Typesetting with Gemtext

gmi2groff is a command-line tool for converting Gemtext files into Groff documents, utilizing the MOM macro package.

Example Files

For practical illustration, refer to the example files:

• Gemtext
• PDF
• Groff/MOM

Features and Options

• Automatic TOC: Use the --toc flag for an automatically generated TOC positioned within the document.
• Image Integration: Seamlessly processes .eps links to include images.
• Customizable Settings: Define document appearance using a configuration file for personalized output.

Prerequisites

Make sure the following are installed on your system:

• Python 3: Required to run the script.
• Groff: Necessary for processing .mom files.
• Ghostscript: Converts PostScript outputs to PDF.
• A PDF viewer: Such as Zathura, for viewing the resulting PDF document.

Installation

Clone the repository** to your local machine:

git clone <repository-url>

Usage

Execute the gmi2groff script using:

./gmi2groff <input_file> <output_file> [--settings <settings_file>] [--toc]

• <input_file>: The Gemini format text input file.
• <output_file>: The desired Groff output filename, typically .mom.
• --settings <settings_file>: (Optional) A file containing custom document settings.
• --toc: (Optional) A flag to include a table of contents in the output document.

Image Handling

Links pointing to .eps images within the Gemini text are automatically processed.

=> /path/to/image.eps Image Description

The script converts these links to Groff's .PDFPIC commands, inserting the image into the document with the associated description.

Full Command Example

To convert input.gmi to a PDF with custom settings and a table of contents:

1. Convert the Gemtext file to Groff:

   gmi2groff input.gmi output.mom --settings custom_settings.txt --toc

2. Convert Groff to PDF and view in zathura (PDF Viewer):

   groff -mom output.mom -Tps -P-pa4 -Kutf8 > output.ps && ps2pdf output.ps output.pdf && rm output.ps && zathura output.pdf

   Personally, I don't use pdfmom here because sometimes it produces a slightly different output.

Custom Settings File Example

Create a custom settings file to adjust typography and layout:

.PRINTSTYLE TYPESET
.PAPER A4
.FAMILY T
.LS 20
.PT_SIZE 12

Read the MOM Macro Handbook for more options.

License

The MIT License (MIT) Copyright © 2024 by mono@yol.li