markdown having multiple lists

Question

I had some html like this:

<ul>
    <li> 1 </li>
    <li> 2 </li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <li> a </li>
    <li> b </li>
</ul>

This HTML was generated using CKEditor, but I got fed up with WYSIWYGs and decided to use markdown instead.

I then converted it to markdown.

My markdown looks like:

- 1
- 2

- a
- b

However my output from my markdown is this:

 <ul>
        <li> 1 </li>
        <li> 2 </li>    
        <li> a </li>
        <li> b </li>
    </ul>

I need two separate lists as per the html prior to conversion. Can this be done?

Answer 1

First I'll clarify the undesired behaviour, then I'll show you how to get the desired behaviour.

Undesired Behaviour - Concatenated Lists:

Markdown implementations often concatenate lists separated by whitespace.

For example, the following markdown has 5 lists

- a

- a
- b

- a
    - b


- a
    - b
- c


- a
    - b
        - c

and it renders as one big list:

• a

• a

• b

• a

  • b

• a

  • b

• c

• a

  • b
    • c

Desired Behaviour - Separated lists:

To get separate lists to render separately, separate your markdown lists with something that maps from markdown to invisible HTML. Each of these work fine:

• an HTML comment: <!-- -->
• a linebreak: <br>
• a non-breaking space:  

Below are 4 markdown lists using each of them

- a

<!-- -->

- a
- b

<br>

- a
    - b

&nbsp;

- a
    - b
- c

which render as 4 separate lists:

• a

• a
• b

• a
  • b

 

• a
  • b
• c