Creating Your First Article
This guide walks you through creating, editing, and publishing articles in HelpFiles. Articles are the core content type — they're perfect for tutorials, how-to guides, and reference documentation.
Using the Article Editor
The article editor is available at /editor/articles/new. It features a split-pane layout with a Markdown editor on the left and a live preview on the right.
The Editor Interface
The editor has three main sections:
- Metadata Panel — Title, slug, category, tags, and publish status
- Markdown Editor — Write your content with full Markdown support
- Live Preview — See how your article will look in real-time
Writing in Markdown
HelpFiles uses MDX, which is Markdown with component support. Here's a quick reference of common formatting:
Text Formatting
**Bold text**
*Italic text*
~~Strikethrough~~
`inline code`
Headings
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
Tip: Use headings consistently — they're used to generate the Table of Contents that appears in the right sidebar.
Code Blocks
Use triple backticks with an optional language identifier:
```javascript
function hello() {
console.log("Hello, world!");
}
```
Lists
- Unordered item 1
- Unordered item 2
1. Ordered item 1
2. Ordered item 2
Links and Images
[Link text](https://example.com)
Publishing Your Article
When your article is ready:
- Review the content in the Live Preview
- Make sure all metadata fields are filled in
- Toggle the Published switch to on
- Click Save
Your article will immediately appear on the public site and be included in the sitemap for search engines.
Best Practices
- Use descriptive titles — They become the page title and appear in search results
- Write clear descriptions — The description field is used for meta tags and article previews
- Add relevant tags — Tags help with search and related article suggestions
- Structure with headings — Use H2 and H3 headings to create a scannable document
- Keep it focused — Each article should cover one topic thoroughly
Last updated: February 11, 2026