WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter works in conjunction with Markdown-formatted code blocks and SyntaxHighlighter to properly format code.
Consider an alternative
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 14 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 3.4 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlight… stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| code | >100 |
| markdown | >100 |
| pre | >100 |
| syntax | >100 |
| SyntaxHighlighter | #39 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter
From the official readme · v0.4Description
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter is intended to work with the wp-markdown and SyntaxHighlighter Evolved plugins as follows:
- WP-Markdown can automatically use Prettify.js to format code, but if you prefer Alex Gorbatchev’s SyntaxHighlighter, this plugin will re-format the Markdown-formatted code blocks to be properly styled by SyntaxHighlighter directly or SyntaxHighlighter Evolved via plugin.
- SyntaxHighlighter Evolved uses SyntaxHighlighter and additional extended functionality to display code blocks in an easily readable manner.
There are two methods of use:
- Add a
#!line to your code example and specify the language (brush) only - Add a
#!!line to your code example and specify any/all supported parameters via a JSON object
Simple Method
To use, add a #! line as the first line of your code example with the language you are using:
#!ruby
class Foo < Bar
def hello
puts "Hello World!"
end
end
The #! is removed, and the code is reformatted as:
<pre class="brush:ruby; notranslate" title="">class One < Two
def hello
puts "Hello World!"
end
end</pre>
Full Method
To use, add a #!! line as the first line of your code example, with any of the supported SyntaxHighlighter parameters as a JSON object
#!!{"brush":"ruby","toolbar":"true","highlight":"[2,3,4]"}
class Foo < Bar
def hello
puts "Hello World!"
end
end
The #!! is removed, and the parameters are interpreted into a CSS class string as:
<pre class="brush: ruby; toolbar: true; highlight: [2,3,4]; notranslate">class Foo < Bar
def hello
puts "Hello World!"
end
end</pre>
TODO
- Consider adding support to toggle ‘notranslate’
Installation
- Upload the
wp-markdown-syntaxhighlighterfolder (and its contents) to the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Modify improperly formatted code blocks with your chosen
#!or#!!formatting.
Changelog
0.4
- Switched from
preg_replace()topreg_replace_callbackfor () - Removed some potentially harmful formatting code
- Hat tip to Richard Cyrus for suggesting these changes
0.3.1
- Updated licensing to GPL 2 in order to post in WP plugin directory
- Cleaned up some comments, code formatting
0.3
- Fixed case where both syntaxes could not be used in a single post
- Added support for the title parameter (default: empty)
0.2.1
- Refactored strings to constants
- Fixed a typo
0.2
- Added
#!!syntax to support extended parameters from JSON string - Added support for the following parameters:
- auto-links (default: true)
- class-name (default: ”)
- collapse (default: false)
- first-line (default: 1)
- gutter (default: true)
- highlight (default: null, format is a number or array of numbers)
- html-script (default: false)
- ruler (default: false)
- smart-tabs (default: true)
- title (default: null) NOTE: This does not set the title attribute on the
<pre>tag yet. - tab-size (default: 4)
- toolbar (default: true)
0.1
- Initial release
For developers
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Best WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter alternatives
All code plugins →FAQ
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 14, 2026
Is WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter free?
Yes. WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter safe to use in 2026?
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 14 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter?
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,313 times since it launched in September 2012. It was downloaded 42 times in the last 30 days.
Does WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter work with WordPress 7.1?
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter is officially tested up to WordPress 3.4.2, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter last updated?
The latest version, 0.4, was released on September 17, 2012 (14 years ago).
Who makes WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter?
WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter is developed and maintained by mattshelton.
What are the best alternatives to WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter?
The most popular alternatives to WP-Markdown-SyntaxHighlighter are WPCode (3M+ installs), Code Snippets (1M+ installs) and Head & Footer Code (100K+ installs).
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