If you run or recently switch to a static website generator, you may find yourself writing a lot of Markdowns. The more you write, the more you want the tool experience to disappear so that the content becomes the focus.
I'll give you some options (including my favorites), but more importantly, I'll cover the features that these apps offer, which are especially important when choosing. Here are some key considerations for Markdown editing apps to help text smoothly.
User experience principles tell us that the pattern is problematic. But perhaps text editing software is an exception. From vi(m) to Google Docs, the standalone model for writing and reading seems to attract writers. Similarly, many Markdown editors have standalone modes or views for writing, editing, and reading.
I like to provide a side-by-side or pane design so that I can see both at the same time. Writing Markdown is different from writing code. Its appearance is important and a preview can make you feel this. It's kind of like an automatic refresh of static website generator so you can see changes as you make changes.
Instead, I don't like a design where patterns dominate all patterns , in which Markdown format automatically converts to styled text, hiding formatted code (Dropbox Paper, Typora, Ulysses, and Bear are implemented in some form). For example, I can't stand the laborious work of changing the title level for this application. Should I click on it, double-click, or triple-click? What if I just use the keyboard?
I want to see all the Markdowns I write, even if the end user won't see them. This is a point I do want the Markdown editor to borrow from the code editor.
Some Markdown editors allow for complete customization of editor themes, while others come with nice themes. Anyway, I think a good editor should have the right style to distinguish plain text from formatted text, but not too much to distract you from reading and focusing on your content. Even though the preview pane is open, I usually spend most of my time looking at the edit view.
Since most of the text in the editor won't render like it does in the browser, it's useful to quickly view text formatted with Markdown. This helps you determine, for example, whether the URL is actually written in text or used in a hyperlink. So I like to use different colors for each Markdown style (title, link, bold, italic, quote, image, code, bullets, etc.).
I prefer to use asterisks for Markdown formatting (e.g. bold, italic and unordered lists) within my ability, so I found that in addition to the colors, additional styles are needed to distinguish between bold, italic and bold italics. When skimming it is difficult to distinguish between ** which is important** and ** which is important*, and ** which is important * and ** which is important * is easier to distinguish. It also helps me see if the asterisk is accidentally mismatched (e.g., is this important?*).
This may be a bit controversial and may divide the audience. The code editor does not display different font sizes in one file. Color and style are OK, but not the size. But, for me, it helps very much.
In writing, hierarchy is the key to organization. With different font sizes, you can see an outline of whatever you are writing by simply browsing.
I want all the standard shortcuts that work in the text editor to work. CTRL/CMD B is used in bold, I is used in italics, etc., as well as some shortcut keys that are convenient when writing articles, especially CTRL/CMD (number) is used in titles. CTRL/CMD 1 is used for H1, etc.
However, I also like some keyboard behaviors that I borrow from the code editor. For example, if I select some text and press [or (, it does not overwrite that text, but enclose it with the beginning and ending characters. The same is true for using text formatting characters such as *, `, and _.
I also rely on keyboard shortcuts to create links and images. Even after writing Markdown regularly for over five years, sometimes I forget which square or round brackets appears first. So, I really like having a handy shortcut key to insert them correctly.
Even better, in some editors, if you have a URL in the clipboard and you select text and then use the keyboard shortcut to link it, it will insert the URL in the hyperlink field. This really speeds up my workflow.
The editor I use often has a one-click "Copy HTML" feature (with keyboard shortcuts) that takes all the Markdowns I wrote and copies the HTML to the clipboard. This is very handy when using an online editor with code/source options (e.g. WordPress).
I know many people who use static website generators like their IDE and may even switch back and forth between code and Markdown on the same day. I do this often. So I understand why using a familiar IDE is more attractive than using a separate application for Markdown.
However, when I sit down to write a page or article in Markdown, I focus on the text itself, and I prefer separate apps.
I don't craze with a standalone Markdown editor instead of an IDE editor or plugin; I occasionally use it for complex find and replace tasks as well as other editing. As long as it provides the above benefits, I will not try to persuade anyone to give it up.
Here are some reasons why standalone applications may be more suitable for writing:
While these are my top picks, that doesn't mean that if an application isn't on this list, it's not good. I didn't mention a few nice apps because they are too many features or too expensive because there are a lot of nice free or cheap options. Similar to the IDE package, there are a lot of Markdown apps out there, and I haven't tried all of them yet (but I've tried a lot!).
Instructions for features that help you "enter the area", such as "Typewriter" or "Focus" mode, or soothing background music. They never worked for me and I ended up turning them off so that's not the feature I was looking for. (However, if you like these, you can try Typora, which is free (during the beta version) and runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.)
Free; Mac
Meet all the above criteria. It is lightweight and fast, and is open source.
A nice similar alternative to Windows and Linux is Ghostwriter (also free).
$15; Mac
If you only need more features, it's perfect. It adds a third pane so that you can easily switch between files and folders.
Free for personal use; Mac, Windows, Linux
For more comprehensive applications, the editor interface is very good and meets most of the criteria mentioned above. Zettlr offers similar functionality, but in my opinion it just feels more complicated.
$11; Mac, iOS
Not my favorite app to write and edit text, but it has great extras to publish to various platforms (e.g. Medium, WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, and Evernote).
Free or $1.49 per month; Mac, iOS
This is a great option if you use Markdown for more than just website content (personal notes, task management, etc.). Also scored high in appearance and usability.
As more and more venues support Markdown grammar—including Slack, GitHub, WordPress, etc.—it is quickly becoming the universal language for richer communication in our increasingly text-based lives. It will continue to exist because it is not only easy to learn and use, but it is also intuitive. Fortunately, we have many options right now when it comes to high-quality Markdown writing apps.
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