Markdown | Techlist.io

discordJul 1, 2025Original article

Discord Update: June 30, 2025 Changelog (opens in new tab)

Discord’s latest updates focus on enhancing user expression and streamlining platform navigation through a series of identity-driven features and technical refinements. By introducing Server Tags and expanding profile customization options, the platform aims to deepen community connections while simultaneously optimizing back-end processes like image compression and search algorithms. These changes reflect an ongoing effort to balance aesthetic personalization with functional performance for both individual users and server administrators. ### Server Tags and Community Visibility * Users can now display Server Tags next to their names to represent specific communities or favorite games. * These tags are interactive, allowing others to click them to learn about the server or apply for membership directly from the tag. * Server administrators can unlock this feature for their community once the server reaches three Boosts. ### Profile Customization and Asset Management * The desktop client now saves the last six used avatars in Profile Settings, enabling users to swap back to previous images without re-uploading files. * Nitro members gain extended access to Quest-earned Avatar Decorations, allowing them to keep these rewards beyond the standard two-month expiration period. * New Nameplate designs have been added to the Shop on the desktop app to further customize user presence in chat lists. ### Integrated Activities and Syntax Enhancements * The New York Times Games’ Wordle is now available as a Discord Activity, accessible by typing the `/wordle` command in any text channel. * Players can use the `/share` command to distribute their results across different channels or direct messages. * New Markdown support for email addresses allows users to wrap an address in brackets (e.g., `<email@address.com>`) to create a clickable link that opens a mail client automatically. ### Performance and Infrastructure Optimizations * The Quick Switcher tool received an algorithmic upgrade to improve the accuracy of channel and DM suggestions based on user behavior. * Mobile image embeds have been improved through a change in how the mobile application handles image compression, resulting in higher-quality renders. * The updated mobile image pipeline also reduces the time required for uploading and rendering images on handheld devices. ### Advanced Server Boosting Features * Beyond Server Tags, communities with sufficient boosts can now access Enhanced Role Styles, which add glowing gradients to specific server roles. * These aesthetic upgrades are designed to provide more visual hierarchy and flair to server member lists. To make the most of these updates, server owners should coordinate community boosts to unlock the new Role Styles and Server Tags, while power users should adopt the Quick Switcher and new Markdown syntax to increase their communication efficiency.

Markdown User Experience Mobile Development Image Compression+2

discordMay 1, 20254 min readCurated summary

Discord Patch Notes: May 1, 2025

Discord’s May 1, 2025 patch focuses on performance, usability, reliability, and bug fixes across platforms. Notable changes include faster Android video uploads, improved animated emoji support, and new Markdown links for phone numbers and email addresses. The release also resolves a wide range of interface, profile, moderation, permissions, and mobile issues, though some fixes may still be rolling out. ## Performance and Media Improvements - Android video transcoding improvements increased average upload speeds by about 5.6%. - Lower-performance Android devices saw average upload times improve by roughly 10.5%. - Animated emojis can now be uploaded in WebP and AVIF formats. - Supports true alpha transparency. - Provides greater color depth. - Produces smaller files. - Enables smoother playback. ## Markdown Links for Contact Information - Phone numbers and email addresses can now be formatted as links by placing them inside angle brackets: `< >`. - This allows users to tap or interact with contact information directly instead of copying it into another app. ## Notifications, Search, and Forum Usability - macOS notifications were redesigned to be cleaner and less cluttered. - Tapping text enclosed in backticks now copies it on mobile. - Forum searches now support choosing between AND and OR behavior for multiple tags. - Emoji autocomplete was improved for narrow Discord windows. - AutoMod system direct messages now appear correctly in mobile search results. - Server Insights graphs now update with the latest engagement data. - Keyboard behavior was improved when layout changes obscure content, particularly in Forum Channels; further improvements are ongoing. ## Profiles, Friends, and Statuses - Friend-request context menus now say “Accept Friend Request” instead of “Add Friend.” - Friend-request settings were reworded for greater clarity. - Mutual servers now appear correctly in mini profiles and update without requiring a restart. - Custom emojis in statuses animate properly when combined with text. - Non-animated custom-status emojis now display hover tooltips. - System emojis no longer appear clipped in Android statuses. - The Settings label “User Profile” was renamed “Main Profile.” - Accidental status changes from the Nitro preview in profile settings are no longer possible. - Long role lists in profiles can now be scrolled. - Server-specific profile role padding and role color previews were corrected. ## Moderation, Roles, and Server Management - Clicking a member in the Members tab now opens Mod View instead of closing the tab. - Mod View correctly renders messages from age-restricted channels. - Role color changes and slightly edited AutoMod regex rules now save properly. - Roles in Advanced View channel permissions are sorted by hierarchy. - Community Onboarding tasks can now be deleted reliably. - The “More” button on Student Hub server cards now works. - Users can once again move servers into the first position in a folder. - The server member-list border on iOS was reduced to restore usable space. ## Emoji, Reactions, and Embeds - Animated emojis now animate correctly in the full reactions list. - Reaction hover text is properly formatted even when many users participated. - Desktop now displays a clear upload-result toast for GIF emojis. - Invite links ending in a period now embed correctly. - Embeds and bot messages scale more effectively with font sizes and image dimensions, reducing overly narrow layouts. ## Mobile, Platform, and Visual Fixes - Quest and Account panels now align correctly. - Text in Voice for Stage Channels renders properly on foldable devices. - Mobile server headers use consistent colors across non-standard themes. - macOS capitalization for “Quit Discord” was corrected. - A Russian translation error affecting the “Mention the User” button was fixed. - Discovery now shows only one error when a user has reached the server limit. - Android users can side-scroll through server invite options. - Profile reaction coachmarks are positioned correctly. Discord recommends reporting remaining issues through the community bug megathread. Users who want early access to iOS changes can also join the Discord TestFlight program.

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Markdown Discord Android iOS+4

discordApr 16, 20253 min readCurated summary

The Game Developer Playbook, Part One: Getting Started on Discord

Discord’s playtest community should be created early in development to build relationships with players, gather feedback, and develop trusted advocates. The article recommends keeping the server focused on testing and feedback, with a clear structure separating information, discussion, staff communication, and playtest voice channels. A simple server template can evolve as the game and community grow. ## Getting Started - New server owners should understand Discord basics, including: - Creating and setting up a server - Managing permissions and roles - Sharing screens - Starting early gives developers more time to nurture a small but valuable group of engaged players. ## Playtest Community Basics - The primary goals should be to: - Make it easy for players to test the game - Give testers clear ways to provide feedback - Keep the community’s scope focused - Developers can begin with Discord’s recommended server template and expand it over time. ## Categories and Server Organization - Organize channels into clear groups: - Read-only information - Two-way discussions - Staff-only communication - Individual voice channels for voice chat, video, and screen sharing - Keep important information—such as rules, announcements, and updates—at the top. - Games with many classes, heroes, kits, or complex mechanics may benefit from dedicated forum or discussion channels. ## Roles and Permissions - Use two primary roles: - `@admin`, later renamed for the studio - `@playtest`, assigned to testers - Studio members should access every channel, while testers should see everything except the admin-only category. - Remove permissions from `@everyone` so unassigned users see an empty server, even if they enter through an unauthorized invite. - Use Discord’s **View Server As** feature to verify what each role can access. ## Community Features - Enabling Discord’s **Community** features can help larger servers manage growth. - Useful options include: - **Announcement Channels** for publishing updates that other servers can follow - **Server Insights** for engagement and retention data once the server reaches 500 members - **Community Onboarding** for self-assigned roles and rule acceptance - These features do not need to be enabled immediately; developers can adopt them as the community expands. ## Channel Design - Every channel should have a clearly defined purpose and a descriptive name. - Read-only channels should use consistent formatting, emojis, and Markdown to make important information easy to scan. - Suggested channels include: - `#rules-and-info` for server rules and guidelines - `#announcements` for game and playtest news - `#patch-notes` for updates and release details - `#game-discussion` for broader conversation A successful game playtest server should start small, organized, and purpose-driven. Establish clear permissions, separate information from discussion, and add features or channels only when they support the testing process and the community’s growth.

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Markdown Discord Game Development Access Control+2

discordApr 2, 20253 min readCurated summary

Discord Patch Notes: April 3, 2025

Discord’s April 3, 2025 patch focuses on usability, reliability, performance, and bug fixes across desktop and mobile. Major updates include Overlay v3, improved mobile navigation to unread messages, smarter Quick Switcher rankings, and expanded server-joining controls. The release also addresses numerous localization, layout, permissions, rendering, and chat issues. ## Major Highlights - **Overlay v3** was released, with Discord encouraging users—especially those dissatisfied with earlier Overlay versions—to try it. - Mobile users should now reach the oldest unread message in a busy channel with a single tap on the “new messages” indicator. - Quick Switcher channel-ranking logic was refined to improve search results and navigation across multiple servers. ## Server Access and Community Management - Users can set a server nickname and configure DM permissions during the invite-based joining process. - Servers can now use the Membership Application system, requiring approval before users join. This is managed through the new **Access** tab in Server Settings. - The built-in Timeout command was fixed and should once again accept valid durations. - Moderator actions from a user’s profile now work correctly even when that user has blocked the moderator. - The server ban list no longer displays stray parentheses after usernames. ## Interface, Navigation, and Performance Fixes - Keyboard navigation in Quest Discovery now expands the selected tile. - Desktop popouts should appear where they were opened instead of at the top-left corner. - The Shop’s “Shop All” section received performance improvements. - The back button now correctly returns users to Server Discovery after joining a server. - Numerous alignment and rendering problems were fixed across voice channels, profile popouts, MFA setup, Safety settings, code blocks, emoji, banners, and mobile screens. - Mobile issues involving blank screens after leaving Group DMs, scrolling Nitro perks, emoji-picker navigation, and poll-result overlap were resolved. ## Localization and Content Display - Fixed missing or incorrect translations in UK English, Japanese, and other localized interfaces. - Corrected event text, Quest minute pluralization, Nitro Home banner alignment, and Prune Members UI rendering. - Markdown in Scheduled Events and information in voice-chat profile popouts should now display properly. - Search results should once again show messages correctly. ## Chat and Threads - Mastodon embeds now provide better support for images, videos, formatting, styling, and a broader range of posts. - Spotify embeds in Text in Voice channels should scale correctly. - Mobile users no longer need to provide a thread name, matching the desktop experience. - Users are no longer incorrectly prompted to create a thread when they lack permission to send messages but can create threads. - Slowmode messages should display their full text instead of only the first few letters. - Users with the necessary permissions can lock and unlock mobile threads without joining them first. Overall, the patch is primarily a broad maintenance release, combining several visible feature improvements with a large number of cross-platform fixes. Users should see smoother navigation, more reliable chat behavior, and better consistency between desktop and mobile experiences.

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Markdown Discord Android iOS+3

discordFeb 26, 20253 min readCurated summary

Discord Patch Notes: October 1, 2024

Discord’s October 1, 2024 patch focuses on mobile performance, storage efficiency, usability improvements, and broad bug fixes. Android users should see smoother chat rendering and lower resource usage, while iOS users may benefit from substantially reduced data storage. The update also introduces desktop Soundboard improvements, macOS screen-sharing refinements, and Animated WebP support. ## Mobile Performance and Storage - Android chat rendering improvements reduced slow frames by up to 60%, depending on the device. - Android chat-list memory usage fell by approximately 12%, making scrolling through message histories smoother. - Mobile server-list virtualization keeps only visible servers loaded: - Memory usage improved by 14% for users in many servers. - CPU usage improved by 25%. - Mobile unread indicators now consistently appear above the correct message, even with many unread messages. - iOS data-store changes reduced storage usage for the most affected 1% of users from 5.7 GB to 1.7 GB. - Fixed iOS message search results beyond the first page and crashes involving certain NFC hardware keys. - Resolved tablet orientation-detection issues and several Android problems involving read states and mobile keyboards. ## New Features and Interface Updates - macOS screen-sharing startup now has a more consistent and streamlined interface. - Desktop received a redesigned Soundboard interface for easier sound navigation and interaction. - Web and desktop clients can now play Animated WebP attachments, offering smoother playback and potentially lower bandwidth usage. - Electron was upgraded to version 32, with expected incremental performance and crash-reduction benefits. - Pasting a URL over an existing link now properly replaces the original URL instead of creating unexpected Markdown behavior. - Activity Status now correctly displays PS5 games. - The green acceptance check mark has returned to friend-request notifications. ## Interface and Navigation Fixes - Corrected visual issues involving emoji pickers, GIF categories, profile status bubbles, avatar decorations, fonts, borders, and themed search filters. - Fixed navigation problems in GIF categories, the Shop, Friends UI, mutual-friend lists, and profile popouts. - Improved accessibility and navigation indicators so they are no longer cut off in several profile and list views. - Corrected layout issues in Student Hub, channel settings, server settings, Notification Center, and message requests. - Fixed Quests links, Server Guide icons, role expansion behavior, and the display of permission descriptions on mobile. - Restored functionality for the Toggle Overlay hotkey after switching applications with Alt-Tab. - Corrected several modal and popup layering issues, including stickers, Soundboard uploads, and quest cards. ## Reliability and Content Fixes - Fixed crashes when viewing deleted channels in Audit Log with ModView open. - Corrected poll countdown text as polls approach closure. - Member verification and rules-agreement indicators now reflect the correct state. - Fixed incorrect game-presence names appearing in Japanese. - Resolved issues with rate-limited or frozen GIF categories. - Corrected timeout duration display in moderation views. - Fixed profile customizations failing to load on the first Shop attempt. ## Chat Improvements - Fixed mobile chat layout issues, including the missing “Jump to Bottom” button and overlapping composer elements. - Android web embeds now scale correctly instead of cutting off image content. - Corrected message-height calculations and action-sheet handle placement. - Prevented Avatar Decorations from being clipped at the top of chat. Discord’s update is primarily a reliability and performance release. Users—especially those on Android, iOS, or with many servers—should benefit from smoother navigation, lower resource consumption, and fewer interface defects as the changes roll out across platforms.

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Markdown Android iOS Macos+4

datadogFeb 14, 2024Original article

How we use Vale to improve our documentation editing process | Datadog (opens in new tab)

To manage a high volume of technical content across dozens of products, Datadog’s documentation team has automated its editorial process using the open-source linting tool Vale. By integrating these checks directly into their CI/CD pipeline via GitHub Actions, the team ensures prose consistency and clarity while significantly reducing the manual burden on technical writers. This "shift-left" approach empowers both internal and external contributors to identify and fix style issues independently before a formal human review begins. ### Scaling Documentation Workflows * The Datadog documentation team operates at a 200:1 developer-to-writer ratio, managing over 1,400 contributors and 35 distinct products. * In 2023 alone, the team merged over 20,000 pull requests covering 650 integrations, 400 security rules, and 65 API endpoints. * On-call writers review an average of 40 pull requests per day, necessitating automation to handle triaging and style enforcement efficiently. ### Automated Prose Review with Vale * Vale is implemented as a command-line tool and a GitHub Action that scans Markdown and HTML files for style violations. * When a contributor opens a pull request, the linter provides automated comments in the "Files Changed" tab, flagging long sentences, wordy phrasing, or legacy formatting habits. * This automation reduces the "mental toll" on writers by filtering out repetitive errors before they reach the human review stage. ### Codifying Style Guides into Rules * The team transitioned from static editorial guidelines stored in Confluence and wikis to a codified repository called `datadog-vale`. * Style rules are defined using Vale’s YAML specification, allowing the team to update global standards in a single location that is immediately active in the CI pipeline. * Custom regular expressions are used to exclude specific content from validation, such as Hugo shortcodes or technical snippets that do not follow standard prose rules. ### Implementation of Specific Linting Rules * **Jargon and Filler Words:** A `words.yml` file flags "cruft" such as "easily" or "simply" to maintain a professional, objective tone. * **Oxford Comma Enforcement:** The `oxfordcomma.yml` rule uses regex to identify lists missing a serial comma and provides a suggestion to the author. * **Latin Abbreviations:** The `abbreviations.yml` rule identifies terms like "e.g." or "i.e." and suggests plain English alternatives like "for example" or "that is." * **Timelessness:** Rules flag words like "currently" or "now" to ensure documentation remains relevant without frequent updates. By open-sourcing their Vale configurations, Datadog provides a framework for other organizations to automate their style guides and foster a more efficient, collaborative documentation culture. Teams looking to improve prose quality should consider adopting a similar "docs-as-code" approach to shift editorial effort toward the beginning of the contribution lifecycle.

Markdown Datadog CI/CD GitHub Actions+4

datadogFeb 14, 20243 min readCurated summary

How we use Vale to improve our documentation editing process

Datadog’s Documentation team uses automated style linting to maintain clear, consistent prose across a large, fast-moving documentation repository. By integrating the open-source Vale linter into local authoring workflows and GitHub Actions, the team moves copy editing closer to the moment content is written. This reduces review effort, helps contributors fix issues themselves, and makes the team’s style guide executable rather than scattered across multiple documents. ## Documentation at Scale - The Documentation team grew from 7 to 14 writers while supporting roughly 200 developers per writer. - The repository includes documentation for 35 products and more than 1,400 internal and external contributors. - In 2023, the team merged more than 20,000 pull requests covering: - 30+ products - 65 API endpoints - 95 Marketplace integrations - 400 security compliance rules - 400 workflow actions - 650 integrations - An on-call writer reviews more than 40 pull requests per day, making automated consistency checks especially valuable. ## Why Manual Style Enforcement Falls Short - Writers must catch issues such as: - Jargon and wordy phrasing - Malapropisms - Mismatched tenses - Gendered language - Typewriter-era formatting habits - Organization-specific preferences - Contributors and AI writing tools may not know Datadog’s conventions, such as using serial commas, avoiding “via,” or eliminating time-sensitive words like “currently.” - Previously, style guidance had to be maintained in Confluence, review documentation, contributing guides, and repository wiki pages. ## Vale in Authoring and CI - Datadog adopted Vale, an open-source command-line prose linter, through the `datadog-vale` project. - A GitHub Action runs Vale against Markdown and HTML files in pull requests. - The repository’s `vale.ini` file identifies: - Where style rules are stored - Which rules should run - Which content formats should be checked - Automated comments appear in GitHub’s **Files Changed** view, allowing contributors to correct issues before a writer reviews the pull request. - Vale has reduced editing time and the mental burden on writers while improving contributor self-service. ## Turning the Style Guide into Rules - Existing editorial guidelines were converted into YAML-based Vale rules. - New rules can be added once and enforced everywhere, avoiding duplicated documentation. - Regular expressions exclude content that should not be linted, such as Hugo shortcodes. - Rules can identify both broad writing problems and precise organizational preferences. ## Examples of Vale Rules - A `words.yml` file can flag unnecessary jargon or “cruft” such as “easily” and “simply.” - An `oxfordcomma.yml` rule detects sentences that omit the Oxford comma and provides a correction message and link to the relevant style guidance. - An `abbreviations.yml` rule replaces Latin abbreviations with plain-English alternatives: - `e.g.` → “for example” - `i.e.` → “that is” - `etc.` → “and more” - Vale rules can define severity levels such as `suggestion` or `error`, include explanatory messages, link to documentation, and optionally perform replacements. Datadog’s approach demonstrates that documentation quality can be improved by treating prose standards like code standards: encode them as rules, run them continuously, and give authors immediate, actionable feedback. Teams with large contributor bases can use Vale and CI to make their style guide consistent, discoverable, and easier to maintain.

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Markdown Datadog CI/CD GitHub Actions+4

figmaNov 3, 20213 min readCurated summary

Behind the build: a Q&A with developer Tekeste Kidanu | Figma Blog

Tekeste Kidanu, known online as tk made it, builds Figma and FigJam plugins that address practical needs from the design community. His best-known project, SPELLL, provides grammar and spell checking inside design files, while his newer FigJam tools support note-taking, color customization, and voting. He credits community feedback, Figma’s approachable plugin API, and his interest in design for shaping his work. ## Background and Motivation - Tekeste is an introverted frontend developer who moved to the U.S. in 2016 to study computer science. - He became interested in improving his design skills, particularly in color theory and typography. - He contributes to the Figma Community by creating tools that help designers work more productively. ## SPELLL: Spell Checking for Figma and FigJam - SPELLL scans Figma and FigJam documents for spelling and grammar errors. - Users can correct mistakes directly, similar to using Grammarly. - The plugin aims to save designers time and prevent embarrassing typos during presentations. - Tekeste developed the idea after seeing requests on the Figma Forum, Designer News, Twitter, and other design communities. ## Learning the Figma Plugin API - Tekeste researched how the plugin should work before beginning development. - He taught himself the Figma plugin API through its documentation and questions in the Figma Plugins Slack workspace. - He was surprised by how easy it was to begin, finding that his existing JavaScript and web-development knowledge provided a strong foundation. ## Building for FigJam - When FigJam introduced plugin support, Tekeste began adapting his existing Figma tools. - The similar APIs and development processes for Figma and FigJam made migration straightforward. - His FigJam projects include: - **Notes**, a widget for storing detailed plain-text or Markdown notes without cluttering a board. - **Color Picker**, which adds custom-colored stickies and shapes. - **Voting**, which supports anonymous and non-anonymous voting sessions. ## Community-Driven Inspiration - Tekeste frequently finds ideas in feature requests and discussions on Twitter, the Figma Forum, and Friends of Figma Slack. - He notes that many requested features can be implemented through the plugin API before Figma adds them natively. - He hopes another developer will build a FigJam widget showing what music participants are listening to. ## Looking Ahead - Tekeste plans to improve his voting widget and make it the best possible tool for FigJam sessions. - He is excited about the public release of FigJam plugins and widgets and the creativity it may encourage. - He is also inspired by the growing popularity of playful, animated, and interactive interfaces, citing Apple Maps and the Honk app as examples. Figma’s open plugin and widget platform gives developers like Tekeste a practical way to turn community requests into useful design tools. His work demonstrates how existing web skills, combined with active listening to users, can produce focused improvements to collaborative workflows.

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Markdown User Interface JavaScript Web Development+2