Syntax
Zelares uses Markdown as the editor format, extended with a few conventions of its own for things plain Markdown doesn't cover, like callouts and internal links. This page documents current user-visible support, not unbounded CommonMark, GFM, or Obsidian parity. Target syntax is marked as limited or planned until its implementation and required validation exist. The page also shows which items are available from the context menu, so you can check exactly what's supported before you rely on it. The repository product contract records the detailed dialect and cross-surface matrix separately. Where a feature has its own page with a fuller explanation and examples, the feature name links there.
Compatibility
| Feature | Syntax | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paragraphs | Blank line between blocks | Supported | Use blank lines to separate paragraphs. Normal Markdown whitespace collapsing applies in rendered content. |
| Line breaks | Two trailing spaces, then Enter | Supported | Use a hard line break when you need a new visual line inside the same paragraph. |
| Headings | # through ###### | Supported | Headings 1 through 6 are available from Markdown and the right-click Paragraph menu. |
| Setext headings | Title followed by === or --- | Target work | The accepted Markdown target includes level-one and level-two Setext headings, but the current live-preview contract does not claim them as shipped editor behavior. |
| Bold, italic, bold italic | **bold**, *italic*, ***both*** | Supported | The context menu can toggle bold and italic on the current word or selection. |
| Highlight | ==highlight== | Supported | Highlight is available from the Format menu and in markdown examples. |
| Strikethrough | ~~removed~~ | Supported | Strikethrough is available from the Format menu. |
| Internal links | [[/path/to/file]] and [[file#heading|alias]] | Supported | Use workspace paths for predictable linking. Heading fragments and aliases are understood by link and backlink helpers. |
| Markdown links | [text](url-or-file.md) | Supported | Use Markdown links for external URLs or relative file targets. |
| Reference links | [text][id] and [id]: destination | Target work | Reference definitions are part of the accepted parser contract, but the current editor does not claim shared reference-link ownership across navigation, search, graph, and published rendering. |
| Autolinks | <https://example.com> and <writer@example.com> | Target work — bounded policy | The target includes angle-bracket http/https/email and parser-compatible GFM bare http/https, www., and email forms. Only http, https, and mailto are allowed; unsupported schemes remain literal. |
| External images |  | Supported | Use standard Markdown image syntax with a reachable image URL. Bounded Obsidian Markdown size suffixes such as |100x145 are also supported. |
| Blockquotes | > Quote | Supported | Quotes are available from the Paragraph menu. |
| Callouts | > [!NOTE] Title | Supported with limits | Contiguous callouts, case-insensitive types/aliases, custom titles, fold markers, nested block ownership, and fallback styling are supported within the bounded editor body contract. |
| Tables | | header | cell | | Supported with limits | The editor supports bounded table rows with optional outer pipes and alignment preservation, and provides a limited cell preview. Full inline Markdown ownership inside cells remains target work. |
| Lists | - item, * item, + item, 1. item | Supported with limits | The current editor supports -, *, and + bullets plus period- and parenthesis-delimited ordered forms within the bounded continuation contract. |
| Task lists | - [ ] task and - [x] done | Supported with limits | Current checkbox support covers -, *, and + task bullets with [ ], [x], and [X] states. Other task characters remain outside the bounded contract. |
| Horizontal rules | ---, ***, or ___ | Supported | The context menu inserts --- as the default horizontal rule. |
| Inline code | `code` | Supported | Inline code is available from the Format menu. |
| Code blocks | ```language | Supported | Use fenced code blocks and add a language name for the block label and renderer metadata. Full editor-side language highlighting is not currently promised. |
| Mermaid diagrams | ```mermaid | Supported with fence limits | Use the predictable root-level backtick-fence form. Broader indentation, tilde, and fence-length parity is target work. |
| Math | $inline$ and $$block$$ | Supported with limits | The editor uses the directly declared KaTeX dependency for inline/display math and preserves escaped, code-owned, fence-owned, and malformed formulas as literal source. Fenced math blocks and complete export/reader equivalence are not current guarantees. |
| Wiki embeds and block references | ![[file|widthxheight]] and [[file#^block-id]] | Supported with limits | Selected image, Markdown, and PDF wiki embeds are supported, including block IDs and bounded image sizing. Missing, ambiguous, unsupported, and unauthorized outcomes remain explicit. |
| Block IDs and references | ^block-id and [[file#^block-id]] | Supported with limits | Block identifiers and block-fragment navigation are distinct from heading fragments in the editor path. Downstream published/export parity remains separate. |
| Properties and front matter | ---\nkey: value\n--- | Supported with limits | The editor supports a bounded root front-matter/property grammar. Arbitrary YAML, nested properties, duplicate-key policy, and silent type conversion are not current guarantees. |
| Comments | %%comment%% | Ownership boundary with limits | The editor preserves inline and multiline comment source and prevents links/tags from being projected from comment-owned ranges. A dedicated hidden-comment widget and full comment visibility controls are not current behavior. |
| GitHub HTML and details | <details><summary>Title</summary>...</details> | Supported with limits | The editor and local HTML export support a sanitized, bounded <details>/<summary> subset with boolean open state. HTML comments remain source-owned; arbitrary raw HTML, scripts, styles, event handlers, unsafe URLs, and downstream-reader parity are not current guarantees. |
| Footnotes | [^1] and [^1]: note | Not inserted | The Insert menu shows a Foot Note item, but it does not insert a snippet yet. |
| Escaped Markdown | \*literal asterisk\* | Supported | Use a backslash before formatting punctuation when you want it to display as literal text. Active/source editing keeps authored escapes visible; inactive Live Preview and Reading View omit escape backslashes by Markdown parity while preserving the escaped punctuation. |
Quick example
---
tags: docs, example
---
# Project Note
This is **important**, ==highlighted==, and linked to [[/Formatting Examples/Headings]].
> [!TIP] Draft faster
> Use the context menu to insert tables, callouts, code blocks, and math blocks.
- [x] Write the outline
- [ ] Add examples
```mermaid
graph TD
A[Idea] --> B[Draft]
B --> C[Review]
```Related pages
For a friendlier walkthrough of the most common formatting, see Markdown Basics. For structured data grids, see Tables. For flowcharts and diagrams, see Mermaid Diagrams.