markdown-converter/README.md

# PanConverter

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

![PanConverter](assets/icon.png)

## 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

### 📤 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 Excel (XLSX/XLS) and OpenDocument Spreadsheet (ODS) formats
- 📥 **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](https://pandoc.org/installing.html) 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](https://github.com/amitwh/pan-converter/releases) page.

#### Linux
- **AppImage**: `PanConverter-1.3.0.AppImage` (universal, may require `--no-sandbox` flag)
- **Debian Package**: `pan-converter_1.3.0_amd64.deb`
- **Snap Package**: `pan-converter_1.3.0_amd64.snap`

### Install from Source
```bash
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**: Excel (XLSX/XLS), OpenDocument Spreadsheet (ODS)

### 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

```bash
# 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

- **v1.3.0** - 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](https://github.com/amitwh/pan-converter).

## License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

## Author

**Amit Haridas** - [amit.wh@gmail.com](mailto:amit.wh@gmail.com)

## Acknowledgments

- Built with [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/)
- Markdown parsing by [marked](https://marked.js.org/)
- Export functionality powered by [Pandoc](https://pandoc.org/)
- Syntax highlighting by [highlight.js](https://highlightjs.org/)
- Spreadsheet export by [XLSX](https://www.npmjs.com/package/xlsx)
- HTML sanitization by [DOMPurify](https://www.npmjs.com/package/dompurify)