paste-md

Transform Markdown into beautifully formatted text with Ctrl+Shift+V

A Windows system tray application that renders Markdown as rich text when pasting into Microsoft Office applications (Word, OneNote, Outlook). Features GitHub-style code blocks with gray backgrounds and monospace fonts.

✨ Features

• 🎯 Smart Detection: Automatically detects Markdown in your clipboard (requires 2+ patterns)
• 📝 Universal Compatibility: Works with Microsoft Office suite (Word, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint)
• ⚡ Instant Conversion: No preview needed - paste renders immediately
• 💻 Code Block Support: Renders code blocks with GitHub-style gray background and monospace font
• 🎨 Full Markdown Support: Headers, bold, italic, lists, links, tables, blockquotes, and more
• 🔄 Dual Options: "Paste as Rendered Markdown" or "Paste as Plain Markdown"
• ↩️ Undo Support: Ctrl+Z always available to revert

📦 Installation

Quick Start

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/PatrickRutledge/paste-md.git
cd paste-md

# Build the project
dotnet build --configuration Release

# Install (Run as Administrator)
.\INSTALL.bat

Build from Source

# Build the tray application
dotnet build src/paste-md.TrayApp/paste-md.TrayApp.csproj --configuration Release

# The executable will be in:
# src/paste-md.TrayApp/bin/Release/net48/paste-md.exe

🚀 Usage

System Tray Application (Recommended)

1. Run paste-md from Start Menu or system tray
2. Copy any Markdown text from GitHub, VS Code, Notion, or anywhere else
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+V in Word, OneNote, or Outlook
4. Enjoy beautifully formatted text with code blocks in gray backgrounds!

Tray Menu Options:

• Right-click the tray icon for options
• "Test with Sample" - loads sample Markdown
• "Exit" - closes the application

Note: Regular Ctrl+V still pastes plain text. Only Ctrl+Shift+V renders the Markdown.

Example Markdown Support

Markdown	Rendered Result
# Header	Large bold header
**bold**	bold text
*italic*	italic text
`code`	inline code with gray background
```code block```	Gray box with monospace font
- item	• bulleted list
[link](url)	blue underlined link

🛠️ Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (x64)
• .NET 6.0 Runtime
• Microsoft Office applications for best experience

📂 Project Structure

paste-md/
├── src/
│   └── paste-md.Core/       # Main shell extension code
│       ├── Extensions/      # Context menu implementation
│       ├── Services/        # Markdown processing & clipboard
│       ├── Formatters/      # RTF/HTML conversion
│       └── Interfaces/      # COM interfaces
├── installer/               # WiX installer configuration
├── tools/                   # Build scripts
└── docs/                    # Documentation

🔧 Development

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 (Community or higher)
• .NET 6.0 SDK
• WiX Toolset v4 (for installer)

Building

# Debug build with local registration
.\tools\build.ps1 -Configuration Debug -RegisterLocal

# Release build with installer
.\tools\build.ps1 -Configuration Release -CreateInstaller -SignBinaries

Testing

1. Copy Markdown text: **Hello World!**
2. Right-click in Word or OneNote
3. Select "Paste as Rendered Markdown"
4. Should paste as: Hello World!

🐛 Troubleshooting

Hotkey not working?

• Ensure the tray icon is visible in system tray
• Try using the tray menu instead: Right-click → "Paste Rendered Markdown"
• Check that you copied Markdown text (needs 2+ patterns like headers, bold, lists)

Not formatting correctly?

• Regular Ctrl+V pastes plain text (this is normal)
• Use Ctrl+Shift+V for rendered Markdown
• PowerPoint is not supported (use screenshots instead)

📝 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Markdig - Excellent Markdown processor for .NET
• WiX Toolset - Windows installer framework

📞 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues

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Made with ❤️ for the Markdown community