markdown.instructions

description: 'Documentation and content creation standards' paths: '**/*.md'

Markdown Content Rules

The following markdown content rules are enforced in the validators:

1. Headings: Use appropriate heading levels (H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content. Do not use an H1 heading, as this will be generated based on the title.
2. Lists: Use bullet points or numbered lists for lists. Ensure proper indentation and spacing.
3. Code Blocks: Use fenced code blocks for code snippets. Specify the language for syntax highlighting.
4. Links: Use proper markdown syntax for links. Ensure that links are valid and accessible.
5. Images: Use proper markdown syntax for images. Include alt text for accessibility.
6. Tables: Use markdown tables for tabular data. Ensure proper formatting and alignment.
7. Line Length: Limit line length to 400 characters for readability.
8. Whitespace: Use appropriate whitespace to separate sections and improve readability.
9. Front Matter: Include YAML front matter at the beginning of the file with required metadata fields.

Formatting and Structure

Follow these guidelines for formatting and structuring your markdown content:

• Headings: Use ## for H2 and ### for H3. Ensure that headings are used in a hierarchical manner. Recommend restructuring if content includes H4, and more strongly recommend for H5.
• Lists: Use - for bullet points and 1. for numbered lists. Indent nested lists with two spaces.
• Code Blocks: Use triple backticks () to create fenced code blocks. Specify the language after the opening backticks for syntax highlighting (e.g., csharp).
• Links: Use [link text](URL) for links. Ensure that the link text is descriptive and the URL is valid.
• Images: Use ![alt text](image URL) for images. Include a brief description of the image in the alt text.
• Tables: Use | to create tables. Ensure that columns are properly aligned and headers are included.
• Line Length: Break lines at 80 characters to improve readability. Use soft line breaks for long paragraphs.
• Whitespace: Use blank lines to separate sections and improve readability. Avoid excessive whitespace.

Validation Requirements

Ensure compliance with the following validation requirements:

• Front Matter: Include the following fields in the YAML front matter:

  • post_title: The title of the post.
  • author1: The primary author of the post.
  • post_slug: The URL slug for the post.
  • microsoft_alias: The Microsoft alias of the author.
  • featured_image: The URL of the featured image.
  • categories: The categories for the post. These categories must be from the list in /categories.txt.
  • tags: The tags for the post.
  • ai_note: Indicate if AI was used in the creation of the post.
  • summary: A brief summary of the post. Recommend a summary based on the content when possible.
  • post_date: The publication date of the post.

• Content Rules: Ensure that the content follows the markdown content rules specified above.

• Formatting: Ensure that the content is properly formatted and structured according to the guidelines.

• Validation: Run the validation tools to check for compliance with the rules and guidelines.