I use DEVONthink daily, but I’m not super tech savvy. I would like to learn to use markdown, having had AI convert some documents for me and liking the result.
Is simply using the built-in markdown editor sufficient, or would I learn better with something like Typora? Hope this is okay to ask here, as my markdown use will be for DEVONthink. I’m currently use the beta 4 version.
You do not learn markdown with a certain program. I suggest taking a look at the MultiMarkdown user manual for version 6. That’s the dialect DT implements.
Thank you so much for that link.
I was actually thinking I could learn markdown using DEVONthink, because of the side by side viewing option, where I can see what happens as I type.
Indeed, you can. Just start typing in the editing side and get your thoughts out quickly. Add styling as you go or after the fact.
Not to veer off topic, but I annotate documents almost all of the time. In plain text. Any advantages or disadvantages to using markdown for this?
How are you annotating in plain text?
Ahh… An annotation file. No issue as you’re already using Markdown there.
okay thanks! You guys are always so helpful, I appreciate it.
For a quick introduction, see also Documents > Markdown in DEVONthink’s manual. You probably want to read it anyways at some point, as it includes some things on working with with the format in DT specifically.
Anyways, basic markdown is thankfully pretty simple 
If you find the formatting rules hard to remember, side-by-side view is a good option for learning.
DT also has commands for some basic formatting – ⌘B for bold, ⌘I for italics and such.
The guide chrillek linked is the gold standard for MultiMarkdown. Especially for more advanced stuff. And regarding that, I think very few applications actually support the full MultiMarkdown specification like DEVONthink does. For previewing, DT reigns supreme. At least to me 
How can you tell? It’s also possible to create .txt annotations. I don’t see any formatting; I assume the links are wikilinks.
@tinksquared Plain text doesn’t support any formatting/styling of text. That would be one potential advantage of markdown (or rich text).
Annotation files is the one place I often prefer rich text. The Annotations & Reminders inspector only displays raw markdown. I often include many links – and in that case I find rtf much cleaner to look at.
Since someone on this forum very knowledgeably explained to me that it is very unlikely that RTF will ever die, I am completely relaxed
Call me a fool, but I’m just more comfortable with RTF. I know how it works and I know all the shortcuts.
MsLogica: However to answer the question you’ve been hinting at throughout your posts in your thread, RTF is unlikely to be going anywhere. It’s the code framework behind which Microsoft Word operates (though to be clear .docx are a different file type!), and has been a mainstay of word processing for decades. Even if Microsoft and Apple decided to no longer support it - I don’t know why they would make that decision - a lot of the world would grind to a halt without it and someone would produce a solution! In any case, Microsoft and Apple are not the only organisations making word processors, and most word processors can handle RTF, so you’d be fine.
So, from a longevity perspective, you’re fine in RTF or plain text/md.
That’s all I need to know
Because there are only two default formats: Markdown and rich text. Plain text isn’t a default format since it doesn’t support links except WikiLinks.
Ah! Makes sense. I added a plain text template at some point for testing and had forgotten the option wasn’t there otherwise.
You’re no fool if rich text works for you and you stick with it.
Indeed, I have been thinking I should make more use of rich text. Easier to capture screenshots when taking notes on a video, which is something I do a lot of.
My annotations are in plain text, and those are wiki links. I have downloaded the guide chrillek so awesomely shared and plan to study it.
At my age, it’s good to teach myself new skills and not stick within my comfort zone
Rich text and Markdown are both solid formats, each with their own (subjective) advantages. My friend @korm turned me onto Markdown years ago and I quickly fell in love with it. But there’s a familiarity in rich text that’s deep in the bones of many people. Both are good choices IMHO.
I’m more comfortable using a WYSIWYG editor instead of Markdown
but I don’t know the RTF source coding
I’m more familiar with the HTML coding used in Formatted Note
I couldn’t have said it better
I don’t know how old you are and I would never ask … but it doesn’t make sense at any age to learn what you don’t actually need. There are so many interesting things. Markdown is at the bottom of that list. I mean, to learn it so you’ve learned it. No offense to anyone who already knows Markdown and wants to use it.
Probably means as much as: If you can already do one, you don’t need to learn the other. 
Well today I’m having a lot of fun making markdown templates for citations in Typenator… I mean, who knew? To use with my documents in DEVONthink.
Game changer!
Awesome! Sounds like a fun project 
