What it is
A simple way to mark up text: a hash for a heading, asterisks for bold, a dash for a list. The file is readable without any software, and the site turns it into a page.
How we use it
Pages, case studies and articles of the studio site live in markdown files in git: editing the site means editing a text file. From the same files we build documentation in Word.
Where it helps a business
- A site needs no database or admin panel: texts change rarely and live as files.
- Documents are edited many times, and you need an edit history rather than "final_final2.docx".
- One text is needed in several formats: on the site, in Word, in PDF.
How we use it
- A site without a database. Pages, cases, articles and this glossary on the studio website live as markdown files in git; a schema checks their structure, so a typo in a field never reaches a visitor.
- Documents for signature. In the network survey of a museum complex every document's source is Markdown, and a script builds a docx from it in the accepted layout.
- One text, three formats. The main documents for the museum complex's management come in Markdown, HTML and PDF.
Common problems
- The edit was made in Word. If a document is built from Markdown, an edit in Word is overwritten by the next build; the source is what you edit.
- Not for everyone. An owner who wants to change prices daily needs an admin panel, not files.
When you do not need it
If texts are edited by someone who does not work with files and git, they need a CMS or an admin panel.