Latest news with #Markdown
Geeky Gadgets
08-07-2025
- Geeky Gadgets
How to Write in Markdown in Apple Notes
Have you ever wished your Apple Notes could be as organized and visually appealing as a professional document, without the hassle of clunky formatting tools? If you're a fan of Markdown—a simple, intuitive syntax for creating structured content—you might have assumed it was incompatible with Apple's native note-taking app. But here's the good news: with the help of a third-party tool called ProNotes, you can now bring the power of Markdown directly into Apple Notes. This integration isn't just about aesthetics; it's about transforming how you capture, organize, and share ideas across your Apple devices. Imagine crafting beautifully formatted notes on your Mac that sync seamlessly to your iPhone or iPad, ready to impress at a moment's notice. In this step-by-step guide, Greg Hyatt walks you through how to unlock the potential of Markdown in Apple Notes using ProNotes. Whether you're a student juggling assignments, a professional managing projects, or a writer organizing drafts, this guide will show you how to create notes that are both functional and polished. You'll discover how to use Markdown for everything from streamlined formatting to task management, all while maintaining cross-device consistency. Along the way, you'll also learn about ProNotes' unique features and limitations, helping you decide if this tool is the right fit for your workflow. Ready to rethink your note-taking strategy? Let's explore what's possible. Markdown Support in Apple Notes What is Markdown in Apple Notes? ProNotes serves as a bridge between Markdown and Apple Notes, allowing you to write and format notes directly on your Mac using Markdown syntax. This approach simplifies the process of creating structured content, making sure that your notes maintain a consistent appearance across Apple's ecosystem. Whether you're using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, your notes will display uniformly, providing a seamless experience across devices. By integrating Markdown, ProNotes enhances the functionality of Apple Notes, making it a valuable tool for users who prioritize organization and clarity in their note-taking. Key Features of ProNotes ProNotes introduces a range of Markdown formatting options, making it easier to create organized and professional notes. These features are particularly beneficial for students, professionals, and writers who require structured content for their work. With ProNotes, you can: Create titles and subheadings: Use `#` for main titles and `##` for subheadings to organize your notes effectively. Use `#` for main titles and `##` for subheadings to organize your notes effectively. Build lists: Create bulleted lists with `-` or numbered lists with `1.` for clear and concise content presentation. Create bulleted lists with `-` or numbered lists with `1.` for clear and concise content presentation. Emphasize text: Apply bold formatting with `**` or italics with `*` to highlight key points. Apply bold formatting with `**` or italics with `*` to highlight key points. Insert checklists: Use `- [ ]` for incomplete tasks and `- [x]` for completed ones to manage tasks efficiently. These features allow you to focus on your content without being distracted by complex formatting tools. The simplicity of Markdown ensures that your notes are both functional and visually appealing, catering to a variety of personal and professional needs. Watch this video on YouTube. Dive deeper into Apple Notes with other articles and guides we have written below. Compatibility and System Requirements ProNotes is exclusively available for macOS 13.0 or later, making it accessible to users with modern Mac devices. However, its functionality is currently limited to Mac desktops, meaning you cannot create Markdown notes directly on iPads or iPhones. Despite this limitation, notes created on your Mac can still be viewed and edited on other Apple devices, thanks to Apple's robust cross-device synchronization. This ensures that your notes remain accessible and consistent, regardless of the device you use to view them. Potential Future Updates While ProNotes already offers significant enhancements to Apple Notes, there is speculation about future updates that could further expand its capabilities. One highly anticipated feature is the ability to export Markdown-formatted notes directly from iOS devices, such as iPhones and iPads. This update would make the tool more versatile, allowing users to create and share Markdown notes across all Apple devices. Additionally, improvements in synchronization and formatting options could further streamline the user experience, making ProNotes an even more powerful tool for note-taking. Why Use Markdown in Apple Notes? Integrating Markdown into Apple Notes through ProNotes offers several practical benefits that enhance the overall note-taking experience. These include: Streamlined formatting: Markdown simplifies the process of creating structured and professional notes, saving time and effort. Markdown simplifies the process of creating structured and professional notes, saving time and effort. Cross-device consistency: Notes display uniformly across Apple devices, making sure a seamless and cohesive user experience. Notes display uniformly across Apple devices, making sure a seamless and cohesive user experience. Enhanced sharing: Formatted notes can be easily shared while preserving their structure and readability, making collaboration more efficient. By using Markdown, you can create notes that are not only visually appealing but also highly functional. This makes ProNotes an ideal solution for users who value organization, clarity, and ease of use in their note-taking workflow. Enhancing Your Workflow with ProNotes ProNotes provides a practical and efficient way to integrate Markdown into Apple Notes, offering a streamlined solution for users who prioritize structured formatting. While its current functionality is limited to macOS, the ability to synchronize notes across Apple devices ensures accessibility and consistency. As Apple's ecosystem continues to evolve, future updates may further expand Markdown capabilities, making ProNotes an even more versatile tool. For now, it stands as a valuable addition to Apple Notes, allowing users to create and manage notes with greater precision and ease. Media Credit: Greg Hyatt Filed Under: Apple, Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
WIRED
01-07-2025
- WIRED
How to Use Markdown
When writing on the web or posting in online communities like Reddit and Discord, your posts can be formatted using the plaintext coding system called Markdown. Here are the basics. Illustration: Jacqui VanLiew Whether you're posting on Reddit, Discord, or Github, there's only one way to add formatting: Markdown. If you want to add a link, bold some text, or even split text into paragraphs, you will need to know the basics of this text-based formatting system. Does that sound scary? Trust me, it's not. Markdown has just a few rules for formatting text the way you want, and you only need to learn the rules for the formatting you actually use. Let's go over the simple rules, talk about why Markdown is useful, then take a look at a few resources you can use to go further with Markdown. The Basics of Markdown Markdown is a way to apply rich formatting to plaintext by adding certain characters to it. On platforms like Discord or Reddit, where messages are short and relatively simple, you really only need to learn a few basics: To italicize text, put an asterisk before and after it, *like this* text, put an asterisk before and after it, *like this* To bold text, put two asterisks before and after it, **like this** text, put two asterisks before and after it, **like this** To include a link, put the text of the link in square brackets followed immediately by the URL in parentheses, [Like this]( To add an image, start with an exclamation point, with the square bracket containing a description of the image, and the parentheses containing a link to an image file,  start a line of text with a pound sign followed by a space, # Like this. To make smaller headers, use more pound signs, ## Like this for h2 or ### Like this for h3, and so on. The more pound signs you add, the smaller your header text will be. To create a bulleted list, simply start a line of text with an asterisk followed by a space, * Like this. You can add as many bulleted lines to your list as you want. To indent a list item, put a tab before the asterisk. To indent further, simply add more tabs. To create a numbered list, start a line of text with a number and a period, 1. Like this. To indent a numbered list item, add a tab before the number. To indent further, simply add more tabs. To add a block quote to your document, simply start a link of text with a 'greater than' sign, > like this. That covers most of what you need to know in order to write a document in Markdown. If you're confused about how this formatting will look, it helps to play around and see the results. A great website to do this on is The left panel shows the Markdown while the right side shows how that will look. Try different things there for a bit and you'll feel a lot more comfortable. Why Use Markdown at All? This all might have you asking: Why are sites forcing people to learn a slightly esoteric way to format text? And the answer is that this system, even if a little bit confusing at first, is very straightforward and clear once you get used to it. Most people get used to writing on a computer using tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. There are both word processors, meaning they are built to represent a printed page on your screen. They also both are called 'what you see is what you get' editors—or WYSIWYG editors—meaning that the formatting is shown on the screen directly. If you bold some text, you see it as bold on the screen; if you add a link, you see the linked text get underlined and turn blue like it would on a web page. There is no way to tell, by looking at the text itself, where bolding begins and ends or what the destination of the link is. This might seem intuitive, and to be fair there is a simplicity to it. But that simplicity is made possible by code that the user does not see, and the fact that the code is kept behind the scenes can be confusing in some ways. Anyone who has tried to add a few words to the end of a link, or right after a link, knows that this ambiguity can be frustrating—you'll end up either accidentally making the link longer than you intended, or doing the opposite and adding text that's not linked. This doesn't happen while writing in Markdown because you can clearly see where all the formatting begins and ends. Markdown files are also future-proof. Because all of the text formatting, linking, and document structure schema is written in plaintext, a format that hasn't changed in decades and isn't owned by any one company, you can be reasonably certain that anyone who finds a Markdown file in 50 years is going to be able to make sense of it. The same can't be said about Microsoft Office files. And, finally, there's speed. I personally find writing in Markdown a lot faster. I've used it for thousands of articles published online at many publications, including the one you're reading now. As I write, I appreciate that I can do all of my formatting without using menus and toolbars, and without even moving my fingers from the keyboard. As an editor, I appreciate knowing exactly where formatting begins and ends. You can argue whether this is worth the trade-offs of the more familiar WYSIWYG editor, and many people have. But for many, myself included, Markdown is simpler to use while writing for the web. Apps and Resources This article is intended as an introduction to Markdown, not a full guide. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend checking out a website that takes the time to walk you through how Markdown works and why you might want to use it. The real fun, though, comes when you start playing with Markdown editors. I mentioned and that's a great starting point. There are also excellent editors for your computer. Typora is a very nice $15 application that lets you type in Markdown and see the formatting in real time. The very popular (and free) note-taking application Obsidian, which I personally use for writing and productivity, works the same way but with a lot more bells and whistles. Or, if you want something simple for editing single files, Markedit is quite good on the Mac, and MarkDownPad works well on Windows. Learning Markdown is a bit of work up front, granted, but it can really speed up writing once you get used to it—and the right tools make it easier.
Geeky Gadgets
22-06-2025
- Geeky Gadgets
Beginner's Guide to Obsidian in 2025 : Organize Your Notes Like a Pro
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information you need to manage daily—whether it's work tasks, personal projects, or creative ideas? In a world where knowledge is power, staying organized can feel like an uphill battle. That's where Obsidian comes in. This powerful yet approachable tool offers a fresh take on knowledge management, combining the simplicity of plain text files with the sophistication of features like backlinks and graph views. Unlike cloud-based apps that lock your data into their systems, Obsidian puts you in control with its local-first approach, making sure your notes are private, secure, and entirely yours. Whether you're a student, a professional, or a curious mind looking to untangle your thoughts, Obsidian has something to offer—and this how-to will show you how to make the most of it. In this beginner-friendly guide crafted by CreaDev Labs, you'll discover how to transform a blank slate into a dynamic system tailored to your unique needs. From setting up your first 'vault' to mastering Markdown's simple yet powerful formatting, we'll explore the essential tools that make Obsidian stand out. But we won't stop there—this guide also teases the advanced features that can supercharge your productivity, like visualizing ideas with Graph View or automating workflows with templates. By the end, you'll not only understand how to use Obsidian but also how to shape it into a tool that grows with you. The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination—so what kind of knowledge system will you create? Obsidian Note-Taking Overview Getting Started with Obsidian To begin using Obsidian, download and install the application on your device. Once installed, you'll create a 'vault,' which serves as a local folder where all your notes are stored as plain text files. This local-first approach ensures your data remains private and under your control, a significant advantage over cloud-based tools that often rely on external servers. Vaults form the foundation of your knowledge management system. You can create multiple vaults tailored to different purposes, such as personal projects, academic research, or professional workflows. This flexibility allows you to adapt Obsidian to your unique needs, whether you're managing a single project or building an extensive knowledge base. For example, you might maintain one vault for work-related tasks and another for personal journaling, making sure your information stays organized and accessible. Mastering Markdown: The Language of Obsidian Markdown is the simple yet versatile formatting language that powers Obsidian. Learning Markdown is essential for structuring your notes effectively and unlocking the app's full potential. With Markdown, you can: Format text: Create headings, bold or italicize text, and structure content with lists. Create headings, bold or italicize text, and structure content with lists. Manage tasks: Insert checkboxes to track tasks and to-dos directly within your notes. Insert checkboxes to track tasks and to-dos directly within your notes. Link notes: Use double square brackets (e.g., [[Note Title]] ) to connect notes, building a network of interconnected ideas. For instance, typing `bold` will render bold text, while `italics` creates italicized text. These simple commands make it easy to format your notes without relying on complex menus or tools. By mastering Markdown, you can create well-structured, visually clear notes that enhance both readability and functionality. Obsidian for Beginner's Guide 2025 Watch this video on YouTube. Dive deeper into Obsidian note-taking with other articles and guides we have written below. Core Features for Organizing Your Notes Obsidian offers a range of features designed to help you manage and organize large volumes of information efficiently. These tools ensure your notes remain accessible and interconnected as your vault grows: Backlinks: Automatically connect related notes by linking them. For example, linking a note on 'Time Management' to one on 'Productivity' helps you explore relationships between topics. Automatically connect related notes by linking them. For example, linking a note on 'Time Management' to one on 'Productivity' helps you explore relationships between topics. Graph View: Visualize your notes as a network of nodes, revealing patterns and connections within your knowledge base. This feature is particularly useful for identifying clusters of related ideas. Visualize your notes as a network of nodes, revealing patterns and connections within your knowledge base. This feature is particularly useful for identifying clusters of related ideas. Search Functionality: Quickly locate specific notes or keywords. You can also save frequent searches as bookmarks for easy access to recurring queries. Quickly locate specific notes or keywords. You can also save frequent searches as bookmarks for easy access to recurring queries. Folders and Tags: Organize notes hierarchically with folders or categorically with tags. For instance, you might use folders for broad topics like 'Work' or 'Personal' and tags for more specific classifications like 'Deadlines' or 'Ideas.' Organize notes hierarchically with folders or categorically with tags. For instance, you might use folders for broad topics like 'Work' or 'Personal' and tags for more specific classifications like 'Deadlines' or 'Ideas.' Metadata: Add custom properties such as dates, authors, or project statuses to your notes for better filtering and organization. These features work together to create a dynamic and adaptable system for managing your notes, making it easier to retrieve and connect information as needed. Advanced Tools to Boost Productivity Obsidian goes beyond basic note-taking by offering advanced tools that enhance your workflows and support more complex projects. These tools include: Canvas: A visual mind-mapping tool that allows you to arrange notes, media, and web pages on a dashboard. This feature is ideal for brainstorming, project planning, or visually organizing ideas. A visual mind-mapping tool that allows you to arrange notes, media, and web pages on a dashboard. This feature is ideal for brainstorming, project planning, or visually organizing ideas. Templates: Automate repetitive tasks by creating reusable note structures. For example, you can design a template for meeting notes with predefined sections for agenda, discussion points, and action items. Automate repetitive tasks by creating reusable note structures. For example, you can design a template for meeting notes with predefined sections for agenda, discussion points, and action items. Plugins: Extend Obsidian's functionality with community-developed plugins. These can add features like calendar integration, advanced graph views, or task management enhancements. These tools allow you to customize Obsidian to fit your unique needs, whether you're managing a creative project, conducting research, or building a personal knowledge base. Customization and Settings One of Obsidian's standout features is its extensive customization options, which allow you to tailor the app to your workflow and preferences. Key customization options include: Themes: Switch between light and dark modes or apply custom themes to match your aesthetic preferences. Switch between light and dark modes or apply custom themes to match your aesthetic preferences. Editor Settings: Adjust settings like line wrapping, spell check, and font size to enhance your writing experience. Adjust settings like line wrapping, spell check, and font size to enhance your writing experience. Hotkeys: Use keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation and actions, such as creating new notes or toggling between panes. Use keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation and actions, such as creating new notes or toggling between panes. Pane Management: Open multiple notes side by side or stack them in tabs to streamline multitasking. These options make Obsidian a highly adaptable tool, making sure it integrates seamlessly into your productivity workflow. Practical Use Cases Obsidian's versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of applications. Here are some practical ways to use the app: Project Dashboards: Create dashboards that link to relevant notes, deadlines, and resources, allowing you to track progress and stay organized. Create dashboards that link to relevant notes, deadlines, and resources, allowing you to track progress and stay organized. Book Notes: Organize your reading with metadata fields like author, publication date, and key takeaways. Use backlinks to connect related books or themes for deeper insights. Organize your reading with metadata fields like author, publication date, and key takeaways. Use backlinks to connect related books or themes for deeper insights. Daily Journals: Use templates to streamline daily journaling, tracking tasks, reflections, and goals in a consistent format. Use templates to streamline daily journaling, tracking tasks, reflections, and goals in a consistent format. Research Management: Compile research notes, link related topics, and use the graph view to visualize connections between ideas. These examples highlight how Obsidian can adapt to both personal and professional needs, enhancing your productivity and creativity. Tips for Effective Organization To maximize the benefits of Obsidian, experiment with different organizational methods. Start with a folder-based structure for broad topics and gradually incorporate tags or backlinks as your vault grows. Use the graph view to identify orphan notes—those without connections—and create links to integrate them into your knowledge network. Remember, your system doesn't need to be perfect from the start. Allow it to evolve as you become more familiar with Obsidian's features and discover workflows that align with your goals. This iterative approach ensures your knowledge management system remains flexible and effective. Balancing Flexibility with Complexity Obsidian's extensive customization options can feel overwhelming at first, but taking the time to explore its features is worthwhile. Whether you prefer a minimalist approach or a highly detailed knowledge base, Obsidian's flexibility allows you to create a system that works for you. Start small, focus on mastering the basics, and gradually incorporate advanced tools and plugins as your confidence grows. Media Credit: CreaDev Labs Filed Under: Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Time of India
Apple set to host WWDC 2025 on June 9: iOS 26, new AI-powered and other software updates expected
is gearing up to kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, June 9, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (10:30 p.m. IST). The event, running through June 13, is expected to unveil significant updates across Apple's software platforms, including a major redesign of iOS and a shift in naming conventions for its operating systems. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now How to watch WWDC 2025 Keynote The keynote address will be streamed live on Apple's official website, the Apple TV app, and Apple's YouTube channel. Viewers can access the stream on various devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs. The event, as mentioned above, will kickstart at 10:00am PT (10:30PM IST). For those unable to watch live, on-demand playback will be available shortly after the event concludes. What to expect from Apple WWDC 2025: iOS 26 and more New Naming Convention Apple is anticipated to introduce a new naming system for its operating systems, aligning version numbers with the release year. This means the successor to iOS 18 – instead of iOS 19 – will be called iOS 26, corresponding to its 2025 release. Similar changes are expected for iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and other platforms that are likely to be called iPadPS 26, macOS 26 , watchOS 26 and more. Major Design Overhaul iOS 26 is rumoured to feature a significant visual redesign, drawing inspiration from visionOS. The update, codenamed "Solarium," aims to introduce a more translucent, glass-like aesthetic with floating on-screen elements and simplified navigation. These design changes are expected to extend across other Apple operating systems for a more unified user experience. New Features and applications expected with iOS 16 Several new features are anticipated in iOS 26. These may inlcude: Messages: Apple may introduce automatic translation for incoming and outgoing texts, and the ability to create in-message polls. Apple may introduce automatic translation for incoming and outgoing texts, and the ability to create in-message polls. Apple Music: Animated album art on the Lock Screen's Now Playing view, enhancing the visual experience. Animated album art on the Lock Screen's Now Playing view, enhancing the visual experience. Notes: S upport for exporting notes in Markdown format, catering to users who utilize third-party platforms. upport for exporting notes in Markdown format, catering to users who utilize third-party platforms. CarPlay: Visual updates to align with the new iOS 26 design language, improving consistency across devices. and AI Integration Building upon its Apple Intelligence platform, Apple is expected to introduce AI-powered features, including: Improved battery management: AI-driven tools to analyze user habits and optimize battery usage. Siri Enhancements: While a complete Siri overhaul may not debut immediately, incremental improvements leveraging AI are anticipated. Apple WWDC 2025: New Software Updates In addition to iOS 26, Apple is likely to announce updates to other operating systems: macOS 26 (Tahoe): The new software update is expected to adopt the new design aesthetics and introduce features enhancing user productivity. iPadOS 26 : It is anticipated to include improved window management and multitasking capabilities : It is anticipated to include improved window management and multitasking capabilities watchOS 26: Potentially featuring AI-driven health and fitness tracking enhancements. iPhone 16e: 5 Reasons to buy the most affordable iPhone 16 series model!
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft Brings Notepad Closer to Word With New Features
Microsoft has started rolling out an update to Notepad for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels on Windows 11. The updated version 11.2504.50.0 brings lightweight formatting options to the classic text editor. With this update, Notepad now supports Markdown-style input and files, meaning that if you prefer to work directly with this markup language, you can do so more easily. The new formatting toolbar lets you apply text styling such as bold and italics, add hyperlinks, and create simple lists and headings. All this means that Notepad is now more effective for organizing notes or documents with basic formatting without needing to switch to a full word processor such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, now that WordPad is gone. You can switch between a formatted Markdown view and a plain Markdown syntax view from the View menu or by using a toggle button in the status bar. If you want to return to plain text at any time, you can clear all formatting using the toolbar or the Edit menu. And for those who prefer the original Notepad experience, there is an option in the app settings to disable formatting entirely. Microsoft has asked users to share their thoughts and suggestions through the Feedback Hub under Apps > Notepad.
