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Markdown basics + Highlight + Preview mode + internal links

Last updated May 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Slima writes in Markdown — not Word-style WYSIWYG. Pure text, closer to your writing flow. Learn in 10 minutes, then stop thinking about formatting.

Slima Writing Studio editor: format toolbar with B (bold) / I (italic) / S (strikethrough) / H1 H2 H3 / lists / quote / table / highlight / image / undo redo

The format toolbar (left to right)

The toolbar buttons (left to right):

Icon Function
B Bold
I Italic
S Strikethrough
H1 / H2 / H3 Three heading levels
List ☰ / 1. Bulleted / ordered list
〝〞 Blockquote
⊞ Insert table
✏️ Highlight
🖼 Insert image
↶ ↷ Undo / redo
⋯ More (code block / horizontal rule / paste Markdown / spellcheck toggle)

Markdown syntax

Headings

# Chapter 1
## Section
### Subsection

H1 / H2 / H3. Toolbar buttons also work.

Emphasis

**bold**
*italic*
~~strikethrough~~

Or click the toolbar.

Lists

- item
- item
  - nested

1. ordered
2. ordered

Link

[link text](https://example.com)

You can type Markdown link syntax directly — there is no toolbar link button or dialog. (For linking to characters / locations, use Slima's internal links below: just type the name.)

Blockquote

> blockquote

Tables

| Col 1 | Col 2 |
|-------|-------|
| Cell  | Cell  |

Or the toolbar "Insert table" button gives you the skeleton. After insertion, with the cursor inside the table, direct toolbar buttons appear for "Add column / Add row / Delete column / Delete row / Delete table" (these are not in the ⋯ menu — they show up only when the cursor is in a table).

Highlight (6 colours)

Toolbar Highlight button — 6 colour options:

  • Yellow
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Pink
  • Purple
  • Orange

Select text → click Highlight → pick a colour. Use "Remove highlight" to clear.

Edit mode vs Preview mode

Slima's editor is Edit mode by default (live what-you-see-is-what-you-mean) — type **bold** and it renders bold immediately, no separate preview pane.

There is a toggle to switch to Preview mode for a cleaner final-render view (when Preview mode is active, the format toolbar is hidden). The toggle is not in the ⋯ menu.

Internal links: just type the name

Slima has no [[ ]] wikilink syntax. Its approach is more automatic: type a character / location (or other entity) name right in the text and Slima auto-detects it, adding a dashed underline; Ctrl/Cmd + click jumps to that entity's file. No manual linking.

See: Entity tracking and detail, File tree overview

Autocomplete (inline cues)

Editor smart behaviours (observed; exact versions may vary):

  • # + space at start of line → H1
  • - / 1. + space at start → enter a list
  • Enter inside a list → continues the list
  • Enter on an empty list item → exits the list

Keyboard shortcuts

Exact keys vary by platform / version. Best way to discover: hover any toolbar button — the tooltip shows the function name + its shortcut. For the full list, see the keyboard shortcuts reference.

Related

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