Thanks everyone. And thanks for your MMD work, Amber.
Just a quick update for those with similar goals.
I found that using the MultiMarkdown (MMD) > Pandoc > DOCX template can compile LaTeX equations and tables with just a few unintuitive tricks. I can use it in a way very similar to the normal template with some ugly code for equations.
If Scrivener tried to make using MMD more intuitive or had better onboarding, it could be really useful. But, for writers who just want to write, it has a learning curve.
Another advantage of MMD over the regular Scrivener templates is that it automatically creates a table of contents and makes formatting easier and more consistent. A lack of those was one of the things that always annoyed me about the standard template.
I don’t want to complicate the task of writing, and getting WYSIWYG to work seems too distracting, although I’m unsure why there isn’t a solution that is as easy to use as Word. I remember Scientific Word tried, and LyX kind of does it, but is pretty ugly. Overleaf is probably the closest solution, but it lacks some of the advantages of Scrivener.
Here are some things I had to figure out to use MMD in case it might help others:
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You can use hash marks to format headers (# for part, ## for chapter, ### for section, etc.), which works nicely with the automatic table of contents. It is also great for professional editors and typesetters, enabling them to identify levels easily.
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Be cautious about special characters, such as ampersands, which must be escaped with backslashes (\&).
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Scrivener’s Code Span and Code Block styles don’t seem to work, but if you begin and end your code block with three backticks (```), the code will render correctly. Beware of autocorrect changing the characters to something more topographically appealing (e.g., curly apostrophes). Similarly, using three dashes (---) frequently autocorrects to an em-dash.
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The recommended MMD table template doesn’t seem to work, but this formatting does
| Participants | $t_{1}$ | $t_{2}$ | $\cdots$ | $time_{m}$ |
|--------------|---------|---------|----------|---------|
| $w_{1}$ | 1 | 0 | $\cdots$ | 1 |
- If you want to use ChatGPT to write LaTeX for you, this prompt seems to work:
Task: Convert the description below into Multi Markdown that will compile in Scrivener 3 → Pandoc → DOCX without any Pandoc warnings.
Requirements (please follow strictly):
Use only Pandoc-supported LaTeX in math blocks.
No starred control sequences (*), \bigl/\Bigr, \displaystyle, custom macros, etc.
Wrap display equations in $ … $ so Word renders native equations.
Start the file with a Title: metadata line.
Use normal Unicode punctuation (–, —, …).
Return only the finished MMD inside a fenced code block; no extra commentary.
Content to convert:
- I don’t think there’s any easy way to control the page size and margins, e.g., format as a standard 6x9 book.
I hope this helps someone.
) operating systems, has a serviceable equation editing GUI and the ability to copy and paste the result anywhere you need it. It might seem a bit much of a program for that one purpose, but you could use it without any learning really, as the equations toolbars are one click away, and once you’ve composed it in a dummy new file, you can very simply select the previewed equation, copy, and paste it as raw syntax elsewhere.