How to convert a Markdown string to HTML using Laravel

A guide on how to convert a Markdown string to HTML in Laravel using the `league/commonmark` library, making the conversion process simple and effective.

In this article, we will explore how to use the league/commonmark library in Laravel to convert a Markdown string into HTML efficiently. league/commonmark is a popular and powerful library for handling Markdown in PHP applications.

Laravel code:

<?php

use League\CommonMark\CommonMarkConverter;

Route::get('/convert-markdown', function () {
    // Markdown string
    $markdown = "# Welcome to Laravel\nThis is an example of converting Markdown to HTML.";

    // Create an instance of CommonMarkConverter
    $converter = new CommonMarkConverter();

    // Convert the Markdown string to HTML
    $html = $converter->convertToHtml($markdown);

    // Display the result
    return $html;
});

Detailed explanation:

1. use League\CommonMark\CommonMarkConverter;: Imports the league/commonmark library for converting Markdown to HTML.
2. $markdown = "# Welcome to Laravel\n...": Declares a Markdown string to be converted.
3. $converter = new CommonMarkConverter();: Creates an instance of CommonMarkConverter to perform the conversion.
4. $html = $converter->convertToHtml($markdown);: Uses the convertToHtml method to convert the Markdown string to HTML.
5. return $html;: Returns the converted HTML string.

System Requirements:

• PHP 7.3 or higher
• Laravel 8.x or 9.x
• Library league/commonmark

How to install the libraries needed to run the Laravel code above:

Use the following command to install the league/commonmark library:

composer require league/commonmark

Tips:

• You can create a reusable service for Markdown conversion across your entire project.
• Always validate your Markdown string before conversion to ensure data integrity.

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