mdbase

mdbase writer

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Write Markdown manuscripts with a typeset preview, citations from Reader, and PDF or Word export.
Writer is prerelease software.

Keep backups of important work and check the save status before closing or reloading. The demouses an in-memory sample collection. Demo changes are not kept and do not change your own collection.

mdbase writer is for papers, theses and books. Your manuscript stays a Markdown record in your collection. Writer typesets it as you write and uses your Reader library for citations and quotations. The bundled layouts need no Typst or LaTeX knowledge.

Writing a paper

Write, cite and typeset a paper0:55

Complete a citation, correct an unknown citekey and insert a Reader quotation while the paper preview updates. Silent recording with on-screen captions and sample data.

Text description of the recording
  1. A sample paper about Darwin is open with Outline, its Markdown editor and the typeset article preview side by side.
  2. A citation is typed in the introduction. Completion finds a source in the Reader library and inserts its citekey with a page locator.
  3. A deliberately misspelled citekey is marked on its Markdown line. The suggested matching source corrects it, and the preview updates.
  4. Sources is searched for vegetation. A highlighted quotation is inserted from the matching Reader source, including its citation and page.
  5. The inserted text appears in the editor and the typeset paper. The manuscript remains an ordinary collection record.

Download MP4

The recordings use a separate Darwin-themed sample library. The live demo may contain different sample manuscripts. See alsobuilding a book from chapters.

Connect a collection

  1. Open writer.mdbase.dev and choose Connect a collection.
  2. Sign in through mdbase Connect, choose a collection and review Writer's requested access.
  3. Choose the same collection as your Reader library to cite its sources.
  4. If prompted, review the proposed manuscript and source types, then choose Set up collection.

Setup adds the contracts and types Writer needs after your approval. It does not rewrite existing manuscript text. Collections can be hosted by Connect or served from your computer by the Connector. For a computer-backed collection, keep the desktop app running and the computer available.

Create a manuscript

  1. Choose New manuscript.
  2. Enter a title and choose an article or thesis layout and a citation style.
  3. Choose Create manuscript and begin writing.

To use an existing note, choose Use a note you already have…in the same dialog. Select the note and choose Use as manuscript. This adds the manuscript type while retaining its other types, text and location.

The workspace

AreaWhat it does
EditorWrite Markdown. Edits autosave through Connect.
PreviewSee the typeset pages. Click a block to return to its text.
OutlineNavigate headings, open chapters and reorder chapter embeds.
SourcesFind library sources, insert citations and use Reader quotations.
CommentsReview comments, replies and suggested edits.
SettingsEdit the title, authors, abstract, date, language, citation style and layout.
ProblemsFind citation, cross-reference, image, embed and typesetting problems.

Settings changes update the manuscript's frontmatter and preview. Your sidebar, editor/preview arrangement and zoom are remembered in this browser. On a phone, switch between writing, preview and outline views.

Next steps