CVX Forum posts are constructed using the Markdown lightweight markup system. Markdown uses simple plain-text constructs to specify formatting details&mdash. Here are a few simple examples:
-
paragraphs: just insert a blank line between them
-
forced line breaks: add two empty spaces or more
to the end of a line -
italics:
*italics* -
boldface:
**boldface** -
inline code: `inline code` -
web links:
[link text](http://web.address.com) -
unordered lists:
* item 1 * item 2 -
numbered lists:
1. item 1 2. item 2
Because both equations and Matlab code will be key parts of many CVX Forum questions and answers, we have created two separate documents to address these particular issues:
- How do I include equations in forum posts? (Short answer: use \LaTeX!)
- How do I include Matlab source code in forum posts?
More complete documentation for the Markdown language is all over the web. Here are just two of the many useful links available:
- DaringFireball’s Markdown Page, by John Gruber, the co-creator the Markdown system.
- A nice Markdown syntax guide by the creators of the Byword text editor for Mac & iOS. Not surprisingly, the guide was itself written in Markdown.
Please don’t be intimidated by Markdown. Many CVX Forum posts will not require any formatting beyond an occasional paragraph spacing. For those that do require formatting, the basic commands we have outlined here, along with the additional instructions for Matlab source code and equations, will very likely suffice. (As for those equations: if you know \LaTeX, you’re set.)
The built-in editor provides a nice GUI and keyboard shortcuts for common Markdown formatting commands, that you may find useful for awhile—but in fact, it is almost certain that you will abandon these for straight Markdown typing very quickly. The live preview window that the editor provides, on the other hand, is indispensible: the instant feedback it provides is a powerful teaching mechanism.