# The Quarkdown Series: Markdown with Superpowers, in Eleven Parts

> Overview of my eleven-part Quarkdown series — from positioning through scripting, layout, diagrams and academic writing to CLI, the AI agent skill and the compiler pipeline.

Source: https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-reihe/

[Quarkdown](https://quarkdown.com) is a Markdown superset with functions, variables and scripting — a "readable LaTeX" that turns *one* source into a web page, a PDF, a book or a presentation. Across eleven parts I worked through the tool from the ground up: functions and use cases, tips and worked examples. This page is the entry point and table of contents for the series — from here you jump into any part.

## Why Quarkdown

Markdown is everywhere, but it hits a wall the moment a document wants more than flowing text: image sizes, numbered figures, multi-column layout, recurring building blocks, mathematics. Quarkdown solves this with a single idea — the function call `.func {…}` — while staying readable and machine-friendly. Exactly this dual nature (plain-text source, professional artifact) makes it an exciting tool for a world where humans *and* AI systems read the same content.

## The series

1. **[When Markdown Learns Typesetting](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-einstieg/)** — positioning against Markdown, LaTeX and Typst, the core idea, installation, first document.
2. **[Functions, Variables, Scripting](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-funktionen-skripting/)** — function calls, chaining with `::`, variables, custom functions, conditionals, loops, math.
3. **[Document Types, Themes & Page Setup](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-dokumenttypen-themes/)** — how `.doctype` makes four outputs from one source, plus themes and page format.
4. **[Layout: Stacks, Containers, Boxes & Grids](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-layout/)** — arranging content, and why the blank line decides it.
5. **[Data, Tables & Diagrams](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-daten-diagramme/)** — generating tables, reading CSV, XY charts and Mermaid diagrams.
6. **[Academic Writing](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-wissenschaftliches-schreiben/)** — TeX formulae, bibliography, cross-references, numbering, the paper library.
7. **[Presentations](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-praesentationen/)** — slides, interactive fragments and speaker notes on a reveal.js base.
8. **[CLI, PDF Export & Deployment](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-cli-pdf-deployment/)** — the key options, live preview, the permission system and CI/CD.
9. **[Quarkdown & AI](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-ki-agent-skill/)** — the bundled agent skill and why Markdown is the bridge to AI.
10. **[Inside Quarkdown: the Pipeline](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-inside-pipeline/)** — how source becomes HTML in six stages.
11. **[Tips & Tricks](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-tipps-tricks/)** — the small touches that make everyday work easier.

## Who it's worth it for

Anyone who regularly writes structured documents — docs, reports, papers, presentations, knowledge bases — and doesn't want to trade Markdown's readability for LaTeX's power will find a middle path in Quarkdown. [Parts 1](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-einstieg/) and [3](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/quarkdown-dokumenttypen-themes/) are enough to get started; the rest go deeper into individual use cases.

## Further reading

The full reference is the [official Quarkdown wiki](https://quarkdown.com/wiki) together with the [standard library](https://quarkdown.com/docs/). Thematically related from this blog are [What is GEO?](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/was-ist-geo/) and [Writing for AI](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/blog/schreiben-fuer-ki/) — both revolve, like this series' AI part, around machine-readable content.