Gebnar

This isn't a hobby for me either. If we end up getting some kind of tagged text, i'll work with it. I can make a macro to convert markdown into tagged text.. However, the end goal is the same: import plain text, and have APub automatically apply appropriate character and paragraph styles. The only content that doesn't fit into this schema are special pages that aren't part of the normal content flow anyway. If we get a Tagged Text importer, the work of creating a markdown importer will be 99% done anyway. I don't see why we can't have both. I definitely don't see anything wrong with politely requesting an implementation that fits my current workflow.

Markdown includes no styling at all - that's the point. Markdown syntax tags text based on it's intended usage. Originally it was intended to be exported to simple HTML tags that could then be styled with CSS - offering a more "true" separation of content and presentation than basic HTML/CSS. I like markdown *because* when I'm writing I don't concern myself with the styles. I only concern myself with the intent of the text. I put a few hashtags in front of a line = it's a header. I don't have time to care about what it looks like right now. If I'm not doing the final layout, I may not ever care. All I care about is creating the content, and marking the sections for their intended usage. When I'm working on design I don't want text that's already formatted - I just want the content. If someone else wrote it, I really don't want him/her deciding on a font or color. Indicating that something is to be a header, or a bullet list, is enough. Then I can get to work laying out the document and creating a cohesive aesthetic that effectively presents the content. Hence - I like markdown. It does exactly what I need it to, without getting in the way. It's what I use now, with PagePlus X9 - even though there's no importer (i just work around it).

I did a quick google of tagged text. It *is* a more powerful version of markdown, but it looks far less elegant for authoring. I love markdown primarily for the way it directs my authoring workflow. My ideal workflow would be to link externally editable markdown files into Affinity Publisher text frames, and have the contents automatically styled using Publisher's built-in styling tools. Obviously there are some limitations to this, but they wouldn't be a hindrance for my needs. Any issues I come across could easily be worked around using the plethora of tools I anticipate Publisher offering. Essentially, if a plugin could be added to PagePlus X9 that allowed me to link .md files and automatically style the imported text - this would greatly enhance my workflow. Everything else I need to do can already be done with X9's tools (barring it's limitations/issues with exporting/publishing - but I expect these are some of the major reasons for the new Affinity packages).

PagePlus X9 already has the "import text" feature that works for a variety of document types (including .odt and .docx), Markdown files are comparatively simple, so an importer of this nature shouldn't be an overwhelming request. As for InDesign, I don't know if it supports markdown, but it also has test import capabilities. In fact, in InDesign, the intended workflow seems to be for the designer to link external files, and have authors edit the external file directly, rather than messing with the design. I assume that this kind of functionality is a small part of why PagePlus is being deprecated in favor of Affinity Publisher.

I assume Affinity Publisher, like PagePlus X9, will have some sort of "text import" tool. I'd like to humbly request that this tool include an option to import Markdown texts. I do all of my pre-publishing writing in Markdown. It would be fantastic if I could simply import the .md files themselves and have Affinity Publisher convert the text into appropriate styles, build tables, etc. This would be a huge efficiency boost to my workflow. I'm already waiting to buy Affinity Publisher the day it's released. But this small addition would be the perfect icing on the cake!

Hi, My name is Shane Plesner, and I'm an avid fan of your software - especially Serif PagePlus. I am eagerly awaiting the launch of Affinity Publisher. I'd even be willing to do testing (windows version) and submit feedback, if that's possible.