---
title: md2any
subtitle: Markdown to PowerPoint, the fast way
author: Paul Anderson
date: 2026-05-22
theme: light
aspect: 16:9
---
# Why this exists
Slide tools are heavy, hand-coded HTML decks rot, and PowerPoint refuses to die.
A single Rust binary that turns plain Markdown into a clean `.pptx` file is the right shape for the job. Edit in your favorite editor. Render in a heartbeat. Ship.
## What you get
- Real `.pptx` output — opens in PowerPoint, Keynote, LibreOffice, Google Slides
- Light and dark themes, 16:9, 4:3, and portrait
- Auto-pagination of long content into continuation slides
- Side-by-side columns with `:::`
- Auto two-column layout for long lists
- Code listings with filenames, line numbers, language tags
- Bullets, nested lists, code blocks, tables, blockquotes
- Bold, *italic*, `inline code`, ~~strikethrough~~, [links](https://example.com)
- Front-matter YAML for deck metadata
- A single binary, no runtime dependencies
# Layout features
## Side-by-side columns
Put `:::` on a line by itself to split a slide horizontally.
### Markdown
```
## Slide title
Left column content here.
:::
Right column content here.
```
### Rendered
Everything before the marker is the left column. Everything after is the right.
## Side-by-side in practice
**Why this matters**
Two things you want to compare belong next to each other, not on consecutive slides. Side-by-side preserves the comparison; consecutive slides force the audience to remember the first half.
Use it for: before/after, cause/effect, do/don't, problem/solution, code/explanation.
:::
**How to use it**
```
Left side
:::
Right side
```
Both columns paginate within themselves. You don't have to balance the heights manually — md2any scales each column to fit the available area independently.
## Long lists auto-flow
Lists with more than 12 items wrap into two columns automatically. No marker needed.
- First item in the long list
- Second item with some text
- Third item demonstrating wrap
- Fourth item keeps going
- Fifth item adds variety
- Sixth item with **bold** text
- Seventh has `inline code`
- Eighth item is short
- Ninth item continues
- Tenth item is here
- Eleventh item — getting long
- Twelfth — last in the first column
- Thirteenth starts the second column
- Fourteenth item
- Fifteenth item
- Sixteenth item
# Code listings
## Inline language tag
A code fence with just a language gets a small language label.
```rust
fn main() {
println!("Hello, slides!");
}
```
## With a filename caption
Put a filename after the language: ` ```rust src/main.rs `. The filename appears in a header bar above the code, with the language tag to its right.
```rust src/main.rs
use anyhow::Result;
use clap::Parser;
#[derive(Parser)]
struct Cli {
input: String,
}
fn main() -> Result<()> {
let cli = Cli::parse();
println!("converting {}", cli.input);
Ok(())
}
```
## With line numbers
Code blocks longer than five lines get line numbers automatically.
```python pipeline.py
def transform(rows):
for row in rows:
row["price"] = row["price"] * 1.1
row["currency"] = "EUR"
yield row
def write_jsonl(rows, path):
with open(path, "w") as f:
for row in rows:
f.write(json.dumps(row) + "\n")
```
# Layouts
## Four ways to dress the same deck
md2any ships with four built-in layouts. Pick one with `--layout` or set `layout:` in front matter. Each one is a coordinated treatment — background, title style, section dividers, and title slide all change together.
- `clean` — minimal title underline, full-bleed content (default)
- `studio` — vertical accent rail, italic titles, big background numerals on sections
- `frame` — left sidebar holds deck title and slide number; content lives on the right
- `bold` — full-width accent block behind every title
Same markdown, four very different decks. Light and dark themes apply to all four.
```bash
md2any talk.md --layout studio
md2any talk.md --layout frame --theme dark
md2any talk.md --layout bold
```
## When to use which
**clean** — talks, internal updates, anything where you want the content to be the loudest thing on the slide.
**studio** — editorial-feel decks, design reviews, fund-raising memos. The rail and numerals look serious without being heavy.
:::
**frame** — long-form decks where the audience benefits from a persistent reference panel (chapter name, page number). Good for training and onboarding decks.
**bold** — keynote-style talks where every section transition should feel like an event. Lots of accent color on every slide.
# Mainframe languages
## COBOL
Case-insensitive, hyphens in identifiers, column-7 comment indicator.
```cobol HELLO.cbl
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. HELLO.
*
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-NAME PIC X(20) VALUE 'mainframe'.
01 WS-COUNT PIC 9(3) COMP-3 VALUE 5.
*
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY 'Hello, ' WS-NAME '!'.
PERFORM VARYING I FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL I > WS-COUNT
DISPLAY 'iteration ' I
END-PERFORM.
STOP RUN.
```
## JCL
`//*` for comments, `//` starts every statement, parameters are `KEY=VALUE`.
```jcl HELLO.jcl
//HELLO JOB (ACCT),'PAUL',CLASS=A,MSGCLASS=X,NOTIFY=&SYSUID
//*
//* RUN A SIMPLE BATCH STEP
//*
//STEP1 EXEC PGM=IEFBR14
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSIN DD *
HELLO MAINFRAME
/*
//STEP2 EXEC PGM=SORT,COND=(0,LT,STEP1)
//SORTIN DD DSN=PAUL.INPUT,DISP=SHR
//SORTOUT DD DSN=PAUL.OUTPUT,DISP=(NEW,CATLG)
```
## REXX
`/* */` block comments, case-insensitive keywords, classic scripting feel.
```rexx hello.rex
/* hello.rex — sample REXX script */
parse arg name
if name = '' then name = 'mainframe'
say 'Hello,' name'!'
do i = 1 to 5
say 'iteration' i
end
exit 0
```
## PL/I
`/* */` comments, single-quoted strings, declarations with attributes.
```pli hello.pli
HELLO: PROC OPTIONS(MAIN);
DCL NAME CHAR(20) VARYING INIT('mainframe');
DCL COUNT FIXED BIN(31) INIT(5);
DCL I FIXED BIN(31);
PUT SKIP LIST('Hello, ' || NAME || '!');
DO I = 1 TO COUNT;
PUT SKIP LIST('iteration ', I);
END;
END HELLO;
```
## HLASM
Column-1 `*` for comments, mnemonics highlighted, `&VAR` macro variables.
```hlasm HELLO.asm
* HELLO WORLD ASSEMBLER PROGRAM
HELLO CSECT
USING HELLO,R15
STM R14,R12,12(R13) SAVE REGISTERS
LA R3,5 ITERATION COUNT
LOOP EQU *
WTO 'Hello, mainframe!' WRITE TO OPERATOR
BCT R3,LOOP DECREMENT AND BRANCH
LM R14,R12,12(R13) RESTORE REGISTERS
BR R14 RETURN
LTORG
END HELLO
```
## DB2 DDL
Recognises the standard SQL keywords plus DB2 catalog and tablespace specifics.
```db2 CUSTOMER.ddl
-- CREATE A TABLESPACE AND A TABLE INSIDE IT
CREATE TABLESPACE TS001
IN DATABASE DBPROD
USING STOGROUP SG1
PRIQTY 720 SECQTY 720
BUFFERPOOL BP0
LOCKSIZE PAGE
COMPRESS YES;
CREATE TABLE PAUL.CUSTOMER (
CUST_ID INTEGER NOT NULL GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY,
CUST_NAME VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
CUST_TIER CHAR(1) DEFAULT 'B' CHECK (CUST_TIER IN ('A','B','C')),
CREATED_AT TIMESTAMP NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
PRIMARY KEY (CUST_ID)
) IN DBPROD.TS001
CCSID UNICODE;
CREATE INDEX PAUL.CUST_NAME_IX
ON PAUL.CUSTOMER (CUST_NAME ASC)
BUFFERPOOL BP1;
```
# Themes
## Light vs dark
**Light theme**
Default. White background, slate text, sky-blue accent. Reads well in a bright room, prints clean, looks like a polished tech-company deck.
Use `--theme light` or omit (it's the default).
:::
**Dark theme**
Slate-900 background, frost-bright accent. Reads well on stage, easier on the eyes during a long talk, photographs cleanly from the back of the room.
Use `--theme dark`.
# Aspect ratios
## Choose with `--aspect`
```bash
md2any talk.md --aspect 16:9 # default, widescreen
md2any talk.md --aspect 4:3 # legacy projectors
md2any talk.md --aspect 9:16 # portrait, phone-shaped
md2any talk.md --aspect a4 # paper-shaped portrait
md2any talk.md --aspect letter # US letter portrait
```
The portrait layouts adjust typography automatically — smaller titles, narrower content area, single-column lists.
# Images
## Embedded images
Use standard markdown image syntax. PNG and JPEG are supported. Paths resolve relative to the markdown file.
## Side-by-side image + text
Images compose with everything else, including columns. Put an image on one side, your commentary on the other.
:::
**Two supported formats**
PNG and JPEG. No GIF, no SVG, no WebP for now.
**Sizing**
Images fit to the available content area, preserving aspect ratio. Auto-centered horizontally.
**Captions**
Whatever you write in the markdown alt text becomes a small caption below the image.
# Speaker notes
## How to add notes
Put an HTML comment that starts with `notes:` or `speaker notes:` anywhere on the slide. They attach to the slide they're written on.
```markdown
## A slide title
Visible content here.
```
The notes appear in PowerPoint's presenter view and printed as note pages.
## Multiple notes
Multiple `<!-- notes: -->` comments on the same slide are concatenated with blank lines between them. Useful when notes accrete during drafting.
# Tables
## Feature matrix
| Headings | Done | H1 title, H2 content, H3+ inline |
| Lists | Done | Nested, auto-2-column when long |
| Code blocks | Done | Filename, language, line numbers |
| Tables | Done | Banded rows, accent header |
| Side-by-side | Done | `:::` marker |
| Portrait | Done | 9:16, A4, Letter |
| Dark mode | Done | Polished palette |
| Images | TODO | v0.2 |
| Speaker notes | TODO | v0.2 |
# Quotes
> The best presentation tool is the one that gets out of your way.
>
> Plain text in, polished slides out. That's the whole product.
---
This is a continuation slide created with an explicit `---` rule. The title carries over.
# Performance
Single-pass Markdown parse via `pulldown-cmark`. OOXML emitted directly to a `zip::ZipWriter`. No intermediate AST beyond the slide IR. Cold-start binary in tens of milliseconds.
A thousand-slide deck renders in about 30 ms on commodity hardware.
# That's it
Write Markdown. Run one command. Open the `.pptx`. Present.
