Using markdown for email messages

GC Notify has a formatting toolbar and also supports markdown. The toolbar includes options for populating emails to multiple recipients:

• With custom content for each recipient.
• Filtered to recipients who meet a condition.

To check formatting, preview the template or send yourself a message before sending to recipients.

Toolbar

For each following format, you can find information on using markdown instead of the toolbar. There’s also a toolbar button to show markdown.

1. Headings
2. Section breaks
3. Bold and italics
4. Links
5. Numbered lists
6. Multiple levels in numbered lists
7. Bulleted lists
8. Blockquote or sidebars
9. English and French content
10. Languages read from right to left

Headings

To add a title to your message, use the number sign (#) followed by a space. To add a subtitle, use two number signs (##) followed by a space. For example:

# This is an example of a title

## This is an example of a subtitle

This is plain paragraph text

Section breaks

To insert a horizontal line to separate the message into sections, use three dashes (---). For example:

Section 1
---
Section 2

Bold and italic

To add bold, use two asterisks (**) on each side of your text. To add italic, use underscores (_) on each side of your text. For example:

This is a paragraph with **bold** and _italic_.

Links

To include a link, add the full URL (starting with https://) and it will become an interactive hyperlink. For example:

Apply now at https://www.canada.ca

To embed a link in your message, use square brackets around descriptive text, followed by round brackets around the URL. Make sure links make sense out of context (avoid “click here”). For example:

[Sign in](https://www.canada.ca/sign-in)

You can embed a link to an email address. Then recipients can access the link through descriptive text, such as “Email us.” If recipients select the text, their inbox opens and shows a new message addressed to that email address. They compose and send the message. 

Put square brackets around the descriptive text. Then enter an open bracket followed by the label  “mailto:,” followed by the email address and a closed bracket. For example:

[Email us](mailto:address@department.gc.ca)

To include a custom link in your message, use double round brackets around the link, as you would for a variable.

Apply now at ((link))

To embed a custom link, use square brackets around the descriptive text, followed by triple round brackets around the variable link.

[Your application](((link)))

Numbered lists

In front of each item in a list, insert the number followed by a period and a space. If you want GC Notify to number the list for you, insert the number 1 in front of each item.

If you start a new list later in your template, insert 1 in front of each item again.

1. Item
1. Item
1. Item

This is an example of a new list later in the template:

1. Item
1. Item
1. Item

Multiple levels in numbered lists

GC Notify supports nested lists. To provide accessible content, we recommend limiting nests to 2 or 3 levels. To break content into sections, use headings.

To nest a list, insert three spaces in front of each list item. For example, insert three spaces to create a second level list and six spaces to create a third level list.

1. First level
1. First level
   1. Second level
   1. Second level
   1. Second level
      1. Third level
      1. Third level

Bulleted lists

To add bullet points, use asterisks (*) followed by a space. Bullet points help recipients identify important information quickly. For example:

* point 1
* point 2
* point 3

Blockquote or sidebars

To add a vertical grey bar to the side of text, use a caret (^) followed by a space in front of the text. For example:

^Text

English and French content

Language tags help make bilingual emails more accessible by indicating how content should be read by a screenreader. Put [[en]] or [[fr]] on the line above the language and [[/en]] or [[/fr]] on the line after the language.

[[en]]
# Example of an English title

English text
[[/en]]

[[fr]]
# Exemple de titre en français

Texte en français
[[/fr]]

Languages read from right to left

For templates with both left-to right and right-to-left text, use tags. Enter [[rtl]] on the line before the right-to-left text and [[/rtl]] on the line following the right-to-left text.

[[rtl]]

هذا النص من اليمين إلى اليسار

[[/rtl]]