Escaping the Pipe: How to Write the '|' Character in Jekyll and Markdown
Jekyll, a popular static site generator, uses Markdown for content formatting. Markdown's simplicity often leads to a common hiccup: the pipe character (|) is used for creating tables, causing a conflict when you want to display it literally.
The Problem:
Let's say you're writing about a programming language where the vertical bar is used as a special symbol. If you try to include it directly in your Jekyll Markdown, you'll end up with a table instead of the desired character.
Example:
This is a code snippet that uses the | symbol:
code|more code
This code snippet will render as a table with two columns instead of displaying "code|more code."
The Solution:
To write the pipe character literally in your Jekyll Markdown, you need to escape it with a backslash ().
Example:
This is a code snippet that uses the \| symbol:
code\|more code
This will render as:
This is a code snippet that uses the | symbol: code|more code
Understanding the Escape Character:
The backslash () acts as a signal to the Markdown parser that the following character should be interpreted literally. It's like telling the parser to "ignore" the usual meaning of the pipe symbol in this instance.
Beyond the Pipe:
This escape character technique applies to other special characters in Markdown. Here are some examples:
- Backslash:
\\- Displays a single backslash - Asterisk:
\*- Displays an asterisk - Underscore:
\_- Displays an underscore - Grave Accent:
\- Displays a grave accent
Best Practices:
- Use the escape character consistently: Whenever you want to display a special character, use the escape character to avoid unintended formatting.
- Review your output: Always double-check your Jekyll output to ensure that special characters are rendering correctly.
- Utilize code blocks: For code snippets that contain many special characters, consider using Markdown's code block to avoid excessive escaping.
By understanding how to escape special characters in Jekyll Markdown, you can confidently include all the symbols you need in your content, regardless of their intended meaning within the Markdown language.
