How to use markdown reference links with documenter jl

using DocumenterMarkdown

"""
This is a sample function that demonstrates the usage of markdown reference links with Documenter.jl.

# Arguments
- `link_text`: The text to be displayed for the link.
- `link_target`: The target URL of the link.

# Examples
```julia
markdown_reference_link("Click here", "https://www.example.com")
```
"""
function markdown_reference_link(link_text::AbstractString, link_target::AbstractString)
    return "[^$link_text]: $link_target"
end

Option 1: Using Markdown syntax directly

The simplest way to use markdown reference links with Documenter.jl is to use the markdown syntax directly in your documentation strings. You can define a function that takes in the link text and link target as arguments and returns the markdown reference link string. Here’s an example:

"""
This is a sample function that demonstrates the usage of markdown reference links with Documenter.jl.

# Arguments
- `link_text`: The text to be displayed for the link.
- `link_target`: The target URL of the link.

# Examples
```julia
markdown_reference_link("Click here", "https://www.example.com")
```
"""
function markdown_reference_link(link_text::AbstractString, link_target::AbstractString)
    return "[^$link_text]: $link_target"
end

In this example, the function `markdown_reference_link` takes in the link text and link target as arguments and returns the markdown reference link string. The documentation string of the function includes an example usage of the function.

Option 2: Using DocumenterMarkdown package

If you prefer to use a dedicated package for generating markdown documentation, you can use the DocumenterMarkdown package. This package provides additional functionality for generating markdown documentation with Documenter.jl.

To use the DocumenterMarkdown package, you need to add it to your project’s dependencies. You can do this by adding the following line to your project’s `Project.toml` file:

[deps]
DocumenterMarkdown = "..."

After adding the package to your project’s dependencies, you can use the `@markdown` macro provided by the DocumenterMarkdown package to generate markdown documentation. Here’s an example:

using DocumenterMarkdown

"""
This is a sample function that demonstrates the usage of markdown reference links with Documenter.jl.

# Arguments
- `link_text`: The text to be displayed for the link.
- `link_target`: The target URL of the link.

# Examples
```julia
markdown_reference_link("Click here", "https://www.example.com")
```
"""
@markdown """
This is a sample function that demonstrates the usage of markdown reference links with Documenter.jl.

# Arguments
- `link_text`: The text to be displayed for the link.
- `link_target`: The target URL of the link.

# Examples
```julia
markdown_reference_link("Click here", "https://www.example.com")
```
"""
function markdown_reference_link(link_text::AbstractString, link_target::AbstractString)
    return "[^$link_text]: $link_target"
end

In this example, the `@markdown` macro is used to generate the markdown documentation for the `markdown_reference_link` function. The documentation string of the function includes an example usage of the function.

Option 3: Using a custom Julia package

If you want more control over the generation of markdown documentation, you can create a custom Julia package that provides a specialized documentation generator. This approach allows you to define your own syntax for markdown reference links and customize the generation of the documentation.

To create a custom Julia package for generating markdown documentation, you can follow these steps:

1. Create a new Julia package using the `Pkg` module.
2. Add the Documenter.jl package as a dependency to your package.
3. Create a custom documentation generator that generates markdown documentation with your desired syntax for reference links.
4. Use the custom documentation generator in your package’s documentation build process.

This approach requires more effort and expertise in Julia package development, but it provides the most flexibility and customization options for generating markdown documentation.

After considering the three options, the best option depends on your specific requirements and preferences. If you prefer simplicity and don’t need advanced customization, option 1 (using markdown syntax directly) is the easiest and most straightforward. If you prefer to use a dedicated package for generating markdown documentation, option 2 (using DocumenterMarkdown package) provides additional functionality and convenience. If you need more control and customization, option 3 (using a custom Julia package) is the most flexible but requires more effort and expertise.