ViewMD
Cross-Platform Desktop
Free
Status: Released
Overview
A lightweight, feature-rich Markdown reader and editor built with Avalonia UI and .NET 8. Supports CommonMark, GitHub Flavored Markdown, syntax highlighting, live preview, and light/dark themes.
The Challenge
Create a modern, cross-platform Markdown editor with rich feature support including math expressions, Mermaid diagrams, and syntax highlighting while maintaining lightweight performance.
Our Solution
Built with Avalonia UI and .NET 8, ViewMD leverages Markdig for fast extensible Markdown processing, AvaloniaEdit for syntax highlighting, and provides live preview with debounced rendering for optimal performance.
Technologies Used
Key Features
- CommonMark + GitHub Flavored Markdown support
- Syntax-highlighted editor with live preview
- Math expressions (LaTeX/KaTeX) and Mermaid diagrams
- Light and dark themes
- Export to HTML
- File associations for .md files
- Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Open source (MIT License)
Impact & Results
- Fast, responsive Markdown editing
- Rich feature set for technical documentation
- Clean, modern interface
- Zero-cost open-source tool
Development Philosophy
This product was built with a focus on robust, user-centric design and maintainable code.
- ●Clear problem definition
- ●Iterative development
- ●Clean code & thorough testing
- ●Continuous improvement
Future Potential
Exploring new features and enhancements for ViewMD.
- ●Advanced AI integrations
- ●Expanded platform support
- ●Community-driven features
- ●Performance optimizations