Headings
Heading levels
use # symbols — one per level
Markdown
# Heading 1 ## Heading 2 ### Heading 3 #### Heading 4
Renders as
Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
In the cps4706-ref pipeline, # headings become tabs and ## headings become section headers within a tab. Don't use # for anything other than tab names.
Text Formatting
Bold
wrap in ** or __
**bold text** __also bold__
bold text
Italic
wrap in * or _
*italic text* _also italic_
italic text
Bold + italic
wrap in ***
***bold and italic***
bold and italic
Strikethrough
wrap in ~~
~~strikethrough~~
strikethrough
Line breaks
blank line = new paragraph; two spaces at end = line break
First paragraph. Second paragraph. Line one. ← two spaces here Line two.
First paragraph.
Second paragraph.
Line one.
Line two.
Lists
Unordered list
use - or * or +
- First item - Second item - Third item
- First item
- Second item
- Third item
Ordered list
use numbers — the actual number doesn't matter
1. First item 2. Second item 3. Third item
- First item
- Second item
- Third item
Nested list
indent with 2–4 spaces
- Item one - Nested item - Another nested - Item two
- Item one
- Nested item
- Another nested
- Item two
Tables
Basic table
pipes and dashes — columns don't need to align
| Column A | Column B | Column C | |----------|----------|----------| | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | Cell 3 | | Cell 4 | Cell 5 | Cell 6 |
| Column A | Column B | Column C |
|---|---|---|
| Cell 1 | Cell 2 | Cell 3 |
| Cell 4 | Cell 5 | Cell 6 |
Column alignment
colons in the separator row control alignment
| Left | Center | Right | |:-----|:------:|------:| | A | B | C |
| Left | Center | Right |
|---|---|---|
| A | B | C |
The separator row (dashes) only needs one dash per column minimum. Padding with extra dashes is optional and cosmetic only.
Blockquotes
Blockquote
prefix lines with >
> This is a blockquote. > It can span multiple lines. > > Even multiple paragraphs.
This is a blockquote. It can span multiple lines.
Even multiple paragraphs.
Code
Inline code
wrap in backticks
Use `pandoc` to convert files.
Use pandoc to convert files.
Code block
three backticks before and after; optional language name
```bash bash build.sh pandoc notes.md -o notes.html ```
bash build.sh pandoc notes.md -o notes.html
Horizontal Rule
Horizontal rule
three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores on their own line
--- or ***
Hyperlinks
Basic link
[text](url)
[Visit Pandoc](https://pandoc.org)
Link with title
title appears on hover — wrap in quotes after the URL
[Pandoc](https://pandoc.org "Universal converter")
Relative link (internal)
link to another file in your repo — use relative paths
[Aviation notes](../aviation/flying-notes.html) [Back to index](../index.html) [Same folder](other-file.html)
Bare URL
wrap in angle brackets to make it clickable
<https://pandoc.org> <chris@example.com>
For internal links in the pipeline, always use .html paths (not .md) — you're linking to the built output, not the source file.
Images
Basic image
 — same as a link but with ! prefix
  ← alt text is optional
[image renders here]
Image with title
title shows on hover
[image with hover title]
Clickable image
nest image inside a link
[](https://example.com)
[clickable image]
Paths are relative to the markdown file location. If your .md is in aviation/ and images are in aviation/photos/, use photos/sunset.jpg — not ../aviation/photos/sunset.jpg.
SVG Icons
SVG as image
same syntax as any image — SVGs scale perfectly at any size
  Text after icon Inline  in a sentence
warning icon alone
checklist icon + text
In the pipeline, icons in aviation/ docs use ../icons/filename.svg (one level up). Icons in sub-sub-folders would use ../../icons/. The path is always relative to the .md file being built.
Available icons in cps4706-ref: warning.svg · checklist.svg · emergency.svg · note.svg · memorize.svg — all in the /icons/ folder at the repo root.
Pipeline — Tabs
How # headings become tabs
In your .md files, each # heading becomes a tab in the rendered HTML. The tab name is the heading text. Everything under that heading until the next # heading is the tab's content.
# Pre-flight ← Tab 1: "PRE-FLIGHT" ## Flight Planning ← Section header within Tab 1 Content here... ## Required Documents ← Another section in Tab 1 More content... # Emergencies ← Tab 2: "EMERGENCIES" ## Engine Out ← Section header within Tab 2
Use ## for section headers within a tab. Use ### for sub-headings if needed. Never use # except for tab names.
Pipeline — Tags
How #tagname works
Write #tagname anywhere in your prose. The tag renders as a colored pill inline, and a Tags tab is auto-generated grouping all mentions with links back to source.
Quorum rules worth discussing with #Angela before spring meeting. The amendment procedure is unclear. #followup #townCounsel Know the spin recovery procedure cold. #memorize #askCFI
Tags must start with a letter and contain only letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. No spaces. #follow-up works. #follow up does not.
Tag naming conventions in use
These are the tags used across cps4706-ref docs — no rules, just convention:
#memorize → things to know cold, no reference needed #askCFI → questions or items to verify with instructor #followup → action items, things to come back to #Angela → person-specific — anything to discuss with Angela #townCounsel → items needing legal/counsel review #unclear → things you're not sure about yet
Pipeline — Front Matter
YAML front matter
Every .md file in the pipeline should start with a front matter block between --- lines. This sets the page title.
--- title: "Flying Notes" --- # Pre-flight Content starts here...
The title appears in the browser tab and in the header bar. Without it, the page title will be blank or default to the filename.
Pipeline — Using Icons
Icon path convention
All icons live at the repo root in /icons/. From a file in a subfolder (aviation/, town-moderator/, facilitation/), the relative path is always ../icons/.
 Don't launch with marginal factors in 2+ categories.  Work through this before every flight.  Memory items — know these cold. #memorize  Background context or a reminder.  Must know without reference.
Icon usage guide
Use icons at the start of a paragraph or section intro — not mid-sentence (they render inline but look best leading a block).
## Go / No-Go — PAVE  Don't launch with marginal factors in 2+ categories. | Letter | Category | |--------|----------| | P | Pilot | ...
Pandoc Notes
What Pandoc does differently from standard Markdown
Pandoc uses its own flavor of Markdown with a few additions worth knowing:
Footnotes: Text with a footnote.[^1] [^1]: The footnote content. Definition lists: Term : Definition text here Superscript / subscript: H~2~O ← subscript x^2^ ← superscript Smart quotes: Pandoc converts "quotes" to "curly quotes" automatically.
build.sh — the one command you run
From the repo root, any time you want to publish changes:
bash build.sh
This runs Pandoc on every .md file and outputs .html. Hand-crafted HTML files are never touched. Then push to GitHub:
git add . git commit -m "update flying notes" git push
Netlify rebuilds automatically in ~30 seconds.
Adding a new .md document
Three steps:
1. Create the file:
aviation/instrument-notes.md
2. Add a build block in build.sh:
pandoc aviation/instrument-notes.md \
--template=templates/tabbed.html \
--variable css=../styles/main.css \
--standalone \
-o aviation/instrument-notes.html
3. Add a card in aviation/index.html pointing to instrument-notes.html