Markdown Syntax Specifications and Workarounds for Unintended Display in Enhanced Chat with Service

Enhanced Chat supports Markdown for message text formatting. This allows service rep and end-users (site customers) to format messages (links, bold/italics, lists, etc.) using specific symbols.

Note: While Markdown is interpreted based on standard specifications, the scope of support and appearance may vary depending on the environment or client (Web / In-App SDK, BYOC, CSS). This article covers "typical behavior."

Common Syntax: The following are examples of commonly used syntax (actual rendering may vary depending on the device used).

• Links

  • Syntax: [Display Text](URL)

  • Example: [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com/)

  • Note: Phone number links are also possible. Example: [Call](tel:0123456789)

• Bold / Italics

  • Bold

    • Syntax: **Bold**

  • Italics

    • Syntax: *Italics*

• Lists (Bulleted / Numbered)

  • Bulleted

    • Syntax: - Item or * Item

  • Numbered

    • Syntax: 1. Item

• Blockquotes

  • Syntax: > Quote

Common Inquiries and Workarounds:

1. Unintended "Code Block" (Framed/Grey Background) Display

• Issue: The text is displayed inside a box or requires horizontal scrolling, even though a bulleted list was intended.

• Cause: In Markdown, indentations at the beginning of a line (e.g., 4 or more half-width spaces) or deep indentations under a list may be interpreted as a "Code Block."

• Workaround: Do not include unnecessary spaces at the beginning of a line or immediately after a list symbol (Standard: about one half-width space). If indentation is required for operational reasons, reduce the indentation amount or start a new line and write it as normal text.

2. Links Broken by Square Brackets [ ] in URLs

• Issue: When sending a URL containing [ ] (e.g., id=[12345]), the URL is split midway and does not link correctly.

• Cause: [ ] are interpreted as Markdown link syntax, so part of the URL is treated as syntax.

• Workaround: Perform URL encoding to convert [ to %5B and ] to %5D before sending.

3. Masking Characters ***** Becoming Invisible or Unintentionally Emphasized

• Issue: Continuous asterisks like ***** become invisible (blank) or result in unintended formatting.

• Cause: Asterisks * are interpreted as Markdown emphasis or horizontal rules.

• Workaround: Escape the characters using backslashes (e.g., \*\*\*\*\*).