info string for inline code

[ioquatix]

Other markdown implementations support info strings for inline code:

e.g. GitHub Pages uses Jekyll and by extension kramdown where you can use:

`puts "Hello World"`{:.ruby}

Pandoc has a slightly different syntax:

`puts "Hello World"`{.ruby}

It would be nice if it was possible to enable info strings for inline code following one of the above conventions.

[eliot-cole]

Yep, I was hoping that one could use the CMARK spec and/or what's listed in the GFM to indicate code.

https://spec.commonmark.org/0.31.2/#code-spans

Apparently what you're suggesting works for github pages, but not for comments. I believe that the requirement, here could perhaps be improved to specifically state that this requirement is for comments and/or discussions.

---

So, anyway, it'd appear that (according to the aforementioned) one can only define language for code BLOCKS. There's no way to get around this with HTML, either, it'd seem ... I've tried appealing to the GFM approved code definition, and as a result have seen that it appears to be incorrect ... at least for comments and discussions.

The GFM states that (unless anyone know of a better way) that one can only define language in a <PRE> tag using HTML.

---

Tonight I will start to see if I can build an 'inline' highlighter using highlightjs.

More on this ...

I am looking at whether it is easy to use the 'Highlight.js' in a userscript to handle inline code blocks,{"foo": "bar"} but it's doubtful, as I think that github will remove the class that I have added to the code tag. So the full HTML to use would be:

<code class="language-json">{"foo": "bar"}</code>

Currently Viable Block Equivalent W/ Example

Code

<pre class="language-json"><code>{"foo": "bar"}</code><pre>

Result

{"foo": "bar"}

So ... for inline ruby that might look something like:

<code class="language-ruby">puts "Hello World"</code>

Currently Viable Block Equivalent W/ Example

Code

<pre class="language-ruby"><code>puts "Hello World"</code><pre>

Result

puts "Hello World"

But, again ... I'm just looking at it as a solution, here to include via a userscript, perhaps ... I've done zero actual work on this.

My hope is that it will be as simple as requiring the various libraries and then ensuring a capable selector that only accounts for <code> tags with the class beginning with language followed by the actual language!

Further thoughts here ...

Am hopeful that there's something more efficient than the below selector, but it might be the simplest:

[class*="top-"]

I may just make that more specific by using :is() and :not() to perhaps ensure this:

code:not(:is(pre > code))[class*="top-"]

... or something ... I forget how that not/is thing works exactly, but it does ... that might ensure that it is a bit more selective about where it is applied.

[ioquatix]

I ended up using a syntax like this: {ruby Object.new}. However, I'd prefer if we can standardise this (not necessarily this format).

Perhaps something like this:

Inline Ruby code: `Object.new`:ruby
Inline Ruby code with elaborate fence `Object.new`:"ruby file=test.rb"

Not sure if there are other good alternatives to consider. I don't like overloading existing extensions behaviour because that will get messy quickly.

[ioquatix]

Here is a possible implementation of the above: socketry#1

[eliot-cole]

Testing that with some inline JSON like {"foo":"bar","baz":123}:json and ... it appears not to do much ... hrm.
Lemme see if that works on ruby ... words Object.new:ruby words ...
Lemme try the elaborate fence ... some words ... some code Object.new:"ruby file=test.rb" then some words ... some more words.

Gah ... can't seem to make that work in comments ... ho wellio ...

This was why I was looking for HTML ways to accomplish it ... wauagh! 😅

Either way, thanks for the response, @ioquatix ... really wasn't expecting it!

When I post things I try to always put a 'no digital guilt' caveat ...

... and try to minimise folks' time interacting with me ... too ... heh.

Hence my use of things like this details accordion / show\hide.

I even just learned how to leverage 'MathJax' / 'katex' to flair that a little, because the github 'alert' markdown did not have an obvious HTML alternative! 😅 ... Here's a look at that 😏 :

$\large{\color{blue}{\texttt{🛈}}}$ $\small{\color{blue}{\textsf{Digital Guilt Free Message}}}$

$\small{\color{blue}{\textsf{Info provided without expectation/entitlement to any interaction at all.}}}$
$\small{\color{blue}{\textsf{Basically; information free of 'digital guilt' ...}}}$ 🙂

[ioquatix]

Did you enable the flag?

[eliot-cole]

$\large{\color{blue}{\texttt{🛈}}}$ $\small{\color{blue}{\textsf{Digital Guilt Free Message}}}$

$\small{\color{blue}{\textsf{This message is sent without expectation/entitlement to any interaction at all.}}}$
$\small{\color{blue}{\textsf{Basically; sending it free of 'digital guilt' into the ether ...}}}$ 🙂

Sorry, the flag, @ioquatix?

_{From @ioquatix @2026-07-17T215904.000Z UCT:}

Did you enable the flag?

---

---

I'm just trying to use all this in these comments (as per the below/above) and I had (perhaps wrongly) thought that this issue was potentially involving such inline code highlighting within comments for issues and/or discussions (or the OP of either) ... and general usage outside of normal github pages like readme.md, etc.

_{From @eliot-cole @2026-07-09T13:29:47.000Z UCT:}

Apparently what you're suggesting works for github pages, but not for comments. I believe that the requirement, here could perhaps be improved to specifically state that this requirement is for comments and/or discussions.

...

More on this ...

I am looking at whether it is easy to use the 'Highlight.js' in a userscript to handle inline code blocks,{"foo": "bar"} but it's doubtful, as I think that github will remove the class that I have added to the code tag. So the full HTML to use would be:

<code class="language-json">{"foo": "bar"}</code>

Currently Viable Block Equivalent W/ Example

Code

<pre class="language-json"><code>{"foo": "bar"}</code><pre>

Result

{"foo": "bar"}

So ... for inline ruby that might look something like:

<code class="language-ruby">puts "Hello World"</code>

Currently Viable Block Equivalent W/ Example

Code

<pre class="language-ruby"><code>puts "Hello World"</code><pre>

Result

puts "Hello World"

But, again ... I'm just looking at it as a solution, here to include via a userscript, perhaps ... I've done zero actual work on this.

My hope is that it will be as simple as requiring the various libraries and then ensuring a capable selector that only accounts for <code> tags with the class beginning with language followed by the actual language!

Further thoughts here ...

Am hopeful that there's something more efficient than the below selector, but it might be the simplest:

[class*="top-"]

I may just make that more specific by using :is() and :not() to perhaps ensure this:

code:not(:is(pre > code))[class*="top-"]

... or something ... I forget how that not/is thing works exactly, but it does ... that might ensure that it is a bit more selective about where it is applied.

Is the flag something one puts at the start/end of a comment or new issue/discussion?

[ioquatix]

With the PR, you also need to add CMARK_OPT_INLINE_CODE_INFO or use the command line --inline-code-info to set it, e.g. build/src/cmark-gfm --inline-code-info.