Do you realise that when you're blogging, you are also programming?
Now, I don't mean that you are writing code in the usual sense of programming. But you usually include commands within your posts. That is, instructions to tell Internet browsers to display your content in different ways. So let's look at how bloggers might accidentally spoil the programming behind their blog posts on the Internet.
Image created using CreArt with the prompt, "Female creating a blog article about computer programming"
Common Blog Writing Commands
This is not a comprehensive guide to blog writing commands. But here are some common examples of commands that affect how your content is displayed:
- lists
- headings
- Italic
- Bold
- links
When you type your posts in your chosen Hive frontend, you will see these commands:
This is a screenshot from my Ecency post editor on Android. So your view might be different. But the important thing is that Hive uses the Markdown language to store your posts and comments. Therefore, symbols like the hyphen and asterisk become commands in Markdown. And it's vital to follow the rules. If you want to avoid weird display effects.
In fact, @maxinpower had this very problem in Hive Frontend Display Problem. Which prompted me to write this post. So I've shared 10% of the rewards for this post with @maxinpower. Because my tiny upvote is too little reward for the inspiration that post gave me.
Markdown Generates HTML
Most importantly, you should understand that Markdown is only used to save you from learning HTML. Because HTML is the language that is used by browsers to display web pages.
This is a screenshot showing the Markdown commands that the Hive frontend has converted to HTML. Now that is proper programming! It even has line numbers, reminding me of my early days writing BASIC computer programs. So now you can see HTML computer programs that you have generated. By using the View Source feature of most modern browsers. Whenever you visit one of your published posts.
Remember that as a blogger, you cannot avoid computer programming. Unless all you want to present is clear text. Because a web page is a program that browsers use to display your content to your readers. So if you stick to simple commands in your Hive frontend post editor, all will be well. But if you type in additional Markdown or HTML commands, you have to ensure that you obey the rules of those programming languages.
So, you can avoid most problems by sticking to Markdown commands generated automatically from clicking buttons in your Hive frontend editor. But you have to be careful when you edit your post. Because it's easy to delete one of those command symbols. Especially if you don't understand the Markdown rules.
Are Bloggers Really Programmers?
Blogging is not programming. But if you want to present your content in the best way, it certainly helps if you learn Markdown and HTML.
Learning Markdown enables you to include commands that your chosen Hive frontend does not include in their editor. Such as tables.
Note that each Hive frontend handles Markdown differently. So they might try to help you by not insisting on strict rules. Such as leaving a blank line after each formatting change (paragraphs, headings, quotes, etc). But if you get into the habit of writing strict Markdown, you can be assured that your content will display consistently across all Hive frontends.
Learning HTML is useful if you want to include browser features that Markdown doesn't support. Because you can type HTML into most Hive frontend editors. But you really need to think like a programmer if you want to include HTML. Otherwise, you can easily make your content unreadable.
I plan to write about useful HTML snippets at a later date. Also, a free tool for learning strict Markdown rules as you write your posts. But for now, let's focus on using the Markdown editor in your chosen Hive front end.
- Are you struggling to write effective Markdown code?
- Do you have a useful guide to writing Markdown code?
Please share your questions, experiences, and opinions in the comments.
