mdu pdf combines the Markdown pages of a folder into one PDF file. It uses the same Markdown pipeline as mdu render, so code highlighting, icons, keyboard keys, math, callouts, and supported diagrams appear in the PDF too. MDU writes the file itself, without a PDF library, browser, or network service.
For automatic PDF generation when a page contains a PDF Link, and for placing links to it inside rendered pages, see the PDF Link feature.
Usage
mdu pdf [PATH [OUTPATH]] [options]| Argument | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
PATH |
A documentation folder or one Markdown file | ./docs |
OUTPATH |
The PDF file to write | ./documentation.pdf, or the Markdown file's name with .pdf |
See common options for --pattern and --hidden.
mdu pdf
mdu pdf ./ProjectDocs ./build/manual.pdf
mdu pdf ./ProjectDocs/Features/Math.md ./build/math.pdfLayout
- Pages are A4 and follow the order of the documentation navigation.
- A folder export starts with a title page and a linked table of contents; a single file has neither.
- Headings stay with the start of the following block when a page break is needed.
- Links between included pages, links on diagram nodes, and external links stay clickable.
Exclude pages
To leave a page out of a folder export and its table of contents, set pdf.visible in its front matter:
---
pdf.visible: false
---The nested form pdf: { visible: false } works as well.
Limitations
The PDF contains only what MDU can draw without downloading anything:
- Images appear as their alt text; remote image URLs stay clickable.
- Embedded videos appear as their link.
- Emoji shortcodes stay text, because the built-in PDF fonts have no emoji glyphs.
- The interactive icon search and the animated hero exist only in HTML; the hero's title, text, and button labels appear as plain text.