@marp-team/marp-cli

@marp-team/marp-cli

A CLI interface, for Marp (using @marp-team/marp-core) and any slide deck converter based on Marpit framework.

It can convert Marp / Marpit Markdown files into static HTML / CSS and PDF.

Try it now!

npx

npx is the best tool when you want to convert Markdown right now. Just run below if you are installed Node.js >= 8.9.0:

# Convert slide deck into HTML
npx @marp-team/marp-cli slide-deck.md
npx @marp-team/marp-cli slide-deck.md -o output.html

# Convert slide deck into PDF
npx @marp-team/marp-cli slide-deck.md --pdf
npx @marp-team/marp-cli slide-deck.md -o output.pdf

# Watch mode
npx @marp-team/marp-cli -w slide-deck.md

# Server mode (Pass directory to serve)
npx @marp-team/marp-cli -s ./slides

# Open converted HTML in preview window
npx @marp-team/marp-cli -p slide-deck.md

:information_source: You have to install Google Chrome (or Chromium) to convert slide deck into PDF.

Docker

Do you hate to install node/chrome locally? We have an official Docker image ready to use CLI.

# Convert slide deck into HTML
docker run --rm -v $PWD:/home/marp/app/ -e LANG=$LANG marpteam/marp-cli slide-deck.md

# Convert slide deck into PDF by using Chromium in Docker
docker run --rm -v $PWD:/home/marp/app/ -e LANG=$LANG marpteam/marp-cli slide-deck.md --pdf

# Watch mode
docker run --rm --init -v $PWD:/home/marp/app/ -e LANG=$LANG -p 52000:52000 marpteam/marp-cli -w slide-deck.md

# Server mode (Serve current directory)
docker run --rm --init -v $PWD:/home/marp/app -e LANG=$LANG -p 8080:8080 -p 52000:52000 marpteam/marp-cli -s .

Install

Local installation

We recommend to install Marp CLI into your Node project. You may control the CLI (and engine) version exactly.

npm install --save-dev @marp-team/marp-cli

The installed marp command is available in npm-scripts or npx marp.

Global installation

You can install with -g option if you want to use marp command globally.

npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli

Basic usage

Convert to HTML

The passed markdown will be converted to HTML file by default. In the below example, a converted slide-deck.html will output to the same directory.

marp slide-deck.md

You can change the output path by --output (-o) option.

marp slide-deck.md -o output.html

Marp CLI supports converting multiple files by passing multiple paths, directories, and glob patterns. In this case, --output option cannot use.

When you want to output the converted result to another directory with keeping the origin directory structure, you can use --inpur-dir (-I) option. --output option would be available for specify the output directory.

Convert to PDF (--pdf)

If you passed --pdf option or the output filename specified by --output (-o) option ends with .pdf, Marp CLI will try to convert into PDF file by using the installed Google Chrome or Chromium.

marp --pdf slide-deck.md
marp slide-deck.md -o converted.pdf

Security about local files

Because of the security reason, the converted PDF cannot load local files by default. We recommend to upload your assets to online.

But if you want to use local files in rendered PDF, --alow-local-files option helps to find your local files. Warnings about using the insecure option are outputed in each conversions.

marp --pdf --allow-local-files slide-deck.md

Watch mode (--watch / -w)

Marp CLI will observe a change of Markdown / used Theme CSS when passed with --watch (-w) option. The conversion is triggered whenever the content of file is updated.

While you are opening the converted HTML in browser, it would refresh the opened page automatically.

Server mode (--server / -s)

Server mode supports on-demand conversion by HTTP request. We require to pass --server (-s) option and a directory to serve.

In this mode, the converted file outputs as the result of accessing to server, and not to disk.

You would get the converted PDF by adding ?pdf query string when requesting. e.g. http://localhost:8080/deck-a.md?pdf

index.md / PITCHME.md

Marp CLI server will provide the list of served files by default, but you can place the default Markdown deck like a common web server's index.html.

Place Markdown named index.md or PITCHME.md (GitPitch style) to served directory. It would be redirected just accessing to http://localhost:8080/.

Preview window (Experimental: --preview / -p)

When conversions were executed together with --preview (-p) option, Marp CLI will open preview window(s) to check the converted result immediately.

Unlike opening with browser, you may present deck with the immersive window. Watch mode is enabled automatically.

:information_source: --preview option cannot use when you are using Marp CLI through official docker image.

Template

You can choose a built-in HTML templates by --template option. Default template is bespoke.

marp --template bespoke slide-deck.md

bespoke template (default)

The bespoke template is using Bespoke.js as the name implies. It has several features to be useful in a real presentation.

Features

• Navigation: Navigate the deck through keyboard or swipe geasture.
• Progress bar (Not ready to use)

bare template

The bare template is a primitive template, and there is no extra features. It only has minimum assets to give your presentation with browser.

Zero-JS slide deck

When the conversion engine is changed to Marpit framework by setting engine option, it would not use any scripts. Even then, it has enough to use for the browser-based presentation.

marp --template bare --engine @marp-team/marpit slide-deck.md

Theme

Override theme

You can override theme you want to use by --theme option. For example to use Gaia built-in theme in Marp Core:

marp --theme gaia

Use custom theme

A custom theme created by user also can use easily by passing the path of CSS file.

marp --theme custom-theme.css

:information_source: Normally Marpit theme CSS requires @theme meta comment, but it's not required in this usage.

Theme set

--theme-set option has to specify theme set composed by multiple theme CSS files. The registed themes are usable in Marpit's theme directive.

# Multiple theme CSS files
marp --theme-set theme-a.css theme-b.css theme-c.css -- deck-a.md deck-b.md

# Theme directory
marp --theme-set ./themes -- deck.md

Engine

Marp CLI is calling the Marpit framework based converter as "Engine". Normally we use the bundled marp-core, but you may swap the conversion engine to another Marpit based engine through --engine option.

Use Marpit framework

For example, it can convert Markdown by using the pure Marpit framework.

# Install Marpit framework
npm i @marp-team/marpit

# Specify engine to use Marpit
marp --engine @marp-team/marpit marpit-deck.md

Notice that Marpit has not provided theme. It would be good to include inline style in Markdown, or pass CSS file by --theme option.

Functional engine

When you specify the path to JavaScript file in --engine option, you may use more customized engine by JS.

It would be useful to convert with a customized engine for supporting the additional syntax that is out of Marp Markdown specification.

Example: markdown-it-mark

// engine.js
const { Marp } = require('@marp-team/marp-core')
const markdownItMark = require('markdown-it-mark')

module.exports = opts => new Marp(opts).use(markdownItMark)

# Install Marp Core and markdown-it-mark
npm install @marp-team/marp-core markdown-it-mark --save-dev

# Specify the path to functional engine
marp --engine ./engine.js slide-deck.md

The customized engine would convert ==marked== to <mark>marked</mark>.

Confirm engine version

By using --version (-v) option, you may confirm the version of engine that is expected to use in current configuration.

$ marp --version
@marp-team/marp-cli v0.x.x (/w bundled @marp-team/marp-core v0.x.x)

Marp CLI prefers to use an installed core by user than the bundled. If the current project has installed @marp-team/marp-core individually, it would show its version and the annotation "/w customized engine".

Configuration file

Marp CLI can be configured options with file, such as marp.config.js, .marprc (JSON / YAML), and marp section of package.json. It is useful to configure settings for the whole of project.

// package.json
{
  "marp": {
    "inputDir": "./slides",
    "output":" ./public",
    "themeSet": "./themes"
  }
}

# .marprc.yml
allowLocalFiles: true
options:
  looseYAML: false
  markdown:
    breaks: false
pdf: true

// marp.config.js
const { Marp } = require('@marp-team/marp-core')
const container = require('markdown-it-container')

module.exports = {
  // Customize engine on configuration file directly
  engine: opts => new Marp(opts).use(container, 'custom'),
}

By default we use configuration file that is placed on current directory, but you may also specify the for configuration file by --config-file option (-c).

Options

Key	Type	CLI option	Description
allowLocalFiles	boolean	--allow-local-files	Allow to access local files from Markdown while converting PDF (NOT SECURE)
engine	string | Class | Function	--engine	Specify Marpit based engine
html	boolean | object	--html	Enable or disable HTML (Configuration file can pass the whitelist object if you are using Marp Core)
inputDir	string	--input-dir -I	The base directory to find markdown and theme CSS
lang	string		Define the language of converted HTML
options	object		The base options for the constructor of engine
output	string	--output -o	Output file path (or directory when input-dir is passed)
pdf	boolean	--pdf	Convert slide deck into PDF
preview	boolean	--preview -p	Open preview window (EXPERIMENTAL)
server	boolean	--server -s	Enable server mode
template	string	--template	Choose template
theme	string	--theme	Override theme by name or CSS file
themeSet	string | string[]	--theme-set	Path to additional theme CSS files
watch	boolean	--watch -w	Watch input markdowns for changes

Advanced

The advanced options that cannot specify through CLI options can be configured by file.

Base options for engine constructor

options can specify the base options for the constructor of the used engine. You can fine-tune constructor options for Marp Core / Marpit.

For example, this configuration disables Marp Core's line breaks conversion (\n to <br />) to match for CommonMark, by passing markdown-it's breaks option as false.

{
  "options": {
    "markdown": {
      "breaks": false
    }
  }
}

:warning: Some options may be overridden by used template.

Contributing

Are you interested in contributing? Please see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Author

Managed by @marp-team.

• Yuki Hattori (@yhatt)

License

This tool releases under the MIT License.

Changelog

v0.3.1 - 2019-01-25

Fixed

• Fix blank PDF generated in Chrome >= 73 (#61 by @kamijin-fanta)
• Fix failed test in other platform by Windows workaround for Carlo (#63)