MD2PDF

An open-source Markdown to PDF converter with support for multiple Markdown flavors.

Overview

MD2PDF is a desktop application that simplifies the process of converting Markdown documents to professionally formatted PDF files. The application supports multiple Markdown flavors and provides a live preview, allowing you to see your document exactly as it will appear in the exported PDF.

Key Features

• Multiple Markdown Flavors: Support for CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown, and custom extensions
• Live Preview: Real-time preview of your Markdown as you type
• Syntax Highlighting: Code blocks are highlighted using highlight.js
• Customizable Styling: PDF output can be styled with custom CSS
• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive split-screen layout with editor and preview panes

Installation

Download Pre-built Binaries

Pre-built binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux are available on the Releases page.

• Windows: Download and run the .exe installer
• macOS: Download the .dmg file, open it, and drag the application to your Applications folder
• Linux: Download the .AppImage or .deb package depending on your distribution

Build from Source

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm (included with Node.js)

Clone and Install

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/md2pdf.git
   cd md2pdf
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Start the application in development mode:

   npm run dev
   

4. Build distributable packages:

   npm run build
   

Usage Guide

Basic Operations

1. Open a Markdown File: Click the "Open" button to load an existing Markdown file
2. Edit Your Markdown: Use the editor on the left side to write or edit your Markdown
3. Choose a Markdown Flavor: Select your preferred Markdown flavor from the dropdown menu
4. Export to PDF: Click the "Export to PDF" button to save your document as a PDF

Markdown Flavors

CommonMark

Basic Markdown standard with support for:

• Headers
• Lists (ordered and unordered)
• Links and images
• Bold and italic text
• Code blocks
• Blockquotes
• Horizontal rules

GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)

Extends CommonMark with:

• Tables
• Task lists
• Strikethrough
• Automatic URL linking
• Syntax highlighting for code blocks

Custom Flavor

The custom flavor allows for additional extensions:

• Math expressions using TeX syntax
• Custom block syntax
• Additional parsing rules

Development

Project Structure

md2pdf/
├── src/
│   ├── index.js                  # Main entry point
│   ├── parser/
│   │   ├── index.js              # Parser factory
│   │   ├── commonmark.js         # CommonMark parser
│   │   ├── github.js             # GitHub Flavored Markdown parser
│   │   └── custom.js             # Custom flavor parser
│   ├── renderer/
│   │   ├── index.js              # Renderer factory
│   │   └── pdfRenderer.js        # PDF rendering logic
│   └── ui/
│       ├── index.js              # UI initialization
│       ├── components/           # UI components
│       └── styles/               # CSS styles
├── public/
│   ├── index.html                # Main HTML file
│   └── assets/                   # Images, icons, etc.
├── build/
│   └── icons/                    # Application icons
├── package.json                  # Dependencies and scripts
├── README.md                     # Project documentation
└── LICENSE                       # MIT License

Building for Different Platforms

The project includes scripts for building platform-specific packages:

npm run build:mac    # Build macOS package
npm run build:win    # Build Windows package
npm run build:linux  # Build Linux package

Running Tests

Run the test suite with:

npm test

Extending the Application

Adding a New Markdown Flavor

1. Create a new parser implementation in src/parser/
2. Update the parser factory in src/parser/index.js

Adding a New Output Format

1. Create a new renderer in src/renderer/
2. Update the renderer factory in src/renderer/index.js

Roadmap

Future enhancements planned for MD2PDF:

• Custom CSS editor for styling PDF output
• Template system for common document formats
• Document outline/navigation panel
• Export to additional formats (HTML, DOCX)
• Spellchecking and grammar checking
• Improved math rendering
• Diagram support (mermaid, PlantUML)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details on how to contribute to this project.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• marked - Markdown parser
• highlight.js - Syntax highlighting
• html-pdf-node - HTML to PDF conversion
• CodeMirror - Text editor implementation
• Electron - Framework for building desktop applications

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<p align="center"> Made with ❤️ by <a href="https://github.com/Rmiddaugh10">Robert</a> </p>