Markdown Translations

_m() lets you write translatable strings with markdown formatting. MoonBuggy converts the markdown to indexed placeholders in PO files, so translators can reorder formatting without touching raw HTML.

Basic usage

_m("Click **here** to continue")

PO entry:

msgid "Click <0>here</0> to continue"

Output HTML:

Click <strong>here</strong> to continue

The <0>...</0> placeholder represents <strong>. The translator can move it freely:

msgstr "Continuez en cliquant <0>ici</0>"

Links

Markdown links are converted to numbered placeholders:

_m("Read **this** and click [here]($url$)", new { url })

PO entry:

msgid "Read <0>this</0> and click <1>here</1>"

• <0> maps to <strong>
• <1> maps to <a href="{url}">

The URL variable is hidden from the translator — it's stored in the placeholder metadata. The translator only sees the link text:

msgstr "Lea <0>esto</0> y haga clic <1>aquí</1>"

Nested markdown

Bold links or other nested constructs produce nested placeholders:

_m("Click **[here]($url$)** to continue", new { url })

PO entry:

msgid "Click <0><1>here</1></0> to continue"

• <0> = <strong>
• <1> = <a href="{url}">

Variables in _m()

Regular $var$ substitutions work in markdown messages:

_m("Welcome **$name$** to our site", new { name })

PO entry:

msgid "Welcome <0>{name}</0> to our site"

The variable {name} appears inside the bold placeholder. Values are HTML-encoded at runtime.

Markdown with plurals

Markdown and plural blocks can be combined:

_m("$#x=0#no **new** items|**#x#** new item|**#x#** new items$", new { x })

PO entry:

msgid "{x, plural, =0 {no <0>new</0> items} one {<1>#</1> new item} other {<2>#</2> new items}}"

Each plural branch gets its own set of placeholder indices, since the markdown structure can differ between branches.

Return type

_m() returns TranslatedHtml which implements IHtmlContent. In Razor views, the view engine calls WriteTo directly — the pre-rendered HTML segments are written without additional encoding.

Unlike _t() which returns TranslatedString (with HTML encoding of variable values), _m() output is already HTML. The markdown-to-HTML conversion happens at compile time, not at runtime.

When to use _m() vs _t()

Use _t() for plain text and _m() for formatted text:

Scenario	Function
Plain message	_t("Save changes")
Message with variable	_t("Hello $name$", new { name })
Bold/italic text	_m("Click **here**")
Links	_m("Visit [our site]($url$)", new { url })
HTML in message	_m("Read **this**")

Using _t() for messages with HTML would require the translator to handle raw HTML tags, which is error-prone. _m() abstracts the HTML behind numbered placeholders.