| name | mde-features |
| description | Reference of MdExplorer-specific markdown extensions beyond CommonMark — text() file include, html() preview, runnable code blocks (bash/sh/pwsh/cmd), and PlantUML interactive SVG. Consult this skill when writing or editing any `.md` document in an MDE project to know which rendering features you can leverage. Triggers on "embed a file in markdown", "include source file inline", "show file content in doc", "make a script runnable in docs", "preview HTML in markdown", "draw a diagram in markdown". |
| mde | {"origin":"mdexplorer","version":1,"updatePolicy":"replace"} |
MdExplorer markdown extensions
This skill documents the markdown rendering features unique to MdExplorer. When you write markdown inside an MDE project, you can leverage these features to produce richer documents than plain CommonMark allows. A standard Markdig renderer ignores them; MDE turns them into interactive UI.
Use this reference whenever you author or edit .md files in an MDE project and want to:
- Embed the contents of another file (source code, data, config) inline
- Show HTML with a live preview side-by-side with its source
- Make shell scripts runnable from the document with a click
- Draw architecture, sequence, or class diagrams
Quick reference
| Syntax | Effect | When to use |
|---|
\``text(path)` | Loads a text file from disk, shows it with syntax highlighting + copy-path + fullscreen buttons | Documenting code, configs, data files where the content lives in a separate file. Avoids copy-drift. |
\``html(path)` | Loads an HTML file, shows it in a tabbed UI: live Preview iframe + Source tab | Mockups, demo pages, design specs where seeing the rendered HTML helps comprehension |
\``html` (inline content, no path) | Same tabbed UI but for HTML written inline in the markdown | One-off small HTML snippets, e.g. a fragment of UI in a design note |
\``bash/sh/shell/pwsh/powershell/ps1/cmd/bat/batch` | Adds a ▶ Run button — the script can be executed from the document, output streamed below | Documenting setup/troubleshooting steps where executing is faster than copy-pasting elsewhere |
\``plantuml` | Renders the PlantUML source as an interactive SVG (click nodes to highlight relations) | Architecture diagrams, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, ER, mind maps |
The rest of this skill goes feature by feature with details, examples, and caveats.
1. text(path) — embed a file as syntax-highlighted source
Syntax
```text(./relative/path/to/file.ext)
```
The parentheses with the path are mandatory. A plain \``text` block without parens is treated by Markdig as a regular plain-text code block — there is no collision with this feature.
Path resolution
./foo.txt or ./sub/foo.txt — relative to the .md file being rendered../foo.txt — parent directory/foo.txt — absolute from the project root (NOT filesystem root)foo.txt — same as ./foo.txt
Paths that escape the project root are rejected (security). Files larger than 500 KB are rejected (performance).
Rendering
A bordered panel with:
- A header showing the file name + buttons (📋 copy full path to clipboard, ⛶ enter fullscreen)
- The file content, rendered with Prism syntax highlighting
Language is deduced from the file extension. Built-in mapping includes:
| Extension | Language | Extension | Language |
|---|
.ttl, .nt, .n3, .nq | turtle | .cs | csharp |
.json, .jsonld | json | .ts | typescript |
.yaml, .yml | yaml | .js | javascript |
.xml, .xsd, .xslt | markup | .java | java |
.rdf, .owl | markup | .py | python |
.sql | sql | .sh, .bash | bash |
.cypher | cypher | .ps1 | powershell |
.sparql | sparql | .css, .scss | css/scss |
.md | markdown | .cob, .cbl, .cpy | cobol |
Unknown extensions render without highlighting (plain <pre><code>) — content is still shown.
When to use
- Documenting code where the file already exists separately —
\``text(./Service.cs)` keeps the doc in sync with the file automatically
- Showing configuration files (
.json, .yaml) referenced by surrounding prose
- Including data samples (
.ttl, .csv) without copy-pasting them into the markdown
- Any case where the content lives in its own file and copy-paste would cause drift
When NOT to use
- For inline snippets that don't have their own file — use a normal fenced code block
- For very large files — split the documentation into multiple files or include only a key excerpt as inline code
Example
Carlo conosce Anna. La rappresentazione in Turtle del nostro mini-grafo è
questa, dalla cartella `examples/`:
\`\`\`text(./examples/persone.ttl)
\`\`\`
Validalo con `riot --validate examples/persone.ttl`.
2. html(path) and html inline — HTML preview with source
Syntax
```html(./relative/path/to/file.html)
```
Or, with inline content:
```html
<div>any HTML markup here</div>
```
For html(path), the parentheses are optional but recommended when you want to reference a separate file. Without parens, the content between the fences is treated as inline HTML.
Rendering
A tabbed panel with:
- Preview tab — sandboxed iframe (
sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin") rendering the HTML
- Source tab — the HTML source highlighted as markup
- Toolbar with: Copy Path (when external file), Zip & Copy (when external file), Reload (re-render iframe), Fullscreen
When to use
- Showing UI mockups where seeing the rendered HTML adds value
- Demoing static pages or design fragments
- Documents about HTML/CSS examples themselves
When NOT to use
- For pure documentation in plain markdown — don't reach for HTML if Markdown can express it
- For complex apps with external dependencies — the iframe is sandboxed and won't have network access to the host project
Example
La struttura della pagina di login finale è questa:
\`\`\`html(./mockups/login.html)
\`\`\`
Click su "Preview" per vederla renderizzata, su "Source" per leggere il markup.
3. Runnable code blocks — bash / sh / pwsh / cmd
Syntax
```bash
echo "hello"
ls -la
```
Same for sh, shell, pwsh, powershell, ps1, cmd, bat, batch. They map to two shells:
bash, sh, shell → bash (Git Bash on Windows)powershell, pwsh, ps1 → PowerShellcmd, bat, batch → cmd.exe
No () syntax — the language identifier is enough.
Rendering
A normal code block + a ▶ Run button. When clicked:
- The script is executed in the project root directory
- Output (stdout + stderr) streams into a panel below the code, with ANSI color support
- A red ■ Stop button can interrupt the process
Trust model
Execution is per-project trust. The first time the user clicks Run in a project, MDE asks for confirmation. The trust flag is stored in the user DB (Project.ExecutionTrusted). AI agents writing scripts in markdown should be aware: the user will be prompted before the first execution.
When to use
- Setup instructions where running is faster than copy-pasting
- Smoke tests / validators (
dotnet test, riot --validate file.ttl)
- "Run this to see the effect" examples in tutorials
- Idempotent operations the reader can re-run safely
When NOT to use
- Destructive operations without obvious safeguards (
rm -rf, DROP TABLE, force pushes)
- Long-running processes (>1 minute) without a clear stop condition
- Anything that depends on absolute paths or machine-specific state
Example
Per validare il file Turtle prodotto:
\`\`\`bash
cd formazione
riot --validate hello.ttl
\`\`\`
Se è ok, il comando esce in silenzio.
4. plantuml — interactive SVG diagrams
Syntax
```plantuml
@startuml
class Foo
class Bar
Foo --> Bar
@enduml
```
Rendering
The PlantUML source is rendered to SVG. The SVG is interactive:
- Click a class/entity to highlight all its connections
- Hover to see tooltips with qualified names
- Works for class diagrams, sequence diagrams, mind maps, YAML diagrams
Caveats / conservative syntax
- Avoid the
;line:#color extension on rectangles — not supported by all PlantUML versions and breaks rendering
- Avoid escaped quotes inside rectangle labels (
"\"...\"") — same reason
- **Keep
\``plantuml minimal**: prefer fills (#color) over fancy borders, use simple --> arrows, basic shapes (rectangle, class, usecase`)
- Soft pastel palettes work well for "garbatamente colorate" diagrams:
#D6EAF8 (azzurro)#D5F5E3 (verde)#FEF9E7 (giallo tenue)#FAE5D3 (arancio)#EAD9F7 (viola)
When to use
- Architecture diagrams (component, deployment)
- Class diagrams in design docs
- Sequence diagrams for flows
- ER-style schemas
When NOT to use
- Trivial relationships that a markdown table expresses better
- Diagrams so complex that the SVG becomes unreadable — split them
Example
Il flusso di sincronizzazione del KG è questo:
\`\`\`plantuml
@startuml
!theme plain
skinparam backgroundColor #F8F9FA
actor User
participant Controller
participant Orchestrator
database Neo4j
User -> Controller : POST /sync
Controller -> Orchestrator : SyncFolder
Orchestrator -> Neo4j : MERGE nodes
Neo4j --> Orchestrator : ack
Orchestrator --> Controller : outcome
Controller --> User : 200 OK
@enduml
\`\`\`
5. Standard syntax highlighting
For non-MDE-specific fenced code blocks, MdExplorer uses Prism.js with the following languages bundled:
java, csharp, javascript, python, sql, markup (HTML/XML), turtle, json, yaml
Use the standard fenced-block syntax:
```turtle
@prefix ex: <http://example.org/> .
ex:foo a ex:Bar .
```
If you need a language not in the list above, the code block still renders without highlighting — content is preserved.
Common patterns
Documenting a code file with prose and showing the file
Il servizio `KgIngestService` carica i file `.kg.cypher` in Neo4j una transazione
per file. La firma è semplice:
\`\`\`text(./MdExplorer.bll/Services/KnowledgeGraph/IKgIngestService.cs)
\`\`\`
Nota la separazione tra ingest singolo (`IngestKgFileAsync`) e batch
(`IngestKgFilesAsync`) per failure isolation.
Tutorial step with prose, code to write, and a verification script
## Step 3 — Validare il file
Salva il file e poi esegui il validatore:
\`\`\`bash
riot --validate examples/persone.ttl
\`\`\`
Se vedi output di errore, controlla che hai messo il `.` finale dopo ogni
statement Turtle.
Architecture overview with diagram + linked files
La pipeline TOC ha tre attori principali:
\`\`\`plantuml
@startuml
!theme plain
participant Service
participant Engine
participant Storage
Service -> Engine : Generate(args)
Engine -> Storage : Persist(toc)
Storage --> Engine : ack
Engine --> Service : result
@enduml
\`\`\`
Il contratto del servizio:
\`\`\`text(./MdExplorer.bll/Services/TocGenerationService.cs)
\`\`\`
Do / Don't summary
Do:
- Use
text(path) whenever the content already lives in a file — avoids copy-drift
- Use
\``bash` runnable blocks for verification/setup steps
- Combine PlantUML diagrams +
text(path) excerpts for architecture documents
- Keep PlantUML conservative (simple shapes, soft colors, no extensions)
Don't:
- Don't paste a 200-line file into a fenced code block when
text(path) would work
- Don't use
html(path) for a feature that pure markdown can express
- Don't put destructive shell commands in runnable blocks without warning
- Don't use the
;line:#color PlantUML extension — it breaks across versions
