swift-remove-markdown

📝 Swift port of the popular remove-markdown package Maintains 100% feature parity with the original Node.js implementation

A Swift package that removes (strips) Markdown formatting from text.

What is it?

RemoveMarkdown is a Swift package that will remove Markdown formatting from text. Markdown formatting means pretty much anything that doesn't look like regular text, like square brackets, asterisks, etc.

When do I need it?

The typical use case is to display an excerpt from some Markdown text, without any of the actual Markdown syntax - for example in a list of posts.

Installation

Swift Package Manager

Add the following to your Package.swift file:

dependencies: [
    .package(url: "https://github.com/yvente/swift-remove-markdown.git", from: "1.0.0")
]

Or in Xcode:

1. File > Add Package Dependencies...
2. Enter the repository URL
3. Select your version requirements

Usage

Basic Usage

import RemoveMarkdown

let markdown = """
# This is a heading

This is a paragraph with [a link](http://www.disney.com/) in it.
"""

let plainText = removeMarkdown(markdown)
// Result: "This is a heading\n\nThis is a paragraph with a link in it."

With Options

You can customize the behavior by passing an RemoveMarkdownOptions struct:

import RemoveMarkdown

let options = RemoveMarkdownOptions(
    stripListLeaders: true,    // strip list leaders (default: true)
    listUnicodeChar: nil,      // char to insert instead of stripped list leaders (default: nil)
    gfm: true,                 // support GitHub-Flavored Markdown (default: true)
    useImgAltText: true,       // replace images with alt-text, if present (default: true)
    abbr: false,               // remove abbreviations (default: false)
    replaceLinksWithURL: false, // replace links with URL instead of text (default: false)
    htmlTagsToSkip: [],        // HTML tags to preserve (default: [])
    throwError: false          // throw errors instead of returning original text (default: false)
)

let plainText = removeMarkdown(markdown, options: options)

Options Explained

• stripListLeaders: When true, removes list markers like *, -, +, and numbered lists like 1.
• listUnicodeChar: If provided, replaces list leaders with this character instead of removing them entirely
• gfm: Enables GitHub-Flavored Markdown support (strikethrough, fenced code blocks, etc.)
• useImgAltText: When true, replaces image syntax with the alt text; when false, removes images entirely
• abbr: Removes abbreviation definitions when true
• replaceLinksWithURL: When true, replaces [text](url) with url instead of text
• htmlTagsToSkip: Array of HTML tag names to preserve in the output
• throwError: When true, throws errors; when false, prints error and returns original text

Examples

Stripping Emphasis

let text = "I italicized an *I* and it _made_ me *sad*."
let result = removeMarkdown(text)
// Result: "I italicized an I and it made me sad."

Removing Headers

let text = "## This is a heading"
let result = removeMarkdown(text)
// Result: "This is a heading"

Handling Lists

let text = """
* Item 1
* Item 2
* Item 3
"""
let result = removeMarkdown(text)
// Result: "Item 1\nItem 2\nItem 3"

Preserving Specific HTML Tags

let text = "<div>Content <sub>subscript</sub> <span>text</span></div>"
let options = RemoveMarkdownOptions(htmlTagsToSkip: ["sub"])
let result = removeMarkdown(text, options: options)
// Result: "Content <sub>subscript</sub> text"

Platform Support

• macOS 10.15+
• iOS 13.0+
• tvOS 13.0+
• watchOS 6.0+

Testing

Run tests using Swift Package Manager:

cd swift-remove-markdown
swift test

Or in Xcode:

1. Open Package.swift
2. Press ⌘U to run tests

Credits

This is a Swift port of the remove-markdown package:

• Original JavaScript implementation: Stian Grytøyr (creator)
• Current maintainer: zuchka
• Original inspiration: Markdown Service Tools by Brett Terpstra

All regex patterns and test cases are ported from the original package to ensure behavioral consistency.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

This Swift port maintains the same MIT License as the original remove-markdown package.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Development

To work on this package:

1. Clone the repository
2. Open Package.swift in Xcode
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests to ensure everything works
5. Submit a pull request

Future Enhancements

• Allow customization of regex patterns per rule
• Support for more edge cases
• Additional comprehensive tests
• Performance optimizations