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Intro to Markdown
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Concepts and terms

This section will introduce a few concepts and terms for you to be aware of before you begin working with plain text files and Markdown.

What is plain text?

Plain text refers to files or data that consist of only readable characters.

Example:

The following are not plain text:

  • Formatted text (e.g., bold, italic, underline, different colour text or background)
  • Binary files (e.g., images, videos, Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs)

Example:

(A pdf containing a formatted version of the plain text file in the screenshot above)

Where might you have seen plain text?

  • Email
  • Internet forums / comment forms
  • Editing wikis like Wikipedia
  • Project Gutenberg
  • “View Source” on Web sites

Why use plain text?

General reasons for using plain text

  • Portability:
    • Files are portable between different operating systems and programs
  • Speed:
    • Plain text files are lightweight and fast
  • Consistency:
    • Plain text always looks the same
  • Flexibility:
    • Can be used by multiple programs for many different purposes
  • Distraction-free writing:
    • Focus on writing rather than fiddling with your tools
    • Think about content rather than formatting
  • No lock-in:
    • No compatibility issues
    • No dependance on proprietary software
    • No need to worry if others can open
    • No need for special software or tools
  • Both human and machine readable

Human-readable formats

The last point is important – plain text documents are easily readable by humans without any additional assistance, but can also be understood by computers without the use of special software or hardware.

An example of a familiar format that is human- and machine-readable is the ubiquitous barcode (see below). The pattern of bars at the top can be quickly read by machines equipped with barcode scanners, while the numbers are easily understood by humans.

Reasons for scholars to use plain text

There are both short-term and long-term benefits for scholars and academics who work in plain text and store their data using plain text formats.

Short-term benefits:

  • Quickly edit large amounts of data
    • Easily work with large, image-heavy documents, complex mathematical equations, or tables
    • Many graphical applications become slow and unresponsive when working with large amounts of formatted data
  • Generate indices accurately and automatically
    • Table of contents, bibliography, citations etc
  • Track changes and collaborate with version control
    • Git, diff, and other standard tools are designed for use with plain text

Long-term benefits:

  • Preservation of data
    • Persistence of the knowledge stored in text files
  • Freedom and flexibility
    • Easily switch to another format if needed with no loss of data or information
  • Future-proofing your work, data, ideas
    • Ensure that your work is still accessible for decades to come

More information about Markdown