# Discount GFM Specification

Check out the Markdown Dingus to experiment with the Discount processor.

Contents

- What is Discount GFM?
- Key Characteristics
- Major Differences from Standard Markdown
- Discount GFM vs Other Markdown Flavors
- Key Advantages of Discount GFM
- Common Use Cases
- Configuration Options
- Implementation Details
- Best Practices
- Migration from Standard Markdown
- Resources

## What is Discount GFM?

Discount GFM (GitHub Flavored Markdown) is a C-based Markdown processor that implements GitHub’s extended Markdown syntax. It’s based on the original Discount library but enhanced with GitHub-specific features like tables, task lists, strikethrough text, and automatic URL linking.

## Key Characteristics

- C-Based Performance: Fast, native C implementation for optimal performance
- GitHub Compatibility: Implements GitHub’s Markdown extensions for maximum compatibility
- Lightweight: Minimal dependencies and small footprint
- Extensible: Supports various Markdown extensions and custom options
- HTML5 Support: Generates modern HTML5 output with proper semantic markup

## Major Differences from Standard Markdown

### 1. GitHub Flavored Markdown Extensions

Tables

- Full support for GitHub-style tables with alignment options
- Headers, separators, and data rows with proper HTML table structure
- Column alignment using colons (`:`) in separator rows

    | Header 1 | Header 2 | Header 3 |
    | :------- | :------: | -------: |
    | Left     |  Center  |    Right |
    | Aligned  | Aligned  |  Aligned |

Task Lists

- Support for GitHub-style checkboxes in lists
- Interactive checkboxes (rendered as HTML input elements)
- Both checked and unchecked states supported

    - [x] Completed task
    - [ ] Pending task
    - [x] Another completed task

Strikethrough Text

- Text enclosed in double tildes (`~~`) becomes strikethrough
- Uses HTML `<del>` tags for semantic markup
- Supports multiple tildes for emphasis

    ~~This text is crossed out~~
    ~~Mistaken text that should be removed~~

### 2. Enhanced Code Block Support

Fenced Code Blocks

- Triple backticks (`````) for code blocks
- Language specification for syntax highlighting
- No indentation required (unlike standard Markdown)

    ```javascript
    function hello() {
      console.log("Hello, World!");
    }

    **Automatic Language Detection**

    - Support for many programming languages
    - Proper [syntax highlighting](Features_For_Coders.html) when supported
    - Fallback to plain text for unsupported languages

    ### 3. **Automatic URL Linking** [3-automatic-url-linking]

    **URL Autolinking**

    - Automatic conversion of URLs to clickable links
    - Support for http, https, and ftp protocols
    - Email addresses automatically converted to mailto links

    ```markdown
    Visit http://example.com for more information.
    Contact us at user@example.com

Smart Link Detection

- Recognizes URLs without explicit markup
- Handles various URL formats and protocols
- Configurable link safety options

### 4. Advanced List Features

Alphabetic Lists

- Ordered lists with alphabetic markers (a, b, c, etc.)
- Automatic progression through the alphabet
- Proper HTML `<ol type="a">` output

    <!-- apex-alpha-list-lower -->

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

Enhanced List Processing

- Better handling of nested lists
- Improved spacing and indentation
- Support for mixed list types

### 5. Footnotes Support

Reference-Style Footnotes

- Automatic footnote numbering
- Reference links with `[^1]` syntax
- Footnote definitions at document end

    This is a sentence with a footnote[^1].

    [^1]: This is the footnote content.

Automatic Footnote Processing

- Generates proper HTML footnote structure
- Links between references and definitions
- Sequential numbering throughout document

### 6. HTML Integration

HTML5 Support

- Full HTML5 tag recognition
- Proper semantic markup generation
- Modern HTML structure and attributes

Raw HTML Blocks

- Support for HTML within Markdown
- Proper escaping and sanitization
- Integration with Markdown syntax

### 7. Enhanced Emphasis Rules

Relaxed Emphasis

- Single underscores (`_`) don’t create emphasis in the middle of words
- Better for documenting code and technical content
- Prevents unwanted emphasis in identifiers

    This is a variable_name that won't be emphasized.
    This is _emphasized text_ that will be styled.

Multiple Emphasis Levels

- Support for bold, italic, and combined emphasis
- Consistent with standard Markdown emphasis rules
- Proper HTML output with `<strong>` and `<em>` tags

### 8. Table of Contents Generation

Automatic TOC

- Generates table of contents from headings
- Hierarchical structure based on heading levels
- Configurable TOC generation options

Heading ID Generation

- Automatic ID generation for headings
- Anchor links for easy navigation
- Consistent ID formatting

## Discount GFM vs Other Markdown Flavors

Feature | Discount | CommonMark (GFM) | Kramdown | MultiMarkdown | Standard
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Tables | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No
Strikethrough | Yes | No | No | Yes | No
Task Lists | Yes | No | No | Yes | No
Fenced Code | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No
Math | No | No | Yes | Yes | No
Footnotes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No
Definition Lists | No | No | Yes | Yes | No
Abbreviations | No | No | Yes | No | No
Attribute Lists | No | No | Yes | No | No
Extensions | Limited | No | Yes | Yes | No
Typography | Basic | No | Yes | No | No
Autolinks | Yes | No | No | No | No
Alphabetic Lists | Yes | No | No | No | No

## Key Advantages of Discount GFM

1. GitHub Compatibility: Perfect for content that needs to work on GitHub
2. Performance: Fast C-based implementation
3. Simplicity: Focused on core GitHub features without complexity
4. Reliability: Stable, well-tested implementation
5. Standards Compliance: Follows GitHub’s Markdown specification
6. Lightweight: Minimal resource usage and dependencies

## Common Use Cases

GitHub Documentation

- README files and project documentation
- GitHub Pages and wikis
- Issue and pull request descriptions

Technical Writing

- Code documentation and tutorials
- API documentation
- Technical specifications

Content Management

- Blog posts and articles
- Documentation websites
- Knowledge bases

Collaborative Editing

- Team documentation
- Project planning documents
- Meeting notes and minutes

## Configuration Options

Discount GFM supports various configuration options:

- Auto-linking: Enable/disable automatic URL detection
- Footnotes: Control footnote processing
- Table of Contents: TOC generation settings
- HTML Safety: Link validation and sanitization
- Strict Mode: Enhanced parsing rules
- Smart Quotes: Automatic quote conversion

## Implementation Details

Parser Options

- `kGHMarkdownAutoLink`: Enable automatic URL linking
- `kGHMarkdownFootnotes`: Enable footnote processing
- `kGHMarkdownTOC`: Enable table of contents generation
- `kGHMarkdownSafeLinks`: Restrict links to safe protocols
- `kGHMarkdownNoHTMLTags`: Disable HTML tag processing

Output Features

- HTML5 semantic markup
- Proper heading hierarchy
- Accessible table structures
- Clean, valid HTML output

## Best Practices

1. Use Tables Sparingly: Tables are powerful but can be complex to maintain
2. Leverage Task Lists: Great for project management and documentation
3. Utilize Autolinks: Let the processor handle URL conversion automatically
4. Structure with Headings: Use proper heading hierarchy for better TOC generation
5. Test on GitHub: Verify compatibility with GitHub’s rendering

## Migration from Standard Markdown

Most standard Markdown works with Discount GFM without changes. To take advantage of GFM features:

1. Add Tables: Convert data into GitHub-style table format
2. Use Task Lists: Replace bullet points with checkboxes where appropriate
3. Enable Strikethrough: Use `~~text~~` for crossed-out content
4. Leverage Autolinks: Remove manual link markup for simple URLs
5. Structure Headings: Ensure proper heading hierarchy for TOC generation

## Resources

- GitHub Flavored Markdown Spec
- Discount Library Documentation
- GitHub Markdown Guide
- Markdown Cheat Sheet

This documentation covers Discount GFM as implemented in Marked. For the most current information, always refer to the official GitHub Flavored Markdown specification.

#### Next up: Credits ▶

Support Site | Legal | Privacy