PanConverter

A cross-platform Markdown editor and converter powered by Pandoc.

Features

✨ Advanced Markdown Editor

• 🗂️ Tabbed Interface - Work with multiple files simultaneously in separate tabs
• 📝 Rich Text Editor - Full-featured editor with syntax highlighting and comprehensive toolbar
• 🔍 Find & Replace - Powerful search and replace with match highlighting and navigation
• 🔢 Line Numbers - Toggle line numbers for easier code editing and navigation
• ↩️ Smart Auto-Indentation - Automatic list continuation and intelligent indentation
• ⏪ Undo/Redo - Full undo/redo support with keyboard shortcuts
• ⌨️ Advanced Shortcuts - Tab indentation, line selection, and smart text formatting
• 📂 File Association Support - Open markdown files directly from file manager

🎨 Themes & Interface

• 👁️ Live Preview - See your markdown rendered in real-time with synchronized scrolling
• 🎨 Multiple Themes - Choose from Light, Dark, Solarized, Monokai, or GitHub themes
• 💾 Auto-Save - Never lose your work with automatic saving every 30 seconds
• 📊 Enhanced Statistics - Detailed document statistics including word count, character count, lines, paragraphs, sentences, and estimated reading time
• 🕒 Recent Files - Quick access to recently opened files via File menu
• 🧮 Math Support - Render mathematical expressions using KaTeX (supports $, , \[\], \(\) delimiters)

📤 Export & Conversion

• 📄 Enhanced PDF Export - Robust PDF generation with multiple LaTeX engine fallbacks (XeLaTeX, PDFLaTeX, wkhtmltopdf)
• 📄 Document Export - Convert to HTML, DOCX, LaTeX, RTF, ODT, EPUB, PowerPoint (PPTX), and OpenDocument Presentation (ODP)
• 📊 Spreadsheet Export - Export markdown tables to CSV format for compatibility with any spreadsheet application
• 📥 Document Import - Import DOCX, ODT, RTF, HTML, PDF, and presentation files to markdown
• 📋 Table Creation Helper - Built-in table generator for easy markdown table creation

🖥️ Platform Support

• Cross-Platform - Works seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Installation

Prerequisites

• Pandoc must be installed for export functionality
  • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install pandoc
  • macOS: brew install pandoc
  • Windows: Download installer from Pandoc website

PDF Export Requirements

For optimal PDF export, install a LaTeX engine (recommended):

• Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install texlive-xetex texlive-latex-base
• macOS: brew install --cask mactex
• Windows: Install MiKTeX or TeX Live
• Alternative: sudo apt-get install wkhtmltopdf (fallback option)

Download

Download the latest release for your platform from the Releases page.

Linux

• AppImage: PanConverter-1.5.0.AppImage (universal, may require --no-sandbox flag)
• Debian Package: pan-converter_1.5.0_amd64.deb
• Snap Package: pan-converter_1.5.0_amd64.snap

Install from Source

git clone https://github.com/amitwh/pan-converter.git
cd pan-converter
npm install
npm start

Usage

Basic Workflow

1. Write - Use the editor to write your Markdown content
2. Preview - Toggle the preview pane to see rendered output
3. Theme - Choose your preferred theme from the View menu
4. Export - Export your document to various formats

Export Options

• Documents: HTML, PDF, DOCX, LaTeX, RTF, ODT, EPUB
• Presentations: PowerPoint (PPTX), OpenDocument Presentation (ODP)
• Spreadsheets: CSV format for tables (compatible with Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets)
• Advanced Export Options: Optional template support, metadata insertion, table of contents, section numbering, and PDF-specific settings
• Batch Conversion: Convert entire folders of markdown files with progress tracking

Import & Conversion

• Import Documents: Convert DOCX, ODT, RTF, HTML, PDF, and presentation files to Markdown
• Cross-Format Conversion: Convert current file between multiple formats
• Smart Presentation Handling: Automatic slide-level formatting for PPTX/ODP exports

Table Creation

• Click the table button in the toolbar
• Specify number of rows and columns
• Automatically generates properly formatted Markdown tables

Keyboard Shortcuts

File Operations

• Ctrl/Cmd + N - New file/tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + T - New tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + W - Close current tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + Tab - Switch to next tab
• Ctrl/Cmd + O - Open file
• Ctrl/Cmd + S - Save file
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S - Save as
• Ctrl/Cmd + I - Import document

Editor Features

• Ctrl/Cmd + F - Find & Replace
• Ctrl/Cmd + Z - Undo
• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z - Redo
• Tab - Indent lines or insert 4 spaces
• Shift + Tab - Outdent selected lines
• Enter - Auto-continue lists with proper indentation

View & Navigation

• Ctrl/Cmd + P - Toggle preview
• Ctrl/Cmd + Enter - Toggle preview (alternative)
• Escape - Close find dialog

Building

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Generate icons
npm run generate-icons

# Build for current platform
npm run build

# Build for specific platform
npm run build:win    # Windows
npm run build:mac    # macOS  
npm run build:linux  # Linux (generates .deb, .AppImage, and .snap)

# Build for all platforms
npm run dist:all

Version History

• v1.3.1 - Bug fixes: Fixed file associations for double-clicking .md files, corrected 50/50 layout alignment for editor/preview panes
• v1.3.0 - Major update: Tabbed interface for multiple files, enhanced PDF export with LaTeX engines, fixed file associations, removed redundant converter menu, improved UI architecture
• v1.2.1 - Comprehensive editor enhancements: Find & Replace, Line Numbers, Undo/Redo, Auto-indentation, PowerPoint export, document conversion menu, table creation helper, spreadsheet export
• v1.1.0 - Added Excel/ODS spreadsheet export, updated author information, renamed to PanConverter
• v1.0.0 - Initial release with basic markdown editing, themes, and Pandoc export

Known Issues

• AppImage may require --no-sandbox flag on some Linux systems
• Windows/Mac builds require platform-specific build environments
• Large files may cause performance issues

Contributing

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

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Author

Amit Haridas - amit.wh@gmail.com

Acknowledgments

• Built with Electron
• Markdown parsing by marked
• Export functionality powered by Pandoc
• Syntax highlighting by highlight.js
• Spreadsheet export by XLSX
• HTML sanitization by DOMPurify