Markdown is available as a Windows and MacOS client, and to its credit, Markdown has a Chrome App client, last updated on 3 September 2017, and I am personally trying out the Chrome App version of Markdown. In addition to these three platform versions, Markflight also offers an online version for the web, so I recommend using your browser’s full-screen mode to enjoy the thrill of writing in Markdown.
Here, it is important to add that the Chrome App concept was introduced to the public in 2010 with the launch of the Chrome Web Store. Starting with Chrome v7.0, the browser’s new tabs support icons for apps installed from the Chrome Web Store, which can be clicked on to launch a Web App. Chrome Apps open web applications in a special simplified browsing window that does not display paging, buttons, URL bars or settings options. The Chrome App is essentially a lightweight standalone desktop application, similar to the current WeChat app.
The Fei Xiang Slogan already states its position.
A Markdown editor for Impressions / Evernote
Tie-in Portal
Login authorisation
By logging in to your Impressions or Evernote account and authorising Fei Xiang, you will be able to sync your documents from Fei Xiang to your Impressions (Evernote). Unlike other Markdown tools, FlyEye focuses on the following aspects of impressions-related operations.
Specially added syntax to support notebooks and tags
When creating a new document, users can use the syntax @(notebook)[tagA|tagB] (which will automatically pop up as a reminder of the selection), which allows them to select notebooks and add tags, and to categorise documents with a bound Impressions account.
Quick Edit
Currently, Fei Xiang does not automatically recognise and update any changes made in Impression Notes, so users need to be aware that they have to edit the document in the Fei Xiang app in order to sync the changes to the Impression Notes. So notes created by Fei Xiang are by default read-only, and once the notes have been synced to Impressions Notes, the body of the document cannot be modified in the Notes app (document titles can be changed).
Fei Xiang also supports jumping from Impression Notes to editing. In documents created by Fei Xiang there will be a red flag that when clicked will redirect the user to an alert page informing them that they will be redirected to the Fei Xiang page. If the user has opened the target document on both the web side and the client side, it will indicate that the document has been detected as being edited in another window, enabling read-only mode.
Data synchronisation
Fei Xiang has made it clear that all of the user’s notes are stored in Impression Notes, which itself does not store any of the user’s notes. Users can choose to turn on automatic syncing to Evernote every 10 minutes in the app settings backend, eliminating the need to manually sync updates.
Offline storage
Evernote uses offline storage in the browser to save content to the local computer in real time, and users can open locally cached documents via the document manager (shortcut Ctrl + O).
Rich features
Take the Chrome App client, which you personally use, as an example to introduce the rest of Mark’s features.
Up to 98 amazing editor themes
The default theme name is Earthsong, but when you count them, there are a whopping 98 editor themes! This is the largest number of themes I’ve seen built into a Markdown tool.
The default theme looks very comfortable and the background colour of the editing area is coffee, giving the whole writing tool a rather old-fashioned and historical look. If you are used to writing at night, we recommend switching to darker themes such as Tomorrow Night Bright, Terminal and Solarflare Contrast to help protect your eyes. A slight drawback is that the preview area of the flyer does not offer the option to customise it, and the white background still looks harsh at night.
Style customisation settings
If you don’t like the white background in the preview area, you can add your own code to the custom rendering CSS (e.g. body { background:#666666})
Handy image editing
The new version of Fei Xiang also supports image scaling and alignment (example!), and the new version of Fei Xiang provides image insertion features, including local uploads, image URLs, local drag-and-drop images, direct screenshot pasting, and more. [Description | left | 300×0](a.jpg)). While you can simply drag and drop and paste images during Markdown writing, my solution is to use Snipaste with the screenshot mapping tool. Use Snipaste’s built-in shortcuts to take a quick screenshot, copy it with Ctrl+C and then paste it on the fly for a quick and easy writing experience.
Global shortcut keys
As with most Markdown tools, there are a wide range of shortcuts, including the usual document management, sync and new shortcuts, as well as support for some Markdown syntax effects, such as multi-level headings, which are implemented using Ctrl + 1~5.
Helpful tips everywhere
The biggest resistance to recommending Markdown syntax to others is that they always complain that they can’t remember MD syntax (it is recommended that beginners read the Markdown syntax instructions). Fei Xiang’s solution to this is to provide a detailed and thoughtful reminder. There is a mini toolbar in the bottom right hand corner of the main screen, with integrated buttons for the table of contents, word count, preview of the document, and a Markdown syntax portal, which can be dragged and dropped to invoke Markdown syntax whenever you don’t remember.
There is also a toolbar for quick actions at the top of the editing area, providing access to enhancements, links, quotes, code, headings, dividers and images, but the icons are in English, so the Chinese culture in this part is not good enough.
Conclusion: A handy Markdown editor
In addition to the features described above, Markdown also supports LaTex formulas, can export Markdown, HTML and PDF files, and generates beautiful HTML pages (with good code highlighting). If your document storage and management tools are centred on Evernote, Markflight is a ‘curveball’ solution to the problem of the lack of Markdown syntax in Evernote itself. Once you’ve tied in your account, you’ll be able to sync your Impressions data and support note tagging, so I’m sure Markdown will help you get the most out of your Markdown documents.
