ExpressiveMD for VS Code

Syntax highlighting and live preview for ExpressiveMD templates.

Features

• Syntax highlighting for .emd files with support for:

  • Frontmatter declarations (inbound, include, plugin)
  • Control structures (${if}, ${for}, ${end})
  • Variable interpolation (${variable})
  • Comments (${// comment})
  • Embedded Markdown

• Live preview panel that renders your templates in real-time

• Props file support to test templates with different data

Requirements

This extension requires the emd CLI to be installed for preview functionality.

# Install the emd CLI (adjust based on your package manager)
npm install -g expressivemd

Usage

1. Open any .emd file
2. Use one of these methods to open the preview:
   • Press Cmd+Shift+V (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows/Linux)
   • Press Cmd+K V (Mac) or Ctrl+K V (Windows/Linux) for side-by-side preview
   • Click the preview icon in the editor title bar
   • Run "ExpressiveMD: Open Preview" from the Command Palette

Using Props Files

To test your templates with data:

1. Open the preview panel
2. Click the JSON icon in the toolbar or run "ExpressiveMD: Select Props File..."
3. Choose a JSON file containing your template variables

Extension Settings

Commands

Keybindings

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the extension
npm run build

# Watch for changes during development
npm run watch

# Package as VSIX
npm run package

License

This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain. See LICENSE for details.