pandoc/web/index.txt.in

% Pandoc

# Overview

Pandoc is a [Haskell] library for converting from one markup format
to another, and a command-line tool that uses this library. It can read
[markdown] and (subsets of) [reStructuredText], [HTML], and [LaTeX],
and it can write [markdown], [reStructuredText], [HTML], [LaTeX], [ConTeXt],
[RTF], [DocBook XML], [GNU Texinfo], [groff man], and [S5] HTML slide shows. 

Pandoc features

- Modular design, using separate writers and readers for each
  supported format.
- A real markdown parser, not based on regex substitutions.
  [More accurate] and [much faster] than `Markdown.pl`.
- Also parses (subsets of) reStructuredText, LaTeX, and HTML.
- Multiple output formats: HTML, Docbook XML, LaTeX, ConTeXt,
  reStructuredText, Markdown, RTF, groff man pages, S5 slide shows.
- Unicode support.
- Optional "smart" quotes, dashes, and ellipses.
- Automatically generated tables of contents.
- Support for displaying math in HTML.
- Extensions to markdown syntax:
    + Document metadata (title, author, date).
    + Footnotes, tables, and definition lists.
    + Superscripts, subscripts, and strikeout.
    + Inline LaTeX math and LaTeX commands.
    + Markdown inside HTML blocks.
    + Enhanced ordered lists:  start number and numbering style
      are significant.
    + Delimited (unindented) code blocks with syntax highlighting.
    + Compatibility mode to turn off syntax entensions and emulate
      `Markdown.pl`.
- Convenient wrapper scripts:
    + `html2markdown` makes it easy to produce a markdown version
      of any web page.
    + `markdown2pdf` converts markdown to PDF in one step.
    + `hsmarkdown` is a drop-in replacement for `Markdown.pl`.
- Multi-platform:  runs on Windows, MacOS X, Linux, Unix.
- Free software, released under the [GPL].

To see what pandoc can do, see the [demonstration page](examples.html),
or [try pandoc on the web](/pandoc/try).

# Documentation

- [User's Guide](README.html)
- [Demonstrations](examples.html)
- Man pages
    - [`pandoc(1)`](pandoc.1.html)
    - [`markdown2pdf(1)`](markdown2pdf.1.html)
    - [`html2markdown(1)`](html2markdown.1.html)
    - [`hsmarkdown(1)`](hsmarkdown.1.html)
- [Library documentation](doc/pandoc/index.html) (for Haskell programmers)
- [Installation instructions](INSTALL.html)
- [Changelog](changelog.txt)

# Downloads

For installation instructions for all architectures, see
[INSTALL](INSTALL.html).  Note that pandoc is in the [MacPorts],
[Debian unstable], and [FreeBSD ports] repositories.
Abhishek Dasgupta has also contributed an [Arch linux PKGBUILD script].
Starting with release 8.04 ("Hardy Heron"), pandoc will be included
in [Ubuntu linux].

- [Source tarball]
- [Windows binary package]

# Code repository

Pandoc has a publicly accesible subversion repository at Google
Code (<http://code.google.com/p/pandoc>). To check out the latest,
bleeding-edge source code:

    svn checkout http://pandoc.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ pandoc

# Reporting bugs

You may view existing bug reports and submit new ones at 
<http://code.google.com/p/pandoc/issues/list>.

# Mailing lists

- [pandoc-announce]:  Announcements of new releases only.
- [pandoc-discuss]:  General discussion of pandoc.

# News

-   Version 0.46 released (January 8, 2008).

    + Added a `--sanitize-html` option (and a corresponding parameter
      in `ParserState` for those using the pandoc libraries in programs).
      This option causes pandoc to sanitize HTML (in HTML or Markdown
      input) using a whitelist method. Possibly harmful HTML elements
      are replaced with HTML comments. This should be useful in the
      context of web applications, where pandoc may be used to convert
      user input into HTML.
    + Made -H, -A, and -B options cumulative: if they are specified
      multiple times, multiple files will be included.
    + Many bug fixes and small improvements.  See [changelog] for full
      details.

-   Version 0.45 released (December 9, 2007).

    + Many bug fixes and structural improvements.  See [changelog] for
      full details.
    + Improved treatment of math. Math is now rendered using unicode
      by default in HTML, RTF, and DocBook output. For more accurate
      display of math in HTML, `--gladtex`, `--mimetex`, and `--asciimathml`
      options are provided. See the [User's Guide](README.html#math) for
      details.
    + Removed support for box-style block quotes in markdown.
    + More idiomatic ConTeXt output.
    + Text wrapping in ConTeXt and LaTeX output.
    + Pandoc now correctly handles all standard line endings
      (CR, LF, CRLF).
    + New `--no-wrap` option that disables line wrapping and minimizes
      whitespace in HTML output.
    + Build process is now compatible with both GHC 6.8 and GHC 6.6.
      GHC and GHC_PKG environment variables may be used to specify
      which version of the compiler to use, when multiple versions are
      installed.

-   Version 0.44 released (September 3, 2007).

    + Fixed bug in HTML writer:  when `--toc` was used, anchors were put around
      headers, which is invalid XHTML (block content within inline element).
      Now the anchors are put inside the header tags.  Resolves Issue #23.
    + Changed build process to compile `Setup.hs` instead of using
      `runhaskell`, which throws an error on platforms where GHC is
      "not built for interactive use".  Closes Debian #440668.

-   Version 0.43 released (September 2, 2007).

    + HUGE increase in performance:  markdown is parsed five times
      faster than with 0.42 on large benchmark files.
    + Prettyprinting library used in LaTeX writer, so that LaTeX output
      is wrapped and intelligently indented.
    + Fixed bugs in LaTeX ordered lists and LaTeX command and environment
      parsers.
    + Blank lines are no longer required after code blocks.
    + Fixed inline code parsing so that it uses the method of Markdown.pl:
      the delimiters are blocks of N `` ` `` characters not followed by another
      `` ` `` character.  For example:
      ```` ` h ``` i ` ```` -> `<code>h ``` i</code>`.
    + Markdown writer escapes paragraphs that begin like list items.
    + MacPorts Portfile now installs library as well as executable.
    + Added pandocwiki demonstration to the website.

# Disclaimer

This is an early, "alpha" release. It carries no warranties of any
kind.

[More accurate]: http://code.google.com/p/pandoc/wiki/PandocVsMarkdownPl
[much faster]: http://code.google.com/p/pandoc/wiki/Benchmarks
[ASCIIMathML]: http://www1.chapman.edu/~jipsen/mathml/asciimath.html
 
[John MacFarlane]: http://johnmacfarlane.net/
[markdown]: http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/
[reStructuredText]: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/ref/rst/introduction.html
[S5]: http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/s5/
[HTML]:  http://www.w3.org/TR/html40/
[LaTeX]:  http://www.latex-project.org/
[ConTeXt]: http://www.pragma-ade.nl/ 
[RTF]:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Text_Format
[DocBook XML]: http://www.docbook.org/
[groff man]: http://developer.apple.com/DOCUMENTATION/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man7/groff_man.7.html
[GNU Texinfo]: http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/
[Haskell]:  http://www.haskell.org/
[GHC]:  http://www.haskell.org/ghc/
[GPL]:  http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
[Source tarball]: http://code.google.com/p/pandoc/downloads/detail?name=pandoc-@VERSION@.tar.gz "Download source tarball from Pandoc's Google Code site"
[Windows binary package]: http://code.google.com/p/pandoc/downloads/detail?name=pandoc-@VERSION@.zip "Download Windows zip file from Pandoc's Google Code site"
[Debian unstable]: http://packages.debian.org/unstable/text/pandoc
[FreeBSD ports]: http://www.freshports.org/textproc/pandoc/
[Arch linux PKGBUILD script]: http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?do_Details=1&ID=12751&O=0&L=0&C=0&K=pandoc&SB=n&SO=a&PP=25&do_MyPackages=0&do_Orphans=0&SeB=nd
[Ubuntu linux]: http://www.ubuntu.com
[MacPorts]: http://db.macports.org/port/show/4218
[pandoc-announce]: http://groups.google.com/group/pandoc-announce
[pandoc-discuss]: http://groups.google.com/group/pandoc-discuss
[changelog]: changelog.txt