Use a single authoring environment – eliminating the need for a wide array of tools. With the built-in Git UI, an integrated build tool, automated tests, and a ready-to-use and customizable layout, you can focus on what matters most – your content.
You can now combine the advantages of Markdown with those of semantic markup. Stick to one format, or enrich markdown with semantic attributes and elements, Mermaid diagrams, and LaTeX math formulas.
Ensure documentation quality and integrity with 100+ on-the-fly inspections in the editor as well as tests in Live Preview and during build.
The preview shows the docs exactly as your readers will see them. Preview a single page in the IDE, or open the entire help website in your browser without running the build.
Reuse anything, from smaller content chunks to entire topics or sections of your TOC. Stay flexible with filters and variables. Use predefined templates for complex markup elements, or configure your own.
No more jumping between different tools when creating user documentation and API references. Incorporate API docs into your help website, publish in the same layout, and supplement auto-generated references with manually written content.
This project developed out of hundreds of customer interviews and 10+ years of working on the IntelliJ Platform documentation. These experiences gave us a long list of features to build and problems to solve. We’re here to address them one by one.
Do you want to help? Take Writerside for a spin and tell us what you think!
Many JetBrains products are already using our documentation platform. And now you can use all our knowledge, experience, and templates to build docs for your own products.
Writerside is now being distributed as an Early Access Program and is completely free.
Even after Writerside's release, we’re going to have a free version or an ongoing EAP program, so you can continue using the tool for free.
Writerside has two types of source files: Markdown and XML, but this doesn’t mean you have to stick to a single format. You can write in Markdown and inject more complicated elements, like semantic attributes and XML elements. Both markups have full editor assistance that includes completion and validation.
If your main source base is in XML, you will be able to accept change requests from external contributors in Markdown and convert Markdown to XML. Likewise, you can convert Markdown fragments into XML, for example if you need to merge cells in a table.
We hope that a combination of Markdown and semantic XML-based markup covers most use cases. However, we’re open to feedback, so please let us know if you’re lacking functionality that another markup provides.
You can store files locally, but the recommended option is to use a Git repository. We provide a convenient UI for all Git operations, managing branches, and resolving conflicts. You can also use another supported version control system, such as Subversion or Perforce.
Although we believe in web-based documentation, people may sometimes still need to produce printed formats. As of January, 2024, we support PDF output.
Writerside lets you build your documentation project locally and produce a .zip file. Then you'll need to upload it to your website or host it on GitHub Pages, Amazon AWS, Netlify, or any other hosting service. We’re considering providing our own docs hosting service sometime in the future.
If you use a CI/CD server, we can provide builder scripts as a Docker container that you can use to configure documentation builds.
You can configure Writerside to produce Algolia search indexes, and you can register for a free Algolia plan.
We’re also working on our own search solution.
The early version of Writerside provides some customization options. Here are a few examples of what you can do:
We have plans to add more options and make doc customization even more flexible.
If you have Markdown sources, you can import them into a Writerside project. We’re also working on the migration from XML-based formats, including DITA.
We post regular updates in our Slack workspace (please read our Code of Conduct before joining). You can also follow our project in YouTrack and report any issues you encounter or feature requests.
You can also subscribe to our newsletter where we announce all major product updates.
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We’re enthusiastic about docs and we want to create the best tool for people who write them – ideally with your help. Let's connect!
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