## MA Articles Markdown Help

This article is a complete working guide for the Markdown format supported by MA Articles. It is written as normal article-body content for member training and future public knowledge use.

Use this guide when you want to write clear articles for Madhunandan Association without using raw HTML. The article title, slug, excerpt, cover image, category, tags, author display, visibility, and review status should still be managed from the article form.

[[toc]]

### Suggested Article Metadata

| Field | Suggested value | Notes |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Title | MA Articles Markdown Help | Use the title field, not a `#` heading inside the body. |
| Category | Help or Knowledge | Use an admin-approved category. |
| Tags | markdown, help, articles | Tags should remain simple and searchable. |
| Public author | Organization or author display setting | Ownership still belongs to the real member or admin account. |

### Quick Principles

Markdown is best when the article stays simple, readable, and accountable.
Use short sections, clear sources, and plain public language.

- Write for members and public readers.
* Keep private personal data out of public articles.
+ Add sources, consent, and copyright details before publishing media or documents.

1. Draft the article.
2) Preview the article.
3. Submit it for review.
4. Publish only after the content, media, and legal checks are complete.

> A normal quote can highlight a sentence from a policy, report, meeting note, or community statement.

---

### Headings

MA Articles supports body headings from level 2 to level 4. The article title is handled separately by the system, so do not start the body with a level 1 heading.

## Level 2 Heading

Use level 2 headings for major sections.

### Level 3 Heading

Use level 3 headings for normal subsections.

#### Level 4 Heading

Use level 4 headings for compact details under a subsection.

### Paragraphs and Soft Breaks

Separate paragraphs with a blank line.

This paragraph contains a soft line break
inside the same paragraph. Use this only when a line break helps readability, because normal paragraphs should usually wrap naturally.

### Inline Formatting

You can use **bold** for emphasis, __bold with underscores__ when useful, *italic* for light emphasis, _italic with underscores_, ***bold italic*** for strong emphasis, ___bold italic with underscores___, and ~~strikethrough~~ when you need to show removed or outdated wording.

Use inline code for small technical values such as `content_format`, `source_markdown`, `[[toc]]`, or `media:1`.

Escaped characters are supported when you want the symbol itself: \*not italic\*, \[not a link\], and \`not code\`.

### Links

Supported links include safe public URLs, internal site paths, email links, and telephone links.

- Official site: [Madhunandan Association](https://madhunandan.org.in "Official Madhunandan Association website")
- Articles index: [Articles](/articles/index.php)
- Email contact: [contact@madhunandan.org.in](mailto:contact@madhunandan.org.in)
- Telephone example: [Call the office](tel:+911234567890)

Unsafe links such as script URLs are blocked by the parser and should not be used.

### Internal References

Internal references create controlled links to known article, category, tag, and legal routes.

- Main article area: [[articles|Articles Home]]
- Legal index: [[legal|Legal Pages]]
- Privacy page: [[legal:privacy|Privacy Policy]]
- Terms page: [[legal:terms|Terms of Use]]
- Cookie policy: [[legal:cookie|Cookie Policy]]
- Category route: [[category:research|Research Category]]
- Tag route: [[tag:education|Education Tag]]
- Article route: [[article:sample-article|Sample Article Slug]]

Use internal references when the target belongs to the Madhunandan public website. Use normal links for approved external sources.

### Tables

Tables are useful for article summaries, public reports, comparisons, timelines, and research notes.

| Markdown feature | Status | Good use |
| :--- | :---: | ---: |
| Headings | Supported | Structure long articles |
| Links | Supported | Point to sources and legal pages |
| Tables | Supported | Compare facts or timelines |
| Footnotes | Supported | Add short source notes |
| Media references | Supported | Attach approved article images |

Tables should stay compact. Very wide tables are harder to read on mobile.

### Code Blocks

Use fenced code blocks for examples, snippets, templates, or technical notes. Code is shown as text and is not executed.

```php
$audience = 'members';
$rule = 'Do not publish private personal data.';

if ($audience === 'members') {
    echo $rule;
}
```

Raw HTML is not supported as live article markup. If you need to show HTML as an example, place it inside a code block:

```html
<p>This is only an example. It should not be used as article formatting.</p>
```

### Footnotes and Source Notes

Footnotes help keep research articles readable while still showing source notes.[^source-note] They are also useful when explaining legal or governance context without interrupting the main paragraph.[^legal-note]

Use short footnotes. Long source sections should be written as normal article sections.

### Callouts

Callouts are special quoted blocks with an approved label. They are useful for guidance, warnings, research notes, and source accountability.

> [!NOTE]
> Use a note for helpful information that does not change the main decision or action.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Use important callouts for information members should not miss before submitting or publishing an article.

> [!WARNING]
> Do not include private personal data, unverified accusations, unsafe medical or financial claims, or copyrighted material without permission.

> [!RESEARCH]
> Use research callouts to summarize method, sample, limitation, or evidence quality in public-facing research articles.

> [!SOURCE]
> Use source callouts to describe where a fact, quotation, image, or document came from.

### Definition Lists

Definition lists are useful for glossary terms, research terms, legal terms, and article-specific vocabulary.

Article
: A public knowledge, update, research, or guidance page managed through MA Articles.

Markdown
: A plain-text writing format that the server converts into safe article blocks.

Pending revision
: A reviewed update draft for an already published article. The public article remains unchanged until approval.

DPDP
: A privacy law context that reminds writers to minimize personal data and publish only what is necessary and lawful.

### Abbreviations

Abbreviations can show a short explanation when they appear in the article. This guide defines MA, DPDP, CSR, and FAQ at the end of the article.

MA uses articles for education, service updates, research summaries, governance notes, and public knowledge. DPDP awareness is important when writing public articles. CSR and FAQ articles may also use the same Markdown format.

[[glossary]]

### Media References

Article images must come from the article media upload flow. Upload the image first, confirm copyright/source and privacy/consent, then copy the approved media ID into the Markdown.

Replace `1` below with the actual approved image media ID before live publication.

![Community learning session](media:1 "Replace media ID 1 with an approved article image and keep a clear caption.")

Remote image URLs are not supported for member-authored Markdown in the current release. This keeps media accountable and reviewable.

### Downloadable Resource Blocks

Downloadable files must also come from the article media/resource upload flow. Upload the document first, confirm source/copyright and privacy/consent, then use the resource token.

Replace `1` below with the actual approved downloadable resource media ID before live publication.

[[resource:1|Download the related public resource]]

The `download` alias is also supported:

[[download:1|Download the supporting document]]

### Article Review Checklist

Use this section before submitting or reviewing a Markdown article.

| Review area | What to confirm |
| :--- | :--- |
| Table of contents | Links generated from body headings |
| Inline formatting | Bold, italic, bold italic, strike, code, links, and abbreviations |
| Lists | One unordered list and one ordered list |
| Quote | One normal quote block |
| Callouts | Note, important, warning, research, and source blocks |
| Tables | Responsive table layout |
| Code | Escaped code block, not executable code |
| Footnotes | Generated source notes section |
| Glossary | Generated glossary index from definition-list terms |
| Media | Approved image figure if the media ID exists and is active |
| Resource | Approved download card if the media ID exists and is active |

### Safe Publishing Reminder

Before publishing, confirm that the article does not reveal private personal data, confidential member information, copyrighted content without permission, or unverified sensitive claims.

Use the review workflow. Keep the audit trail meaningful. When in doubt, ask an admin or reviewer before publication.

[^source-note]: Example source note. Replace this with the real source, date, document name, or public reference used by the article.
[^legal-note]: This is a writing guide, not legal advice. Follow Madhunandan Association policy and admin review before publishing sensitive content.

*[MA]: Madhunandan Association
*[DPDP]: Digital Personal Data Protection
*[CSR]: Corporate Social Responsibility
*[FAQ]: Frequently Asked Questions

Download the full article as MD text:

[[resource:3|MA_ARTICLES_MARKDOWN_HELP_ARTICLE]]