Description

Reformat/Normalize markdown with some configurable settings

Additional Information

Links:	Repository Homepage View source
Maintainers:	bwat47
Version:	1.1.0
Minimum app version:	3.5
Downloads: This version:	0
Last updated:	N/A

[!NOTE] This plugin was created entirely with AI tools.

[!NOTE] This plugin only works in the Markdown editor.

Markdown Formatter

A Joplin plugin that formats the current note's Markdown with some configurable rules.

The plugin parses Markdown to find known structures, then applies targeted edits to the original text. Syntax it does not explicitly understand is left alone.

Features

• Normalize unordered list markers to - or *.
• Renumber ordered lists sequentially while preserving the first item's number.
• Normalize emphasis and bold delimiters.
• Normalize heading levels so they increase by at most one level at a time.
• Preserve, tighten (when list doesn't contain block content), or loosen list spacing.
• Normalize nested list indentation with tabs, 2 spaces, or 4 spaces.
• Normalize Horizontal rule format and spacing above/below.
• Optionally align GitHub Flavored Markdown tables.
• Ensure headings have a blank line before and after neighboring content.
• Collapse repeated blank lines outside protected content.
• Ensure the note ends with exactly one trailing newline.
• Apply changes through CodeMirror so formatting is undoable with Joplin's normal undo command.

Usage

Install the plugin, open a Markdown note, then:

• Edit -> Format Markdown
• Ctrl+Alt+F on Windows/Linux
• Cmd+Alt+F on macOS
• Click Format Markdown button in the formatting toolbar

The command formats the currently open note. If the note is already formatted, it does not write the note back.

Settings

Settings are available under Markdown Formatter in Joplin's plugin settings.

Setting	Default	Description
Unordered list marker	-	Rewrite unordered bullets to dash or asterisk.
Normalize ordered list numbering	On	Renumber ordered lists sequentially, keeping the first item number.
Normalize heading level increments	On	Lower skipped heading levels so headings increase one level at a time.
Emphasis (italic) marker	*emphasis*	Prefer * or _ for emphasis delimiters.
Bold marker	**bold**	Prefer ** or __ for strong delimiters.
List spacing	Preserve as written	Preserve, tighten, or loosen spacing between list items.
List indentation	Tabs	Indentation used before nested list markers.
Align table columns	Off	Pad table cells so pipes line up.
Ensure blank lines around headings	On	Add one blank line before and after headings with neighboring content.
Collapse consecutive blank lines	On	Reduce runs of blank lines to one blank line outside protected content.
Ensure trailing newline	On	End the note with exactly one newline.

Safety Model

The formatter follows a "parse for analysis, edit the original text" model. Each rule runs as a separate pass:

1. Parse the current Markdown.
2. Locate structures the rule understands.
3. Apply small string edits to the original source.
4. Parse again and verify that the document structure still matches.

If a rule's edits would change the parsed document structure in an unexpected way, that rule is skipped and the note is left with the last safe output. If formatting fails, the plugin leaves the original note unchanged.

Protected content such as fenced code blocks, indented code blocks, inline code, YAML front matter, and HTML blocks is preserved by whitespace-oriented rules.

Known Limitations

• Lists inside blockquotes are not reindented and their tight/loose spacing is not changed. Their list markers and ordered numbering can still be normalized.
• Tables inside blockquotes are not aligned.
• Lists inside footnote definitions are not reindented.
• Table alignment counts UTF-16 code units, so CJK and emoji content may not line up visually in every editor font.
• Emphasis conversion to _ skips cases where CommonMark would reinterpret intraword underscores or merge adjacent delimiter runs.

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run tests:

npm test

Lint TypeScript:

npm run lint

Build the plugin archive:

npm run dist

The distributable .jpl archive is created under publish/.

License

MIT