gulp-markdown-to-json

Parse Markdown + YAML, compile Markdown to HTML, wrap it in JSON.

The neutral format of JSON opens new possibilities for your handcrafted content. Send it onward to other plugins such as gulp-hb. When their powers combine, you get a static site generator! Pipe to request to send it to a search index or import into a CMS. Write a plugin to tap into the stream if you need a client library.

Table of Contents

• Install
• Usage
• API
• Contribute
• License

Install

npm install gulp-markdown-to-json --save-dev

Dependencies

This plugin does not bundle any Markdown parser to keep your options open. BYOM!

Pick one of these or write a new parser for fun!

• commonmark.js
• markdown-js
• markdown-it ← the best
• marked
• remark
• remarkable

Install, configure, and pass a rendering method to this plugin with a source string as it’s first argument. Output goes straight into the JSON file’s body property. If your parser requires instantiation pass a context to call it with by defining context in the config object. If yet more hoop jumping is required, write a wrapper function such as this example for remark:

function render (string) {
  const remark = require('remark');
  const html = require('remark-html');
  return remark().use(html).process(string).toString();
}

Note: YAML frontmatter blocks are stripped and handled before Markdown rendering with front-matter

Usage

/gulpfile.js

const gulp = require('gulp');
const markdownToJSON = require('gulp-markdown-to-json');
const marked = require('marked');
 
marked.setOptions({
  pedantic: true,
  smartypants: true
});
 
gulp.task('markdown', () => {
  gulp.src('./content/**/*.md')
    .pipe(markdownToJSON(marked))
    .pipe(gulp.dest('.'))
});

Transformed source files flow onward to the destination of your choice with directory structure preserved. Any valid JSON files matched by your gulp.src glob passthrough.

/blog/posts/bushwick-artisan.md

---
slug: bushwick-artisan
title: Wes Anderson pop-up Bushwick artisan
layout: centered
---
 
## YOLO
Chia quinoa meh, you probably haven't heard of them sartorial Holowaychuk pickled post-ironic. Plaid ugh vegan, Sixpoint 8-bit sartorial artisan semiotics put a bird on it Mission bicycle rights Club-Mate vinyl.

/blog/posts/bushwick-artisan.json

{
  "slug": "bushwick-artisan",
  "title": "Wes Anderson pop-up Bushwick artisan",
  "layout": "centered",
  "body": "<h2 id="yolo">YOLO</h2>\n<p>Chia quinoa meh, you probably haven't heard of them sartorial Holowaychuk pickled post-ironic. Plaid ugh vegan, Sixpoint 8-bit sartorial artisan semiotics put a bird on it Mission bicycle rights Club-Mate vinyl.</p>",
  "updatedAt": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z"
}

Consolidated Output

Gather Markdown files before piping with the gulp-util buffer method to combine output into a single JSON file. Directory structure is preserved and represented as nested JSON for iteration with Handlebars.js and friends. This is handy for navigation and other global content. Valid JSON files are included in the object if matched by your gulp.src glob.

The consolidated file is named content.json by default and optionally renamed.

const gulp = require('gulp');
const gutil = require('gulp-util');
const markdownToJSON = require('gulp-markdown-to-json');
const marked = require('marked');
 
gulp.task('markdown', () => {
  gulp.src('./content/**/*.md')
    .pipe(gutil.buffer())
    .pipe(markdownToJSON(marked, 'blog.json'))
    .pipe(gulp.dest('.'))
});

blog.json

{
  "blog": {
    "blog": {
      "title": "ipsum dipsum",
      "body": "<p>From west to "east"!</p>",
      "updatedAt": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z"
    },
    "posts": {
      "bushwick-artisan": {
        "slug": "bushwick-artisan",
        "title": "Wes Anderson pop-up Bushwick artisan", 
        "layout": "centered",
        "body": "<h2 id="yolo">YOLO</h2>\n<p>Chia quinoa meh, you probably haven't heard of them sartorial Holowaychuk pickled post-ironic. Plaid ugh vegan, Sixpoint 8-bit sartorial artisan semiotics put a bird on it Mission bicycle rights Club-Mate vinyl.</p>",
        "updatedAt": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z"
      }
    }
  },
  "mission": {
    ...
  }
}

Specify flattenIndex: true in the config object to unwrap home page/index-style content and merge it into the parent object. Name these files index or the same as a parent directory.

{
  "blog": {
    "title": "ipsum dipsum",
    "body": "<p>From west to "east"!</p>"
    "updatedAt": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "posts": {
      ...
    }
  },
  "mission": {
    ...
  }
}

This avoids redundant-feeling blog.blog scenarios when iterating and selecting from this content.

Title Extraction and Stripping

Define titles as title in the YAML frontmatter. Text of the first <h1> is assigned to title automatically if this is not specified.

Specify stripTitle: true in the config object to remove the first <h1> from the body. Use this if you are displaying the title outside of the body, in a page header for example.

/blog/posts/bushwick-artisan.md

Wes Anderson pop-up Bushwick artisan
====================================
 
## YOLO
Chia quinoa meh, you probably haven't heard of them sartorial Holowaychuk pickled post-ironic. Plaid ugh vegan, Sixpoint 8-bit sartorial artisan semiotics put a bird on it Mission bicycle rights Club-Mate vinyl.

/blog/posts/bushwick-artisan.json

{
  "title": "Wes Anderson pop-up Bushwick artisan", 
  "body": "<h2 id="yolo">YOLO</h2>\n<p>Chia quinoa meh, you probably haven't heard of them sartorial Holowaychuk pickled post-ironic. Plaid ugh vegan, Sixpoint 8-bit sartorial artisan semiotics put a bird on it Mission bicycle rights Club-Mate vinyl.</p>",
  "updatedAt": "1970-01-01T00:00:00Z"
}

Transforms

To change or add to the JSON data for each file, specify a transform function and return your desired object. This function is passed the default data and the Vinyl file object for the source file.

For example:

gulp.src('./content/**/*.md')
  .pipe(gutil.buffer())
  .pipe(markdownToJSON(marked, 'blog.json', (data, file) => {
    delete data.body;
    data.path = file.path;
    return data;
  }))
  .pipe(gulp.dest('.'))

API

markdownToJSON((render: Function, name?: String, transform?: Function) | config: Object) => TransformStream

config

• render Function accepts Markdown source string, returns an escaped HTML string. Required
• context Object to use when calling render
• name String to rename consolidated output file, if using. Default: content.json
• flattenIndex Boolean unwrap files named index or after parent dirs in consolidated output. Default: false
• stripTitle Boolean strips the first <h1> from body, if extracted as title. Default: false
• transform Function to access and change the JSON data for each file before outputting

Contribute

Pull requests accepted!

License

MIT
Copyright © 2016 Sparkart Group, Inc.