
BlueCloth
=========

Version 1.0.0 - 2004/08/24

Original version by John Gruber <http://daringfireball.net/>.  
Ruby port by Michael Granger <http://www.deveiate.org/>.

BlueCloth is a Ruby implementation of [Markdown][1], a text-to-HTML conversion
tool for web writers. To quote from the project page: Markdown allows you to
write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to
structurally valid XHTML (or HTML).

It borrows a naming convention and several helpings of interface from
[Redcloth][2], [Why the Lucky Stiff][3]'s processor for a similar text-to-HTML
conversion syntax called [Textile][4].


Installation
------------

You can install this module either by running the included `install.rb` script,
or by simply copying `lib/bluecloth.rb` to a directory in your load path.


Dependencies
------------

BlueCloth uses the `StringScanner` class from the `strscan` library, which comes
with Ruby 1.8.x and later or may be downloaded from the RAA for earlier
versions, and the `logger` library, which is also included in 1.8.x and later.


Example Usage
-------------

The BlueCloth class is a subclass of Ruby's String, and can be used thusly:

    bc = BlueCloth::new( str )
    puts bc.to_html

This `README` file is an example of Markdown syntax. The sample program
`bluecloth` in the `bin/` directory can be used to convert this (or any other)
file with Markdown syntax into HTML:

    $ bin/bluecloth README > README.html


Acknowledgements
----------------

This library is a port of the canonical Perl one, and so owes most of its
functionality to its author, John Gruber. The bugs in this code are most
certainly an artifact of my porting it and not an artifact of the excellent code
from which it is derived.

It also, as mentioned before, borrows its API liberally from RedCloth, both for
compatibility's sake, and because I think Why's code is beautiful. His excellent
code and peerless prose have been an inspiration to me, and this module is
intended as the sincerest flattery.

Also contributing to any success this module may enjoy are those among my peers
who have taken the time to help out, either by submitting patches, testing, or
offering suggestions and review:

* Martin Chase <stillflame@FaerieMUD.org>
* Florian Gross <flgr@ccan.de>


Author/Legal
------------

Original version:  
Copyright (c) 2003-2004 John Gruber  
<http://daringfireball.net/>  
All rights reserved.

Ruby version:  
Copyright (c) 2004 The FaerieMUD Consortium

BlueCloth is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later
version.

BlueCloth is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for more details.


  [1]: http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/
  [2]: http://www.whytheluckystiff.net/ruby/redcloth/
  [3]: http://www.whytheluckystiff.net/
  [4]: http://www.textism.com/tools/textile/


$Id: README 65 2004-08-24 14:56:47Z ged $  
$URL: svn+ssh://svn.FaerieMUD.org/usr/local/svn/BlueCloth/trunk/README $
