Version 0.21.0

Posted March 29, 2021 ‐ 2 min read

Custom fonts, power mode options, spellcheck languages

Font improvements

A couple of features have been added to improve Deepdwn’s font handling.

Fira Code

Fira Code has been added to Deepdwn’s font list. Fira Code distinguishes itself with its ligature support, groups of two or more characters combined to make a single character.

While these are largely intended for programming, they suit markdown editing as well. A full list of ligatures can be found on the Fira Code github page.

Editor using Fira Code font and available ligatures

Custom fonts

In addition, a “Custom font” option has been added to application preferences, which will allow you to use an already installed system font of your own in Deepdwn’s editor.

Font selection with custom font selected and example text using custom font

Currently, this requires entering the font by name, but I’m hoping replace this with a proper installed font list some time in the future.

Since Deepdwn doesn’t know whether your system font is monospace or variable width, a new option has been added to force mixed-monospace font handling for custom fonts as well. This allows indentation-sensitive markdown, like checklists, to appear correcly while still using your variable width font.

You can see the effect of turning this feature on and off in the example text below the option.

Power mode performance and options

Power mode has received some performance improvements, especially noticeable on low-spec machines. While power mode could (and still can) be turned off to improve CPU and GPU usage, it should now be much better behaved, both while active and while idle.

Power mode preferences with separate range sliders for screenshake and particle effect intensity

Additionally, two new sub-settings have been added for power mode, to allow reducing or eliminating the screenshake or particle effects independently, in case you like one, but not the other. Both can also be turned up slightly from their stock positions.

Heading outdenting

When adding a heading via ### in Deepdwn, the # prefix will now be outdented, so that the heading text is aligned with the left margin of the editor. The left margin width has been increased to accommodate this feature.

Before Several markdown headings prefixed with the '#' character. Prefix characters and heading content are left aligned to page margin

After Several markdown headings prefixed with the '#' character. Prefix characters are right aligned to page margin, and headings left aligned

This helps make headings stand out while editing, and ensures that the most important part of the heading, the text itself, is in a predictable location.

Spellcheck languages

On Windows and Linux, you can now select the language (or multiple languages) used for spellchecking in Deepdwn.

Preferences for spellcheck languages. Two buttons with selected languages above closed dropdown used for selection

On Mac systems, the spellcheck language was already handled at the operating system level, so this functionality isn’t needed.

Bugfixes

  • Editor - In sequence diagrams, fixed lines starting with par (like “participant”) getting incorrect syntax highlighting.