As long as you have a plain text editor, add a statement and instantly it becomes a Markdown editor.

Heart of the Machine reporting, Heart of the Machine editorial Department.

Markdeep is a plugin for writing plain text that can be displayed on a web page using Markdown syntax and rendering. In addition to Markdown syntax, Markdeep also supports extended capabilities such as charts and mathematical equations.

Project homepage: casual-effects.com/markdeep/


Let’s take a look at the effect, as shown below in the plain text editor edit page on the left and in the browser render on the right:




Markdeep is very easy to use and does not require plug-in installation or networking. As shown above, it can become an authentic Markdown editor by adding the expression ”



It’s easy to look at Markdeep, but it has a lot of features that are no less impressive than a proper Markdown editor like Typora. Whether we’re writing README documents for projects, lab reports, powerpoint presentations, or papers, it can do it. The project provides many examples, such as what the resulting PPT looks like, as shown below.


Open source code




Markdeep is open source, so you can download and modify the source file markdeep.js directly. The entire editor is a JavaScript script that defines various formats and rendering methods. The author says he is currently studying how to effectively reduce the size of script files.


Part of the code for table processing, the entire script has more than 5000 lines of code.



Script source address: casual-effects.com/markdeep/la…


The authors say the project is meant to be a side project and will not have complete technical support. However, as long as the submitted Bug is specific enough, the author will improve it. In addition, new features are often added to the project, and the editor has been in maintenance for a long time, from the first release in October 2015 to the latest release in February this year.


How to use Markdeep


If you need to create a Markdeep file, just open any text editor and start editing. Once you’re done editing the text, all you need to do is write a simple code at the bottom. Then, save the document as a plain text file, using the.md.html extension. 


<! -- Markdeep: --><style class="fallback">body{visibility:hidden; white-space:pre; font-family:monospace}</style><script src="markdeep.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script><script src="https://casual-effects.com/markdeep/latest/markdeep.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script><script>window.alreadyProcessedMarkdeep||(document.body.style.visibility="visible")</script>Copy the code

If you want to use Unicode in your source document, add this sentence at the top of the document:

<meta charset="utf-8">Copy the code


Want to see the results? You can drag text into your browser or double-click it. Documents can be accessed even when the network is offline. If you don’t want to lose formatting when offline, you can save the markdeep.min.js files and documents in a folder.


If you want to see the Markdeep raw text, add “? Noformat “to the end of the file URL.


To fit the sample


We’ve tested some typical Markdown syntax, such as spreadlists, autolinks, tables, inline images, and codes. At the same time,
LaTeX’s mathematical expressions and graphics can also be designed directlyWithout any plug-ins. Specific effects can be referred to:




In short, equipped with perfect Markdown, it will be very handy and convenient for those who are familiar with Markdown. This means that, with the Internet, picking up a text editor at random can no longer stop you from using Markdown. At the same time, it is very easy to preview the effect from time to time, just need to modify in the text editor, refresh in the browser to show the latest effect.


What can Markdeep do


Markdeep can support anything Markdown supports and it is widely used in industry and academia. Documents of various genres and formats can be done with Markdeep, as shown below:

  • The API documentation

  • The syllabus

  • Game Design Document

  • homework

  • Curriculum PPT

  • Software Library website

  • Personal blog

  • resume

  • The paper



It looks as if Markdeep can do everything, and the project authors have also shown renderings of these aspects:


PPT by Markdeep.



Resume created by Markdeep.



All in all, besides being easy to use and cool to display, Markdeep is also very powerful. As other developers have highlighted, Markdeep is a Markdown tool for making simple charts, using plain text in an “ASCII Art” manner, and very clear without rendering.