Quick Reference: Writing RST and Markdown

Tags: documentor reference

RST and MyST Markdown are both powerful and flexible. Below, we provide a quick guide for how you can use them to write Open edX documentation.

Headings

RST

Heading 1
#########

There should be only 1 Heading 1 per topic, as the topic title.
The underline must match the length of the text above it.

Heading 2
*********

Heading 2s denote the main sections of a topic.

Heading 3
=========

Heading 3s denote subsections under Heading 2s.

Heading 4
---------

Heading 4s denote subsections under Heading 3s.

Heading 5
~~~~~~~~~

Heading 5s denote subsections under Heading 4s.
If you are this deep, consider splitting your document into multiple topics.

Markdown

# Heading 1

There should be only 1 Heading 1 per topic, as the topic title.

## Heading 2

Heading 2s denote the main sections of a topic.

### Heading 3

Heading 3s denote subsections under Heading 2s.

#### Heading 4

Heading 4s denote subsections under Heading 3s.

##### Heading 5

Heading 5s denote subsections under Heading 4s.
If you are this deep, consider splitting your document into multiple topics.

Tip

RST: Here’s a way to remember the symbols for heading levels: # has four lines, * has three lines, = has two lines, - has one line, and ~ has zero lines.

Note

RST: RST allows you to use almost any symbol to underline headings as long as you’re consistent between heading levels. However, the abovementioned way is how headings should be defined in all Open edX documentation.

Markdown: Markdown uses 1-6 # symbols for heading levels 1-6.

How To Use Sections Effectively

You can nest sections in the topic as needed to structure it and break it into discrete parts.

Copy the Topic and Section Structure below as needed.

RST

Topic Title
###########

Introduce the topic

If this is a long topic with multiple sections, use the **contents** directive below:

.. contents:: Contents
   :depth: 1
   :local:

Section 1
*********

Introduce Section One

Subsection 1
++++++++++++

Content for Section 1/Subsection 1

Subsection 2
++++++++++++

Content for Section 1/Subsection 2

Section 2
*********

Introduce Section Two

Subsection 1
++++++++++++

Content for Section 2/Subsection 1

Subsection 2
++++++++++++

Content for Section 2/Subsection 2

Markdown

# Topic Title

Introduce the topic

If this is a long topic with multiple sections, use the **contents** directive below:

```{contents} Contents
:depth: 1
:local:
```

## Section 1

Introduce Section One

### Subsection 1

Content for Section 1/Subsection 1

### Subsection 2

Content for Section 1/Subsection 2

## Section 2

Introduce Section Two

### Subsection 1

Content for Section 2/Subsection 1

### Subsection 2

Content for Section 2/Subsection 2

Inline Markup

Both RST and MyST Markdown support bold, italic, and mono-spaced characters.

RST

Use double asterisks for **bold** text.

Use single asterisks for *italic* text.

Use double backticks for ``mono-spaced`` text.

Use the guilabel role for :guilabel:`GUI elements`

Markdown

Use double asterisks for **bold** text.

Use single asterisks for *italic* text.

Use single backticks for `mono-spaced` text.

Use the guilabel role for {guilabel}`GUI elements`

Lists

You can make numbered and bulleted lists that can nest arbitrarily.

RST

#. Item 1
                        # Need this blank line between items and sub-items
   * Sub-item 1         # Sub-items of ordered lists need to be indented by
   * Sub-item 2         # 3 spaces

#. Item 2

* Item 1

  #. Sub-item 1         # Sub-items of unordered lists need to be indented
  #. Sub-item 2         # by exactly 2 spaces

* Item 2

Markdown

1. Item 1

   * Sub-item 1
   * Sub-item 2

2. Item 2

* Item 1

  1. Sub-item 1
  2. Sub-item 2

* Item 2

Both examples above produce the following published list:

1. Item 1

   • Sub-item 1

   • Sub-item 2

2. Item 2

• Item 1

  1. Sub-item 1

  2. Sub-item 2

• Item 2

See the RST guide on lists for more detail.

Linking

Links off-site

RST

You can have `inline links <https://example.com>`_

`Indirect links`_ can be useful if you want to link to the same thing
multiple times, or if the url is really long and you want things to read more
cleanly.

.. _Indirect links: http://example.com/?lorem=Lorem%20ipsum%20dolor%20sit

Markdown

You can have [inline links](https://example.com)

[Indirect links] can be useful if you want to link to the same thing
multiple times, or if the url is really long and you want things to read more
cleanly.

[Indirect links]: http://example.com/?lorem=Lorem%20ipsum%20dolor%20sit

Links within a document

RST

.. _some_location:

New Subsection Title
--------------------

Some text at this location.


Some other stuff that links back to :ref:`some_location`.

Markdown

(some_location)=
## New Subsection Title

Some text at this location.

Some other stuff that links back to {ref}`some_location`.

Links between documents

RST

Link to :doc:`file_b` in the same folder or :doc:`../file_c` in a different
folder or doc:`/file_d` relative to the root of the project.

By default it will use the title of the doc as the link text but you can
override that with doc:`other text </file_d>` if you want.

Markdown

Link to {doc}`file_b` in the same folder or {doc}`../file_c` in a different
folder or {doc}`/file_d` relative to the root of the project.

By default it will use the title of the doc as the link text but you can
override that with {doc}`other text </file_d>` if you want.

Directives

Both RST and MyST Markdown can do a lot of things via directives. Here are some common ones:

RST

.. warning::  This is a warning.

   It will be styled to stand-out in the documentation.

.. note:: This is a note.

   It will stand-out but not as much as a warning.

.. image:: path/to/image.png
   :alt: Alternative text for accessibility.

.. code-block:: python

   Some python code.

.. seealso::

   `Link to a thing <https://example.com>`_
      A brief description of the thing

   `Link to another thing <https://example.com/other>`_
      A brief description of another thing.

Markdown

```{warning}
This is a warning.

It will be styled to stand-out in the documentation.
```

```{note}
This is a note.

It will stand-out but not as much as a warning.
```

```{image} path/to/image.png
:alt: Alternative text for accessibility.
```

```python
Some python code.
```

```{seealso}
[Link to a thing](https://example.com)
: A brief description of the thing

[Link to another thing](https://example.com/other)
: A brief description of another thing.
```

Tip

MyST Nesting: When nesting directives in MyST Markdown, use more backticks for outer directives than inner ones:

````{note}
This is an outer note.

```{warning}
This warning is nested inside the note.
```
````

Tables

To add a table like the following example:

Code Number	#1
Title	Table Example
Last-Modified	2024-11-08
Documents	Open edX Documentors Style Guide Open edX Diataxis Criteria Example 3 Example 4 Example 5

Use the following code:

RST

+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Code Number   | #1                                                           |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Title         | Table Example                                                |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Last-Modified | 2024-11-08                                                   |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Documents     | - Open edX Documentors Style Guide                           |
|               | - Open edX Diataxis Criteria                                 |
|               | - Example 3                                                  |
|               | - Example 4                                                  |
|               | - Example 5                                                  |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+

Markdown

| Code Number   | #1                                                           |
|---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Title         | Table Example                                                |
| Last-Modified | 2024-11-08                                                   |
| Documents     | - Open edX Documentors Style Guide<br>- Open edX Diataxis Criteria<br>- Example 3<br>- Example 4<br>- Example 5 |

See also

To see alternative ways of defining tables, visit the RST documentation about this topic.

Add a Substitution

A substitution serves as a variable which you can set a value for once, then use repeatedly. This is useful for words or phrases that are used often, as it enables you to edit the value once and change it everywhere.

Substitutions are all kept in the source/substitutions.txt file in the documentation project on GitHub.

Copy the format for the substitution as needed.

RST

.. |variable name| replace:: value

.. |Platform name| replace:: Open edX

You then add the variable name inline in the topic.

A line of text with an |variable name| inserted.

Markdown

MyST Markdown substitutions work the same way as RST:

.. |variable name| replace:: value

.. |Platform name| replace:: Open edX

You then add the variable name inline in the topic.

A line of text with an |variable name| inserted.

Add a Sidebar

You can add any content in a sidebar. Open edX documentation uses sidebars for image thumbnails, videos, and other notes.

The sidebar must come directly after a heading.

Copy this codeblock to add a new sidebar topic.

RST

.. sidebar:: Sample Sidebar

  Any content, typically an image, video, or note.

Markdown

```{sidebar} Sample Sidebar
Any content, typically an image, video, or note.
```

Add an Image to a Topic

You can add an image on its separate line, inline, or in a sidebar.

You can also add an image directly or add a thumbnail of a larger image, which, when clicked on, will open the full image.

You must save images in the source/_images directory before adding a reference to it in a topic.

Add an Image on its Own Line

Copy this codeblock to an image on its own line.

RST

Line of content, followed by a line with an image.

.. image:: /_images/image-file-name

Or, a line of content, followed by a clickable thumbnail of a large image.

.. thumbnail:: /_images/image-file-name

Markdown

Line of content, followed by a line with an image.

```{image} /_images/image-file-name
```

Or, a line of content, followed by a clickable thumbnail of a large image.

```{thumbnail} /_images/image-file-name
```

Add an Image Inline

To add an image inline, you must first create a substitution for the image in the substitutions.txt file.

Copy the format for the substitution as needed.

RST

.. |variable name| image:: /_images/image-file-name

You then add the variable name inline in the topic.

A line of text with an |variable name| inserted.

Markdown

.. |variable name| image:: /_images/image-file-name

You then add the variable name inline in the topic.

A line of text with an |variable name| inserted.

Add a Thumbnail in a Sidebar

You can add a thumbnail in a sidebar, a common practice for How-to topics.

The sidebar must come directly after a heading.

Copy this codeblock to add a new sidebar with a thumbnail.

RST

.. sidebar:: Sample Sidebar with a thumbnail

  .. thumbnail:: _images/image-file-name

Markdown

```{sidebar} Sample Sidebar with a thumbnail
```{thumbnail} _images/image-file-name
```

Learn More

See also

RST Resources:

A one-page RST reference document (PDF)

This reference document summarizes the RST rules in an easy-to-print reference guide.

RST Primer

The primer has a lot more detail about the concepts behind RST markup.

RST Docs

If you want even more details about RST, check out the full RST documentation.

MyST Markdown Resources:

MyST Markdown Syntax Sample

A complete sample page written in MyST Markdown demonstrating all the syntax examples.

MyST Parser Documentation

Complete documentation for MyST Markdown syntax and features.

MyST Syntax Guide

A comprehensive guide to MyST Markdown syntax.

See also

About Open edX® Documentation Standards (concept)

Documentor Guidelines (reference)

Documentation Maintenance Process (reference)

Guidelines for Writing Global English (reference)

Open edX Documentation Writing Style Guide (reference)

Documentation Templates (reference)

Documentation Audiences (concept)

Update An Existing Doc via GitHub (how-to)

Add New Documentation via GitHub (how-to)

Report a problem with the docs (how-to)

Maintenance chart

Review Date	Working Group Reviewer	Release	Test situation

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