Abstract: A quick reference guide for basic Markdown syntax and its application in Obsidian software.

I. Basic Markdown Syntax

1. Headings

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# Heading Level 1
## Heading Level 2
### Heading Level 3
#### Heading Level 4
##### Heading Level 5
###### Heading Level 6
Level Syntax Usage
H1 # Title Main title (one per document)
H2 ## Section Major sections
H3-H6 ### Subsection Nested subsections

Tip: Use code blocks or add \ (escape character) before special characters to display them literally.

2. Emphasis

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*Italic* or _Italic_
**Bold** or __Bold__
***Bold Italic***
==Highlight==
~~Strikethrough~~
Style Syntax Result
Italic *text* or _text_ text
Bold **text** or __text__ text
Bold Italic ***text*** text
Highlight ==text== ==text== (Obsidian)
Strikethrough ~~text~~ text

3. Lists

Ordered List

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1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

Unordered List

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- Item 1
- Item 2
  - Sub-item (indent with 2 spaces or tab)
  - Another sub-item
- Item 3
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[Link Text](URL)
![Image Alt Text](Image URL)
Type Syntax Example
External Link [Text](url) [GitHub](https://github.com)
Image ![Alt](url) ![Logo](logo.png)

5. Code

Inline Code

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Use the `print()` function to output text.

Code Block

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```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
```

Note: Specify the language after the opening backticks for syntax highlighting.

6. Blockquotes

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> This is a quoted paragraph.
>
>> This is a nested quote.

Result:

This is a quoted paragraph.

This is a nested quote.

7. Horizontal Rule

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---

***

___

All three create a horizontal divider:

II. Obsidian-Specific Features

Obsidian uses [[wikilinks]] for linking between notes:

Link Type Syntax Description
Basic Link [[Note Title]] Link to another note
With Alias [[Note Title|Display Text]] Custom display text
Section Link [[Note Title#Section]] Link to a heading within a note
Block Link [[Note Title#^block-id]] Link to a specific block/paragraph
Embed Note ![[Note Title]] Embed entire note content
Embed Section ![[Note Title#Section]] Embed specific section

2. Task Lists

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- [ ] Unchecked task
- [x] Checked task (completed)
- [ ] Task with sub-tasks
  - [ ] Sub-task 1
  - [x] Sub-task 2

Result:

  • Unchecked task
  • Checked task (completed)

3. Callouts

Obsidian supports styled callout blocks for highlighting information:

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> [!NOTE] Title
> Callout content here.

Callout Behavior Modifiers

Modifier Syntax Behavior
Expandable (default open) > [!NOTE]+ Expanded by default
Collapsible (default closed) > [!NOTE]- Collapsed by default
Default > [!NOTE] Non-collapsible

Available Callout Types

Callout Types Reference
Information:

  • note - General information
  • abstract, summary, tldr - Summaries
  • info, todo - Information and tasks

Success & Tips:

  • tip, hint, important - Helpful advice
  • success, check, done - Success states

Questions & Warnings:

  • question, help, faq - Questions
  • warning, caution, attention - Warnings

Errors & Issues:

  • failure, fail, missing - Failures
  • danger, error - Critical errors
  • bug - Bug reports

Other:

  • example - Examples
  • quote, cite - Quotations