The first chapter

label{cha:a_chapter}

This is the first paragraph of the Softcover Markdown template produced with the softcover\ command-line interface. It shows how to write a document in Markdown, a lightweight markup language, augmented with the kramdown converter and some custom extensions, including support for embedded PolyTeX, a subset of the powerful LaTeX\ typesetting system.1 For more information, see {The Softcover Book}. To learn how to easily publish (and optionally sell) documents produced with Softcover, visit Softcover.io.

This is the second paragraph, showing how to emphasize text.2 You can also make text bold or emphasize a second way. Via embedded PolyTeX, Softcover also supports colored text, such as coloredtext{red}{red}, coloredtext{CornflowerBlue}{cornflower blue}, and coloredtexthtml{E8AB3A}{arbitrary HTML colors}.

A section

label{sec:a_section}

This is a section. You can refer to it using the LaTeX\ cross-reference syntax, like so: Section~ref{sec:a_section}.

Source code

This is a subsection.

You can typeset code samples and other verbatim text using four spaces of indentation:

def hello
  puts "hello, world"
end

Softcover also comes with full support for syntax-highlighted source code using kramdown's default syntax, which combines the language name with indentation:

{lang=“ruby”} def hello puts “hello, world” end

Softcover's Markdown mode also extends kramdown to support so-called “code fencing” from GitHub-flavored Markdown:

def hello
  puts "hello, world!"
end

The last of these can be combined with PolyTeX's codelisting environment to make code listings with linked cross-references (Listing~ref{code:hello}).

begin{codelisting} codecaption{Hello, world.} label{code:hello}

def hello
  puts "hello, world!"
end

end{codelisting}

Mathematics

Softcover's Markdown mode supports mathematical typesetting using LaTeX\ syntax, including inline math, such as ( phi^2 - phi - 1 = 0, ) and centered math, such as [ phi = frac{1+sqrt{5}}{2}. ] It also supports centered equations with linked cross-reference via embedded PolyTeX\ (Eq.~eqref{eq:phi}).

begin{equation} label{eq:phi} phi = frac{1+sqrt{5}}{2} end{equation}

Softcover also supports an alternate math syntax, such as {$$}phi^2 - phi - 1 = 0{/$$}, and centered math, such as

{$$} phi = frac{1+sqrt{5}}{2}. {/$$}

The LaTeX\ syntax is strongly preferred, but the alternate syntax is included for maximum compatibility with other systems.

Images and tables

This is the second section.

Softcover supports the inclusion of images, like this:

Using LaTeX\ labels, you can also include a caption (as in Figure~ref{fig:captioned_image}) or just a figure number (as in Figure~ref{fig:figure_number}).

Tables

Softcover supports raw tables via a simple table syntax:

|HTTP request | URL | Action | Purpose | | GET | /users | index | page to list all users | | GET | /users/1 | show | page to show user with id 1 | | GET | /users/new | new | page to make a new user | | POST | /users | create | create a new user | | GET | /users/1/edit | edit | page to edit user with id 1 | | PATCH | /users/1 | update | update user with id 1 | | DELETE | /users/1 | destroy | delete user with id 1 |

See {The Softcover Book} to learn how to make more complicated tables.

Command-line interface

Softcover comes with a command-line interface called softcover. To get more information, just run softcover help:

$ softcover help
Commands:
  softcover build, build:all           # Build all formats
  softcover build:epub                 # Build EPUB
  softcover build:html                 # Build HTML
  softcover build:mobi                 # Build MOBI
  softcover build:pdf                  # Build PDF
  softcover build:preview              # Build book preview in all formats
  .
  .
  .

noindent You can run softcover help <command> to get additional help on a given command:

$ softcover help build
Usage:
  softcover build, build:all

Options:
  -q, [--quiet]   # Quiet output
  -s, [--silent]  # Silent output

Build all formats

Miscellanea

This is the end of the template—apart from two mostly empty chapters. In fact, let’s include the last chapter in its entirety, just to see how mostly empty it is:

<<(chapters/yet_another_chapter.md, lang: text)

Visit {The Softcover Book} to learn more about what Softcover can do.


1 Pronunciations of “LaTeX” differ, but lay-tech is the one I prefer.

2 This is a footnote. It is numbered automatically.