mdp
A terminal-based presentation tool that renders markdown files as slideshows with keyboard navigation.
What is mdp?
mdp is a lightweight command-line tool that transforms markdown files into interactive presentations directly in the terminal. It uses ncurses for rendering, allowing presenters to deliver slideshows without leaving the command-line interface, embracing simplicity and efficiency for creating and delivering presentations entirely within the terminal using plain markdown.
Developers, system administrators, and technical presenters who work primarily in terminal environments and want to create and deliver presentations without switching to graphical applications.
Developers choose mdp for its terminal-native approach, eliminating the need for GUI presentation software, and for its simplicity—using familiar markdown syntax with horizontal rulers as slide separators, making it easy to create and edit presentations with existing text editors.
Overview
A command-line based markdown presentation tool.
Use Cases
Best For
- Creating quick technical presentations directly from the command line without leaving the terminal environment.
- Delivering presentations on remote servers or headless systems where graphical interfaces are unavailable.
- Presenters who prefer using markdown for slide creation and want to avoid complex presentation software.
- Integrating presentations into development workflows where all work is done in terminal-based tools.
- Converting markdown-based presentations to PDF format using external tools like md2pdf.
- Presentations requiring basic formatting like headlines, code blocks, quotes, and lists in a terminal-friendly format.
Not Ideal For
- Presentations requiring embedded multimedia like videos, images, or interactive graphics
- Teams needing real-time collaborative editing or cloud-based slide sharing
- Design-focused decks where advanced styling, animations, or custom layouts are essential
Pros & Cons
Pros
Runs directly in the terminal using ncurses, allowing presentations without leaving the command-line interface, as emphasized in the README's installation and usage instructions.
Uses plain markdown with horizontal rulers as slide separators and supports basic elements like headlines and code blocks, making slide creation quick with any text editor.
Offers comprehensive controls including arrow keys, space, and direct slide jumping with number keys, enhancing presentation flow without mouse dependency.
Allows customization of colors, keybindings, and list types via a config.h file, though color configuration is limited to 8-color mode.
Cons
Color settings only work in 8-color mode, preventing full use of 256-color terminals for advanced theming, as noted in the Configuration section.
PDF export requires installing and configuring separate tools like md2pdf, adding setup complexity and dependency outside the core tool.
Only supports fundamental markdown features; lacks advanced syntax like tables or embedded HTML, limiting presentation richness compared to full markdown processors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
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WOPRA simple markup language for creating rich terminal reports, presentations and infographics
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