Suppose you've written blogging software that allows users to enter Markdown text. #
When you render their posts to the web, you run the text through a Markdown processor which returns HTML which you then copy into the page. #
You also save the Markdown source text in case the user wants to edit it later. They don't want to edit the HTML you generated, they want to pick up with the Markdown version of the text. #
You do something similar in the RSS feed, probably, putting the rendered text in the description element of the item. #
Now you can also include the Markdown text in a source:markdown element. To get an idea how that works, have a look at the RSS feed for my Twitter account. Here's a screen shot of the RSS item for a recent post. #
The existence of the source:markdown element tells the reader app that it can either use the text of the description as it normally would, or it can start with the Markdown text, render it and then display it. Or perhaps you're sending the text somewhere that understands Markdown -- then you'd just send the Markdown text without rendering. #
Suppose you have a feed reader and want to do something nice for feeds that have source:markdown elements. #
This is what you do: If you can handle Markdown rendering in your reader app and you spot a source:markdown element, use that in place of the description element.#
If you're passing the text on to an app that can deal with Markdown, for example a database, save the Markdown text in addition to the rendered text.#
You know those obnoxious sites that pop up dialogs when they think you're about to leave, asking you to subscribe to their email newsletter? Well that won't do for Scripting News readers who are a discerning lot, very loyal, but that wouldn't last long if I did rude stuff like that. So here I am at the bottom of the page quietly encouraging you to sign up for the nightly email. It's got everything from the previous day on Scripting, plus the contents of the linkblog and who knows what else we'll get in there. People really love it. I wish I had done it sooner. And every email has an unsub link so if you want to get out, you can, easily -- no questions asked, and no follow-ups. Go ahead and do it, you won't be sorry! :-)
