📜 I wrote a lightweight markup language (unhappy with markdown)

Touch Marine — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 10:01:57 +0000

Try It Online

Open Source on GitHub

https://github.com/touchmarine/to (MIT License)

My Problems With Markdown

I write tons of documentation for my projects and in the past I used mostly markdown. It was ok most of the time but quickly got painful for some even very basic things.

Want to change the image size? Sorry, you will have to use something else.
Want to add a simple comment? Better luck next time.
Want to add a simple attribute? No go.

Solution - Touch

To solve my problems and pain points I made Touch and I want to share it with you.

Touch has syntax similar to markdown so it's familiar and easy to use. It comes with comments and attributes by default. It also comes with other basic elements: numbered headings, notes, description lists, subtitles, and captions.

Configurable & Extendable

Touch comes with a rich set of common elements that work everywhere (unlike some markdown elements that work only in some flavors). But maybe your team needs extra elements and you don't want to switch to yet another less readable language?

Touch is also configurable & extendable via JSON. You can add new elements or configure templates with a simple JSON file!

Auto-Formattable

And then there's my favorite feature: auto-formatting. It's just like prettier for JS or gofmt for Go. You can auto-format Touch source code so you and your teammates can easily share documents.

Thoughts

What do you think? Are you also unhappy with markdown sometimes? Would Touch be useful to you?

An Answer a Day on StackOverflow

Touch Marine — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 17:02:24 +0000

I am a longtime StackOverflow lurker. Regularly checking it for an answer to today's problem. But despite being a regular at the StackOverflow's bar of questions and answers, I never bothered to participate. Always having a drink without paying. Until now, that is.

A month ago I finally, after many years, signed up to StackOverflow. And I gave myself a challenge. Answer a question a day for 30 days straight. And I did.

Every day I searched StackOverflow looking for questions to which I could answer. A few of the days I found such questions rather quickly. But, most of the time, I struggled. I struggled to find questions to which my answer would prove useful.

There is an endless stream of questions on StackOverflow. However, most of them are answered or flagged in half an hour. I feared that my challenge might be harder than I thought. Damn those pesky programmers always helping out!

My initial strategy was to answer as quickly as possible. To beat the other answerers. But that resulted in somewhat forced, quick answers. This was neither helpful nor fulfilling.

I improved my strategy by constantly updating my Watched Tags and Ignored Tags. Now I was being shown only questions completely specific to my domain. At last, I could find questions to which I could provide a helpful, meaningful answer.

But it was not all smooth sailing from thereon. There were a few hiccups. I experienced some of the common problems pestering StackOverflow, such as, Fastest Gun in the West Problem, many duplicate questions, and discouraging negative ratings.

One of my answers was downvoted without any explanation. How could someone not appreciate my clear and excellent answer? Joking aside, that was pretty demotivating. Nevertheless, I stopped sulking after a few days and let it go.

Despite the problems, I completed my challenge. In 30 days I posted 32 answers. Some for the sake of answering, some even wrong at first, and some helpful, I hope. I even answered a Crystal language question, even though I have never used Crystal.

In pursuit of reputation points and completing my challenge, I provided some lacking answers. The Fastest Gun in the West kind of answer I mentioned before, contributing to the problem. I know better now.

Now that I am done with the challenge, I intend to answer only questions that are interesting to me and to which I can provide a definitive and well-researched answer.

DEV Community: Touch Marine