How can I export Markdown documentation to different formats? [closed]

Question

Writing Documentation

As a developer, I've been looking for the easiest way to write and update documentation. Not a boring text that screams "don't read me", but something happily (and easily) formatted with extra easy support for code.

From LaTeX to wiki to Markdown, just to name a few, I think Markdown is about as close as it gets. But the document itself is very nerdy and not very portable. This will need to become HTML and PDF.

Markdown Editor

So basically I am looking for an editor, converter, or any clever trick I haven't thought of, to turn this documentation into HTML and PDF.

Hands down the simplest editor I have found is StackEdit, but it doesn't export HTML well; it depends on online stylesheets that aren't linked properly and the exported HTML is pretty unbearable to see. It wouldn't work offline anyway.

Export HTML and PDF

I am looking for any way to do this properly. I don't mind if there's some stand alone application or script that converts the markdown file into proper HTML. I need someone to show me the tricks in documentation-generating that I can't find.

PDF is a different story. I think I spammed my computer full with HTML-to-PDF converters, and each of them added spam and watermarks to my awesomely clean documentation.

Answer 1

For choice of output formats, you probably can't beat pandoc - it will convert Markdown (and many other formats) into HTML, PDF, DocBook, and a number more. Its defaults are fairly sane, but you can include your own templates easily enough if you wish. It also has support for language-specific code highlighting in blocks.

Answer 2

The following letters are to denote some common features:​

• M: Mathematical formula syntax support

• G: GitHub Flavoured Markdown

• L: Live Preview

• C: Syntax highlighting for code

• E: Export to various formats

• S: Custom Styling i.e custom CSS for HTML, etc.

• P: Support for plugins

• F: Free

• D: Active development

Here they come (in no specific order):

1. Remarkable

Simple, elegant, feature-rich D F L G S P M C E(pdf, html)

2. ReText

Simple, supports both restructured text and markdown D F M P E(html, odt, pdf)

3. UberWriter

Minimal and lightweight F C M E(pdf html rtf)

5. Typora

Simple, elegant F(while in beta) D G C M L E(html pdf epub docx odt etc.)

6. Haroopad

Feature-rich, beta editor for blogging and mailing, import many formats F G L M E(html)

7. Mark My Words

Simple F D L E(pdf html)

8. Gitbook Editor

For documentation, digital writing and publishing D F G L C M E (HTML PDF epub mobi)

9. Abricotine

Editor based on web technology L F D G C E(HTML) M S

10. GhostWriter

Simple, distraction-free, robust F G D E (HTML , other formats by extensions), S

11. Caret

Minimal, robust D L G C E (PDF) M S

13. Elegant Markdown Editor (EME)

Minimal, simple D L G C E (PDF) M

14. Plugins

The following are plugins available for various IDEs and editors. Some have plugins to convert to HTML or PDF. Check them out.

• Atom

• Vim: Instant-Markdown Plugin

• Bracket: MarkdownPreview Plugin

• Sublime Text: Markdown Plugin

• GNU Emacs

• Visual Studio Code

• Notepadqq

• Jetbrains IDEs: Markdown Navigator

• Qownnotes