Parsedown

Better Markdown Parser in PHP

[ demo ]

Features

• Fast
• Consistent
• GitHub flavored
• Tested in PHP 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 and hhvm
• Extensible
• Markdown Extra extension ^new
• JavaScript port under development ^new

Installation

Include Parsedown.php or install the composer package.

Example

$Parsedown = new Parsedown();

echo $Parsedown->text('Hello _Parsedown_!'); # prints: <p>Hello <em>Parsedown</em>!</p>

More examples in the wiki and in this video tutorial.

Questions

How does Parsedown work?
Parsedown tries to read Markdown like a human. First, it looks at the lines. It’s interested in how the lines start. This helps it recognise blocks. It knows, for example, that if a line start with a - then it perhaps belong to a list. Once it recognises the blocks, it continues to the content. As it reads, it watches out for special characters. This helps it recognise inline elements (or inlines).

Why doesn’t Parsedown use namespaces?
Using namespaces would mean dropping support for PHP 5.2. We believe that since Parsedown is a single class with an uncommon name, making this trade wouldn't be worth it.

Is Parsedown compliant with CommonMark?
We are working on it.

Who uses Parsedown?
phpDocumentor, October CMS, Bolt CMS, Kirby CMS, RaspberryPi.org and more.

How can I help?
Use the project, tell friends about it and if you feel generous, donate some money.