doc:basic_text_formatting [Knowledge Commons]

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//part of the [[start|GtC documentation]]//

====== Basic text formatting ======

//Try out all these techniques below in the [[playground:playground]].//

===== Using the toolbar =====

The first five items on the left of the edit window toolbar offer you basic text formatting.
You can either click on the relevant place, where

  * B gives **Bold Text**
  * I gives //Italic Text//
  * U gives __Underlined Text__
  * T gives ''Monospaced Text''
  * <del>T</del> gives <del>Strike-through Text</del>

Further along the toolbar
  * **—** gives a horizonal rule: but you **must** leave a blank line before it.


Alternatively, you can write text first, then make it e.g. **bold** by highlighting it (double click on one word; or drag across more than one word) and when it is highlighted, //click on the relevant place// in the toolbar.

===== DokuWiki syntax =====

  * `**Bold Text**` gives **Bold Text**
  * `//Italic Text//` gives //Italic Text//
  * `**//Bold-Italic Text//**` gives **//Bold-Italic Text//**
  * `__Underlined Text__` gives __Underlined Text__ (note the **double** underscores)
  * `''Monospaced Text''` gives ''Monospaced Text''
  * `<del>Strike-through Text</del>` gives <del>Strike-through Text</del>
  * `text with<sup>superscript</sup>` gives text with<sup>superscript</sup>
  * `text with<sub>subscript</sub>` gives text with<sub>subscript</sub>
  * `----` creates a "horizontal rule": remember the need for a blank line before it.

===== Markdown syntax =====

  * `*Italic Text*` works: gives *Italic Text*
  * `_Italic Text_` _with **one** underscore each side, not two_ works: also gives _Italic Text_
  * `**Bold Text**` is the same as DokuWiki
  * `''Monospaced Text''` is the same as DokuWiki
  * `----` for a horizontal rule is the same as DokuWiki
  * `__Not Bold but Underlined__` works as DokuWiki, **not** bold as in Markdown
  * `***Bold-Italic Text***` just messes things up, don't try it!
  * `~~attempted strikethrough~~` does **not** work, use `<del>` as above
  * `H~2~O` and `x^2^` do **not** work – H~2~O and x^2^ – use `<sub>` and `<sup>` as above

Because Markdown uses `----` underneath text to indicate a level-2 heading, you **must** leave a space before a horizontal rule.
===== What if I want to use these characters? =====

As the characters above are used to indicate formatting, if you want to use the characters themselves on your page you may need to consider how to do it.

The easiest way to be sure is to contain things you want unchanged inside `<nowiki>` `</nowiki>`tags.

`<nowiki>''**__I want to see all the formatting characters__**''</nowiki>`\\
comes out as\\
<nowiki>''**__I want to see all the formatting characters__**''</nowiki>

On this page, the 'backtick' character ''\`'' is used in all the examples above, to allow showing the markup. But as you see, it does more than simply disable the special characters, as <nowiki><nowiki></nowiki> does: it also makes them monospaced and red text on pink background.

If you use the backtick, be very careful to have them balanced. Otherwise you might get a surprise when you look at the result!

===== MediaWiki =====

MediaWiki syntax for these is almost all different. See [[MediaWiki and DokuWiki]].

However, `<sup>` and `<sub>` are the same; `<nowiki>` too!