How do you handle cross-references and footnotes in your markdown documentation?

1 Cross-references in markdown

Cross-references are links that point to other parts of the same document, such as headings, sections, figures, tables, or code blocks. They are useful for creating a logical structure and navigation for your documentation, as well as for avoiding duplication and inconsistency. However, markdown does not have a standard syntax for creating cross-references, so you need to use some extensions or workarounds to achieve them. One option is to use the HTML <a> tag with an id attribute to mark the target element, and then use a regular markdown link to refer to it. For example:

<a id="section1"></a>

## Section 1

This is the first section of the document.

[Go to section 2](#section2)

Another option is to use a plugin or tool that supports cross-references, such as Pandoc, Sphinx, or MkDocs. These tools usually have their own syntax or conventions for creating cross-references, and they can also generate a table of contents, index, or glossary for your document. For example, with Pandoc, you can use the curly braces notation to create cross-references:

# Section 1 {#section1}

This is the first section of the document.

[Go to section 2](#section2)

# Section 2 {#section2}

This is the second section of the document.

2 Footnotes in markdown

Footnotes are notes that provide additional information or explanation for a text, usually at the bottom of the page or the end of the document. They are useful for adding references, citations, clarifications, or comments to your documentation, without interrupting the main flow of the text. However, markdown does not have a standard syntax for creating footnotes, either, so you need to use some extensions or workarounds to achieve them. One option is to use the HTML <sup> and <a> tags to create the footnote markers and links, and then use the HTML <ol> and <li> tags to create the footnote list. For example:

This is a sentence with a footnote[^1].

[^1]: This is the footnote text.

<ol>

<li id="fn1"><a href="#fnref1">^</a> This is the footnote text.</li>

</ol>

Another option is to use a plugin or tool that supports footnotes, such as Pandoc, Sphinx, or MkDocs. These tools usually have their own syntax or conventions for creating footnotes, and they can also format and number them automatically. For example, with Pandoc, you can use the caret notation to create footnotes:

This is a sentence with a footnote[^1].

[^1]: This is the footnote text.