# How Line Breaks Work in MarkView
This guide explains how **MarkView** handles line breaks in Markdown content and how to create intentional line breaks when needed.
## Overview
MarkView follows the **CommonMark standard** for line breaks, ***which matches GitHub's behavior***. Understanding how line breaks work is essential for formatting content correctly.
---
## How Line Breaks Work
To create line breaks, you need:
- **Two trailing spaces + newline, OR**
- **Explicit `
` tag, OR**
- **Double newline (blank line) to create a new paragraph**
---
### Test Case 1: Single Newlines (No trailing spaces)
- **Input**
```text
This is the first line.
This is the second line.
This is the third line.
```
- **Result**
This is the first line.
This is the second line.
This is the third line.
- **Expected**: All three lines should appear as one continuous line (spaces between them).
---
### Test Case 2: Double Newlines (Paragraph Break)
- **Input**
```text
This is paragraph one.
This is paragraph two.
This is paragraph three.
```
- **Result**
This is paragraph one.
This is paragraph two.
This is paragraph three.
- **Expected**: Creates separate paragraphs with proper spacing.
---
### Test Case 3: Two Trailing Spaces + Newline
- **Input**
```text
This is the first line with two spaces. * *
This is the second line with two spaces. * *
This is the third line.
```
> NOTE: Replace ** with actual spaces.
- **Result**
This is the first line with two spaces.
This is the second line with two spaces.
This is the third line.
- **Expected**: Creates hard line breaks between each line.
---
### Test Case 4: Explicit `
` Tags
- **Input**
```text
This is the first line.
This is the second line.
This is the third line.
```
- **Result**
This is the first line.
This is the second line.
This is the third line.
- **Expected**: Creates hard line breaks between each line.
---
### Test Case 5: Mixed Scenarios
- **Input**
```text
Here's a complex example:
Line 1 - single newline
Line 2 - single newline * *
Line 3 - two trailing spaces
Line 4 - after blank line
Line 5 - after br tag
```
> NOTE: Replace ** with actual spaces.
- **Result**
Here's a complex example:
Line 1 - single newline
Line 2 - single newline
Line 3 - two trailing spaces
Line 4 - after blank line
Line 5 - after br tag
**Expected**:
- Lines 1 and 2 merge together (single newlines become spaces)
- Line 3 has a break before it (due to trailing spaces on line 2)
- Line 4 starts a new paragraph (blank line creates paragraph break)
- Line 5 has a break before it (due to br tag)
---
### Test Case 6: Poetry/Lyrics (Common Use Case)
#### Without Hard Breaks
- **Input**
```text
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
```
- **Result**
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
#### With Trailing Spaces (Hard Breaks)
- **Input**
```text
Roses are red, * *
Violets are blue, * *
Sugar is sweet, * *
And so are you.
```
> NOTE: Replace ** with actual spaces.
- **Result**
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
#### With Explicit BR Tags
- **Input**
```text
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
```
- **Result**
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
> [!TIP]
> In MarkView, the first version appears as a single line. Use trailing spaces or `
` tags for poetry formatting.
---
### Test Case 7: Code Blocks (Should Not Be Affected)
```
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
```
**Expected**: Line breaks in code blocks are always preserved.
---
### Test Case 8: Lists
Unordered list:
- Item 1
- Item 2
- Item 3
Ordered list:
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item
**Expected**: Lists always work correctly with proper line breaks.
---
## Related Documentation
- [CommonMark Specification](https://spec.commonmark.org/) - Official standard
- [GitHub Flavored Markdown](https://github.github.com/gfm/) - GitHub's extensions
## Related Issues
- [GitHub Issue #4](https://github.com/markview-app/support/issues/4) - Line breaks in blockquotes
---
## Summary
| Scenario | MarkView Behavior |
|----------|------------------|
| Single newline | Converted to space |
| Double newline (blank line) | New paragraph (``) |
| Two trailing spaces + newline | Creates `
` |
| Explicit `
` tag | Creates `
` |
| Code blocks | Line breaks preserved |
| Lists | Line breaks preserved |