Tildas or backticks for fenced code blocks

Tildas or backticks for fenced code blocks

[name name]

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I'm new to Pandoc. From what I have read in the manual, it seems the 
preferred way to create fenced code blocks is to use tildas, not backticks:

~~~
fenced code block
~~~

What is the exact reason for this?

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Re: Tildas or backticks for fenced code blocks

[Albert Krewinkel]

name name <ivan20151013-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> writes:

> I'm new to Pandoc. From what I have read in the manual, it seems the
> preferred way to create fenced code blocks is to use tildas, not
> backticks:
>
>    ~~~
>    fenced code block
>    ~~~
>
> What is the exact reason for this?

I believe that fenced code blocks where first introduced in pandoc with
syntax using tildes; other tools then followed suit, but used the
now-popular backticks syntax. At least I seem to remember reading
something along these lines, but I might be completely wrong.

-- 
Albert Krewinkel
GPG: 8eed e3e2 e8c5 6f18 81fe  e836 388d c0b2 1f63 1124

Re: Tildas or backticks for fenced code blocks

[John MacFarlane]

That is right.  I discussed the idea on the old markdown-discuss
listserv with other markdown implementers at the time, and we
agreed on tildes.

I believe that at least pandoc and PHP markdown implemented this
syntax.

Then GitHub came out with their own fenced code block syntax
using backticks (without discussing this or even perhaps being
aware of the tilde syntax).  This isn't ideal, really, because it
introduces a syntactic ambiguity between inline code and code
blocks, but it has a certain naturalness, and doesn't require
pressing the shift key.  At any rate, it caught on, so pandoc
allowed this form too.  I think the tilde form is rarely used
any more.

Albert Krewinkel <albert+pandoc-9EawChwDxG8hFhg+JK9F0w@public.gmane.org> writes:

> name name <ivan20151013-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> writes:
>
>> I'm new to Pandoc. From what I have read in the manual, it seems the
>> preferred way to create fenced code blocks is to use tildas, not
>> backticks:
>>
>>    ~~~
>>    fenced code block
>>    ~~~
>>
>> What is the exact reason for this?
>
> I believe that fenced code blocks where first introduced in pandoc with
> syntax using tildes; other tools then followed suit, but used the
> now-popular backticks syntax. At least I seem to remember reading
> something along these lines, but I might be completely wrong.
>
> -- 
> Albert Krewinkel
> GPG: 8eed e3e2 e8c5 6f18 81fe  e836 388d c0b2 1f63 1124
>
> -- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "pandoc-discuss" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pandoc-discuss+unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFF+G/Ez6ZCGd0@public.gmane.org
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pandoc-discuss/87a69vbbar.fsf%40zeitkraut.de.

Re: Tildas or backticks for fenced code blocks

[John Gabriele]

I use the tildes because I think they look better. They're vertically in the middle of the glyph.

Backticks are too high up, and so at the top of the fenced block look like they're floating too high up, and at the bottom are cuddled up too tight. They also make it harder to see where leading or trailing blank lines are.

-- John

On Wed, Jun 29, 2022, at 5:44 PM, John MacFarlane wrote:
> That is right.  I discussed the idea on the old markdown-discuss
> listserv with other markdown implementers at the time, and we
> agreed on tildes.
>
> I believe that at least pandoc and PHP markdown implemented this
> syntax.
>
> Then GitHub came out with their own fenced code block syntax
> using backticks (without discussing this or even perhaps being
> aware of the tilde syntax).  This isn't ideal, really, because it
> introduces a syntactic ambiguity between inline code and code
> blocks, but it has a certain naturalness, and doesn't require
> pressing the shift key.  At any rate, it caught on, so pandoc
> allowed this form too.  I think the tilde form is rarely used
> any more.
>
> Albert Krewinkel <albert+pandoc-9EawChwDxG8hFhg+JK9F0w@public.gmane.org> writes:
>
>> name name <ivan20151013-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> writes:
>>
>>> I'm new to Pandoc. From what I have read in the manual, it seems the
>>> preferred way to create fenced code blocks is to use tildas, not
>>> backticks:
>>>
>>>    ~~~
>>>    fenced code block
>>>    ~~~
>>>
>>> What is the exact reason for this?
>>
>> I believe that fenced code blocks where first introduced in pandoc with
>> syntax using tildes; other tools then followed suit, but used the
>> now-popular backticks syntax. At least I seem to remember reading
>> something along these lines, but I might be completely wrong.
>>
>> -- 
>> Albert Krewinkel
>> GPG: 8eed e3e2 e8c5 6f18 81fe  e836 388d c0b2 1f63 1124
>>
>> -- 
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "pandoc-discuss" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pandoc-discuss+unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFF+G/Ez6ZCGd0@public.gmane.org
>> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pandoc-discuss/87a69vbbar.fsf%40zeitkraut.de.
>
> -- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google 
> Groups "pandoc-discuss" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send 
> an email to pandoc-discuss+unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFF+G/Ez6ZCGd0@public.gmane.org
> To view this discussion on the web visit 
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pandoc-discuss/m235fnywju.fsf%40johnmacfarlane.net.