MultiMarkdown has just been updated to version 4.7. MultiMarkdown 4.7 Released. Unfortunately it looks like my biggest gripe with MultiMarkdown still isn’t fixed.
MultiMarkdown on iPad iPhone Revisited
MultiMarkdown on iPad – an update
I have updated my list over how well iPad Markdown writing apps handle the more advanced MultiMarkdown rendering. I also added some new apps to the list of the features I tested. Since I wrote the article, a new favourite writing app of mine, Editorial has been added to the list, and also IA Writer which now has MultiMarkdown support.
Almost all of the apps on the list supports Dropbox syncing, so writing in one application and rendering it in another that supports the features you need isn’t to hard. And with the enormous potential for scripting provided by Editorial, using x-callback-url schemes to send the text to another app for final rendering is pretty easy.
x-callback-url
You can read an article here about x-callback-url and URL schemes and how they work. There’s a web site with a database over x-callback-url supported apps and the commands that you can use.
MultiMarkdown – iPad Supported Apps
iPad and MultiMarkdown Supported Apps
Updated 2014–07–06
Since I originally wrote this article, much has happened. The Elements app looks like it’s been discontinued because I couldn’t find it in the AppStore, so I have removed it from the comparison table. I’ve added my new favourite iOS text editor, Editorial which is an amazing app for configure your text workflow just the way you like it. IA Writer has added support for MultiMarkdown so I added it to the list as well.
Trying to use MultiMarkdown for writing this blog on an iPad has been frustrating. Just trying to find a writing app that supports tables, footnotes, internal links and tables drives you crazy. One App can do some of the things right, others do nothing right. So here is my test of the Markdown Writing Apps I have available, and how they compare feature-wise.
I’ve moved over all my writing to Markdown, just because it’s a great way of writing for different media. But I need to use the more advanced version MultiMarkdown to be able to handle internal links, cross-references, more advanced image links, footnotes, tables and bibliography. So I did a Markdown test document with all the stuff I need, and checked if the App could handle it and generating working HTML. So here it goes.
| iOS App | Cross-Ref | Images | Footnotes | Tables | Bibliography | Definitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byword 2.1.6[1] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phraseology 2.0.4[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
| Poster 2.1.1[4] | No | Yes[2] | No | No | No | No |
| Notesy 2.5.3[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | No | No | No | No |
| Writing Kit 3.9.2[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
| Drafts iPad 3.6.3[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
| IA Writer v2.0[1] | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Editorial 2[1] | No | Yes[2][3] | Yes | No | No | No |
Conclusion
So if you need some or all of these features, have a look in the table and make your choice. I like to write in Editorial when blogging because of the workflow I added for uploading images and the ability to export to any app using URL scheme. When writing other texts I usually use IA Writer or Byword. Thankfully the apps for iOS isn’t expensive and most of them can sync via Dropbox, so switching between apps isn’t the end of the world.
I’ll try to keep this list updated whenever an update is available.
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Includes SmartyPants support. ↩
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Doesn’t display image caption. ↩
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Messed up when having bold text in alt-text. ↩
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This app is no longer for sale. WordPress has bought it. It’s still updated for those who bought it. ↩