Formatting Text with Markdown

Markdown is a lightweight way to add formatting — bold, italics, lists, links, headings — to text fields in Eventene that don't have a rich-text editor.

This article focuses on where in Eventene Markdown is supported and the specific syntax that works. For the complete Markdown specification, see CommonMark or the Wikipedia article on Markdown.

Where Markdown is supported

You can use Markdown syntax in the following places in Eventene:

Activity Descriptions (in Activity settings)
Comment fields — custom Comment field types within Groups and Sections
Attending Question text for the Event and for individual Activities
Question Text within Survey Questions for the Event and for individual Activities

Formatting written in these places appears correctly in the Webform and in the Mobile App.

When to use Markdown vs the rich-text editor

Some surfaces in Eventene already have a full rich-text editor with a formatting toolbar — most notably Event Descriptions and Send email message bodies. Use the toolbar in those places. You don't need Markdown there.

The places listed above are plain-text fields without a toolbar. That's where Markdown is useful.

Inline formatting

Source	Result
`Italic` or `_Italic_`	Italic
`Bold` or `__Bold__`	Bold
`[Link text](https://example.com)`	Link text
`inline code`	`inline code`

Block elements

Headings

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

Use one # for the largest heading, more # characters for smaller ones. Up to six levels.

For Heading 1 and Heading 2, there's an alternative syntax using underline characters:

Heading 1
=========

Heading 2
---------

Lists

Unordered list — use * or -:

* First item
* Second item
* Third item

Ordered list — use 1., 2., 3. (or 1), 2), 3)):

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

Blockquote

> This is a blockquote

Horizontal rule

---

Or ***. Either produces a horizontal line.

Image

![Alt text](https://example.com/image.png)

Code block

Wrap the block in triple backticks:

```
multiple lines
of code
```

Or indent every line of the block by four spaces.

Adding color with Unicode characters

Markdown does not include a way to change text color. A practical workaround is to copy and paste Unicode characters that have built-in colors. For example:

🔴 large red circle (U+1F534)
🟢 large green circle (U+1F7E2)
🟡 large yellow circle (U+1F7E1)
🔵 large blue circle (U+1F535)
⚠️ warning sign
✅ green check / ❌ red X

These are full Unicode characters, so they render identically in the Webform and Mobile App without any special configuration. Mix them with regular text:

🔴 Required: Please bring photo ID
🟢 Optional add-ons available at the door

Browse all available Unicode characters at the official Unicode charts.

Tips

Preview before publishing. Open your Event in the Webform or Mobile App to see how the Markdown renders to participants.
Keep it light. Markdown is best for short, scannable formatting. For longer styled content, use a surface that has the rich-text editor (Event Descriptions, Send messages).
Test links. Make sure URLs are complete (https://...), not just domain names.
Lists need a blank line before them. A list directly after a paragraph without a blank line may render as one continuous paragraph.