In the age of digital documentation, transforming Markdown files into PDF and HTML formats has become a necessity. Fortunately, with the magic of GitHub Actions, this process has been streamlined effectively. Here’s your friendly guide on how to set up this conversion with ease!

Notable Features

• Code highlighting
• Tables
• Images support
• Internal and external links

Getting Started with Inputs

Before we dive into the setup, it’s crucial to understand the inputs you will need to provide for the GitHub Action.

Required Inputs

• Input Path: Specify the location of your .md or .markdown files (Input is mandatory).
• Images Directory: The folder where you store your images.
• Output Directory: Define where you want your generated files to be saved.

Optional Inputs

• Build HTML: To generate HTML files alongside PDFs.
• Build PDF: Set to true if you want to create PDFs, default behavior is to generate PDFs.
• CSS Theme: Specify the CSS file to use for styling.

Setting Up Your Workflow

Creating a workflow to handle the conversion is straightforward. Here’s an analogy to help you understand:

Imagine you are a chef preparing a meal (your Markdown files). You have a recipe (the workflow) that outlines all the tasks. Each ingredient (the inputs) needs to be sourced and organized before you can cook (convert). Now, let’s explore how to write this “recipe” in GitHub Actions.

Example Workflow File

name: Docs to PDF

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
    paths:
      - docs/**/*.md
      - docs/images/**

jobs:
  converttopdf:
    name: Build PDF
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - uses: baileyjm02/markdown-to-pdf@v1
        with:
          input_dir: docs
          output_dir: pdfs
          images_dir: docs/images
          image_import: .images
          build_html: false

      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: docs
          path: pdfs

This workflow listens for pushes to your repository’s main branch, which triggers the conversion of Markdown documents located in the ‘docs’ directory into PDF format. The generated PDFs are then saved to the ‘pdfs’ directory.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter any issues during this setup, here are some helpful troubleshooting ideas:

• Workflow Not Triggering: Ensure that you’re pushing to the correct branch and that the paths are set correctly in your workflow.
• Missing Files: Double-check the paths for input and output directories. Ensure that all specified files exist in the expected locations.
• PDF Not Generating: Make sure that the build_pdf input is set to true.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Final Thoughts

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions.

Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

With this guide, you’re now equipped to convert Markdown to PDF using GitHub Actions effortlessly. Start documenting your projects in style!