Show HN: A user-friendly UI for viewing and editing Markdown files(marker.pages.dev)
marker.pages.dev
Show HN: A user-friendly UI for viewing and editing Markdown files
https://marker.pages.dev/
149 comments
I am trying to replace google docs with markdowns, but it's difficult to find a suitable editor, so I gave this a try. Here are a few observations on a M1 Mac:
* very clean interface: But too clean for my taste. I like WYSIWYG controls like BIU and I like to apply styles directly (like in Word/gdocs) as opposed to many md-Editors with a code/preview split.
* the HN-title implies that I can quickly edit a .md file, but it asks me to define a project first - no direct file opening.
* I opened an existing file with a h1-header on top, the app adds a title and subtitle on top anyway - not wanted. I couldn't find a way to remove them either.
* It seems I cant move the window by "pulling" the area where the titlebar would be. The window is stuck on a center-top position.
So far, the markdown editor that comes closest to my requirements is the vscode plugin "Markdown Editor" (https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=adameros...)
Thanks for your work and good luck!
Edit: Attempt to style my comment for better readability.
* very clean interface: But too clean for my taste. I like WYSIWYG controls like BIU and I like to apply styles directly (like in Word/gdocs) as opposed to many md-Editors with a code/preview split.
* the HN-title implies that I can quickly edit a .md file, but it asks me to define a project first - no direct file opening.
* I opened an existing file with a h1-header on top, the app adds a title and subtitle on top anyway - not wanted. I couldn't find a way to remove them either.
* It seems I cant move the window by "pulling" the area where the titlebar would be. The window is stuck on a center-top position.
So far, the markdown editor that comes closest to my requirements is the vscode plugin "Markdown Editor" (https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=adameros...)
Thanks for your work and good luck!
Edit: Attempt to style my comment for better readability.
I use obsidian and zettlr [1]. The great thing with markdown is that, as long as you do not use an editor or plugin with some extreme "flavours", you are not locked in one specific editor. I have found that using two editors (obsidian and zettlr) for different needs/contexts works amazing for me. I am curious about this one also, though it is hard to think of use cases that I am not covered right now already.
[1] https://www.zettlr.com/
[1] https://www.zettlr.com/
What are the different contexts you use the two tools in?
I use obsidian as general note taking (I use a daily zettelkasten note to dump whatever stuff inside in situations where thinking and deciding about making a new file, with which name and where would disrupt the flow or would be too slow. I may put the content somewhere else after). I also use it for more organised stuff, like I have a folder in my obsidian vault about job/conference etc applications, another folder about work presentations etc.
I use zettlr on more project related documents, that typically reside in a `doc` folder in the respective project directories rather than in my obsidian vault. This is much faster as usually I am already working in that directory, and opening things in an obsidian vault is too distracting then. I would say that in general compartmentalising between work within a project and the general context/structure of my notes helps me a lot with not interrupting my flow states, even if this just began because of different software conveniences.
Sometimes I also work on md files in my obsidian vault using zettlr because I like a bit more how it handles pasting images from clipboard memory (gives you the option to resize the image on the fly, not sure if this is possible somehow in obsidian).
I use zettlr on more project related documents, that typically reside in a `doc` folder in the respective project directories rather than in my obsidian vault. This is much faster as usually I am already working in that directory, and opening things in an obsidian vault is too distracting then. I would say that in general compartmentalising between work within a project and the general context/structure of my notes helps me a lot with not interrupting my flow states, even if this just began because of different software conveniences.
Sometimes I also work on md files in my obsidian vault using zettlr because I like a bit more how it handles pasting images from clipboard memory (gives you the option to resize the image on the fly, not sure if this is possible somehow in obsidian).
If you haven't tried Obsidian, I would. It has the features you were looking for. The downside being it is directory (vault) based as well and doesn't really offer the ability to edit one off files.
Exporting from Obsidian is so easy though. I forget how the defaults are, but installing hte Pandoc plugin makes it a zero-effort option.
Try this one later, of all linked in the thread, it looked very clean to me
https://github.com/1943time/bluestone
https://www.bluemd.me/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bluestone-markdown/id645139147...
I myself am currently playing with WriterSide from JetBrains but it's still in experimental stage.
https://github.com/1943time/bluestone
https://www.bluemd.me/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bluestone-markdown/id645139147...
I myself am currently playing with WriterSide from JetBrains but it's still in experimental stage.
You’ve just described what is implemented in TextEdit since time immemorial, which is symptomatic of modern applications :)
Seriously now, why can’t we have normal desktop apps anymore…
Seriously now, why can’t we have normal desktop apps anymore…
You may like Typora.
What's the license of the code? I don't see any in the repo https://github.com/tk04/Marker
Looks like they added one (MIT) after you posted this: https://github.com/tk04/Marker/blob/master/LICENSE
Isn’t the point of markdown that it’s a bridge to ordinary text editors?
Programs like TextEdit and Word should have a “save as Markdown” option, but it isn’t that important.
Programs like TextEdit and Word should have a “save as Markdown” option, but it isn’t that important.
Tangential: anyone remember WordPerfect on DOS, and how you could switch between WYSIWYG mode and "markup" mode, where you could delete style markers?
The more things change...
The more things change...
Indeed. When I ask (now retiring) office workers they typically agree that WordPerfect 5.1 is the best document editor our Earth has to offer.
Interestingly, George R. R. Martin still uses WordStar 4.0 [1] to write all of his books. It even predates WordPerfect 5.1 by three years (1986 and 1989).
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/14/george-r-r-martin-writes-e...
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/14/george-r-r-martin-writes-e...
It was pretty good...but I don't miss having to manually manage printer drivers for it.
> Everything you create lives in your filesystem.
We reached a point in the consumer tech circus where storing text files locally is considered a “feature”.
We reached a point in the consumer tech circus where storing text files locally is considered a “feature”.
I'm _really really_ not a fan of the app insisting on defining a 'project' before allowing you to open a file. I recognize that project-oriented management is probably a requirement for something like this given that markdown files usually do exist as a collection of related documents, but I regularly want to just open a README.md.
Right - one of my favourite things about VS Code is I can just type "code README.md" and start using it - or "code ." to open my current working directory. Effectively it lets me treat directories as projects without fiddling around with any project configuration.
I wrote a short blog post[1] about this pattern a few years ago. I still don't understand why so many apps use this workflow, especially ones that previously didn't. Just let me deal with the project creation stuff on the first write instead of requiring all this up-front commitment!
[1]: https://davidyat.es/2018/03/01/project-wizard/
[1]: https://davidyat.es/2018/03/01/project-wizard/
You'll like Drafts app. Open the app and start typing. Only then decide what you gonna do with the text.
It's a native macOS app, so it starts instantly. I use it for everything – from writing articles to comments/messages, where I care a bit more about not making typos or accidentally sending before proofreading.
It's a native macOS app, so it starts instantly. I use it for everything – from writing articles to comments/messages, where I care a bit more about not making typos or accidentally sending before proofreading.
Why not just use Notes instead of paying $20/year? (Not a dig at Drafts, trying to understand the value.)
Finding stuff in Notes is bad. You cannot scope a search to a subset of the collection. It's terrible. Drafts is very fast and, as plain text, is very simple. The automation is fabulous. Good support for widgets. Its sync is instant. It's a good program.
That said, I have returned to it and am abandoning Drafts. Turns out that, once you have a substantial amount of stuff, finding stuff is just as bad as Notes and I do not actually use the automation.
Also, I want Rich Text, too. I believe in plain text but, in the end, I cannot live without being able to easily set text to be bold, colored or large so that I can see the important parts. Still, I am mad at Notes for not supporting Markdown because I do README and such often.
That said, I have returned to it and am abandoning Drafts. Turns out that, once you have a substantial amount of stuff, finding stuff is just as bad as Notes and I do not actually use the automation.
Also, I want Rich Text, too. I believe in plain text but, in the end, I cannot live without being able to easily set text to be bold, colored or large so that I can see the important parts. Still, I am mad at Notes for not supporting Markdown because I do README and such often.
> You cannot scope a search to a subset of the collection.
Since you're back to Notes, you might be interested to know that you can now scope searches in a bunch ways — folders, Smart Folder, tags, kind (i.e. limit to notes with checklists), date range, etc. You can even search "notes created last year" to see all of your notes created last year, etc. https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/notes/not18ab658ed/mac
Since you're back to Notes, you might be interested to know that you can now scope searches in a bunch ways — folders, Smart Folder, tags, kind (i.e. limit to notes with checklists), date range, etc. You can even search "notes created last year" to see all of your notes created last year, etc. https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/notes/not18ab658ed/mac
I haven't looked at Drafts, but I stopped using Notes because I started doing work that requires Windows and it lacks native cross-platform support. The in-browser experience just doesn't cut it for me for something I need as much as a notes app.
One other, slightly off topic thing... Even if a program has a free version, if I use it in my daily life, as I have done with Drafts, I pay for it.
It is my view that the current market has coerced programmers to have free versions even though programmers cannot buy food or pay mortgages with free versions.
I consider it unethical to gain a benefit in my daily life without giving something in return. $20/year is almost too little.
It is my view that the current market has coerced programmers to have free versions even though programmers cannot buy food or pay mortgages with free versions.
I consider it unethical to gain a benefit in my daily life without giving something in return. $20/year is almost too little.
Drafts is really about the automations you can do on your text in order to get it out of Drafts. The idea is you throw some text into Drafts — because it's quicker to create text in Drafts than in pretty much any other app — and then use an automation to do some minor parsing, reformat, add metadata, etc before sending the data to its final destination.
I don't use Pro version and never had a need for.
Notes is clumsy – I never can find what I want there. With folders, pinned notes, named notes, synced/unsynced etc, it's just a mess.
Drafts is just a super-reliable and fast editor that is better than any other textbox/editor. So I mostly use it for copy pasting. Even use it for HN comments that are longer than 10 lines.
Notes is clumsy – I never can find what I want there. With folders, pinned notes, named notes, synced/unsynced etc, it's just a mess.
Drafts is just a super-reliable and fast editor that is better than any other textbox/editor. So I mostly use it for copy pasting. Even use it for HN comments that are longer than 10 lines.
If you don't want the automation stuff, it's perfectly usable for free.
I'm with you — same issue as Obsidian.
Haven’t tried Marker so I don’t know how it works, but at least in Obsidian “projects” are just folders. At least for my usage, this isn’t really an issue because most of the Markdown files I create are going to be in one of a few locations (blog posts, mind dumps, etc).
It’s still useful to have a one-off editor but there are several programs that can fill that purpose well.
It’s still useful to have a one-off editor but there are several programs that can fill that purpose well.
Obsidian isn't terrible, I just wish I could open a single Markdown file. README.md is pretty common; any arbitrary location can contain a .md file that I might want to open.
Marker looks a lot worse, though. I gave my 'project' a name and selected a folder—one containing a big hierarchy, tbf, but the app gave no guidance. All I get now is a blank window, even when I restart. There doesn't seem to be any menu item that will let me create a new project or recover from this state. I guess I'll have to reinstall...
This is the problem with the 'project' (or 'vault') approach, IMO—if I'm just opening a file, I know what that is, what it means. When your app revolves around some bespoke notion of whatever a 'project' is, and that's the first experience of your app I get, that's not great.
Marker looks a lot worse, though. I gave my 'project' a name and selected a folder—one containing a big hierarchy, tbf, but the app gave no guidance. All I get now is a blank window, even when I restart. There doesn't seem to be any menu item that will let me create a new project or recover from this state. I guess I'll have to reinstall...
This is the problem with the 'project' (or 'vault') approach, IMO—if I'm just opening a file, I know what that is, what it means. When your app revolves around some bespoke notion of whatever a 'project' is, and that's the first experience of your app I get, that's not great.
Obsidian is vault-centric and has some harsh limitations in what workflows it allows because of this. It doesn't matter whether vaults are folders, because there is more to this than just the folder. This is really annoying, because Obsidian is a one of the best markdown-editors at the moment, with a good plugin-community, unlike others.
It is a great editor. Your points are spot on. The vault-centric use of Obsidian is limiting, and has stopped me from using it as my main editor. I use it only for a single synced vault. All other md files are edited using other tools.
Obisidian is not a text editor, and it never claims to be one.
[deleted]
Looks almost identical to [typora](https://typora.io)
Typora is my go-to markdown editor and imo really worth it.
One really nice feature it has is the ability to paste in images and have them automatically get put in a pre-defined folder, which is pretty crucial to static blog site deployment.
Typora + Blot.im have been hard to beat for me.
One really nice feature it has is the ability to paste in images and have them automatically get put in a pre-defined folder, which is pretty crucial to static blog site deployment.
Typora + Blot.im have been hard to beat for me.
Worth noting Typora is neither free nor free.
Yeah, $15 for a markdown editor that's locked to a maximum of 3 devices that I don't even control is a tall ask. OPs program is significantly more attractive.
Looks really nice
Slightly on a tangent, anyone knows of a good markdown reader library for the terminal in python?
Here’s a Go example: https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow
Btw, the Charm/charmbracelet projects are fantastic, wish there was something like that but in python
Slightly on a tangent, anyone knows of a good markdown reader library for the terminal in python?
Here’s a Go example: https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow
Btw, the Charm/charmbracelet projects are fantastic, wish there was something like that but in python
Looks really cool! For anyone looking for a very similar UI but an editor that also supports complex blocks (like Kanban, images etc) you can check out my note-taking app Plume with a block editor[1] (beta is out in about a month, sign up for the waitlist!). Every note is a simple plain text string (with Markdown syntax) that is rendered via Qt C++ and QML.
[1] https://get-plume.com/
EDIT: Added the app isn't out yet (about a month more of hard work!)
[1] https://get-plume.com/
EDIT: Added the app isn't out yet (about a month more of hard work!)
Not a dig at you, but I see you plugging this on everything even remotely similar to your app. With the caveat that your product is not even out? Is the intention just to build hype?
Seems a bit disingenuous is all.
Seems a bit disingenuous is all.
> Is the intention just to build hype?
No, the intention is to build a waitlist to get feedback from target users. I'm following sort of a similar plan the Linear guys went with[1].
EDIT: It also gives me a lot of motivation to see people liking what I build and waiting to use it - which takes tremendous tall on me since I'm working on it 24/7 every day for the past 7 months.
[1] https://linear.app/blog/rethinking-the-startup-mvp-building-...
No, the intention is to build a waitlist to get feedback from target users. I'm following sort of a similar plan the Linear guys went with[1].
EDIT: It also gives me a lot of motivation to see people liking what I build and waiting to use it - which takes tremendous tall on me since I'm working on it 24/7 every day for the past 7 months.
[1] https://linear.app/blog/rethinking-the-startup-mvp-building-...
I think my reason for commenting was because the way you comment makes it seem like the product is out to try / "check out my product!" but the product doesn't even exist.
It feels dishonest? Like a bait and switch.
That being said, good luck.
It feels dishonest? Like a bait and switch.
That being said, good luck.
Oh, gotcha, I edited the comment to add that the app isn't out yet. Thanks.
When will we see an alpha release which we could use to play around? I like what I see!
Thanks! In about a month!
Recently Trello has restricted the kanban guests to ten people. If your kanban functionality has some simple file in the background that is easy to share it could be used to hack an alternative to it.
The Kanban syntax is simple, Markdown headers and Markdown to-do items encapsulated with very minimal custom syntax like so:
{{kanban}}
# Todo
- [ ] todo 1
- [ ] todo 2
# In Progress
- [ ] todo 1
- [ ] todo 2
{{/kanban}}
Currently, Plume doesn't support collaboration. How do you think it can be an alternative to Trello?
{{kanban}}
# Todo
- [ ] todo 1
- [ ] todo 2
# In Progress
- [ ] todo 1
- [ ] todo 2
{{/kanban}}
Currently, Plume doesn't support collaboration. How do you think it can be an alternative to Trello?
This looks like a neat app for non-developers, but for dev's it is really hard to beat the VS Code extensions for handling markdown.
My heavily used ones are: Markdown to HTML (copy), which lets you write and preview markdown and then copy+paste it as html into things like newsletters, CMS, etc. as a single step.
The other one is Markdown to PDF, which lets you organize a series of markdown files into a coherent structure and then spits out an ebook on command.
My heavily used ones are: Markdown to HTML (copy), which lets you write and preview markdown and then copy+paste it as html into things like newsletters, CMS, etc. as a single step.
The other one is Markdown to PDF, which lets you organize a series of markdown files into a coherent structure and then spits out an ebook on command.
I still haven't found an extension that will give me the edit/ inline preview functionality of obsidian editor.
It'll great if you point me to one of those... Thanks.
It'll great if you point me to one of those... Thanks.
I use bluestone, it supports inline previews: https://github.com/1943time/bluestone
This one looks really good, I will give it a try later. Thanks for linking it!
I just use the preview side-by-side with my document
there's a similar app made specifically for devs - https://acreom.com
disclaimer: I am the maker of acreom
disclaimer: I am the maker of acreom
That looks terrific and the price is fair. I am concerned about no open source local client - I don't want to rely on the company if it goes belly up (which is why I actually like paying).
I just recently moved to Org Mode but if I were still in the Markdown ecosystem I would give this tool serious consideration.
I just recently moved to Org Mode but if I were still in the Markdown ecosystem I would give this tool serious consideration.
open-sourcing is on our roadmap (https://roadmap.acreom.com), when it comes to the data ownership & privacy, acreom is built on technical decisions to deliver both in full fashion.
it's local-first, all your data is stored on your device as regular markdown (no custom md flavor) and works fully offline.
the (optional) sync is free and E2E encrypted.
it's local-first, all your data is stored on your device as regular markdown (no custom md flavor) and works fully offline.
the (optional) sync is free and E2E encrypted.
when it's open source, let us know.
Too many companies have it on the roadmap and never deliver.
Too many companies have it on the roadmap and never deliver.
Thank you for the update. I'll be watching this.
I'm working on something similar (i.e. a content editor for developers) with Vrite, that's already open-source: https://github.com/vriteio/vrite
It's not the same as acreom (leaning more towards a CMS-like platform with API, real-time collab, etc.), but is well-suited for e.g. creating knowledge bases.
It's not the same as acreom (leaning more towards a CMS-like platform with API, real-time collab, etc.), but is well-suited for e.g. creating knowledge bases.
For Org Mode maybe this app would be something similar as it also focuses on projects and tasks on textfile basis: https://easyorgmode.com/
Interesting, thank you!
that looks so neat! I'm building a modern cross-platform app and aiming for a similar look-and-feel so I'm curious what your stack looks like, especially the UI (it's not a note-taking app but more like spreadsheets and presentations, so I promise I'm not a competitor!)
The UI of the Mac app looks a lot like a previous version of craft.do which I love. I found the iOS version of acreom is too light
I just tried out the iOS app
Every time I try to move a page to a new folder the app crashes, is this a know issue or do you want more info?
Every time I try to move a page to a new folder the app crashes, is this a know issue or do you want more info?
thanks for reporting, will look into it, more info would be appreciated!
Basic process in iOS was:
* create folder * create page in folder * create new page while this previous page was open * Observe that new page is not created in current folder. Go find page in all pages and open * Go to page info and try to change location * App crash
Happens every time for me
* create folder * create page in folder * create new page while this previous page was open * Observe that new page is not created in current folder. Go find page in all pages and open * Go to page info and try to change location * App crash
Happens every time for me
this looks cool. not to be that guy though, but, why use this over obsidian? obsidian + tana feel like they cover basically all use cases.
most of the acreom users who switched from obsidian switched over because of the UI, out of the box tasks implementation, integrations (Jira, Github etc.) and many other features which require plugins are do not provide the best experience.
acreom is designed specifically for devs and makes it easy to bring all relevant context in one place, create and track progress on your projects and capture stuff quickly.
acreom is designed specifically for devs and makes it easy to bring all relevant context in one place, create and track progress on your projects and capture stuff quickly.
I hear you but also in that case why not just use something like Github/Linear directly? I'm really attracted to what you're doing but when I think through it I already feel well served by stuff like Linear if it's "task" work I'm mainly trying to capture.
what acreom gets you is really be able to have your personal context tied together with the team context. Devs use it to handle they day to day, capture standup notes, create their own tasks, and when they work on large feature they can easily link that to the github PR or issue in Jira (soon Linear as well) give it a try, would love to know your feedback!
Neat. I didn’t know about markdown to HTML
Any recommendations for extensions to help with authoring markdown in VSCode?
Any recommendations for extensions to help with authoring markdown in VSCode?
What about non-devs? Not long ago I helped a non-technical friend make a website, a static one using Vuepress and Markdown files. One of the first things I did was pick a Markdown editor for her. I settled on Macdown but it's not fully visual. A fully visual one would have been much nicer for her.
But for some content I had to use escape hatches and use raw HTML. I wonder whether this app supports raw HTML.
But for some content I had to use escape hatches and use raw HTML. I wonder whether this app supports raw HTML.
> it is really hard to beat the VS Code extensions for handling markdown.
YMMV, I always been pretty disappointed with VS Code's handling of markdown coming from Atom.
YMMV, I always been pretty disappointed with VS Code's handling of markdown coming from Atom.
It is NOT open source. If you look, there is no license file or license stated otherwise.
Reminds me of iA Writer [0] which started in 2010.
[0]: https://ia.net/writer
[0]: https://ia.net/writer
ia Writer was designed to act like a normal desktop app (I use it across all Apple platforms, and it is almost perfect). This is still a little far behind.
Of possible interest is my Markdown editor, KeenWrite:
https://keenwrite.com/
It features math, interpolated variables, theme-driven PDF output, and is cross-platform. Have a peek at the screenshots and tutorials:
* https://keenwrite.com/screenshots.html
* https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB-WIt1cZYLm1MMx2FBG9...
Document meta data and all variables are stored in an external YAML file. These variables can be edited directly within the editor. Variables can be used within the document and within text-based diagram descriptions (such as GraphViz and anything else supported by https://kroki.io/).
There's also a command-line interface for integrating into CI/CD pipelines or similar workflows.
https://gitlab.com/DaveJarvis/KeenWrite/-/blob/main/docs/cmd...
https://keenwrite.com/
It features math, interpolated variables, theme-driven PDF output, and is cross-platform. Have a peek at the screenshots and tutorials:
* https://keenwrite.com/screenshots.html
* https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB-WIt1cZYLm1MMx2FBG9...
Document meta data and all variables are stored in an external YAML file. These variables can be edited directly within the editor. Variables can be used within the document and within text-based diagram descriptions (such as GraphViz and anything else supported by https://kroki.io/).
There's also a command-line interface for integrating into CI/CD pipelines or similar workflows.
https://gitlab.com/DaveJarvis/KeenWrite/-/blob/main/docs/cmd...
KeenWrite is not a WYSIWYG editor like Marker, is it?
IMO, there's no such thing as a WYSIWYG Markdown editor. Markdown is a plain text format that defines neither presentation logic nor formatting instructions. Markdown editors typically convert documents to HTML and then display the HTML with CSS to adjust the look and feel.
KeenWrite is what-you-see-is-what-you-mean editor, similar to LyX. The preview panel shows the content having been converted to XHTML and formatted with CSS. When producing a PDF file, the XHTML is sent through the ConTeXt typesetting software and formatted according to the instructions associated with a user-defined (or user-selected) theme. While the XHTML preview is rendered in real-time, the typesetting is not real-time.
KeenWrite is what-you-see-is-what-you-mean editor, similar to LyX. The preview panel shows the content having been converted to XHTML and formatted with CSS. When producing a PDF file, the XHTML is sent through the ConTeXt typesetting software and formatted according to the instructions associated with a user-defined (or user-selected) theme. While the XHTML preview is rendered in real-time, the typesetting is not real-time.
Well, Markdown as a format is intended to be viewed rendered as HTML (or equivalent), and WYSIWYG means that the editing takes place in the rendered representation. Markdown is only a storage format then, that merely happens to also be human-readable. That the is rendered representation itself is not fixed and can be styled or themed independently is not a contradiction IMO. But call it what you want.
The main reason I’m interested in WYSIWYG editing for Markdown is that I find monospaced fonts to be too hard on the eyes for editing prose text of any length. But due to lists and code fragments and the like, just switching to a variable-width font in a plain-text editor is also not very practical.
The main reason I’m interested in WYSIWYG editing for Markdown is that I find monospaced fonts to be too hard on the eyes for editing prose text of any length. But due to lists and code fragments and the like, just switching to a variable-width font in a plain-text editor is also not very practical.
Have you thought about YAML headers in the doc? Lots of site-generators (eg Hugo) do that.
Yes, I have. I disagree with adding YAML headers into documents because it inevitably mixes presentation with content. KeenWrite takes a different approach in keeping presentation completely separate, allowing the content to vary independently. Aside, KeenWrite generates XHTML documents as an intermediary step towards producing PDF files, making it an alternative site generator.
Nonetheless, if someone wants to use an existing site generator, they can do so while keeping their Markdown documents free of presentation logic. In Linux, it can be as simple as:
In the screenshots, the theme-driven PDF output shows the same content presented in two different PDF files: one with a ToC and one without. Whether a table of contents is included is presentation logic, dictated by the typesetting engine configuration. If you place the ToC controls in the YAML header for the document, then it means having to change the content to add or remove the ToC. That then presumes the type of transformations the Markdown will undergo, which, IMO, defeats the purpose of a plain text document.
Nonetheless, if someone wants to use an existing site generator, they can do so while keeping their Markdown documents free of presentation logic. In Linux, it can be as simple as:
cat header.yaml source.md > combined.md
In the screenshots, the theme-driven PDF output shows the same content presented in two different PDF files: one with a ToC and one without. Whether a table of contents is included is presentation logic, dictated by the typesetting engine configuration. If you place the ToC controls in the YAML header for the document, then it means having to change the content to add or remove the ToC. That then presumes the type of transformations the Markdown will undergo, which, IMO, defeats the purpose of a plain text document.
How is this compared to Obsidian? Currently Obsidian is by far the best Markdown editor I've used. The inline preview mode is amazing, and I appreciate how easy it is to embed math equations and diagrams. Speaking of this, shame on Google. The editor of Google Docs is so awful that I can't it is built by Google.
There is "pandoc" if you folks haven't tried it, it is amazingly simple and effective and will convert from a ton of input formats (including markdown) to a ton of output formats (including html, word, whatever).
I use Pandoc to view markdown in a terminal using `less` (see `lesspipe(1)`), either through html and `elinks` or through a custom writer ([2] forked from [1]).
[0] My `.lessfilter` configuration: https://gist.github.com/kpschoedel/62888f552dc9d920d600166e5...
[1] https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/pandoc-terminal-writer
[2] https://github.com/kpschoedel/pandoc-terminal-writer
[0] My `.lessfilter` configuration: https://gist.github.com/kpschoedel/62888f552dc9d920d600166e5...
[1] https://github.com/Orange-OpenSource/pandoc-terminal-writer
[2] https://github.com/kpschoedel/pandoc-terminal-writer
Oh yeah, I use pandoc + lua in Continuous Integration to build docs from their sources and it's pretty effective!
Looks interesting. I don't love the title, subtitle business. I assume it will add yaml content to the top of the post. I'd like to hide that as I don't add yaml to my markdown files.
There may be a config option for this but I didn't keep it installed long enough to find out.
There may be a config option for this but I didn't keep it installed long enough to find out.
It would be cool if you can more functionality like adding images easily and so on.
Look at this:
https://twitter.com/karpathy/status/1751350002281300461
Look at this:
https://twitter.com/karpathy/status/1751350002281300461
The app isn't part of the developer program so when you try to open the app, MacOS says "You should move this app to the trash" haha!
Workaround via running:
xattr -c /Applications/Marker.app
If any of the open source WYSIWYG Markdown editors can be brought into a VS Code extension, would be amazing. (I've tried the existing VS Code Marketplace extensions and they're pretty terrible.)
At first, I thought this was another repo called Marker, also a markdown editor:
https://github.com/fabiocolacio/Marker
In case you are wondering, this is using https://tauri.app/ which allows it to be web based inside a native app. I was not familiar with that project, but taking a peek at the Activity Monitor, it seems to spin up 2 processes, one for tauri itself which I presume is a small static file server (around 60MB memory), and one for the main UI window (around 30MB memory).
Does it support using different engines for the preview? I have been looking forever for an open source markdown editor that allows me to use pandoc as the backend.
One thing I've not found yet is a quick, preferably mobile also MD editor for my static blogs/websites. That would mean connecting the editor to GitHub so it can commit or create a PR when I press on publish, and being able to define repos and locations for editing content.
Moving notes to published articles would then be easy on the go, when the inspiration often comes.
Moving notes to published articles would then be easy on the go, when the inspiration often comes.
At least add a screenshot to see it without installation, since the whole selling point is the “user-friendly UI”..
What makes a markdown editor secure?
Hehe - just to note, the logo icon "download" button is for windows: https://i.imgur.com/QqQKFWE.png - isnt it? typical the apple is on the download button for mac?
Came here to say the same, kinda misleading :)
Interesting tool but that warning that I have to run an command to make it work, really turned off me.
Also, I am curious if you distribute an executable via Github, you need to still apply for Apple dev program?
You could partially match the output by tuning your syntax highlighting rules to make various markup invisible, thus leaving you with only the bold word without the asterisks.
Though still won't help with search ignoring markup
Though still won't help with search ignoring markup
I've tested so many Markdown editors with WYSIWYG or instant preview, but this is the first one with only 4MB download size! Is using Tauri the secret sauce to this magic?
Too bad it doesn't have built-in math editor.
Too bad it doesn't have built-in math editor.
Tried to run on an M1 Max and got the following error:
'“Marker.app” is damaged and can’t be opened. You should eject the disk image.'
This was on the Marker_1.0.0_aarch64.dmg build. I downloaded again and got the same.
'“Marker.app” is damaged and can’t be opened. You should eject the disk image.'
This was on the Marker_1.0.0_aarch64.dmg build. I downloaded again and got the same.
This is great. Please check obsidian which I think is excellent also.
175 stars, first commit 14 days ago, no real docs or other activity outside HN.
No acknowledgement of predecessors or collaborators - or license?
And now, as I finish typing this comment, stars up to 189.
No acknowledgement of predecessors or collaborators - or license?
And now, as I finish typing this comment, stars up to 189.
HN as an attack vector.
Definitely a good way to get reach.
Definitely a good way to get reach.
I, for one, use GitHub stars as a way of bookmarking projects. Which means I will star a project that I want to look into later. And most of the time I completely forget about it.
Not sure I get your point.
It now has 196 stars.
Is it good or bad?
It now has 196 stars.
Is it good or bad?
There is also ghostwriter which is quite good
I used to use Marktext and Typora for this.
Anyone know of a collaborative markdown editor? Like a Google Doc but where everyone can write in markdown?
https://hackmd.io looks great, though I have not used it as much as I would have liked to.
Are you looking specifically for Markdown or e.g. a WYSIWYG with Markdown shortcuts support?
I’m building something in this space and I’m curious what’s the appeal of the former vs the latter?
I’m building something in this space and I’m curious what’s the appeal of the former vs the latter?
Not s important if it's markdown or wysiwyg in the interface (although an intelligent mix like the obsidian editor would be nice)
The main thing is to have markdown as the output format and if I copy text from the editor that it pastes in markdown
The main thing is to have markdown as the output format and if I copy text from the editor that it pastes in markdown
For also viewing and editing these Markdown files from Emacs, you can get semi-WYSIWYG there. Especially if you take advantage of Emacs "fill" features, such as for making nested bulleted/numbered lists readable.
(setq-default fill-column 79)
(global-set-key (kbd "C-'") #'imenu-list-smart-toggle)
(autoload 'markdown-mode "markdown-mode" nil t)
(autoload 'imenu-list "imenu-list" nil t)
(autoload 'imenu-list-minor-mode "imenu-list" nil t)
(autoload 'imenu-list-noselect "imenu-list" nil t)
(autoload 'imenu-list-smart-toggle "imenu-list" nil t)
[...]
(custom-set-variables
[...]
'(markdown-hide-urls t)
[...])
;; Note: These face colors assume black-on-white normal colors.
(custom-set-faces
[...]
'(markdown-blockquote-face ((t (:inherit nil :background "gray95" :foreground "gray25"))))
'(markdown-bold-face ((t (:inherit nil :slant normal :weight bold))))
'(markdown-header-delimiter-face ((t (:inherit markdown-markup-face))))
'(markdown-header-face ((t (:inherit nil :weight bold :family "sans"))))
'(markdown-header-face-1 ((t (:inherit markdown-header-face :height 2.0))))
'(markdown-header-face-2 ((t (:inherit markdown-header-face :height 1.6))))
'(markdown-header-face-3 ((t (:inherit markdown-header-face :height 1.2))))
'(markdown-header-face-4 ((t (:inherit markdown-header-face :height 1.1))))
'(markdown-header-face-5 ((t (:inherit markdown-header-face :height 1.0))))
'(markdown-highlight-face ((t (:foreground "blue" :underline t))))
'(markdown-html-attr-name-face ((t (:inherit markdown-markup-face))))
'(markdown-html-attr-value-face ((t (:inherit markdown-markup-face))))
'(markdown-html-tag-name-face ((t (:inherit markdown-markup-face))))
'(markdown-inline-code-face ((t (:inherit nil :foreground "green4"))))
'(markdown-italic-face ((t (:inherit nil :slant italic :weight normal))))
'(markdown-language-keyword-face ((t (:foreground "gray80"))))
'(markdown-link-face ((t (:inherit nil :foreground "blue3"))))
'(markdown-list-face ((t (:inherit nil :weight bold))))
'(markdown-pre-face ((t (:inherit markdown-inline-code-face :background "#f4fff4"))))
'(markdown-reference-face ((t (:weight bold))))
'(markdown-strike-through-face ((t (:inherit nil :strike-through t))))
'(markdown-table-face ((t (:inherit nil :background "#fafafa"))))
'(markdown-url-face ((t (:inherit markdown-markup-face))))
[...])When I download the version for M1 Macintosh, it tells me the application is damaged. FYI.
Does this support MDX? Would be very curious to try it out if that's the case
MDX, with the custom content involved, is though.
I've been working on a hybrid WYSIWYG editor for MDX at Vrite (https://vrite.io).
Currently supports custom block elements and JSON-serializable attributes. Now looking into inline content and building an extension system to render custom previews for the nodes.
Check it out if you're interested - it's also open-source.
Currently supports custom block elements and JSON-serializable attributes. Now looking into inline content and building an extension system to render custom previews for the nodes.
Check it out if you're interested - it's also open-source.
Been using StackEdit myself but I might check this out.
Isn't this obsidian? It looks very much like it. Not that there's much to go on.
https://obsidian.md/
https://obsidian.md/
lol yeah that was my first thought. UI looks pretty similar
If some of you want to try out a fully web based approach to markdown editing checkout https://bangle.io
What differentiates this from (say) Obsidian?
s/Secure/Local
It's TipTap + Radix wrapped in tauri. No encryption / security features AFAICT.
It's TipTap + Radix wrapped in tauri. No encryption / security features AFAICT.
I really like Markdown, but I wish it would support inline images, perhaps using base64 encoded ones to keep all in one file.
Looks like logseq
Markdown is usually used by developers. Almost all IDEs now have support for it. I wonder why one needs a separate MD editor.
The design is super clean
As a huge asterisk this is a Tauri wrapper around Tiptap that does filesystem management. You can use Tiptap yourself easily as it's open source:
https://tiptap.dev/
https://github.com/ueberdosis/tiptap
Tiptap is immensely popular, supports both Vue and React, is super lightweight and has a huge community of extensions. I've been using this since 2019 and can't recommend it enough. A number of comments here are asking for functionality that is built in, easily available as an extension, or easily add-able!
https://tiptap.dev/
https://github.com/ueberdosis/tiptap
Tiptap is immensely popular, supports both Vue and React, is super lightweight and has a huge community of extensions. I've been using this since 2019 and can't recommend it enough. A number of comments here are asking for functionality that is built in, easily available as an extension, or easily add-able!
Why do you need a huge asterisk about the editor control library this app is using? Many text editors follow this pattern:
Notepad++ : Scintilla
Notepad.exe : Win32 EDIT control
TextEdit.app : NSTextView
Why is it a "huge asterisk"?
I'm also working on a WYSIWYG editor and using TipTap. It's great, but on its own, it's not a ready editor, but a great framework.
There's a lot you can do with TipTap (and ProseMirror) to make your editor stand out and fit your use case better than others.
I'm also working on a WYSIWYG editor and using TipTap. It's great, but on its own, it's not a ready editor, but a great framework.
There's a lot you can do with TipTap (and ProseMirror) to make your editor stand out and fit your use case better than others.
> this is a Tauri wrapper around Tiptap that does filesystem management
Isn't Tiptap a wrapper around ProseMirror that does SaaS pricing?
Isn't Tiptap a wrapper around ProseMirror that does SaaS pricing?
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So, a picture and a download link.
Adding a list of features would be nice. Does it support checkboxes? Mermaid? Folding? Does the editor it comes with support search and replace? Multi-caret editing?
Maybe it’s just me, but I have long stopped downloading stuff just in case it’s good. You have to convince me first, then I will download.
Adding a list of features would be nice. Does it support checkboxes? Mermaid? Folding? Does the editor it comes with support search and replace? Multi-caret editing?
Maybe it’s just me, but I have long stopped downloading stuff just in case it’s good. You have to convince me first, then I will download.
Agreed! It says editing. Does that include tracked changes?
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Eg. If it is trying to be a generic markdown file editor, I wouldn't want it to insert yaml frontmatter without being more explicit about it. If it is trying to be a note taking tool, I'd expect to be able to interlink local markdown files and navigate files through them (I couldn't get that to work). If non technical users are the primary audience, the git integration may not be ideal sync solution for them. If it is for technical users, we would likely want to be able to edit the front matter ourselves (to add options specific to jekyll/pandoc or whatever else will use that markdown) etc.