mdpress

This is a tool that converts markdown files to presentations using impress.

Example

This presentation was created from this markdown file.

This presentation was created from the same markdown file and a different stylesheet using mdpress -s [stylesheet name].

Advantages

• dead simple, works with any markdown file
• comes with a beautiful default stylesheet + more styles (more styles TBD) ... no need to write your own
• ...but you can write your own easily if you want!
• comes with prettify integrated, does code highlighting out of the box
• has an auto-update mode; update your markdown file and mdpress will update your presentation automatically
• quick install as a ruby gem
• presentations are tiny and easy to distribute
• presentations are easy to read as a plain text file

Install

gem install mdpress

Usage

mdpress [filename.md]

This creates a directory named filename. Start the presentation by opening up index.html.

Quickstart (writing your first presentation!)

# Chicken Chicken Chicken
## By Chicken

---

# Chicken
- Chicken
- Chicken Chicken

Save that as test.md and then use mdpress test.md to convert it to a presentation. mdpress uses Redcarpet, so it can parse whatever markdown you throw at it. We use the horizonal rule, ---, to indicate the start of a new slide.

Getting Fancy: adding transformations

So far the slide transitions haven't been that exciting. Let's spice them up. Below the ---, type:

= data-x="1000"

And re-compile with mdpress test.md (you might have to delete your old presentation directory first).

Aha! Not bad! We specify transformations with = [list of transformations] as the first line of whatever slide we want to apply the transformation to.

We could have written

= data-x="1000" data-scale="2"

To make it scale as well as swipe.

Possible Attributes

• data-x, data-y, data-z: positioning
• data-rotate-x, data-rotate-y, 'data-rotate-z, data-rotate: rotation (data-rotateanddata-rotate-z` are exactly the same)
• data-scale: scale
• id: used as the slide link. For example, if you use id=intro, you can link to that slide using index.html#/intro.

See impress.js for a broader description of these.

Adding this syntax to Markdown feels like kind of a hack, but it's concise. I'm open to suggestions for something better.

Auto-update

Earlier, our workflow involved having to delete the old presentation and recompile every time we made an edit. The better choice is to use the automatic mode:

mdpress -a [filename.md]

Now, mdpress will keep running and check for updates to your markdown file. It will automatically recompile the presentation for you, so you can seamlessly edit your markdown and view your changes instantly.

Stylesheets

mdpress comes with a default stylesheet, plus a few more. See the full list of available stylesheets with

mdpress -l

Or specify a stylesheet to use with

mdpress -s [stylesheet]

If you make your own stylesheets, send me a pull request and I'll add them to the list! See below.

You can also create your own local theme:

1. Use the 'lib/impress_css/' files as a model to work from.
2. Create a folder called 'themes' in the directory where your markdown file is. Inside it put the [yourtheme].css and [yourtheme].html files
3. Call mdpress -s [yourtheme] and mdpress will look for the two theme files in themes/ matching that name.

Running a presentation

Someone emailed you a mdpress presentation. Now you want to just run it? Sure:

mdpress -r [filename.md]

That will automatically compile the presentation and open it in a browser window.

Latex Support

mdpress now has Latex support through MathJax. To build your presentation with latex support, use the --latex flag.

Put your latex code between a pair of $$'s, like this:

# Latex!
$$e^{\imath\pi} = -1$$

Contributing

To contribute a new stylesheet, follow these steps:

1. Fork this repo.
2. Place your new stylesheet in lib/impress_css/[your stylesheet name].css
3. Send me a pull request!

Contributors

• Mte90

License (MIT)

Copyright (C) 2012 by Aditya Bhargava

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.