Element Converter
Markdown Code Block to HTML
Paste Markdown code to generate highlighted HTML instantly. Fenced blocks (```) become <pre><code> elements with a language class, inline backticks become <code>, and a syntax highlighter colours the output.
Inline code uses single backticks: npm install.
Fenced code blocks use triple backticks and a language label:
function greet(name) {
return `Hello, ${name}`;
}
How Markdown code blocks convert to HTML
A fenced Markdown code block converts to a <pre><code> element pair. The opening fence's language label becomes a class on the <code> tag, such as class="language-js", which a highlighter targets to colour tokens.
Markdown defines 2 code block styles: fenced (triple backticks or tildes) and indented (4 spaces). Both produce <pre><code> output. Fenced blocks additionally carry a language for syntax highlighting.
```js
const x = 1;
```<pre><code class="language-js">const x = 1;
</code></pre>Inline code vs code blocks
Inline code uses single backticks and converts to a <code> element inside surrounding text. Code blocks use triple backticks or indentation and convert to a block-level <pre><code> pair that preserves whitespace and line breaks.
Run `npm test` to start.<p>Run <code>npm test</code> to start.</p>Syntax highlighting in the HTML output
Syntax highlighting is applied by adding a language label after the opening fence. This converter uses Prism to wrap tokens in coloured <span> elements, so keywords, strings, and comments render in distinct colours.
Specify the language directly after the opening triple backticks, for example ```python or ```bash. Without a language label, the block converts to plain unhighlighted <pre><code>.
Escaping characters inside code blocks
Characters inside code blocks are output literally. The converter escapes <, >, and & to <, >, and & in the HTML, so HTML tags written inside a code block display as text rather than rendering.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I add syntax highlighting to a Markdown code block?
- Add a language label immediately after the opening triple backticks, such as ```js or ```python. The converter emits a class="language-x" attribute and Prism colours the tokens in the HTML output.
- What is the difference between inline code and a code block?
- Inline code uses single backticks and produces a <code> element within a sentence. A code block uses triple backticks or 4-space indentation and produces a block-level <pre><code> pair that preserves line breaks.
- Why is my code block not highlighting?
- Highlighting requires a language label after the opening fence and a supported language name. A missing label, an unsupported language, or an unclosed fence produces plain <pre><code> without colour.
- Are HTML tags inside code blocks rendered?
- No. The converter escapes <, >, and & inside code blocks, so HTML tags written between fences appear as literal text in the output instead of rendering as elements.