Formatting

DocsForge extends standard Markdown with additional inline formatting options for emphasis, technical notation, and special characters.

Highlight

Mark text with ==highlighted== for emphasis:

This is ==highlighted text== for emphasis.

This is highlighted text for emphasis.

Use highlights to draw attention to key terms, warnings, or important notes within a paragraph.

Subscript

Use ~subscript~ for chemical formulas and mathematical notation:

H~2~O is the chemical formula for water.

CO~2~ emissions are a major concern.

E = mc~2~ is Einstein's famous equation.

H₂O is the chemical formula for water.

CO₂ emissions are a major concern.

E = mc₂ is Einstein's famous equation.

Superscript

Use ^superscript^ for exponents and ordinal numbers:

The area of a circle is πr^2^.

x^2^ + y^2^ = z^2^

1^st^, 2^nd^, 3^rd^

The area of a circle is πr².

x² + y² = z²

1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd

Inserted and deleted text

Use ++inserted++ and ~~deleted~~ for tracking changes:

This is ++new++ and this is ~~old~~.

The price is ~~$50~~ ++$45++.

This is ++new++ and this is old.

The price is ~~\(50~~ ++\)45++.

Keyboard keys

Use ++key++ syntax for keyboard shortcuts:

Press ++ctrl+alt+delete++ to restart.

Press ++cmd+shift+3++ to take a screenshot.

Press ++ctrl+s++ to save.

Press ++enter++ to confirm.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.

Press Cmd+Shift+3 to take a screenshot.

Press Ctrl+S to save.

Press Enter to confirm.

Key combinations

Mark (alias for highlight)

Use ==marked== text (same as highlight):

==Important==: Read this section carefully.

Important: Read this section carefully.

Critic markup

Track changes in drafts with critic markup:

This is deleted and this is inserted.

This is changedto this.

This is deleted and this is inserted.

This is changedto this.

Smart symbols

Type common symbols easily:

(c) (tm) (r) 1/2 1/4 +- --> <-- ==> <== ...

© ™ ® ½ ¼ +- → ← > < ...

HTML entities

Use any HTML entity directly in Markdown:

© ™ ® — – … ← → ↑ ↓

© ™ ® — – … ← → ↑ ↓

Custom CSS classes

Apply CSS classes to inline elements:

[Text with class]{: .custom-class }

[Red text]{: .red }

[Large text]{: .lg }

Requires defining the CSS classes in your custom stylesheet.

Combining formatting

Mix multiple formatting styles:

**Bold and ==highlighted== text**

*Italic and ~subscript~ text*

`Code with ^superscript^`

[Link with **bold** text](https://example.com)

Bold and highlighted text

Italic and _subscript text

Code with ^superscript^

Link with bold text

Mathematical notation

For complex math, use the built-in KaTeX support:

$$
E = mc^2
$$

$$
\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i = x_1 + x_2 + \cdots + x_n
$$

See Code blocks for more on math blocks.

Best practices

• Use highlighting sparingly — overuse makes it meaningless
• Prefer ==highlight== over raw <mark> tags for portability
• Use subscript/superscript for actual mathematical/chemical notation, not styling
• Keyboard keys are great for tutorials, quick starts, and user guides
• Critic markup is useful for collaborative editing and changelogs
• Don't nest too many formatting styles — it becomes hard to read
• Test how special characters render in search results

Next steps

• Icons & Emojis
• Tooltips
• Annotations