# Weird things in docs (markdown & Documenter)

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** documenter, markdown\
**Created:** [June 16, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349 "2019-06-16T20:09:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joa-quim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/joa-quim/32/227_2.png) [@joa-quim](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/joa-quim)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349/1 "2019-06-16T20:09:00Z")

</div>

Hi, I’m seeing strange things in the html created by Documenter as compared with the original markdown and which involve the use of `_`. See the bellow examples.

This is from (nevermind link address, it’s an alias from Github) [https://www.generic-mapping-tools.org/GMT.jl/latest/coast/](https://www.generic-mapping-tools.org/GMT.jl/latest/coast/) and respects the option **C**. Notice that it shows `river_fill`, `riverfill` and `riverlakes`

 ![Capture](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/9/e/9e5c5baaad57549fac67280147e8a233e94d844f.jpeg)

But the[original in Markdown](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/GMT.jl/blob/master/docs/src/coast.md) is always with the underscores.

 ![Capture2](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/9/5/952e22b7adbd8d2ebd936ab42ec0d7e94f495c7c.jpeg)

So the issue is why sometimes the underscores are respected but others they just disappear? I suspect it can be something related to underscores being interpreted as Latex but then it still should behave always the same.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kristoffer.carlsson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/kristoffer.carlsson/32/22_2.png) [@kristoffer.carlsson](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kristoffer.carlsson)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349/2 "2019-06-16T20:52:18Z")

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Use code quoting for code snippets, ``code``.

Anyway, I am guessing [https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pull/25564](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/pull/25564) is what is causing it.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joa-quim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/joa-quim/32/227_2.png) [@joa-quim](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/joa-quim)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349/3 "2019-06-16T20:59:53Z")

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But that PR was merged in January and I’m using Julia 1.1.1 so it should be in already.  
(I did enclose the variables under pairs of ``. The other text comes from two images)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kristoffer.carlsson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/kristoffer.carlsson/32/22_2.png) [@kristoffer.carlsson](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kristoffer.carlsson)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349/4 "2019-06-16T21:01:01Z")

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Yes, my point is that it might be causing it. Since it interprets underscores in a special way and the problem is with underscores.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joa-quim](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/joa-quim/32/227_2.png) [@joa-quim](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/joa-quim)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349/5 "2019-06-16T21:02:59Z")

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Ah, I see.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ellocco](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/ellocco/32/31331_2.png) [@ellocco](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ellocco)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 9:58am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349/6 "2022-06-13T09:58:31Z")

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I have a similar issue. I have read that the backslash `\` should be able to mask the letter `_`, but this does not work for me inside function documentation block ☹

The following example crashes the compilation of my module that includes my function that would like to document (Julia v1.7.2):

```julia
@doc """
filename = "foo\_a\_b.txt"
"""

```

The error message is:

```julia
ERROR: LoadError: syntax: invalid escape sequence

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kristoffer.carlsson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/kristoffer.carlsson/32/22_2.png) [@kristoffer.carlsson](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kristoffer.carlsson)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 10:34am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/weird-things-in-docs-markdown-documenter/25349/7 "2022-06-13T10:34:45Z")

</div>

You need to escape the `\` if you want to use it in a string literal:

```julia
julia> Markdown.parse("foo_a_b.txt")
  fooab.txt

julia> Markdown.parse("foo\_a\_b.txt")
ERROR: syntax: invalid escape sequence
Stacktrace:
 [1] top-level scope
   @ none:1

julia> Markdown.parse("foo\\_a\\_b.txt")
  foo_a_b.txt

```