Just starting with MMD on Windows
Hi,
I've installed MMD 6.5.1 (latest installer, apparently) and trie to use it. I got the following which I do not understand, having reviewed the help and the pdf manual (which is probably out of date). I would appreciate some help I also tried it with -t odf and without an output file.
C:\Windows\system32>cd "d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork"
C:\Windows\system32>d:
d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork>mmd --to=odf --output=c:\temp\x.odf "Are Information and Data Synonymous-5.md"
MultiMarkdown: option "--to" requires an argument
Try 'multimarkdown --help' for more information.
'"d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork\\multimarkdown"' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
'"d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork\\multimarkdown"' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
'"d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork\\multimarkdown"' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
Information was unexpected at this time.
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1 Posted by essin on 13 Oct, 2020 12:30 AM
This doesn't work either:
d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork>mmd2odf "Are Information and Data Synonymous-5.md"
'mmd2odf' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
also
d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork>multimarkdown -t odf 1.txt
multimarkdown: Unknown output format 'odf'
These commands display html on the console (as it should)
d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork>multimarkdown 1.txt
d:\Dropbox\_Writing\ehr commentary\ScrivenerWork>multimarkdown "Are Information and Data Synonymous-5.md"
Support Staff 2 Posted by fletcher on 13 Oct, 2020 02:21 PM
You'll have to ask elsewhere to figure out how to handle command line software on Windows in general if you are having trouble with installation directories and command line paths.
But, from what you included you're doing a couple of things incorrectly:
As per the error MultiMarkdown gave you, there is no "odf" format. There is "odt" and "fodt". "multimarkdown --help" gives you instructions and a list of all file formats
You seem to be swapping multimarkdown and mmd at times. multimarkdown is the program. mmd is a helper script that simplifies things when batch converting text files to HTML, and is comparable to mmd2opml, mmd2tex, etc. You can't pass arguments to mmd except for a list of input filenames. It is equivalent to running "multimarkdown -b file1.txt file2.txt .." Using "mmd" does require that multimarkdown is properly installed.
"mmd2odf" gives an error, because there is no such thing, unless you create it.
You got HTML to work because you did it properly. If you use the proper options to multimarkdown for ODT output, then that will work too. "multimarkdown --help" is your friend. I would recommend getting used to multimarkdown, and then using the helper scripts (mmd, mmd2odt) once you understand how things work to make it easier to troubleshoot any errors.
3 Posted by essin on 13 Oct, 2020 05:40 PM
Thanks, my eyes are ageing and sometimes i have trouble with small print.
4 Posted by essin on 13 Oct, 2020 06:40 PM
Hi,
I have another "dumb" question. When your readme's refer to make, which
one is it: nmake, cmake some other one?
At the moment I don't have any make installed
Thanks
Support Staff 5 Posted by fletcher on 13 Oct, 2020 07:09 PM
No worries. My eyes have finally started to match my age and I have learned to make use of pinch to zoom on my iPhone more than I ever did before.... ;)
MultiMarkdown actually uses make and cmake. make runs a few commands to configure everything, and then hands off the process to cmake for the actual build. This would definitely be in the area of "call someone else for help with this on Windows", as I don't have a Windows development machine. I have an old windows VM to run MultiMarkdown, but don't have build tools on it. But I have run it on macOS, Ubuntu, and Debian just fine.
6 Posted by essin on 13 Oct, 2020 09:38 PM
Thanks
I've installed make and cmake. Now all I have to do is decipher the error messages.
also, it appears (for odt) that redirecting (>) the output of multimarkdown to a file is not equivalent to specifying a -o parameter. Is that your inderstanding?
Support Staff 7 Posted by fletcher on 14 Oct, 2020 12:52 AM
That may be Windows dependent. ODT is a binary format (technically, a zipped directory of files), and I don't know whether Windows' shell preserves the proper encoding when used this way. macOS does.
I definitely don't recommend using ODT in this manner, at least not without testing.
Of course, I almost always use batch mode when converting files.
8 Posted by essin on 14 Oct, 2020 02:09 AM
When getting familiar with things I tend to just “push all the buttons” to see what will happen. Sometimes it blows up in my face but usually I learn a lot. Not infrequently I push a button that was never tested thoroughly and find a bug, though not with your stuff. It’s always been rock solid.
Support Staff 9 Posted by fletcher on 14 Oct, 2020 03:00 AM
No worries. I tend to do the same thing.
And thank you -- I've worked hard over the years to continue stress testing MultiMarkdown to minimize bugs. To my knowledge, there are no "crashing" type bugs, but there are still a couple of edge case bugs in the output processing where the results aren't exactly what I would prefer them to be. Fortunately, they are pretty rare edge cases that affect few users (though one involves nested blockquotes in ODT output, so you may run into that one...)
10 Posted by essin on 16 Oct, 2020 05:07 PM
Hi,
I obviously don't understand file transclusion. In the screenshot, I
expected to see the entire contents of the transcluded file (which
contains my citations) but I only see links that jump to the places
where the citations appear in the main text. I have attached the file
that is transcluded.
What should I be doing differently?
Thanks,
Dan
>
>
Support Staff 11 Posted by fletcher on 16 Oct, 2020 07:59 PM
I can't see the top of your document obviously, but it looks like you don't have file transclusion turned on in the MMD preferences since the `
{{References...}}is shown verbatim in the preview.12 Posted by essin on 16 Oct, 2020 08:10 PM
This is the first line:
transclude base: .
is more required?
Support Staff 13 Posted by fletcher on 16 Oct, 2020 08:31 PM
Composer application preferences, not the document itself.
Transclude base metadata is only required if you want it to be something other than
., or if you are doing something complicated with it. It doesn't hurt to include, but not strictly necessary for most cases.14 Posted by essin on 16 Oct, 2020 08:35 PM
Hi.
Below is the opening part of my document. I've attached the
multimarkdown out for odt. Neither word nor LibreOffice will open it.
Output to html and mmd formats both work.
Any ideas?
Dan
-------
transclude base: .
# Data vs Informational Artifacts: Are Information and Data Synonymous?
Daniel Essin
[email blocked]
## Abstract
The number of failed or malfunctioning projects and systems continues to
outnumber the successes. Time and again the same root causes are
incriminated, yet they recur. This suggests that other, as yet
unidentified factors may be involved. Once such factor is explored here:
confusion. Close examination reveals that, although the words
information and data are used frequently, that their meaning is far from
clear; they are often conflated or used interchangeably. It can be
demonstrated that confusion exists about the meaning of these words, and
by extension, their underlying concepts. It represents a previously
unrecognized root cause, or contributing factor, to some failures. This
paper presents a new information-centered semantic framework that, if
diligently applied in computer science and technology, has the potential
to reduce the ambient level of confusion. Each term denotes a single
concept. The goal is to bring clarity allowing a more precise
understanding of the meaning of the words, thereby facilitating the
realization of common goals. The definitions and the accompanying
examples demonstrate that data and information are not synonymous.
Informational artifacts have the potential to satisfy the need for data
whereas data, devoid as it is, of context, can be easily misinterpreted
and be an unrecognized cause of failure.
Support Staff 15 Posted by fletcher on 16 Oct, 2020 09:55 PM
The ODT XML itself is valid, so there is not a trivial error.
Your best bet is recursive bifurcation. Split the file in half and see if the first half works and then the second half. If one half doesn't work, then split that piece in half... Eventually you should be able to narrow in on the problem area (assuming there is a single point of failure.)
16 Posted by essin on 16 Oct, 2020 10:08 PM
HI again,
Am I cursed? What's going on with Abstract and Introduction?
Support Staff 17 Posted by fletcher on 16 Oct, 2020 10:32 PM
Don't worry too much about the preview. You can always refresh it if it looks like something needs to be updated.
18 Posted by essin on 17 Oct, 2020 03:40 AM
Thanks
19 Posted by essin on 17 Oct, 2020 03:41 AM
Ok
20 Posted by essin on 18 Oct, 2020 07:17 PM
Hi,
The odt output does not fail until the the last line is included in the
source.
{{References-CRLF+extras.md}}
21 Posted by essin on 18 Oct, 2020 07:21 PM
also, in sourxe:
- Structural features of the way the facts are arranged. Facts may
"inherit" context from their apposition or placement relative to other,
associated facts.
Some correlons are obligatory such as the units (mph) associated with
the numerical speed of a vehicle. The central fact is the velocity, but
velocity is not a dimensionless number; its numerical component alone is
meaningless. Other correlons are ampliative. They extend or supplement a
central fact. Using systolic blood pressure as an example, the central
fact with its obligatory correlon is 135 mmHg. Ampliative correlons
include the position of the subject (sitting or supine), where the
measurement was made (left arm or right leg), the size of the cuff, etc.
Ampliative correlons give additional meaning to the central fact. The
potential of facts to be informative is proportional to the number of
ampliative correlons available.
the paragraph "some..." is not indented in the odt but all other
paragraphs with 2 leading spaces are.
Any thoughts?
Support Staff 22 Posted by fletcher on 18 Oct, 2020 08:05 PM
If you look at your references file, you have some non-ASCII characters
in #3. Those could be invalid.
Could also verify that the "circular reference" in #26 is valid.
Try bifurcating the references file to determine the trouble spot, just
like you did with the main file.
Support Staff 23 Posted by fletcher on 18 Oct, 2020 08:06 PM
2 leading spaces doesn't mean anything in Markdown. 4 leading spaces is
equivalent to a tab, which means to indent.
24 Posted by essin on 18 Oct, 2020 09:17 PM
I'll try four. I wonder why all the others indented with two.
Support Staff 25 Posted by fletcher on 18 Oct, 2020 09:19 PM
I think if you look again, you'll find they didn't. 2 spaces is not enough to indent in Markdown or MultiMarkdown. (Some other programs indent with 2 spaces, but that is not the Markdown specification.)
If you still think 2 spaces caused an indent, send me the file and I will take a look to see what happened.
26 Posted by essin on 18 Oct, 2020 11:43 PM
Hi,
re: verify that the "circular reference" in #26 is valid.
I'm trying to get #26 to refer to #10.
I probably did it wrong.
These are the references:
[#0]: Igor Douven. "Abduction", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2017 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2017/entries/abduction/>.
[#1]: Renee Dustman. 2019. Hundreds of New ICD-10-cm-Codes Effective Oct 1. Retrieved from https://www.aapc.com/blog/47461-hundreds-of-new-icd-10-cm-codes-effective-oct-1/
[#2]: Daniel J Essin. 1993. Intelligent processing of loosely structured documents as a strategy for organizing electronic health care records. Methods Inf. Med. 32, 04 (1993), 265?268.
[#3]: Daniel J Essin. 1997. Patterns of Trust and Policy. In Proceedings of the 1997 New Security Paradigms Workshop, Association for Computing Machinery. January 1998 Pages 38-47 https://doi.org/10.1145/283699.283738
[#4]: Daniel J Essin and Thomas L Lincoln. 1994. An information model for medical events. In Proceedings of the 18th Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, American Medical Informatics Association, 509.
[#5]: Richard Feynman. 1969. What is Science? Phys. Teach. 7, 6 (1969), 313?320.
[#6]: Richard Feynman. Knowing Something. Retrieved January 30, 2019 from https://fs.blog/2015/01/richard-feynman-knowing-something/
[#7]: Carl G Hempel. 1958. Fundamentals of Concept Formation in Empirical Science. University of Chicago Press.
[#8]: Rich Hickey. 2012. The Value of Values. Retrieved August 14, 2012 from https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Value-Values/
[#9]: N Ingebrigtsen. The Differences Between Data, Information and Knowledge. Retrieved November 15, 2019 from http://www.infogineering.net/data-information-knowledge.htm
[#9a]: JR Josephson & SG Jacobson Abductive Inference Computation, Philosophy, Technology 1996 Cambridge University Press
[#10]: Daniel Kahneman. 2011. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Doubleday Canada.
[#11]: Ibram X Kendi. 2019. How to Be an Antiracist. One World/Ballantine.
[#12]: George Lakoff. 2008. Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things. University of Chicago Press.
[#13]: Lexico. Context. Retrieved 10-apr-2020 from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/context
[#13a]: Peter Lipton Inference to the Best Explanation 2004 Psychology Press
[#14]: Lumen Learning. reading-what-is-perception. Retrieved November 15, 2019 from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/msstate-waymaker-psychology/chapter/reading-what-is-perception/
[#14a]: Lorenzo Magnani Abduction, Reason and Science 2011 Springer US
[#15]: Mars Climate Orbiter Mishap Investigation Board. 2000. Report on Project Management in NASA. Retrieved from https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/mars/msp98/misc/MCO*_MIB_*Report.pdf
[#16]: Miriam-Webster. Cognitive. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cognitive
[#16a]: Kevin McCain & Ted Poston Best Explanations: New Essays on Inference to the Best Explanation 1996 Oxford Press
[#17]: National Research Council. 1990. Computers at Risk. National Academies Press.
[#18]: Openstax College. Sensation and Perception. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/contents/Sr8Ev5Og@5.49:K-DZ-03P@5/Sensation-versus-Perception
[#19]: George Orwell. 1946. Politics and the English language. Horizon.
[#20]: Oxford English Dictionary. OED Online. Retrieved March 3, 2019 from www.oed.com/view/Entry/17368
[#21]: Charles Sanders Peirce. 1960. Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce. Harvard University Press.
[#22]: Michael Brian Schiffer. 1999. The Material Life of Human Beings: Artifacts, Behavior and Communication. Routledge.
[#23]: Claude E Shannon. 1948. A Mathematical Theory of Communication. Bell Syst. Tech. J. 27, (1948), 379-423,623-656.
[#23a]: Douglas Walton Abductive Reasoning 2014 University of Alabama Press
[#24]: Welby, Lady Victoria. 1903.What is Meaning? Studies in the Development of Significance. Macmillan.
[#25]: Daniel Yon. How our brain sculpts experience in line with our expectations. Retrieved from https://aeon.co/essays/how-our-brain-sculpts-experience-in-line-with-our-expectations
[#26]: Adapted from Kendi [#10]:
Support Staff 27 Posted by fletcher on 18 Oct, 2020 11:55 PM
Delete # 3 and # 26 from your reference list and see if it still
crashes. If not, add them back one at a time.
28 Posted by essin on 18 Oct, 2020 11:59 PM
Hi again,
I don't think the citation feature is going to work for me. I need the references to appear in the output exactly the order that they appear in the .md file - and - I need the tags on the references such as [13] to appear in the text at the point where the citation is made. Having them all renumbered and included in the reverences section in their order of appearance in the text will not work.
In other words, I need backward references from the bibliography to the body text, not forward references from the text to the bib.
From what I can tell this requirement is outside of the basic scenario that you designed for so I guess I will have to handle it some other way.
If I have misconstrued the citation capabilities, please let me know.
Thanks,
Dan
29 Posted by essin on 19 Oct, 2020 12:03 AM
I narrowed the problem down to the {#10]: portion of number 26.
Without that everything compiles fine, *as long as* I specify fodt for the conversion. the odt conversion ignores all the emphasis and merges some paragraphs that should be separate,
Support Staff 30 Posted by fletcher on 19 Oct, 2020 12:28 AM
If you need complex citations, then yes you may need another tool.
You could also try using the `[not cited][#10]` trick to see if that
will force your citations into a certain order.
https://fletcher.github.io/MultiMarkdown-6/syntax/citation.html
On 10/18/20 7:59 PM, essin wrote:
> I don't think the citation feature is going to work for me. I need the
> references to appear in the output exactly the order that they appear in
> the .md file - and - I need the tags on the references such as [13] to
> appear in the text at the point where the citation is made. Having them
> all renumbered and included in the reverences section in their order of
> appearance in the text will not work.
>
> In other words, I need backward references from the bibliography to the
> body text, not forward references from the text to the bib.
>
> From what I can tell this requirement is outside of the basic scenario
> that you designed for so I guess I will have to handle it some other way.
>
> If I have misconstrued the citation capabilities, please let me know.