4.4Indented code blocks

An indented code block is composed of one or more indented chunks separated by blank lines. An indented chunk is a sequence of non-blank lines, each preceded by four or more spaces of indentation. The contents of the code block are the literal contents of the lines, including trailing line endings, minus four spaces of indentation. An indented code block has no info string.

An indented code block cannot interrupt a paragraph, so there must be a blank line between a paragraph and a following indented code block. (A blank line is not needed, however, between a code block and a following paragraph.)

    a simple
      indented code block

<pre><code>a simple
  indented code block
</code></pre>

If there is any ambiguity between an interpretation of indentation as a code block and as indicating that material belongs to a list item, the list item interpretation takes precedence:

  - foo

    bar

<ul>
<li>
<p>foo</p>
<p>bar</p>
</li>
</ul>

1.  foo

    - bar

<ol>
<li>
<p>foo</p>
<ul>
<li>bar</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>

The contents of a code block are literal text, and do not get parsed as Markdown:

    <a/>
    *hi*

    - one

<pre><code>&lt;a/&gt;
*hi*

- one
</code></pre>

Here we have three chunks separated by blank lines:

    chunk1

    chunk2
  
 
 
    chunk3

<pre><code>chunk1

chunk2



chunk3
</code></pre>

Any initial spaces or tabs beyond four spaces of indentation will be included in the content, even in interior blank lines:

    chunk1
      
      chunk2

<pre><code>chunk1
  
  chunk2
</code></pre>

An indented code block cannot interrupt a paragraph. (This allows hanging indents and the like.)

Foo
    bar

<p>Foo
bar</p>

However, any non-blank line with fewer than four spaces of indentation ends the code block immediately. So a paragraph may occur immediately after indented code:

    foo
bar

<pre><code>foo
</code></pre>
<p>bar</p>

And indented code can occur immediately before and after other kinds of blocks:

# Heading
    foo
Heading
------
    foo
----

<h1>Heading</h1>
<pre><code>foo
</code></pre>
<h2>Heading</h2>
<pre><code>foo
</code></pre>
<hr />

The first line can be preceded by more than four spaces of indentation:

        foo
    bar

<pre><code>    foo
bar
</code></pre>

Blank lines preceding or following an indented code block are not included in it:

    
    foo
    

<pre><code>foo
</code></pre>

Trailing spaces or tabs are included in the code block’s content:

    foo  

<pre><code>foo  
</code></pre>