Hi everybody,
I would love to be able with KOReader to read markdown language files. Imho there is two different ways to approach: implenting it with a small parser in KOReader source code, creating minimal a minial HTML output and using MuPDF (which KOReader seems to use) to render; or integrating it directly in MuPDF as this project seems to lack the functionality too.
I’ve therefore just submitted a feature request to add markdown file support to KOReader on GitHub, as well as a request for MuPDF, but maybe here is a good place too to have an exchange on that?
Link to feat. req. for KOReader:
https://github.com/koreader/koreader/issues/12683
Link to feat. req. for MuPDF:
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=708108
Why Markdown?
Markdown’s simplicity and readability make it ideal for notes, technical documents, and more, especially on e-ink devices where lightweight formats shine. By supporting markdown, KOReader could serve as a go-to app for reading and organizing notes, technical documents, and personal writing on e-readers. Imagine being able to easily read structured text with headers, lists, links, bold, and italics—all while keeping files small and load times fast!
How It Could Work
For a straightforward start, basic markdown formatting support would be perfect—headers, bold, italics, lists, links, and highlighting. I’ve suggested using a lightweight markdown parser like cmark to convert markdown to HTML within KOReader, so it could be rendered with the existing MuPDF-based HTML renderer.
Future Possibilities
Once basic markdown support is in place, it could expand to include features like math formulas, image embedding, and interactive options such as note-taking, annotations, or even editing markdown files.
Happy to hear your thoughts on this! Also, would there be any additional ideas or wanted features on markdown support?