PrismJS Not Highlighting Markdown? A Simple Fix
You've integrated PrismJS into your website, excited to see your code snippets shine with syntax highlighting. But you've encountered a frustrating issue: Markdown text isn't being highlighted automatically!
This is a common problem that can be easily solved. Let's dive into why it happens and how to fix it.
The Problem: Markdown Isn't a Built-in Language
PrismJS, a powerful library for code highlighting, doesn't automatically recognize Markdown as a language. It focuses primarily on programming languages. Therefore, you need to explicitly tell it how to format your Markdown.
The Solution: Adding the Markdown Language Support
-
Install the Markdown Plugin:
You need to include the Markdown plugin in your project. It's likely already included in your PrismJS library. If not, you can find it on the PrismJS website or install it using a package manager:npm install prismjs-markdown --save -
Import the Plugin: In your HTML file, import the Markdown plugin after the PrismJS core:
<script src="prism.js"></script> <script src="prism-markdown.js"></script> -
Apply the "markdown" Class: Add the class "markdown" to the
<pre>or<code>elements containing your Markdown content:
```<pre class="language-markdown"> ```markdown # This is a heading This is a paragraph.
Understanding the 'language-markdown' Class
Adding language-markdown to your code blocks tells PrismJS to use the Markdown plugin for syntax highlighting. This is the mechanism that bridges the gap between PrismJS and Markdown.
Example:
Here's a complete example of how to integrate Markdown highlighting:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>PrismJS Markdown</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="prism.css">
</head>
<body>
<pre class="language-markdown">
```markdown
# Welcome to Markdown!
This is a paragraph.
```
</pre>
<script src="prism.js"></script>
<script src="prism-markdown.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Important: Make sure your PrismJS CSS file is linked correctly in your HTML.
Additional Tips and Resources:
- PrismJS Documentation: Explore the official PrismJS documentation for in-depth information and advanced customization options.
- Markdown Cheatsheet: Find a comprehensive Markdown cheatsheet to help you write effective Markdown content.
Conclusion:
By following these simple steps, you can effortlessly enable PrismJS to highlight your Markdown content. Now your code snippets and Markdown text will shine, providing a more polished and visually appealing user experience.
