Using Marksmith Forge

Open, write, spell-check, preview, diagram, save, and export Markdown without uploading your work.

Last updated

Open or start a document

  • Select Open Markdown or drag a .md, .markdown, or .txt file into the window.
  • Edit source in the Markdown pane while Preview updates automatically.
  • Select Save Markdown or press Ctrl+S. Opened files save in place; new documents ask for a destination.
  • Refresh reloads the interface and clears unsaved edits.

Format Markdown

Select text and use the toolbar for headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, lists, tasks, quotes, code, tables, links, or images.

Other Settings contains bracket and quote Auto Pair plus optional Markdown symbol pairing for emphasis, strikethrough, and inline code.

Spell Check and Auto-Correct

Spell Check and Auto-Correct are separate Writing settings and both are disabled by default. Spell Check underlines suspected English mistakes; right-click an underlined word to choose a replacement, Ignore it, or Add it to your personal dictionary. Auto-Correct fixes a conservative set of common mistakes when you finish typing a word, even when Spell Check is off.

Both features work locally and skip fenced code and Mermaid blocks, inline code, URLs, link targets, and math or LaTeX expressions.

Keyboard shortcuts

  • Ctrl+S saves the current Markdown document.
  • Ctrl+Z undoes the last edit; Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes it.
  • Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, and Ctrl+Shift+X apply bold, italic, and strikethrough.
  • Ctrl+Alt+2 applies or removes a level-two heading.
  • Ctrl+Backtick applies inline code or creates a fenced code block for multiple lines.
  • Ctrl+K creates a link from selected text.
  • Tab inserts two spaces at the cursor or replaces the selection with two spaces.
  • Escape closes an open menu, Help, or Settings dialog.

Formatting shortcuts act on selected text when there is a selection. Otherwise, they insert the appropriate Markdown syntax and place the cursor where you can continue typing.

Add a Mermaid diagram

Use Diagram in the toolbar for Flowchart, Sequence, Class, State, ER, Gantt, Pie, Mind Map, Timeline, Architecture, and XY Chart starters. More templates include Git Graph, User Journey, Quadrant, Requirement, C4, Sankey, Block, Packet, Kanban, Radar, and Treemap.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  A[Write] --> B[Preview] --> C[Export]
```

Diagrams render locally. Invalid syntax produces a contained diagram error without breaking the rest of the preview.

Choose the workspace and document appearance

  • Choose Modern, Academic, Minimal, Classic, or Editorial under Theme.
  • Choose A3, A4, A5, or Letter under Paper.
  • Use Other Settings for Spell Check, Auto-Correct, light/dark appearance, Focus Mode, Typewriter Mode, document statistics, the Outline Panel, and Preview visibility.
  • Drag pane dividers to resize the outline, editor, and preview.

Export

Select Export, then choose PDF, DOCX, HTML, EPUB, or LaTeX. Exports use current editor text, including unsaved edits. LaTeX export creates .tex source and does not compile it.

Relative images work best after opening a file from disk. Keep supported image files in the Markdown file’s folder or a subfolder.

File Explorer exports — coming in 1.3.2

On Windows, right-click one or more .md or .markdown files and choose Marksmith Forge, then Export to PDF, DOCX, HTML, LaTeX, or EPUB. Open in Marksmith Forge is available for a single selected file.

The Microsoft Store edition integrates into Windows 11’s first right-click menu. The standalone Windows installer uses the classic context menu, accessible through Show more options on Windows 11.

Background exports read the saved source files and leave your current editor document and unsaved changes intact. They use saved theme and paper-size preferences where supported, including local images and Mermaid diagrams through the existing export engines.

Each export is saved beside its source with the same filename and the selected extension: .pdf, .docx, .html, .tex, or .epub. An existing export with the same name is replaced.

Marksmith Forge notifications report export results. If a source is missing or a destination cannot be written, that export fails and the batch continues with the remaining files. Missing images and invalid Mermaid diagrams produce notices and placeholders.

Mathematical notation

Use $…$ or \(…\) for inline notation and $$…$$ or \[…\] for display notation. Escape a literal dollar sign as \$. Math-like text in inline or fenced code is not rendered.

Support

Email polimatidischris@gmail.com for help. For privacy and usage details, read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.