Guide to Enabling Experimental markdown-ts-mode in Emacs 31

Introduction to markdown-ts-mode in Emacs 31

Emacs 31 has been released, introducing several new features, including an experimental markdown-ts-mode. This mode is not automatically active upon installation, requiring users to opt-in for its functionality. Despite its experimental label, the mode is described as feature-rich.

Features and Capabilities

The markdown-ts-mode covers the CommonMark specification and most of the GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) specification. It also includes additional features such as code blocks for non-tree-sitter modes (like elisp), table of contents utilities, and interfaces with external converters such as Pandoc and GFM.

Enabling the Experimental Mode

Since markdown-ts-mode is experimental, Emacs does not enable it by default. Users must explicitly load the library. The guide provides two methods for activation: using the `use-package` system for configuration management or a more direct `autoload` approach for those who do not use `use-package`.

Configuration Examples

For `use-package` users, the suggested setup involves adding a `use-package` block to the Emacs initialization file, specifying `markdown-ts-mode` and requiring `markdown-ts-mode-x` for extra functionalities. For users without `use-package`, instructions include using `autoload` and `add-to-list` to associate Markdown file extensions with the mode, followed by requiring `markdown-ts-mode-x`.

Testing Without Configuration Changes

The guide also offers a method to test markdown-ts-mode without altering a user's primary Emacs configuration. This involves saving the provided configuration snippets into a temporary `.el` file and launching Emacs with the `-Q --load` command-line options to load the temporary file in a bare Emacs session.