Markdown Filter

This module implements an input filter for Markdown, which is a kind of shortcut language for generating HTML.

I love using Markdown for websites, for two main reasons.

First, when it's a website I have to maintain, Markdown reduces the amount of typing I have to do to generate HTML (and it makes sure that it's valid).

Second, when I'm setting up a website that a client will maintain, and that client doesn't know HTML, Markdown really comes in handy. Sure, you can set up WYSIWYG editors for non-HTML people to maintain pages, but often that leads to really messy HTML with weird or inconsistent styling across the pages on a site. With Markdown, it's as simple as saying to the client, "to make text bold, surround it with 2 asterisks on either side," or "to make a big heading, put 2 pound symbols in front of the heading". This kind of approach can be limiting in terms of styling freedom for the end user, but often I find that a welcome limitation, as it keeps the consistency of styles on the site intact. Embrace your constraints!