Markview Integration

Preview Markdown with Markview's native typography engine and export PDF or PNG without installing Markview separately. Previously published as Better markdown PDF, this extension keeps the same Marketplace identity so existing installations upgrade in place.

Preview Markdown

Open a Markdown file and click the M icon at the top right of the editor, or run Markview: 打开侧边预览. The preview uses Markview's Rust engine compiled to WebAssembly, drawing text onto a canvas. It supports unsaved edits, selection and copy, images, links, synchronized scrolling and restored reading positions after Reload Window.

Export PDF and PNG

Right-click a Markdown editor and choose Markview: 导出 PDF…, 导出 PNG…, or 使用模板导出…. Choose a destination; the suggested filename matches the source document. Export uses the current editor buffer, including unsaved changes, and the native engine included in the platform-specific extension.

The template command lets you select a bundled design or a custom .mvss.toml file, then choose PDF or PNG. No template installation is required. Export progress supports cancellation.

Templates and settings

Choose a reading template with Markview: 选择阅读模板…. Reading and export can use independent defaults:

{
  "markview.previewTemplate": "celadon",
  "markview.exportTemplate": "vangogh",
  "markview.fontSize": 18,
  "markview.width": 760
}

For a custom template, set markview.previewStyleFile or markview.exportStyleFile. In a directory's .vscode/settings.json, paths are relative to the directory containing .vscode:

{
  "markview.previewStyleFile": "styles/reader.mvss.toml",
  "markview.exportStyleFile": "styles/paper.mvss.toml"
}

Settings inherit from the nearest directory with a template choice, including parent directories outside the open workspace. A child preset replaces an inherited custom file; "default" explicitly resets that destination. User settings should use absolute custom-file paths. Selected configuration errors are reported rather than silently ignored.

Write an MVSS template: MVSS is a TOML stylesheet that defines font families, colors, spacing and element rules. Declare the intended destination (ui for reading, pdf for export); a template used in both places must support both. The engine resolves typography, so CSS is not used for document layout.

Fonts

Run Markview: 字体管理… to inspect the fonts required by a template, add a font directory, or download missing families. Available sources and license information appear in the panel. Downloads stay in extension storage and do not install fonts system-wide. Family availability does not guarantee coverage of every character.

Upgrading from Better markdown PDF or Markview4vsc

• The extension ID remains Stevvven.markview-export; you can keep existing keybindings for markviewExport.exportPdf, markviewExport.exportPng, and markviewExport.exportWithTemplate. The later markview.exportPdf, markview.exportPng, markview.exportWithTemplate and markview.openPreview names also remain aliases.
• markview.template remains a shared fallback when new settings are unset; markviewExport.template remains an export-only fallback, so older PDF designs do not break the new reading preview. An explicitly empty markview.template disables the older fallback. Legacy relative paths retain their document-relative meaning; for untitled files they use the workspace folder.
• New template settings take priority. No settings are rewritten automatically. Custom reading templates need a ui destination supported by the current engine.
• markview.columnWidth and markview.codeblockWrap remain fallbacks for markview.width and markview.codeWrap.

Requirements

A local, trusted VS Code workspace is required. Packages are available for Apple Silicon macOS, Windows (x64 and ARM64), and Linux (x64 and ARM64). Intel macOS is not supported in this release. Linux requires glibc 2.35 or newer, fontconfig and a working Vulkan driver for native PNG export. Browser-only VS Code and remote/virtual workspaces are not supported in this release.

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