Reveal.js: A powerful Slide generator
Reveal.js create stunning presentations on the web ". Although it is Markdown supportive, the most expressive use cases were mostly in HTML . Writing HTML for non-frontend developers (Me, apparently 😢) are painful.
Since Franklin.jl could be used to wrap HTML codes into \(\LaTeX\) like functions, would it be nice if we wrap common Reveal.js grammars into Franklin slangs and create web-based PPT using Franklin-markdown style, just as the same way we write our blogs?
Let's do it!
To get Reveal.js to work, these HTML headers and footers are necessary:
html
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="sKCEBeALSs13uui0cWMviq9hlm0rPByKQKNHnOdq-d0" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no">
<!-- {{insert stylesheets.html}} -->
<link rel=stylesheet href="/css/admonition-reveal.css">
<link rel="icon" href="/assets/favicon-bright.svg">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/dist/reset.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/dist/reveal.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/dist/theme/simple.css">
<!-- Theme used for syntax highlighted code -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/plugin/highlight/atom-one.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="reveal">
<!--
===========================================================
ADD SLIDE RELATED HTML HERE
===========================================================
-->
</div>
<script src="/libs/reveal/dist/reveal.js"></script>
<script src="/libs/reveal/plugin/notes/notes.js"></script>
<script src="/libs/reveal/plugin/markdown/markdown.js"></script>
<script src="/libs/reveal/plugin/highlight/highlight.js"></script>
<script src="/libs/reveal/plugin/search/search.js"></script>
<script src="/libs/reveal/plugin/math/math.js"></script>
<script>
// More info about initialization & config:
// - https://revealjs.com/initialization/
// - https://revealjs.com/config/
Reveal.initialize({
hash: true,
width: 1400,
height: 700,
margin: 0.04,
center: false,
// controls: true,
// controlsTutorial: true,
disableLayout: false,
slideNumber: 'c/t',
showSlideNumber: 'all', // all | print | speaker
touch: true,
// Learn about plugins: https://revealjs.com/plugins/
plugins: [
RevealMarkdown,
RevealHighlight,
RevealNotes,
RevealMath.KaTeX,
RevealSearch,
// RevealChalkboard,
// RevealCustomControls //did not work, don't know why
]
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
html
To write Reveal Slides in the same way we write Franklin blogs, the first thing first is to set page variables that let blog builder know to render the markdown as Reveal Slides rather than Franklin pages. Currently, I made this happen by manipulating the layout HTLMs of Franklin:
Page var controllable Layout
The implementation is quite simple:
I set a page variable of revealslide, if it is defined, I load Reveal related header and footer HTML layout files, otherwise I'll load the traditional Franklin ones.
I also set a variable of revealtheme for setup of Reveal themes, my default one is simple.
And some of the common Franklin control variables were also useful in Reveal slides: title, shownavbar etc.
here is my head html file for Reveal : (notice the page variables)
html
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="sKCEBeALSs13uui0cWMviq9hlm0rPByKQKNHnOdq-d0" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no">
<title>{{title}}</title>
<!-- {{insert stylesheets.html}} -->
<link rel=stylesheet href="/css/admonition-reveal.css">
<link rel="icon" href="/assets/favicon-bright.svg">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/dist/reset.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/dist/reveal.css">
{{isnotdef revealtheme}}<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/dist/theme/simple.css">{{end}}
{{isdef revealtheme}}<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/dist/theme/{{revealtheme}}.css">{{end}}
<!-- Theme used for syntax highlighted code -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/libs/reveal/plugin/highlight/atom-one.css">
</head>
<body>
{{isdef shownavbar}} {{insert navbar.html}} {{end}}
<div class="reveal">
html
with these, I can start building slides by writing the markdown as:
markdown
<!-- wrap these within a start +++ +++ block -->
title="MySlide001"
revealslide=true
revealtheme="simple"
markdown
I wrapped most commonly used Reveal.js grammars into \(\LaTeX\) like functions in Franklin config.md:
plain
\newcommand{\rvsech}[2]{
~~~
<section !#1>
#2
</section>
~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvsecf}[2]{
~~~<section !#1>~~~
#2
~~~</section>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvsecm}[2]{
~~~
<section data-markdown !#1>
<script type="text/template">
#2
</script>
</section>
~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvcode}[2]{
~~~
<pre><code data-line-numbers !#1>
~~~
#2
~~~
</code></pre>
~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvdiv}[2]{
~~~<div !#1>~~~
!#2
~~~</div>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvspan}[2]{
~~~<span !#1>~~~
!#2
~~~</span>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvp}[2]{
~~~<p !#1>~~~
!#2
~~~</p>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvli}[2]{
~~~<li !#1>~~~
!#2
~~~</li>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvfdiv}[2]{
~~~<div class="fragment" data-fragment-index="!#1" align="left" style="margin:0px">~~~
#2
~~~</div>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvfspan}[2]{
~~~<span class="fragment" data-fragment-index="!#1" align="left" style="margin:0px">~~~
!#2
~~~</span>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvfp}[2]{
~~~<p class="fragment" data-fragment-index="!#1" align="left" style="margin:0px">~~~
#2
~~~</p>~~~
}
\newcommand{\rvfli}[2]{
~~~<li class="fragment" data-fragment-index="!#1" align="left" style="margin:0px">~~~
#2
~~~</li>~~~
}
plain
Now, I can create Slides the same way I wrote Franklin Blogs. e.g.:
: demo slide codes
I could get the demo slide
That is somewhat smooooth ㊗️!
Why do I bother?
It seems that, now I can write slides using a strange markdown * \(\LaTeX\) grammar, instead of pure html.
But is it necessary? Wouldn't it more efficient (and/or more scalable) that I just learn HTML directly?
There are several pros for this wrapper:
Raw HTML slides just contains too many tags <foo><bar></bar></foo>, these would not help me focus on the contents;
Using this wrapper, I could manage the Slides.md in the same way of the Blogs.md, so convenient;
This wrapper is compatible with the rest functions I defined for better writing blogs, I don't have to swith my mind, so smooth;
What Next?
However, the current application is just a very simple wrapper of basic Reveal.js HTML grammar. And instead of writting HTML tags, I have to add many \(\LaTeX\) like functions (many slashes and braces). That is not so elegant.
We should develop a new markdown parser (using pure julia), define the specific structures and keywords for controlling the behavior of each slide. In that way, maybe we could just write markdown like this:
plain
\+\+\+
title="FakeMdSlideGrammar"
theme="SomeTheme"
footer="SomeFooter"
\+\+\+
==P==
# Slide 1
<!--| background: #123456 |-->
- fragment 1 <!--| fragment:fade-out; index:1 |-->
- fragment 2 <!--| fragment:fade-in; index:2 |-->
--F--
<!-- to wrap several items into one fragment -->
<!-- | fragment: fade-in; index:3 | -->
- I am part of fragment 3
**I am also part of fragment 3**
>So am I
```
Me Too~
```
--F--
==P==
plain
And get beautiful slides.
This would need fully understand of how Markdown.jl, and Franklin.jl works, thus is a looooooog journey for me.
I hope I could make it (when I have enough time 😿)
+++
title="Demo"
revealslide=true
revealtheme="simple"
+++
~~~
<div class="slides">
~~~
\rvsecf{ }{
## \cnote{Thank You!}
\hwarn{Follow ME}{
\br{2}
\Shack{My GitHub}: [https://github.com/SongtaoGui](https://github.com/SongtaoGui)
\br{2}
\Snote{My Blog}: [https://songtaogui.github.io/](https://songtaogui.github.io/)
\br{2}
}
}
~~~
</div>
~~~
