MARKTXT

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plain text markup. write docs and pages with one syntax.

no tag soup. no markdown traps. formatting is opt-in.

what is marktxt?

marktxt is a plain-text markup language.
semicolon trigger, dot closer. plain text stays plain.

• write docs, notes, guides — like markdown but without the traps
• build full web pages — like html but readable
• one syntax for everything — .mt replaces both .md and .html
• .txt files are fully supported — write marktxt syntax in any .txt file and the engine parses it. index.txt works just like index.mt (.mt takes priority when both exist)

two ways to write

marktxt gives you two styles in one format. use whichever fits.

plain text mode

just write. single enter = line break. double enter = new paragraph.
no operators needed for basic text — it just works.

the old keeper climbed the stairs.
one hundred and twelve steps.
each one worn smooth by decades of boots.

at the top, the lamp waited.
a brass beast with a glass heart.

the text above renders with natural line breaks and paragraphs.
no ;! or ;~ needed — plain text behaves like you'd expect.

see it in action: the lighthouse keeper — a short story written in plain text mode.

operator mode

when you need structure — headings, lists, bold, links — use ; operators.
every operator follows the same pattern: ;{op} content ;.

;==== HEADING ;.           headings (6 levels)
;^ bold ;.                 bold text
;% italic ;.               italic text
;` code ;.                 inline code
;- bullet item ;.          lists
;] link text ;. ;} url ;.  links
;< quote ;.                blockquotes

both styles mix freely. write plain text, drop in an operator when you need formatting.

images work too

images use the ;{ alt url ;. pattern. simple.

quick example

bold text and italic text and inline code — all inline.

;==== PAGE TITLE ;.
;===- section heading ;.
;- bullet one ;.
;- bullet two ;.
;^ bold ;. and ;% italic ;. and ;` code ;. inline.
;] click here ;. ;} https://example.com ;.

why not markdown?

• _underscores_ trigger italic — breaks variable_names
• **stars** trigger bold — breaks shell globs
• # triggers headings — breaks comments
• > triggers blockquote — breaks shell redirects
• markdown needs escaping for plain text. marktxt needs escaping for formatting.

the default is reversed: plain is safe, formatting is opt-in.

how it works

the pattern

every marktxt operator follows one pattern:

;{operator} content ;.

; opens. the operator determines what it is.
;. closes inline content. ;| closes blocks. ;" closes attributes.
;t. closes table cells. ;q. closes raw passthrough.

the engine resolves files in priority order: .mt first, then .txt.
both are parsed identically. if about.mt exists, about.txt is ignored.

headings

;==== H1 (heaviest) through ;=-.. H6 (lightest).
all heading operators are exactly 4 chars. fixed width. deterministic.

formatting

;^ bold ;.        ->  bold
;% italic ;.      ->  italic
;` code ;.        ->  code
;\st strike ;.    ->  strikethrough

renders as: bold and italic and code and strike

plain text

single enter = line break (<br>)
double enter = new paragraph (<p>)

no operators needed. just type naturally.
the parser wraps consecutive lines in a paragraph with line breaks between them.

lists

• this is a bullet
• this is another bullet

1. first item
2. second item
3. third item

checkboxes

• not done yet
• already done

links

plain url: https://example.com
linked text: marktxt on github

get started

1. download mt.php and .htaccess
2. write your pages as .mt or .txt files
3. upload to shared hosting
4. done — your site is live

no npm. no build step. no framework. just php + apache.

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