Contents
Overview
Enable Markdown Text
To enable Markdown text in an eligible field:
- Open the Form Builder for the form that contains the Presentational Text field to format or edit.
- Add a Presentational Text field from the Field Types pane on right side of the screen, or locate an existing Presentational Text field to edit.
- Select the Edit Field button for that field to open the field options.
- In the field options, ensure that the checkbox This presentational text supports markdown is checked (it should be checked by default).
See the GIF animation below for a demonstration of these steps.
Features
Markdown in the Form Builder supports the following formatting options (select a link to be taken to that section below):
However, the following formatting options are among those that cannot be added using Markdown to a Presentational Text field:
- Images
- Tables
- Inline HTML
Headers
Text size can be changed by adding # symbols in front of the text, on the same line, with no space between the text and the #. This can be used to create headers of different sizes.
More # symbols make the text smaller. The largest size (#) is similar to using a Header field in the Form Builder instead of a Presentational Text field, while the smallest (######) is closer to the size of Help Text for a field.
To add headers of different sizes, follow the formatting below:
#Heading 1 ##Heading 2 ###Heading 3 ####Heading 4 #####Heading 5 ######Heading 6
This will create the following appearance in the workspace (left) and the Submission Portal (right):
Alternatively, several equal signs (=) or dashes (-) can be placed in the line underneath the text to alter the text size. Equal signs will create the largest text (Heading 1), while dashes will create the next-largest text (Heading 2):
Alt-Heading 1
======
Alt-Heading 2
------
This markdown will appear as below in the workspace (left) and the Submission Portal (right):
Emphasis
Emphasis (italics, bold, italics and bold, or strikethrough) can be added to text using Markdown using underscores, asterisks, or tildes on either side of the emphasized text (with no spaces):
One asterisk on either side will *italicize the text*. So will _underscores_.
Text with two **asterisks** or __underscores__ will create **bold** emphasis.
Want text that is both bold and italicized? Use ***three asterisks*** or
___underscores___.
Strikethrough uses two tildes on either side. ~~Like this.~~
Here is how that Markdown will be displayed on a form:
Lists
Numbered and unordered (bullet point) lists can be formatted by typing numbers or using asterisks (*), pluses (+), or minuses (-). Sub-lists can be created by adding three spaces from the left-most alignment to "indent" the item:
1. First ordered list item
2. Another item
* Unordered (bullet point) sub-list, indented with three spaces.
3. Actual numbers don't matter, just that it's a number
1. Ordered sub-list, again created using three spaces
4. And another item.
Some text that should be aligned with the above item (using spaces).
* Unordered lists (bullet points) can use asterisks
- Or minuses
+ Or pluses
*be sure to put a space between the asterisk and text, or it won't appear as a list!
Links
Hyperlinks can be added to Presentational Text fields. Selecting the link from the form view in the workspace or a portal will take users to that website by opening a new browser window or tab.
These links can be displayed as the URL address itself or embedded in other text. You can also add a link to an email address.
https://www.wizehive.com
To embed the hyperlink in other text, put [square brackets] around the text and (parentheses) around the URL. Be sure to remove any spaces between the brackets and parentheses.
[Click here to Search](https://www.wizehive.com)
Finally, you can also link an email address by combining the previous trick with a "mailto:" modifier placed directly in front of the email address:
[educationservices@wizehive.com](mailto:educationservices@wizehive.com)
OR
[Click here to email us!](mailto:educationservices@wizehive.com)
Selecting one of these email links will open up a blank email addressed to this address using the default email client or software.
Notes:
- Links must begin with HTTPS to work. HTTP (indicating a non-secure website) is not supported.
- Sometimes a correctly-formatted hyperlink will not appear correctly when viewing a form record in the workspace, but will appear (and function) appropriately in a submission or review portal. This is most often the case with email links (mailto:), which do not appear correctly formatted in the workspace but display and function correctly in a portal setting. Be sure to test both places before spending too much time troubleshooting.
Horizontal Rules/Lines
Horizontal lines can be a great way to break up sections in a long and busy form. These can be added by adding three or more hyphens, asterisks, or underscores in a row on the same line:
Three or more hyphens: ---
Asterisks *** or Underscores --- Underscores
Three or more hyphens:
Asterisks
or Underscores
Line Breaks
Line breaks can be important when understanding how the Presentational Text field will display.
Here is a line for us to start with. This line is separated from the one above by two newlines, so it will be a *separate paragraph*. This line is also a separate paragraph, but... This line is only separated by a single newline, so it is a separate line in the *same paragraph*.
Here's a line for us to start with.
This line is separated from the one above by two newlines, so it will be a separate paragraph.
This line is also a separate paragraph, but...
This line is only separated by a single newline, so it's a separate line in the same paragraph.
Common Questions
Can I use Markdown language in other locations throughout my Zengine?
Markdown language is only available for Presentational Text fields. Other places in Zengine where text formatting is useful (such as Submission Portal or Review Portal language, the email body in Auto Email and Bulk Email, and elsewhere) use rich-text editors, which are more accessible and easier to use.
Will my Markdown-formatted Presentational Text fields appear the same in a Submission or Review Portal as they do when viewing a form in the workspace?
Because the administrative workspace and the portals use different programming languages to display graphics and text, a few Presentational Text fields that have been formatted with Markdown may look slightly different in a Submission or Review Portal.
Most formatting options - such as bold and italics, horizontal rules, line breaks, and bullet/number lists - will appear more or less identical. However, headers (for example) may look larger in a portal than they do when viewing a form in the workspace, and some hyperlinks may look and function as expected in the portal but not appear as links in the workspace form view.
Regardless, it's best practice to examine the appearance of your formatted Presentational Text fields in both the workspace and in the Submission/Review Portal before finalizing the formatting that is used.
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