T.I.M

This Isn't Markdown

T.I.M is a Markdown-inspired markup language designed around deterministic parsing, explicit document structure, and clean authoring.

Unlike traditional Markdown implementations, T.I.M defines a concrete grammar that produces a predictable Abstract Syntax Tree (AST), making it suitable for compilers, static site generators, documentation systems, and other tooling.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Rust (latest stable)
• Cargo

Build

cargo build

Run

cargo run -- <input.tim>

Or, if compiling in release mode:

cargo build --release
./target/release/tim <input.tim>

The generated executable can be found in:

target/debug/

or

target/release/

depending on the build profile.

---

Why T.I.M?

Markdown is excellent for writing, but modern documents often require features that traditionally force authors to embed HTML directly into their source.

T.I.M extends familiar Markdown-style syntax with native language constructs for structure and styling while keeping documents readable and easy to parse.

{hero, landing}

# Welcome

::note

This note is a first-class document block.

::

Produces HTML similar to:

<h1 id="hero" class="landing">
    Welcome
</h1>

<div class="tim-note">
    <p>This note is a first-class document block.</p>
</div>

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Features

• Markdown-inspired syntax
• Deterministic parsing
• Strongly structured AST
• Native note blocks
• Block-level IDs and classes
• Inline formatting
• Links and images
• Fenced code blocks
• Clean HTML generation

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Attribute Syntax

Attributes are declared immediately before the block they apply to.

{hero, dark, centered}
# Welcome

The first element represents the block's ID.

Every remaining element is interpreted as a CSS class.

Use _ when no ID is required.

{_, card, shadow}
This paragraph has no ID.

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Note Blocks

Notes are explicit document containers.

::note

Important information.

::

Unlike block quotes, note blocks are represented directly in the document tree.

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Compiler Architecture

Source (.tim)
      │
      ▼
    Lexer
      │
      ▼
    Parser
      │
      ▼
      AST
      │
      ▼
 Tree Walker
      │
      ▼
 HTML Renderer

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Project Status

T.I.M is currently under active development.

Implemented:

• Lexer
• Parser
• Abstract Syntax Tree
• Tree Walker
• HTML Renderer

Planned:

• Language specification
• Better diagnostics
• Extended attribute syntax
• Components

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Philosophy

T.I.M intentionally diverges from Markdown where doing so improves consistency, readability, or parser simplicity.

The project prioritizes:

• Deterministic parsing
• Explicit syntax
• Clean document structure
• Simple language rules

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License

MIT