Vim Pandoc Markdown Previewer

Dependencies

• vim
• pandoc
• a pdf viewer:
  • Evince (Works on Mac)
  • Mupdf
  • Okular

For async support (Compiling in background)

• vim version >= 8.00
• asyncrun.vim

Installation

Just like any other vim plugin

Usage

Starting the preview

To start the preview mode:

:StartMdPreview

This will compile your markdown document and open it in one of the above pdf viewers.

If the preview is currently running every save will recompile the document and the previewer will be refreshed.

To stop the preview mode:

:StopMdPreview

Once the preview is stopped the document won't be automatically compiled when saved.

Choosing a previewer

Stick the following in your vimrc, replacing <previewer> with the name of your preferred pdf viewer.

let g:md_pdf_viewer="<previewer>"

Choosing a pdf engine

Pandoc supports several pdf engines for document compilation. You can choose your preferred engine like so:

let g:md_pdf_engine="<engine>"

The default engine is pdflatex.

You can read more about pdf engines in the Pandoc manpage

Choosing a latex class

Pandoc uses latex to compile pdfs. The default class latex will produce a A4/Letter pdf. You may use any of the keywords supported by Pandoc. However, the preview will only work with those compiling to pdf, like beamer.

Choose your preferred latex class like so:

let g:md_default_latex_class="<class>"

The default class is latex.

You can list all available formats by running

pandoc --list-output-formats