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Message Formatting

Tavrn supports Markdown-style formatting in messages. You don’t need to know Markdown, the syntax is intuitive, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.

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Quick Reference

What you typeWhat it looks like
**bold text**bold text
*italic text*italic text
***bold italic***bold italic
`inline code`inline code
> blockquoteIndented quote block
# Heading 1Large heading
## Heading 2Slightly smaller heading
- list item• Bullet point
1. numbered item1. Numbered list

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Text Emphasis

The basics everyone uses: Bold, Wrap text in double asterisks: 
**This is bold**
Italic, Single asterisks or underscores: 
*This is italic* or _this too_
Bold + Italic, Triple asterisks: 
***This is bold and italic***

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Code Formatting

Tavrn shines for developers and technical folks, code formatting is fully supported. Inline code, for short bits of code or commands: 
Use `npm install` to install dependencies
Code blocks, for multi-line code. Use triple backticks: 
```
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`
}
```
Syntax highlighting, specify the language for color-coded output: 
```javascript
function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`
}
```
Supported languages include: javascript, typescript, python, rust, go, css, html, json, bash, sql, and many more.
Code blocks render with a monospace font and a distinct background, making them easy to read and copy.

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Blockquotes

Use > to create a blockquote. Great for quoting someone outside the app, pulling out a key phrase, or adding emphasis: 
> "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

I think about this a lot.
Renders as an indented quote block with a left border.

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Lists

Unordered (bullet) list: 
- Coffee
- Tavrn
- More coffee
Ordered (numbered) list: 
1. Open Tavrn
2. Find your people
3. Have a good time

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Headings

Headings in messages are useful for long-form content or structured posts: 
# Big Heading
## Medium Heading
### Smaller Heading
Using headings makes sense for longer messages or announcements. For casual chat, you probably don’t need them.

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Combining Formats

You can combine formatting, bold inside a quote, code inside a list, etc.: 
> Here's my **very important** note:
>, Do `npm install` first
>, Then `npm run dev`
>, Then **actually** read the output

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Escaping Markdown

Want to type **not bold** without it becoming bold? Escape the special characters with a backslash: 
\*\*not bold\*\*
This outputs: **not bold** as literal text.

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Mentions in Messages

@username mentions are also parsed in messages and turn into highlighted, clickable tags. The mentioned person receives a notification.

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A Note on Long Messages

Tavrn doesn’t have a character limit for messages, so feel free to write longer posts. If you’re sharing a really long code snippet or technical writeup, consider using a code block for the technical parts and keeping the prose brief. For ongoing discussions that deserve their own space, a dedicated channel in a room is often better than a very long message.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Markdown formatting works everywhere in Tavrn: DMs, room channels, and anywhere else you can send a message.
Not currently, the formatting renders when your message is sent. But the syntax is simple enough that you’ll get a feel for it quickly.
Make sure you’re using the correct characters and that they’re directly adjacent to your text (no spaces between ** and the word). Also check that you’re closing the formatting (both asterisks are present, not just one).
Not currently. Table syntax won’t render as a formatted table in chat messages.