# Markdown to HTML Converter
This utility converts Markdown files (`.md`) into HTML files using the `markdown` library. It supports standard Markdown syntax and can optionally wrap the output in a full HTML document structure with CSS support.
**Modules Used:**
* `markdown`: To parse Markdown text and convert it to HTML.
* [[programming/python/modules/argparse-module|argparse]]: To handle command-line arguments.
* [[programming/python/modules/pathlib-module|pathlib]]: For file path manipulation.
## Installation
```bash
pip install markdown
```
## The Code
Save this as `md_to_html.py`.
```python
import markdown
import argparse
from pathlib import Path
def convert_md_to_html(input_file, output_file, full_document=False, css_file=None):
input_path = Path(input_file)
if not input_path.exists():
print(f"Error: Input file '{input_file}' not found.")
return
# Read Markdown content
try:
text = input_path.read_text(encoding='utf-8')
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error reading file: {e}")
return
# Convert to HTML
# 'extra' extension adds support for tables, footnotes, fenced code blocks, etc.
html_body = markdown.markdown(text, extensions=['extra'])
final_html = html_body
# Wrap in full HTML structure if requested
if full_document:
css_link = ""
if css_file:
css_link = f''
final_html = f"""
{input_path.stem}
{css_link}
{html_body}
"""
# Determine output path
if output_file:
out_path = Path(output_file)
else:
out_path = input_path.with_suffix('.html')
# Write to file
try:
out_path.write_text(final_html, encoding='utf-8')
print(f"Successfully converted '{input_file}' to '{out_path}'")
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error writing output: {e}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Markdown to HTML Converter")
parser.add_argument("input", help="Input Markdown file")
parser.add_argument("-o", "--output", help="Output HTML file (default: same name as input)")
parser.add_argument("--full", action="store_true", help="Generate a full HTML document (with and )")
parser.add_argument("--css", help="Path to a CSS file to link (requires --full)")
args = parser.parse_args()
convert_md_to_html(args.input, args.output, args.full, args.css)
```
## Usage
```bash
# Basic conversion (fragment only)
python md_to_html.py README.md
# Full HTML document with default styling
python md_to_html.py README.md --full
# Full HTML with custom CSS
python md_to_html.py README.md --full --css styles.css
```
[[programming/python/python]]