An Atx-style header consists of one to six #
signs and a line of text, optionally followed by any number of #
signs. The number of #
signs at the beginning of the line is the header level:
## A level-two header
As with setext-style headers, the header text can contain formatting:
# A level-one header with a [link](/url) and *emphasis*
Standard markdown syntax does not require a blank line before a header. Pandoc does require this (except, of course, at the beginning of the document). The reason for the requirement is that it is all too easy for a #
to end up at the beginning of a line by accident (perhaps through line wrapping). Consider, for example:
I like several of their flavors of ice cream:
#22, for example, and #5.