You can make your README formatted by putting README with specific extension.
| format | extension |
|---|---|
| rdoc | README.rdoc |
| Markdown | README.markdown, README.md, README.mdown, README.mkd, README.mkdn |
| Textile | README.textile |
| PNG | README.png (should display an image. At the moment, it isn’t working) |
| reStructuredText | README.rst |
| POD | README.pod |
| (no formatting) | README.* (all but above extensions), README (no extension) |
- rd (README.rd)
- html (README.html — considered insecure)
- If there is both README and README.foo, README.foo is displayed. (This doesn’t always seem to be true; README.txt is displayed before README, but README is displayed before README.somethingunusual.)
- feature request: format READMEs without an extension
- feature request: DokuWiki syntax as DW is often used to write whole doKumentation for software
- feature request: TiddlyWiki Syntax
- feature request: Something MediaWiki like such as MediaCloth or WikiCreole
- feature request: txt2tags
- feature request: support i18n filename format like README_ja.txt
- feature request: HAML — http://haml-lang.com/ — *.(html)?.haml
- feature request: creole syntax
- feature request: support .README.* to allow projects to have a readme in a dotfile
- feature request: syntax highlighting for code blocks