].+- If the resulting string both begins *and* ends with a [space]+  character, but does not consist entirely of [space]+  characters, a single [space] character is removed from the+  front and back.  This allows you to include code that begins+  or ends with backtick characters, which must be separated by+  whitespace from the opening or closing backtick strings.++This is a simple code span:++```````````````````````````````` example+`foo`+.+<p><code>foo</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Here two backticks are used, because the code contains a backtick.+This example also illustrates stripping of a single leading and+trailing space:++```````````````````````````````` example+`` foo ` bar ``+.+<p><code>foo ` bar</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This example shows the motivation for stripping leading and trailing+spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+` `` `+.+<p><code>``</code></p>+````````````````````````````````++Note that only *one* space is stripped:++```````````````````````````````` example+`  ``  `+.+<p><code> `` </code></p>+````````````````````````````````++The stripping only happens if the space is on both+sides of the string:++```````````````````````````````` example+` a`+.+<p><code> a</code></p>+````````````````````````````````++Only [spaces], and not [unicode whitespace] in general, are+stripped in this way:++```````````````````````````````` example+` b `+.+<p><code> b </code></p>+````````````````````````````````++No stripping occurs if the code span contains only spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+` `+`  `+.+<p><code> </code>+<code>  </code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++[Line endings] are treated like spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+``+foo+bar  +baz+``+.+<p><code>foo bar   baz</code></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+``+foo +``+.+<p><code>foo </code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Interior spaces are not collapsed:++```````````````````````````````` example+`foo   bar +baz`+.+<p><code>foo   bar  baz</code></p>+````````````````````````````````++Note that browsers will typically collapse consecutive spaces+when rendering `<code>` elements, so it is recommended that+the following CSS be used:++    code{white-space: pre-wrap;}+++Note that backslash escapes do not work in code spans. All backslashes+are treated literally:++```````````````````````````````` example+`foo\`bar`+.+<p><code>foo\</code>bar`</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslash escapes are never needed, because one can always choose a+string of *n* backtick characters as delimiters, where the code does+not contain any strings of exactly *n* backtick characters.++```````````````````````````````` example+``foo`bar``+.+<p><code>foo`bar</code></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+` foo `` bar `+.+<p><code>foo `` bar</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Code span backticks have higher precedence than any other inline+constructs except HTML tags and autolinks.  Thus, for example, this is+not parsed as emphasized text, since the second `*` is part of a code+span:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo`*`+.+<p>*foo<code>*</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++And this is not parsed as a link:++```````````````````````````````` example+[not a `link](/foo`)+.+<p>[not a <code>link](/foo</code>)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Code spans, HTML tags, and autolinks have the same precedence.+Thus, this is code:++```````````````````````````````` example+`<a href="`">`+.+<p><code>&lt;a href=&quot;</code>&quot;&gt;`</p>+````````````````````````````````+++But this is an HTML tag:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="`">`+.+<p><a href="`">`</p>+````````````````````````````````+++And this is code:++```````````````````````````````` example+`<http://foo.bar.`baz>`+.+<p><code>&lt;http://foo.bar.</code>baz&gt;`</p>+````````````````````````````````+++But this is an autolink:++```````````````````````````````` example+<http://foo.bar.`baz>`+.+<p><a href="http://foo.bar.%60baz">http://foo.bar.`baz</a>`</p>+````````````````````````````````+++When a backtick string is not closed by a matching backtick string,+we just have literal backticks:++```````````````````````````````` example+```foo``+.+<p>```foo``</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+`foo+.+<p>`foo</p>+````````````````````````````````++The following case also illustrates the need for opening and+closing backtick strings to be equal in length:++```````````````````````````````` example+`foo``bar``+.+<p>`foo<code>bar</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++## Emphasis and strong emphasis++John Gruber's original [Markdown syntax+description](http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax#em) says:++> Markdown treats asterisks (`*`) and underscores (`_`) as indicators of+> emphasis. Text wrapped with one `*` or `_` will be wrapped with an HTML+> `<em>` tag; double `*`'s or `_`'s will be wrapped with an HTML `<strong>`+> tag.++This is enough for most users, but these rules leave much undecided,+especially when it comes to nested emphasis.  The original+`Markdown.pl` test suite makes it clear that triple `***` and+`___` delimiters can be used for strong emphasis, and most+implementations have also allowed the following patterns:++``` markdown+***strong emph***+***strong** in emph*+***emph* in strong**+**in strong *emph***+*in emph **strong***+```++The following patterns are less widely supported, but the intent+is clear and they are useful (especially in contexts like bibliography+entries):++``` markdown+*emph *with emph* in it*+**strong **with strong** in it**+```++Many implementations have also restricted intraword emphasis to+the `*` forms, to avoid unwanted emphasis in words containing+internal underscores.  (It is best practice to put these in code+spans, but users often do not.)++``` markdown+internal emphasis: foo*bar*baz+no emphasis: foo_bar_baz+```++The rules given below capture all of these patterns, while allowing+for efficient parsing strategies that do not backtrack.++First, some definitions.  A [delimiter run](@) is either+a sequence of one or more `*` characters that is not preceded or+followed by a non-backslash-escaped `*` character, or a sequence+of one or more `_` characters that is not preceded or followed by+a non-backslash-escaped `_` character.++A [left-flanking delimiter run](@) is+a [delimiter run] that is (1) not followed by [Unicode whitespace],+and either (2a) not followed by a [Unicode punctuation character], or+(2b) followed by a [Unicode punctuation character] and+preceded by [Unicode whitespace] or a [Unicode punctuation character].+For purposes of this definition, the beginning and the end of+the line count as Unicode whitespace.++A [right-flanking delimiter run](@) is+a [delimiter run] that is (1) not preceded by [Unicode whitespace],+and either (2a) not preceded by a [Unicode punctuation character], or+(2b) preceded by a [Unicode punctuation character] and+followed by [Unicode whitespace] or a [Unicode punctuation character].+For purposes of this definition, the beginning and the end of+the line count as Unicode whitespace.++Here are some examples of delimiter runs.++  - left-flanking but not right-flanking:++    ```+    ***abc+      _abc+    **"abc"+     _"abc"+    ```++  - right-flanking but not left-flanking:++    ```+     abc***+     abc_+    "abc"**+    "abc"_+    ```++  - Both left and right-flanking:++    ```+     abc***def+    "abc"_"def"+    ```++  - Neither left nor right-flanking:++    ```+    abc *** def+    a _ b+    ```++(The idea of distinguishing left-flanking and right-flanking+delimiter runs based on the character before and the character+after comes from Roopesh Chander's+[vfmd](http://www.vfmd.org/vfmd-spec/specification/#procedure-for-identifying-emphasis-tags).+vfmd uses the terminology "emphasis indicator string" instead of "delimiter+run," and its rules for distinguishing left- and right-flanking runs+are a bit more complex than the ones given here.)++The following rules define emphasis and strong emphasis:++1.  A single `*` character [can open emphasis](@)+    iff (if and only if) it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run].++2.  A single `_` character [can open emphasis] iff+    it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]+    and either (a) not part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]+    or (b) part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]+    preceded by a [Unicode punctuation character].++3.  A single `*` character [can close emphasis](@)+    iff it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run].++4.  A single `_` character [can close emphasis] iff+    it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]+    and either (a) not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]+    or (b) part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]+    followed by a [Unicode punctuation character].++5.  A double `**` [can open strong emphasis](@)+    iff it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run].++6.  A double `__` [can open strong emphasis] iff+    it is part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]+    and either (a) not part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]+    or (b) part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]+    preceded by a [Unicode punctuation character].++7.  A double `**` [can close strong emphasis](@)+    iff it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run].++8.  A double `__` [can close strong emphasis] iff+    it is part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]+    and either (a) not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]+    or (b) part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]+    followed by a [Unicode punctuation character].++9.  Emphasis begins with a delimiter that [can open emphasis] and ends+    with a delimiter that [can close emphasis], and that uses the same+    character (`_` or `*`) as the opening delimiter.  The+    opening and closing delimiters must belong to separate+    [delimiter runs].  If one of the delimiters can both+    open and close emphasis, then the sum of the lengths of the+    delimiter runs containing the opening and closing delimiters+    must not be a multiple of 3 unless both lengths are+    multiples of 3.++10. Strong emphasis begins with a delimiter that+    [can open strong emphasis] and ends with a delimiter that+    [can close strong emphasis], and that uses the same character+    (`_` or `*`) as the opening delimiter.  The+    opening and closing delimiters must belong to separate+    [delimiter runs].  If one of the delimiters can both open+    and close strong emphasis, then the sum of the lengths of+    the delimiter runs containing the opening and closing+    delimiters must not be a multiple of 3 unless both lengths+    are multiples of 3.++11. A literal `*` character cannot occur at the beginning or end of+    `*`-delimited emphasis or `**`-delimited strong emphasis, unless it+    is backslash-escaped.++12. A literal `_` character cannot occur at the beginning or end of+    `_`-delimited emphasis or `__`-delimited strong emphasis, unless it+    is backslash-escaped.++Where rules 1--12 above are compatible with multiple parsings,+the following principles resolve ambiguity:++13. The number of nestings should be minimized. Thus, for example,+    an interpretation `<strong>...</strong>` is always preferred to+    `<em><em>...</em></em>`.++14. An interpretation `<em><strong>...</strong></em>` is always+    preferred to `<strong><em>...</em></strong>`.++15. When two potential emphasis or strong emphasis spans overlap,+    so that the second begins before the first ends and ends after+    the first ends, the first takes precedence. Thus, for example,+    `*foo _bar* baz_` is parsed as `<em>foo _bar</em> baz_` rather+    than `*foo <em>bar* baz</em>`.++16. When there are two potential emphasis or strong emphasis spans+    with the same closing delimiter, the shorter one (the one that+    opens later) takes precedence. Thus, for example,+    `**foo **bar baz**` is parsed as `**foo <strong>bar baz</strong>`+    rather than `<strong>foo **bar baz</strong>`.++17. Inline code spans, links, images, and HTML tags group more tightly+    than emphasis.  So, when there is a choice between an interpretation+    that contains one of these elements and one that does not, the+    former always wins.  Thus, for example, `*[foo*](bar)` is+    parsed as `*<a href="bar">foo*</a>` rather than as+    `<em>[foo</em>](bar)`.++These rules can be illustrated through a series of examples.++Rule 1:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo bar*+.+<p><em>foo bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not emphasis, because the opening `*` is followed by+whitespace, and hence not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]:++```````````````````````````````` example+a * foo bar*+.+<p>a * foo bar*</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not emphasis, because the opening `*` is preceded+by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation, and hence+not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]:++```````````````````````````````` example+a*"foo"*+.+<p>a*&quot;foo&quot;*</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Unicode nonbreaking spaces count as whitespace, too:++```````````````````````````````` example+* a *+.+<p>* a *</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Intraword emphasis with `*` is permitted:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo*bar*+.+<p>foo<em>bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+5*6*78+.+<p>5<em>6</em>78</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 2:++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo bar_+.+<p><em>foo bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not emphasis, because the opening `_` is followed by+whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+_ foo bar_+.+<p>_ foo bar_</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not emphasis, because the opening `_` is preceded+by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation:++```````````````````````````````` example+a_"foo"_+.+<p>a_&quot;foo&quot;_</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Emphasis with `_` is not allowed inside words:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo_bar_+.+<p>foo_bar_</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+5_6_78+.+<p>5_6_78</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+пристаням_стремятся_+.+<p>пристаням_стремятся_</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Here `_` does not generate emphasis, because the first delimiter run+is right-flanking and the second left-flanking:++```````````````````````````````` example+aa_"bb"_cc+.+<p>aa_&quot;bb&quot;_cc</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is emphasis, even though the opening delimiter is+both left- and right-flanking, because it is preceded by+punctuation:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo-_(bar)_+.+<p>foo-<em>(bar)</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 3:++This is not emphasis, because the closing delimiter does+not match the opening delimiter:++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo*+.+<p>_foo*</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not emphasis, because the closing `*` is preceded by+whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo bar *+.+<p>*foo bar *</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A line ending also counts as whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo bar+*+.+<p>*foo bar+*</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not emphasis, because the second `*` is+preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric+(hence it is not part of a [right-flanking delimiter run]:++```````````````````````````````` example+*(*foo)+.+<p>*(*foo)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The point of this restriction is more easily appreciated+with this example:++```````````````````````````````` example+*(*foo*)*+.+<p><em>(<em>foo</em>)</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Intraword emphasis with `*` is allowed:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo*bar+.+<p><em>foo</em>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````++++Rule 4:++This is not emphasis, because the closing `_` is preceded by+whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo bar _+.+<p>_foo bar _</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not emphasis, because the second `_` is+preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric:++```````````````````````````````` example+_(_foo)+.+<p>_(_foo)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is emphasis within emphasis:++```````````````````````````````` example+_(_foo_)_+.+<p><em>(<em>foo</em>)</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Intraword emphasis is disallowed for `_`:++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo_bar+.+<p>_foo_bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_пристаням_стремятся+.+<p>_пристаням_стремятся</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo_bar_baz_+.+<p><em>foo_bar_baz</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is emphasis, even though the closing delimiter is+both left- and right-flanking, because it is followed by+punctuation:++```````````````````````````````` example+_(bar)_.+.+<p><em>(bar)</em>.</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 5:++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo bar**+.+<p><strong>foo bar</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not strong emphasis, because the opening delimiter is+followed by whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+** foo bar**+.+<p>** foo bar**</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not strong emphasis, because the opening `**` is preceded+by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation, and hence+not part of a [left-flanking delimiter run]:++```````````````````````````````` example+a**"foo"**+.+<p>a**&quot;foo&quot;**</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Intraword strong emphasis with `**` is permitted:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo**bar**+.+<p>foo<strong>bar</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 6:++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo bar__+.+<p><strong>foo bar</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not strong emphasis, because the opening delimiter is+followed by whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+__ foo bar__+.+<p>__ foo bar__</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A line ending counts as whitespace:+```````````````````````````````` example+__+foo bar__+.+<p>__+foo bar__</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not strong emphasis, because the opening `__` is preceded+by an alphanumeric and followed by punctuation:++```````````````````````````````` example+a__"foo"__+.+<p>a__&quot;foo&quot;__</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Intraword strong emphasis is forbidden with `__`:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo__bar__+.+<p>foo__bar__</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+5__6__78+.+<p>5__6__78</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+пристаням__стремятся__+.+<p>пристаням__стремятся__</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo, __bar__, baz__+.+<p><strong>foo, <strong>bar</strong>, baz</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is strong emphasis, even though the opening delimiter is+both left- and right-flanking, because it is preceded by+punctuation:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo-__(bar)__+.+<p>foo-<strong>(bar)</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````++++Rule 7:++This is not strong emphasis, because the closing delimiter is preceded+by whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo bar **+.+<p>**foo bar **</p>+````````````````````````````````+++(Nor can it be interpreted as an emphasized `*foo bar *`, because of+Rule 11.)++This is not strong emphasis, because the second `**` is+preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric:++```````````````````````````````` example+**(**foo)+.+<p>**(**foo)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The point of this restriction is more easily appreciated+with these examples:++```````````````````````````````` example+*(**foo**)*+.+<p><em>(<strong>foo</strong>)</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**Gomphocarpus (*Gomphocarpus physocarpus*, syn.+*Asclepias physocarpa*)**+.+<p><strong>Gomphocarpus (<em>Gomphocarpus physocarpus</em>, syn.+<em>Asclepias physocarpa</em>)</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo "*bar*" foo**+.+<p><strong>foo &quot;<em>bar</em>&quot; foo</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Intraword emphasis:++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo**bar+.+<p><strong>foo</strong>bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 8:++This is not strong emphasis, because the closing delimiter is+preceded by whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo bar __+.+<p>__foo bar __</p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is not strong emphasis, because the second `__` is+preceded by punctuation and followed by an alphanumeric:++```````````````````````````````` example+__(__foo)+.+<p>__(__foo)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The point of this restriction is more easily appreciated+with this example:++```````````````````````````````` example+_(__foo__)_+.+<p><em>(<strong>foo</strong>)</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Intraword strong emphasis is forbidden with `__`:++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo__bar+.+<p>__foo__bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__пристаням__стремятся+.+<p>__пристаням__стремятся</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo__bar__baz__+.+<p><strong>foo__bar__baz</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is strong emphasis, even though the closing delimiter is+both left- and right-flanking, because it is followed by+punctuation:++```````````````````````````````` example+__(bar)__.+.+<p><strong>(bar)</strong>.</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 9:++Any nonempty sequence of inline elements can be the contents of an+emphasized span.++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo [bar](/url)*+.+<p><em>foo <a href="/url">bar</a></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo+bar*+.+<p><em>foo+bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++In particular, emphasis and strong emphasis can be nested+inside emphasis:++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo __bar__ baz_+.+<p><em>foo <strong>bar</strong> baz</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo _bar_ baz_+.+<p><em>foo <em>bar</em> baz</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo_ bar_+.+<p><em><em>foo</em> bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo *bar**+.+<p><em>foo <em>bar</em></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo **bar** baz*+.+<p><em>foo <strong>bar</strong> baz</em></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo**bar**baz*+.+<p><em>foo<strong>bar</strong>baz</em></p>+````````````````````````````````++Note that in the preceding case, the interpretation++``` markdown+<p><em>foo</em><em>bar<em></em>baz</em></p>+```+++is precluded by the condition that a delimiter that+can both open and close (like the `*` after `foo`)+cannot form emphasis if the sum of the lengths of+the delimiter runs containing the opening and+closing delimiters is a multiple of 3 unless+both lengths are multiples of 3.+++For the same reason, we don't get two consecutive+emphasis sections in this example:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo**bar*+.+<p><em>foo**bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The same condition ensures that the following+cases are all strong emphasis nested inside+emphasis, even when the interior whitespace is+omitted:+++```````````````````````````````` example+***foo** bar*+.+<p><em><strong>foo</strong> bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo **bar***+.+<p><em>foo <strong>bar</strong></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo**bar***+.+<p><em>foo<strong>bar</strong></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++When the lengths of the interior closing and opening+delimiter runs are *both* multiples of 3, though,+they can match to create emphasis:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo***bar***baz+.+<p>foo<em><strong>bar</strong></em>baz</p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+foo******bar*********baz+.+<p>foo<strong><strong><strong>bar</strong></strong></strong>***baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Indefinite levels of nesting are possible:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo **bar *baz* bim** bop*+.+<p><em>foo <strong>bar <em>baz</em> bim</strong> bop</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo [*bar*](/url)*+.+<p><em>foo <a href="/url"><em>bar</em></a></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++There can be no empty emphasis or strong emphasis:++```````````````````````````````` example+** is not an empty emphasis+.+<p>** is not an empty emphasis</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**** is not an empty strong emphasis+.+<p>**** is not an empty strong emphasis</p>+````````````````````````````````++++Rule 10:++Any nonempty sequence of inline elements can be the contents of an+strongly emphasized span.++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo [bar](/url)**+.+<p><strong>foo <a href="/url">bar</a></strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo+bar**+.+<p><strong>foo+bar</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++In particular, emphasis and strong emphasis can be nested+inside strong emphasis:++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo _bar_ baz__+.+<p><strong>foo <em>bar</em> baz</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo __bar__ baz__+.+<p><strong>foo <strong>bar</strong> baz</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+____foo__ bar__+.+<p><strong><strong>foo</strong> bar</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo **bar****+.+<p><strong>foo <strong>bar</strong></strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo *bar* baz**+.+<p><strong>foo <em>bar</em> baz</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo*bar*baz**+.+<p><strong>foo<em>bar</em>baz</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+***foo* bar**+.+<p><strong><em>foo</em> bar</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo *bar***+.+<p><strong>foo <em>bar</em></strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Indefinite levels of nesting are possible:++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo *bar **baz**+bim* bop**+.+<p><strong>foo <em>bar <strong>baz</strong>+bim</em> bop</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo [*bar*](/url)**+.+<p><strong>foo <a href="/url"><em>bar</em></a></strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++There can be no empty emphasis or strong emphasis:++```````````````````````````````` example+__ is not an empty emphasis+.+<p>__ is not an empty emphasis</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+____ is not an empty strong emphasis+.+<p>____ is not an empty strong emphasis</p>+````````````````````````````````++++Rule 11:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo ***+.+<p>foo ***</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo *\**+.+<p>foo <em>*</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo *_*+.+<p>foo <em>_</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo *****+.+<p>foo *****</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo **\***+.+<p>foo <strong>*</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo **_**+.+<p>foo <strong>_</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that when delimiters do not match evenly, Rule 11 determines+that the excess literal `*` characters will appear outside of the+emphasis, rather than inside it:++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo*+.+<p>*<em>foo</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo**+.+<p><em>foo</em>*</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+***foo**+.+<p>*<strong>foo</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+****foo*+.+<p>***<em>foo</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo***+.+<p><strong>foo</strong>*</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo****+.+<p><em>foo</em>***</p>+````````````````````````````````++++Rule 12:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo ___+.+<p>foo ___</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo _\__+.+<p>foo <em>_</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo _*_+.+<p>foo <em>*</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo _____+.+<p>foo _____</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo __\___+.+<p>foo <strong>_</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo __*__+.+<p>foo <strong>*</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo_+.+<p>_<em>foo</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that when delimiters do not match evenly, Rule 12 determines+that the excess literal `_` characters will appear outside of the+emphasis, rather than inside it:++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo__+.+<p><em>foo</em>_</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+___foo__+.+<p>_<strong>foo</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+____foo_+.+<p>___<em>foo</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo___+.+<p><strong>foo</strong>_</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo____+.+<p><em>foo</em>___</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 13 implies that if you want emphasis nested directly inside+emphasis, you must use different delimiters:++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo**+.+<p><strong>foo</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*_foo_*+.+<p><em><em>foo</em></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__foo__+.+<p><strong>foo</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_*foo*_+.+<p><em><em>foo</em></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++However, strong emphasis within strong emphasis is possible without+switching delimiters:++```````````````````````````````` example+****foo****+.+<p><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+____foo____+.+<p><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></p>+````````````````````````````````++++Rule 13 can be applied to arbitrarily long sequences of+delimiters:++```````````````````````````````` example+******foo******+.+<p><strong><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 14:++```````````````````````````````` example+***foo***+.+<p><em><strong>foo</strong></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_____foo_____+.+<p><em><strong><strong>foo</strong></strong></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 15:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo _bar* baz_+.+<p><em>foo _bar</em> baz_</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo __bar *baz bim__ bam*+.+<p><em>foo <strong>bar *baz bim</strong> bam</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 16:++```````````````````````````````` example+**foo **bar baz**+.+<p>**foo <strong>bar baz</strong></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo *bar baz*+.+<p>*foo <em>bar baz</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Rule 17:++```````````````````````````````` example+*[bar*](/url)+.+<p>*<a href="/url">bar*</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_foo [bar_](/url)+.+<p>_foo <a href="/url">bar_</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*<img src="foo" title="*"/>+.+<p>*<img src="foo" title="*"/></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**<a href="**">+.+<p>**<a href="**"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__<a href="__">+.+<p>__<a href="__"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*a `*`*+.+<p><em>a <code>*</code></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+_a `_`_+.+<p><em>a <code>_</code></em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+**a<http://foo.bar/?q=**>+.+<p>**a<a href="http://foo.bar/?q=**">http://foo.bar/?q=**</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+__a<http://foo.bar/?q=__>+.+<p>__a<a href="http://foo.bar/?q=__">http://foo.bar/?q=__</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++++## Links++A link contains [link text] (the visible text), a [link destination]+(the URI that is the link destination), and optionally a [link title].+There are two basic kinds of links in Markdown.  In [inline links] the+destination and title are given immediately after the link text.  In+[reference links] the destination and title are defined elsewhere in+the document.++A [link text](@) consists of a sequence of zero or more+inline elements enclosed by square brackets (`[` and `]`).  The+following rules apply:++- Links may not contain other links, at any level of nesting. If+  multiple otherwise valid link definitions appear nested inside each+  other, the inner-most definition is used.++- Brackets are allowed in the [link text] only if (a) they+  are backslash-escaped or (b) they appear as a matched pair of brackets,+  with an open bracket `[`, a sequence of zero or more inlines, and+  a close bracket `]`.++- Backtick [code spans], [autolinks], and raw [HTML tags] bind more tightly+  than the brackets in link text.  Thus, for example,+  `` [foo`]` `` could not be a link text, since the second `]`+  is part of a code span.++- The brackets in link text bind more tightly than markers for+  [emphasis and strong emphasis]. Thus, for example, `*[foo*](url)` is a link.++A [link destination](@) consists of either++- a sequence of zero or more characters between an opening `<` and a+  closing `>` that contains no line endings or unescaped+  `<` or `>` characters, or++- a nonempty sequence of characters that does not start with `<`,+  does not include [ASCII control characters][ASCII control character]+  or [space] character, and includes parentheses only if (a) they are+  backslash-escaped or (b) they are part of a balanced pair of+  unescaped parentheses.+  (Implementations may impose limits on parentheses nesting to+  avoid performance issues, but at least three levels of nesting+  should be supported.)++A [link title](@)  consists of either++- a sequence of zero or more characters between straight double-quote+  characters (`"`), including a `"` character only if it is+  backslash-escaped, or++- a sequence of zero or more characters between straight single-quote+  characters (`'`), including a `'` character only if it is+  backslash-escaped, or++- a sequence of zero or more characters between matching parentheses+  (`(...)`), including a `(` or `)` character only if it is+  backslash-escaped.++Although [link titles] may span multiple lines, they may not contain+a [blank line].++An [inline link](@) consists of a [link text] followed immediately+by a left parenthesis `(`, an optional [link destination], an optional+[link title], and a right parenthesis `)`.+These four components may be separated by spaces, tabs, and up to one line+ending.+If both [link destination] and [link title] are present, they *must* be+separated by spaces, tabs, and up to one line ending.++The link's text consists of the inlines contained+in the [link text] (excluding the enclosing square brackets).+The link's URI consists of the link destination, excluding enclosing+`<...>` if present, with backslash-escapes in effect as described+above.  The link's title consists of the link title, excluding its+enclosing delimiters, with backslash-escapes in effect as described+above.++Here is a simple inline link:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/uri "title")+.+<p><a href="/uri" title="title">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The title, the link text and even +the destination may be omitted:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/uri)+.+<p><a href="/uri">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+[](./target.md)+.+<p><a href="./target.md"></a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link]()+.+<p><a href="">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](<>)+.+<p><a href="">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[]()+.+<p><a href=""></a></p>+````````````````````````````````++The destination can only contain spaces if it is+enclosed in pointy brackets:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/my uri)+.+<p>[link](/my uri)</p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](</my uri>)+.+<p><a href="/my%20uri">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++The destination cannot contain line endings,+even if enclosed in pointy brackets:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](foo+bar)+.+<p>[link](foo+bar)</p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](<foo+bar>)+.+<p>[link](<foo+bar>)</p>+````````````````````````````````++The destination can contain `)` if it is enclosed+in pointy brackets:++```````````````````````````````` example+[a](<b)c>)+.+<p><a href="b)c">a</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++Pointy brackets that enclose links must be unescaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](<foo\>)+.+<p>[link](&lt;foo&gt;)</p>+````````````````````````````````++These are not links, because the opening pointy bracket+is not matched properly:++```````````````````````````````` example+[a](<b)c+[a](<b)c>+[a](<b>c)+.+<p>[a](&lt;b)c+[a](&lt;b)c&gt;+[a](<b>c)</p>+````````````````````````````````++Parentheses inside the link destination may be escaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](\(foo\))+.+<p><a href="(foo)">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++Any number of parentheses are allowed without escaping, as long as they are+balanced:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](foo(and(bar)))+.+<p><a href="foo(and(bar))">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++However, if you have unbalanced parentheses, you need to escape or use the+`<...>` form:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](foo(and(bar))+.+<p>[link](foo(and(bar))</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](foo\(and\(bar\))+.+<p><a href="foo(and(bar)">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](<foo(and(bar)>)+.+<p><a href="foo(and(bar)">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Parentheses and other symbols can also be escaped, as usual+in Markdown:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](foo\)\:)+.+<p><a href="foo):">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++A link can contain fragment identifiers and queries:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](#fragment)++[link](http://example.com#fragment)++[link](http://example.com?foo=3#frag)+.+<p><a href="#fragment">link</a></p>+<p><a href="http://example.com#fragment">link</a></p>+<p><a href="http://example.com?foo=3#frag">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that a backslash before a non-escapable character is+just a backslash:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](foo\bar)+.+<p><a href="foo%5Cbar">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++URL-escaping should be left alone inside the destination, as all+URL-escaped characters are also valid URL characters. Entity and+numerical character references in the destination will be parsed+into the corresponding Unicode code points, as usual.  These may+be optionally URL-escaped when written as HTML, but this spec+does not enforce any particular policy for rendering URLs in+HTML or other formats.  Renderers may make different decisions+about how to escape or normalize URLs in the output.++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](foo%20b&auml;)+.+<p><a href="foo%20b%C3%A4">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that, because titles can often be parsed as destinations,+if you try to omit the destination and keep the title, you'll+get unexpected results:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link]("title")+.+<p><a href="%22title%22">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Titles may be in single quotes, double quotes, or parentheses:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/url "title")+[link](/url 'title')+[link](/url (title))+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">link</a>+<a href="/url" title="title">link</a>+<a href="/url" title="title">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslash escapes and entity and numeric character references+may be used in titles:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/url "title \"&quot;")+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title &quot;&quot;">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Titles must be separated from the link using spaces, tabs, and up to one line+ending.+Other [Unicode whitespace] like non-breaking space doesn't work.++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/url "title")+.+<p><a href="/url%C2%A0%22title%22">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Nested balanced quotes are not allowed without escaping:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/url "title "and" title")+.+<p>[link](/url &quot;title &quot;and&quot; title&quot;)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++But it is easy to work around this by using a different quote type:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](/url 'title "and" title')+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title &quot;and&quot; title">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++(Note:  `Markdown.pl` did allow double quotes inside a double-quoted+title, and its test suite included a test demonstrating this.+But it is hard to see a good rationale for the extra complexity this+brings, since there are already many ways---backslash escaping,+entity and numeric character references, or using a different+quote type for the enclosing title---to write titles containing+double quotes.  `Markdown.pl`'s handling of titles has a number+of other strange features.  For example, it allows single-quoted+titles in inline links, but not reference links.  And, in+reference links but not inline links, it allows a title to begin+with `"` and end with `)`.  `Markdown.pl` 1.0.1 even allows+titles with no closing quotation mark, though 1.0.2b8 does not.+It seems preferable to adopt a simple, rational rule that works+the same way in inline links and link reference definitions.)++Spaces, tabs, and up to one line ending is allowed around the destination and+title:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link](   /uri+  "title"  )+.+<p><a href="/uri" title="title">link</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++But it is not allowed between the link text and the+following parenthesis:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link] (/uri)+.+<p>[link] (/uri)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The link text may contain balanced brackets, but not unbalanced ones,+unless they are escaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link [foo [bar]]](/uri)+.+<p><a href="/uri">link [foo [bar]]</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link] bar](/uri)+.+<p>[link] bar](/uri)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link [bar](/uri)+.+<p>[link <a href="/uri">bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link \[bar](/uri)+.+<p><a href="/uri">link [bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The link text may contain inline content:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link *foo **bar** `#`*](/uri)+.+<p><a href="/uri">link <em>foo <strong>bar</strong> <code>#</code></em></a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[![moon](moon.jpg)](/uri)+.+<p><a href="/uri"><img src="moon.jpg" alt="moon" /></a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++However, links may not contain other links, at any level of nesting.++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo [bar](/uri)](/uri)+.+<p>[foo <a href="/uri">bar</a>](/uri)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo *[bar [baz](/uri)](/uri)*](/uri)+.+<p>[foo <em>[bar <a href="/uri">baz</a>](/uri)</em>](/uri)</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![[[foo](uri1)](uri2)](uri3)+.+<p><img src="uri3" alt="[foo](uri2)" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++These cases illustrate the precedence of link text grouping over+emphasis grouping:++```````````````````````````````` example+*[foo*](/uri)+.+<p>*<a href="/uri">foo*</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo *bar](baz*)+.+<p><a href="baz*">foo *bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that brackets that *aren't* part of links do not take+precedence:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo [bar* baz]+.+<p><em>foo [bar</em> baz]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++These cases illustrate the precedence of HTML tags, code spans,+and autolinks over link grouping:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo <bar attr="](baz)">+.+<p>[foo <bar attr="](baz)"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo`](/uri)`+.+<p>[foo<code>](/uri)</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo<http://example.com/?search=](uri)>+.+<p>[foo<a href="http://example.com/?search=%5D(uri)">http://example.com/?search=](uri)</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++There are three kinds of [reference link](@)s:+[full](#full-reference-link), [collapsed](#collapsed-reference-link),+and [shortcut](#shortcut-reference-link).++A [full reference link](@)+consists of a [link text] immediately followed by a [link label]+that [matches] a [link reference definition] elsewhere in the document.++A [link label](@)  begins with a left bracket (`[`) and ends+with the first right bracket (`]`) that is not backslash-escaped.+Between these brackets there must be at least one character that is not a space,+tab, or line ending.+Unescaped square bracket characters are not allowed inside the+opening and closing square brackets of [link labels].  A link+label can have at most 999 characters inside the square+brackets.++One label [matches](@)+another just in case their normalized forms are equal.  To normalize a+label, strip off the opening and closing brackets,+perform the *Unicode case fold*, strip leading and trailing+spaces, tabs, and line endings, and collapse consecutive internal+spaces, tabs, and line endings to a single space.  If there are multiple+matching reference link definitions, the one that comes first in the+document is used.  (It is desirable in such cases to emit a warning.)++The link's URI and title are provided by the matching [link+reference definition].++Here is a simple example:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][bar]++[bar]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The rules for the [link text] are the same as with+[inline links].  Thus:++The link text may contain balanced brackets, but not unbalanced ones,+unless they are escaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link [foo [bar]]][ref]++[ref]: /uri+.+<p><a href="/uri">link [foo [bar]]</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[link \[bar][ref]++[ref]: /uri+.+<p><a href="/uri">link [bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The link text may contain inline content:++```````````````````````````````` example+[link *foo **bar** `#`*][ref]++[ref]: /uri+.+<p><a href="/uri">link <em>foo <strong>bar</strong> <code>#</code></em></a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[![moon](moon.jpg)][ref]++[ref]: /uri+.+<p><a href="/uri"><img src="moon.jpg" alt="moon" /></a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++However, links may not contain other links, at any level of nesting.++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo [bar](/uri)][ref]++[ref]: /uri+.+<p>[foo <a href="/uri">bar</a>]<a href="/uri">ref</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo *bar [baz][ref]*][ref]++[ref]: /uri+.+<p>[foo <em>bar <a href="/uri">baz</a></em>]<a href="/uri">ref</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++(In the examples above, we have two [shortcut reference links]+instead of one [full reference link].)++The following cases illustrate the precedence of link text grouping over+emphasis grouping:++```````````````````````````````` example+*[foo*][ref]++[ref]: /uri+.+<p>*<a href="/uri">foo*</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo *bar][ref]*++[ref]: /uri+.+<p><a href="/uri">foo *bar</a>*</p>+````````````````````````````````+++These cases illustrate the precedence of HTML tags, code spans,+and autolinks over link grouping:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo <bar attr="][ref]">++[ref]: /uri+.+<p>[foo <bar attr="][ref]"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo`][ref]`++[ref]: /uri+.+<p>[foo<code>][ref]</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo<http://example.com/?search=][ref]>++[ref]: /uri+.+<p>[foo<a href="http://example.com/?search=%5D%5Bref%5D">http://example.com/?search=][ref]</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Matching is case-insensitive:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][BaR]++[bar]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Unicode case fold is used:++```````````````````````````````` example+[ẞ]++[SS]: /url+.+<p><a href="/url">ẞ</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Consecutive internal spaces, tabs, and line endings are treated as one space for+purposes of determining matching:++```````````````````````````````` example+[Foo+  bar]: /url++[Baz][Foo bar]+.+<p><a href="/url">Baz</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++No spaces, tabs, or line endings are allowed between the [link text] and the+[link label]:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo] [bar]++[bar]: /url "title"+.+<p>[foo] <a href="/url" title="title">bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]+[bar]++[bar]: /url "title"+.+<p>[foo]+<a href="/url" title="title">bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++This is a departure from John Gruber's original Markdown syntax+description, which explicitly allows whitespace between the link+text and the link label.  It brings reference links in line with+[inline links], which (according to both original Markdown and+this spec) cannot have whitespace after the link text.  More+importantly, it prevents inadvertent capture of consecutive+[shortcut reference links]. If whitespace is allowed between the+link text and the link label, then in the following we will have+a single reference link, not two shortcut reference links, as+intended:++``` markdown+[foo]+[bar]++[foo]: /url1+[bar]: /url2+```++(Note that [shortcut reference links] were introduced by Gruber+himself in a beta version of `Markdown.pl`, but never included+in the official syntax description.  Without shortcut reference+links, it is harmless to allow space between the link text and+link label; but once shortcut references are introduced, it is+too dangerous to allow this, as it frequently leads to+unintended results.)++When there are multiple matching [link reference definitions],+the first is used:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]: /url1++[foo]: /url2++[bar][foo]+.+<p><a href="/url1">bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that matching is performed on normalized strings, not parsed+inline content.  So the following does not match, even though the+labels define equivalent inline content:++```````````````````````````````` example+[bar][foo\!]++[foo!]: /url+.+<p>[bar][foo!]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++[Link labels] cannot contain brackets, unless they are+backslash-escaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][ref[]++[ref[]: /uri+.+<p>[foo][ref[]</p>+<p>[ref[]: /uri</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][ref[bar]]++[ref[bar]]: /uri+.+<p>[foo][ref[bar]]</p>+<p>[ref[bar]]: /uri</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[[[foo]]]++[[[foo]]]: /url+.+<p>[[[foo]]]</p>+<p>[[[foo]]]: /url</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][ref\[]++[ref\[]: /uri+.+<p><a href="/uri">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that in this example `]` is not backslash-escaped:++```````````````````````````````` example+[bar\\]: /uri++[bar\\]+.+<p><a href="/uri">bar\</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++A [link label] must contain at least one character that is not a space, tab, or+line ending:++```````````````````````````````` example+[]++[]: /uri+.+<p>[]</p>+<p>[]: /uri</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[+ ]++[+ ]: /uri+.+<p>[+]</p>+<p>[+]: /uri</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A [collapsed reference link](@)+consists of a [link label] that [matches] a+[link reference definition] elsewhere in the+document, followed by the string `[]`.+The contents of the first link label are parsed as inlines,+which are used as the link's text.  The link's URI and title are+provided by the matching reference link definition.  Thus,+`[foo][]` is equivalent to `[foo][foo]`.++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[*foo* bar][]++[*foo* bar]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title"><em>foo</em> bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The link labels are case-insensitive:++```````````````````````````````` example+[Foo][]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">Foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++++As with full reference links, spaces, tabs, or line endings are not+allowed between the two sets of brackets:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo] +[]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a>+[]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A [shortcut reference link](@)+consists of a [link label] that [matches] a+[link reference definition] elsewhere in the+document and is not followed by `[]` or a link label.+The contents of the first link label are parsed as inlines,+which are used as the link's text.  The link's URI and title+are provided by the matching link reference definition.+Thus, `[foo]` is equivalent to `[foo][]`.++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[*foo* bar]++[*foo* bar]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title"><em>foo</em> bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[[*foo* bar]]++[*foo* bar]: /url "title"+.+<p>[<a href="/url" title="title"><em>foo</em> bar</a>]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+[[bar [foo]++[foo]: /url+.+<p>[[bar <a href="/url">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The link labels are case-insensitive:++```````````````````````````````` example+[Foo]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><a href="/url" title="title">Foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++A space after the link text should be preserved:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo] bar++[foo]: /url+.+<p><a href="/url">foo</a> bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++If you just want bracketed text, you can backslash-escape the+opening bracket to avoid links:++```````````````````````````````` example+\[foo]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p>[foo]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that this is a link, because a link label ends with the first+following closing bracket:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo*]: /url++*[foo*]+.+<p>*<a href="/url">foo*</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Full and compact references take precedence over shortcut+references:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][bar]++[foo]: /url1+[bar]: /url2+.+<p><a href="/url2">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][]++[foo]: /url1+.+<p><a href="/url1">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++Inline links also take precedence:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo]()++[foo]: /url1+.+<p><a href="">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo](not a link)++[foo]: /url1+.+<p><a href="/url1">foo</a>(not a link)</p>+````````````````````````````````++In the following case `[bar][baz]` is parsed as a reference,+`[foo]` as normal text:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][bar][baz]++[baz]: /url+.+<p>[foo]<a href="/url">bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Here, though, `[foo][bar]` is parsed as a reference, since+`[bar]` is defined:++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][bar][baz]++[baz]: /url1+[bar]: /url2+.+<p><a href="/url2">foo</a><a href="/url1">baz</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Here `[foo]` is not parsed as a shortcut reference, because it+is followed by a link label (even though `[bar]` is not defined):++```````````````````````````````` example+[foo][bar][baz]++[baz]: /url1+[foo]: /url2+.+<p>[foo]<a href="/url1">bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````++++## Images++Syntax for images is like the syntax for links, with one+difference. Instead of [link text], we have an+[image description](@).  The rules for this are the+same as for [link text], except that (a) an+image description starts with `![` rather than `[`, and+(b) an image description may contain links.+An image description has inline elements+as its contents.  When an image is rendered to HTML,+this is standardly used as the image's `alt` attribute.++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo](/url "title")+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo *bar*]++[foo *bar*]: train.jpg "train & tracks"+.+<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="train &amp; tracks" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo ![bar](/url)](/url2)+.+<p><img src="/url2" alt="foo bar" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo [bar](/url)](/url2)+.+<p><img src="/url2" alt="foo bar" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Though this spec is concerned with parsing, not rendering, it is+recommended that in rendering to HTML, only the plain string content+of the [image description] be used.  Note that in+the above example, the alt attribute's value is `foo bar`, not `foo+[bar](/url)` or `foo <a href="/url">bar</a>`.  Only the plain string+content is rendered, without formatting.++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo *bar*][]++[foo *bar*]: train.jpg "train & tracks"+.+<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="train &amp; tracks" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo *bar*][foobar]++[FOOBAR]: train.jpg "train & tracks"+.+<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="train &amp; tracks" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo](train.jpg)+.+<p><img src="train.jpg" alt="foo" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+My ![foo bar](/path/to/train.jpg  "title"   )+.+<p>My <img src="/path/to/train.jpg" alt="foo bar" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo](<url>)+.+<p><img src="url" alt="foo" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![](/url)+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Reference-style:++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo][bar]++[bar]: /url+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo][bar]++[BAR]: /url+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Collapsed:++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo][]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![*foo* bar][]++[*foo* bar]: /url "title"+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo bar" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++The labels are case-insensitive:++```````````````````````````````` example+![Foo][]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="Foo" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++As with reference links, spaces, tabs, and line endings, are not allowed+between the two sets of brackets:++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo] +[]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" />+[]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Shortcut:++```````````````````````````````` example+![foo]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+![*foo* bar]++[*foo* bar]: /url "title"+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="foo bar" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that link labels cannot contain unescaped brackets:++```````````````````````````````` example+![[foo]]++[[foo]]: /url "title"+.+<p>![[foo]]</p>+<p>[[foo]]: /url &quot;title&quot;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++The link labels are case-insensitive:++```````````````````````````````` example+![Foo]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p><img src="/url" alt="Foo" title="title" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++If you just want a literal `!` followed by bracketed text, you can+backslash-escape the opening `[`:++```````````````````````````````` example+!\[foo]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p>![foo]</p>+````````````````````````````````+++If you want a link after a literal `!`, backslash-escape the+`!`:++```````````````````````````````` example+\![foo]++[foo]: /url "title"+.+<p>!<a href="/url" title="title">foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++## Autolinks++[Autolink](@)s are absolute URIs and email addresses inside+`<` and `>`. They are parsed as links, with the URL or email address+as the link label.++A [URI autolink](@) consists of `<`, followed by an+[absolute URI] followed by `>`.  It is parsed as+a link to the URI, with the URI as the link's label.++An [absolute URI](@),+for these purposes, consists of a [scheme] followed by a colon (`:`)+followed by zero or more characters other [ASCII control+characters][ASCII control character], [space], `<`, and `>`.+If the URI includes these characters, they must be percent-encoded+(e.g. `%20` for a space).++For purposes of this spec, a [scheme](@) is any sequence+of 2--32 characters beginning with an ASCII letter and followed+by any combination of ASCII letters, digits, or the symbols plus+("+"), period ("."), or hyphen ("-").++Here are some valid autolinks:++```````````````````````````````` example+<http://foo.bar.baz>+.+<p><a href="http://foo.bar.baz">http://foo.bar.baz</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<http://foo.bar.baz/test?q=hello&id=22&boolean>+.+<p><a href="http://foo.bar.baz/test?q=hello&amp;id=22&amp;boolean">http://foo.bar.baz/test?q=hello&amp;id=22&amp;boolean</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<irc://foo.bar:2233/baz>+.+<p><a href="irc://foo.bar:2233/baz">irc://foo.bar:2233/baz</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Uppercase is also fine:++```````````````````````````````` example+<MAILTO:FOO@BAR.BAZ>+.+<p><a href="MAILTO:FOO@BAR.BAZ">MAILTO:FOO@BAR.BAZ</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Note that many strings that count as [absolute URIs] for+purposes of this spec are not valid URIs, because their+schemes are not registered or because of other problems+with their syntax:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a+b+c:d>+.+<p><a href="a+b+c:d">a+b+c:d</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<made-up-scheme://foo,bar>+.+<p><a href="made-up-scheme://foo,bar">made-up-scheme://foo,bar</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<http://../>+.+<p><a href="http://../">http://../</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<localhost:5001/foo>+.+<p><a href="localhost:5001/foo">localhost:5001/foo</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Spaces are not allowed in autolinks:++```````````````````````````````` example+<http://foo.bar/baz bim>+.+<p>&lt;http://foo.bar/baz bim&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslash-escapes do not work inside autolinks:++```````````````````````````````` example+<http://example.com/\[\>+.+<p><a href="http://example.com/%5C%5B%5C">http://example.com/\[\</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++An [email autolink](@)+consists of `<`, followed by an [email address],+followed by `>`.  The link's label is the email address,+and the URL is `mailto:` followed by the email address.++An [email address](@),+for these purposes, is anything that matches+the [non-normative regex from the HTML5+spec](https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/forms.html#e-mail-state-(type=email)):++    /^[a-zA-Z0-9.!#$%&'*+/=?^_`{|}~-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])?+    (?:\.[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])?)*$/++Examples of email autolinks:++```````````````````````````````` example+<foo@bar.example.com>+.+<p><a href="mailto:foo@bar.example.com">foo@bar.example.com</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<foo+special@Bar.baz-bar0.com>+.+<p><a href="mailto:foo+special@Bar.baz-bar0.com">foo+special@Bar.baz-bar0.com</a></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslash-escapes do not work inside email autolinks:++```````````````````````````````` example+<foo\+@bar.example.com>+.+<p>&lt;foo+@bar.example.com&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++These are not autolinks:++```````````````````````````````` example+<>+.+<p>&lt;&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+< http://foo.bar >+.+<p>&lt; http://foo.bar &gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<m:abc>+.+<p>&lt;m:abc&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<foo.bar.baz>+.+<p>&lt;foo.bar.baz&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+http://example.com+.+<p>http://example.com</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo@bar.example.com+.+<p>foo@bar.example.com</p>+````````````````````````````````+++## Raw HTML++Text between `<` and `>` that looks like an HTML tag is parsed as a+raw HTML tag and will be rendered in HTML without escaping.+Tag and attribute names are not limited to current HTML tags,+so custom tags (and even, say, DocBook tags) may be used.++Here is the grammar for tags:++A [tag name](@) consists of an ASCII letter+followed by zero or more ASCII letters, digits, or+hyphens (`-`).++An [attribute](@) consists of spaces, tabs, and up to one line ending,+an [attribute name], and an optional+[attribute value specification].++An [attribute name](@)+consists of an ASCII letter, `_`, or `:`, followed by zero or more ASCII+letters, digits, `_`, `.`, `:`, or `-`.  (Note:  This is the XML+specification restricted to ASCII.  HTML5 is laxer.)++An [attribute value specification](@)+consists of optional spaces, tabs, and up to one line ending,+a `=` character, optional spaces, tabs, and up to one line ending,+and an [attribute value].++An [attribute value](@)+consists of an [unquoted attribute value],+a [single-quoted attribute value], or a [double-quoted attribute value].++An [unquoted attribute value](@)+is a nonempty string of characters not+including spaces, tabs, line endings, `"`, `'`, `=`, `<`, `>`, or `` ` ``.++A [single-quoted attribute value](@)+consists of `'`, zero or more+characters not including `'`, and a final `'`.++A [double-quoted attribute value](@)+consists of `"`, zero or more+characters not including `"`, and a final `"`.++An [open tag](@) consists of a `<` character, a [tag name],+zero or more [attributes], optional spaces, tabs, and up to one line ending,+an optional `/` character, and a `>` character.++A [closing tag](@) consists of the string `</`, a+[tag name], optional spaces, tabs, and up to one line ending, and the character+`>`.++An [HTML comment](@) consists of `<!--` + *text* + `-->`,+where *text* does not start with `>` or `->`, does not end with `-`,+and does not contain `--`.  (See the+[HTML5 spec](http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/syntax.html#comments).)++A [processing instruction](@)+consists of the string `<?`, a string+of characters not including the string `?>`, and the string+`?>`.++A [declaration](@) consists of the string `<!`, an ASCII letter, zero or more+characters not including the character `>`, and the character `>`.++A [CDATA section](@) consists of+the string `<![CDATA[`, a string of characters not including the string+`]]>`, and the string `]]>`.++An [HTML tag](@) consists of an [open tag], a [closing tag],+an [HTML comment], a [processing instruction], a [declaration],+or a [CDATA section].++Here are some simple open tags:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a><bab><c2c>+.+<p><a><bab><c2c></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Empty elements:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a/><b2/>+.+<p><a/><b2/></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Whitespace is allowed:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a  /><b2+data="foo" >+.+<p><a  /><b2+data="foo" ></p>+````````````````````````````````+++With attributes:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a foo="bar" bam = 'baz <em>"</em>'+_boolean zoop:33=zoop:33 />+.+<p><a foo="bar" bam = 'baz <em>"</em>'+_boolean zoop:33=zoop:33 /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Custom tag names can be used:++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo <responsive-image src="foo.jpg" />+.+<p>Foo <responsive-image src="foo.jpg" /></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Illegal tag names, not parsed as HTML:++```````````````````````````````` example+<33> <__>+.+<p>&lt;33&gt; &lt;__&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Illegal attribute names:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a h*#ref="hi">+.+<p>&lt;a h*#ref=&quot;hi&quot;&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Illegal attribute values:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="hi'> <a href=hi'>+.+<p>&lt;a href=&quot;hi'&gt; &lt;a href=hi'&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Illegal whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+< a><+foo><bar/ >+<foo bar=baz+bim!bop />+.+<p>&lt; a&gt;&lt;+foo&gt;&lt;bar/ &gt;+&lt;foo bar=baz+bim!bop /&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Missing whitespace:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href='bar'title=title>+.+<p>&lt;a href='bar'title=title&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Closing tags:++```````````````````````````````` example+</a></foo >+.+<p></a></foo ></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Illegal attributes in closing tag:++```````````````````````````````` example+</a href="foo">+.+<p>&lt;/a href=&quot;foo&quot;&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Comments:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <!-- this is a+comment - with hyphen -->+.+<p>foo <!-- this is a+comment - with hyphen --></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <!-- not a comment -- two hyphens -->+.+<p>foo &lt;!-- not a comment -- two hyphens --&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Not comments:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <!--> foo -->++foo <!-- foo--->+.+<p>foo &lt;!--&gt; foo --&gt;</p>+<p>foo &lt;!-- foo---&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Processing instructions:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <?php echo $a; ?>+.+<p>foo <?php echo $a; ?></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Declarations:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <!ELEMENT br EMPTY>+.+<p>foo <!ELEMENT br EMPTY></p>+````````````````````````````````+++CDATA sections:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <![CDATA[>&<]]>+.+<p>foo <![CDATA[>&<]]></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Entity and numeric character references are preserved in HTML+attributes:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <a href="&ouml;">+.+<p>foo <a href="&ouml;"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Backslash escapes do not work in HTML attributes:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo <a href="\*">+.+<p>foo <a href="\*"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="\"">+.+<p>&lt;a href=&quot;&quot;&quot;&gt;</p>+````````````````````````````````+++## Hard line breaks++A line ending (not in a code span or HTML tag) that is preceded+by two or more spaces and does not occur at the end of a block+is parsed as a [hard line break](@) (rendered+in HTML as a `<br />` tag):++```````````````````````````````` example+foo  +baz+.+<p>foo<br />+baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++For a more visible alternative, a backslash before the+[line ending] may be used instead of two or more spaces:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo\+baz+.+<p>foo<br />+baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++More than two spaces can be used:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo       +baz+.+<p>foo<br />+baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Leading spaces at the beginning of the next line are ignored:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo  +     bar+.+<p>foo<br />+bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo\+     bar+.+<p>foo<br />+bar</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Hard line breaks can occur inside emphasis, links, and other constructs+that allow inline content:++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo  +bar*+.+<p><em>foo<br />+bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+*foo\+bar*+.+<p><em>foo<br />+bar</em></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Hard line breaks do not occur inside code spans++```````````````````````````````` example+`code  +span`+.+<p><code>code   span</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+`code\+span`+.+<p><code>code\ span</code></p>+````````````````````````````````+++or HTML tags:++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="foo  +bar">+.+<p><a href="foo  +bar"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+<a href="foo\+bar">+.+<p><a href="foo\+bar"></p>+````````````````````````````````+++Hard line breaks are for separating inline content within a block.+Neither syntax for hard line breaks works at the end of a paragraph or+other block element:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo\+.+<p>foo\</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+foo  +.+<p>foo</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+### foo\+.+<h3>foo\</h3>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+### foo  +.+<h3>foo</h3>+````````````````````````````````+++## Soft line breaks++A regular line ending (not in a code span or HTML tag) that is not+preceded by two or more spaces or a backslash is parsed as a+[softbreak](@).  (A soft line break may be rendered in HTML either as a+[line ending] or as a space. The result will be the same in+browsers. In the examples here, a [line ending] will be used.)++```````````````````````````````` example+foo+baz+.+<p>foo+baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Spaces at the end of the line and beginning of the next line are+removed:++```````````````````````````````` example+foo + baz+.+<p>foo+baz</p>+````````````````````````````````+++A conforming parser may render a soft line break in HTML either as a+line ending or as a space.++A renderer may also provide an option to render soft line breaks+as hard line breaks.++## Textual content++Any characters not given an interpretation by the above rules will+be parsed as plain textual content.++```````````````````````````````` example+hello $.;'there+.+<p>hello $.;'there</p>+````````````````````````````````+++```````````````````````````````` example+Foo χρῆν+.+<p>Foo χρῆν</p>+````````````````````````````````+++Internal spaces are preserved verbatim:++```````````````````````````````` example+Multiple     spaces+.+<p>Multiple     spaces</p>+````````````````````````````````+++<!-- END TESTS -->++# Appendix: A parsing strategy++In this appendix we describe some features of the parsing strategy+used in the CommonMark reference implementations.++## Overview++Parsing has two phases:++1. In the first phase, lines of input are consumed and the block+structure of the document---its division into paragraphs, block quotes,+list items, and so on---is constructed.  Text is assigned to these+blocks but not parsed. Link reference definitions are parsed and a+map of links is constructed.++2. In the second phase, the raw text contents of paragraphs and headings+are parsed into sequences of Markdown inline elements (strings,+code spans, links, emphasis, and so on), using the map of link+references constructed in phase 1.++At each point in processing, the document is represented as a tree of+**blocks**.  The root of the tree is a `document` block.  The `document`+may have any number of other blocks as **children**.  These children+may, in turn, have other blocks as children.  The last child of a block+is normally considered **open**, meaning that subsequent lines of input+can alter its contents.  (Blocks that are not open are **closed**.)+Here, for example, is a possible document tree, with the open blocks+marked by arrows:++``` tree+-> document+  -> block_quote+       paragraph+         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."+    -> list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)+         list_item+           paragraph+             "Qui *quodsi iracundia*"+      -> list_item+        -> paragraph+             "aliquando id"+```++## Phase 1: block structure++Each line that is processed has an effect on this tree.  The line is+analyzed and, depending on its contents, the document may be altered+in one or more of the following ways:++1. One or more open blocks may be closed.+2. One or more new blocks may be created as children of the+   last open block.+3. Text may be added to the last (deepest) open block remaining+   on the tree.++Once a line has been incorporated into the tree in this way,+it can be discarded, so input can be read in a stream.++For each line, we follow this procedure:++1. First we iterate through the open blocks, starting with the+root document, and descending through last children down to the last+open block.  Each block imposes a condition that the line must satisfy+if the block is to remain open.  For example, a block quote requires a+`>` character.  A paragraph requires a non-blank line.+In this phase we may match all or just some of the open+blocks.  But we cannot close unmatched blocks yet, because we may have a+[lazy continuation line].++2.  Next, after consuming the continuation markers for existing+blocks, we look for new block starts (e.g. `>` for a block quote).+If we encounter a new block start, we close any blocks unmatched+in step 1 before creating the new block as a child of the last+matched container block.++3.  Finally, we look at the remainder of the line (after block+markers like `>`, list markers, and indentation have been consumed).+This is text that can be incorporated into the last open+block (a paragraph, code block, heading, or raw HTML).++Setext headings are formed when we see a line of a paragraph+that is a [setext heading underline].++Reference link definitions are detected when a paragraph is closed;+the accumulated text lines are parsed to see if they begin with+one or more reference link definitions.  Any remainder becomes a+normal paragraph.++We can see how this works by considering how the tree above is+generated by four lines of Markdown:++``` markdown+> Lorem ipsum dolor+sit amet.+> - Qui *quodsi iracundia*+> - aliquando id+```++At the outset, our document model is just++``` tree+-> document+```++The first line of our text,++``` markdown+> Lorem ipsum dolor+```++causes a `block_quote` block to be created as a child of our+open `document` block, and a `paragraph` block as a child of+the `block_quote`.  Then the text is added to the last open+block, the `paragraph`:++``` tree+-> document+  -> block_quote+    -> paragraph+         "Lorem ipsum dolor"+```++The next line,++``` markdown+sit amet.+```++is a "lazy continuation" of the open `paragraph`, so it gets added+to the paragraph's text:++``` tree+-> document+  -> block_quote+    -> paragraph+         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."+```++The third line,++``` markdown+> - Qui *quodsi iracundia*+```++causes the `paragraph` block to be closed, and a new `list` block+opened as a child of the `block_quote`.  A `list_item` is also+added as a child of the `list`, and a `paragraph` as a child of+the `list_item`.  The text is then added to the new `paragraph`:++``` tree+-> document+  -> block_quote+       paragraph+         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."+    -> list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)+      -> list_item+        -> paragraph+             "Qui *quodsi iracundia*"+```++The fourth line,++``` markdown+> - aliquando id+```++causes the `list_item` (and its child the `paragraph`) to be closed,+and a new `list_item` opened up as child of the `list`.  A `paragraph`+is added as a child of the new `list_item`, to contain the text.+We thus obtain the final tree:++``` tree+-> document+  -> block_quote+       paragraph+         "Lorem ipsum dolor\nsit amet."+    -> list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)+         list_item+           paragraph+             "Qui *quodsi iracundia*"+      -> list_item+        -> paragraph+             "aliquando id"+```++## Phase 2: inline structure++Once all of the input has been parsed, all open blocks are closed.++We then "walk the tree," visiting every node, and parse raw+string contents of paragraphs and headings as inlines.  At this+point we have seen all the link reference definitions, so we can+resolve reference links as we go.++``` tree+document+  block_quote+    paragraph+      str "Lorem ipsum dolor"+      softbreak+      str "sit amet."+    list (type=bullet tight=true bullet_char=-)+      list_item+        paragraph+          str "Qui "+          emph+            str "quodsi iracundia"+      list_item+        paragraph+          str "aliquando id"+```++Notice how the [line ending] in the first paragraph has+been parsed as a `softbreak`, and the asterisks in the first list item+have become an `emph`.++### An algorithm for parsing nested emphasis and links++By far the trickiest part of inline parsing is handling emphasis,+strong emphasis, links, and images.  This is done using the following+algorithm.++When we're parsing inlines and we hit either++- a run of `*` or `_` characters, or+- a `[` or `![`++we insert a text node with these symbols as its literal content, and we+add a pointer to this text node to the [delimiter stack](@).++The [delimiter stack] is a doubly linked list.  Each+element contains a pointer to a text node, plus information about++- the type of delimiter (`[`, `![`, `*`, `_`)+- the number of delimiters,+- whether the delimiter is "active" (all are active to start), and+- whether the delimiter is a potential opener, a potential closer,+  or both (which depends on what sort of characters precede+  and follow the delimiters).++When we hit a `]` character, we call the *look for link or image*+procedure (see below).++When we hit the end of the input, we call the *process emphasis*+procedure (see below), with `stack_bottom` = NULL.++#### *look for link or image*++Starting at the top of the delimiter stack, we look backwards+through the stack for an opening `[` or `![` delimiter.++- If we don't find one, we return a literal text node `]`.++- If we do find one, but it's not *active*, we remove the inactive+  delimiter from the stack, and return a literal text node `]`.++- If we find one and it's active, then we parse ahead to see if+  we have an inline link/image, reference link/image, compact reference+  link/image, or shortcut reference link/image.++  + If we don't, then we remove the opening delimiter from the+    delimiter stack and return a literal text node `]`.++  + If we do, then++    * We return a link or image node whose children are the inlines+      after the text node pointed to by the opening delimiter.++    * We run *process emphasis* on these inlines, with the `[` opener+      as `stack_bottom`.++    * We remove the opening delimiter.++    * If we have a link (and not an image), we also set all+      `[` delimiters before the opening delimiter to *inactive*.  (This+      will prevent us from getting links within links.)++#### *process emphasis*++Parameter `stack_bottom` sets a lower bound to how far we+descend in the [delimiter stack].  If it is NULL, we can+go all the way to the bottom.  Otherwise, we stop before+visiting `stack_bottom`.++Let `current_position` point to the element on the [delimiter stack]+just above `stack_bottom` (or the first element if `stack_bottom`+is NULL).++We keep track of the `openers_bottom` for each delimiter+type (`*`, `_`), indexed to the length of the closing delimiter run+(modulo 3) and to whether the closing delimiter can also be an+opener.  Initialize this to `stack_bottom`.++Then we repeat the following until we run out of potential+closers:++- Move `current_position` forward in the delimiter stack (if needed)+  until we find the first potential closer with delimiter `*` or `_`.+  (This will be the potential closer closest+  to the beginning of the input -- the first one in parse order.)++- Now, look back in the stack (staying above `stack_bottom` and+  the `openers_bottom` for this delimiter type) for the+  first matching potential opener ("matching" means same delimiter).++- If one is found:++  + Figure out whether we have emphasis or strong emphasis:+    if both closer and opener spans have length >= 2, we have+    strong, otherwise regular.++  + Insert an emph or strong emph node accordingly, after+    the text node corresponding to the opener.++  + Remove any delimiters between the opener and closer from+    the delimiter stack.++  + Remove 1 (for regular emph) or 2 (for strong emph) delimiters+    from the opening and closing text nodes.  If they become empty+    as a result, remove them and remove the corresponding element+    of the delimiter stack.  If the closing node is removed, reset+    `current_position` to the next element in the stack.++- If none is found:++  + Set `openers_bottom` to the element before `current_position`.+    (We know that there are no openers for this kind of closer up to and+    including this point, so this puts a lower bound on future searches.)++  + If the closer at `current_position` is not a potential opener,+    remove it from the delimiter stack (since we know it can't+    be a closer either).++  + Advance `current_position` to the next element in the stack.++After we're done, we remove all delimiters above `stack_bottom` from the+delimiter stack.