Turn a Markdown document into a Google Doc, and update that same Doc whenever you change the file.
Some of the people you write for work in Google Docs. As of v1.12.0, Ritemark can publish a Markdown document as a Google Doc in your own Google Drive. After that, Sync replaces the Doc's text with your current version, so colleagues who read it in Google Docs always see the latest copy under the same link.
Publishing goes one way. Your Markdown file stays the original, and nothing from the Google Doc is ever read back into it.
Connect Your Google Account
- Open Settings and find the Google Docs card. You can also choose Export → Connect Google Docs… in any Markdown document, which opens Settings at that card.
- Click Connect Google account. Google's sign-in page opens in your browser.
- Choose your account and allow access. The browser says Ritemark is connected, and the card shows your email address.
Ritemark asks Google for one narrow permission. With it, Ritemark can open only the Google Docs it creates and a template you pick yourself. It can't see or change anything else in your Google Drive.
Create a Google Doc
- Save the Markdown file. A new document that has never been saved can't be published.
- Click Export in the document header, then Create Google Doc.
- A notification shows the progress, then tells you the Google Doc was created, with a button to open it.
The Doc takes its title from the document's title property when there is one, and from the file name when there isn't. Ritemark remembers which Google Doc belongs to which file, so from then on the Export menu offers Sync Google Doc and Open Google Doc for that file.
Sync Your Changes
Keep editing the Markdown as usual. When you want the Doc to catch up, choose Export → Sync Google Doc. Ritemark updates that same Google Doc, so its link and sharing stay the same and no copies pile up in your Drive.
Sync replaces the whole text of the Google Doc, so Ritemark checks before it overwrites anything:
- The first Sync of a document asks you to confirm. Ritemark asks once per document.
- If someone edited the Doc in Google Docs since your last Sync, Ritemark warns you and offers Overwrite with Ritemark or Open Google Doc, so you can look at their changes first. Ritemark can't merge them.
- If nothing changed, Ritemark says the Doc is already up to date and writes nothing.
Sync replaces only the text. The Doc's header and footer, its styles, its sharing settings and any tabs you add later in Google Docs stay as they are.
Tip: Keep the writing in Ritemark and treat the Google Doc as the copy people read. If a colleague asks for a change in Google Docs, make it in your Markdown file and Sync again.
Use a Template
A template gives new Google Docs your own look, with your fonts, colors, header and footer.
- Make or pick a Google Doc with the styles you want.
- In the Google Docs card in Settings, click Choose template. Google's file picker opens in your browser. Choose the Doc there.
- From then on, Create Google Doc makes a copy of the template and writes your text into it.
The template applies when a Doc is created. Because Sync replaces only the text, the template's look stays after every Sync. If the template has several document tabs, a new Doc keeps only the first one. Change template and Remove template are on the same card.
What Carries Over
Headings, lists, tables, links, code, quotes, images and diagrams all come through. Google's API sets two limits, and the table shows where.
| In Ritemark | In the Google Doc |
|---|---|
| Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code, links | Kept |
| Bullet and numbered lists, nested lists | Kept. A list uses one bullet style, so bullets nested under a numbered item show as a., b. |
| Task lists | Checkboxes, always unticked, because Google's API can't tick a checkbox |
| Tables | Kept, with the first row in bold |
| Quotes | Italic, with a bar at the side |
| Code blocks | Monospace, on a gray background |
| Images in your document | Uploaded and embedded. PNG, JPEG and GIF work, and SVG is converted to PNG first |
| Images from the web | Embedded. Google fetches them from their address (PNG, JPEG and GIF) |
| Mermaid and draw.io diagrams | Converted to PNG and embedded |
| Comments | Not published. They stay in Ritemark |
To get an image from your computer into the Doc, Ritemark uploads it to your Google Drive and shares it by link for a few seconds while Google Docs copies it in. Then Ritemark removes the sharing and deletes the uploaded copy. An image Ritemark can't publish, such as a WebP or ICO file or a file that is missing, is named in the result notification rather than silently dropped.
When Something Goes Wrong
When a Doc can't be synced, Ritemark says why and offers the way out. A failed Sync never changes your Markdown file.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Reconnect Google account… in the Export menu | This file was published with a different Google account. Connect that account in Settings to sync it. |
| "The linked Google Doc is in your Google Drive trash" | Restore it in Google Drive, or choose Remove publishing link to create a new Doc. |
| "The linked Google Doc is unavailable" | It was deleted, or you lost access to it. Choose Remove publishing link, then Create Google Doc. |
| "Google no longer accepts this connection" | You revoked access, or the sign-in expired. Click Reconnect on the Google Docs card in Settings. |
| "Google is temporarily limiting requests" or "Google Docs is temporarily unavailable" | Wait a moment and try again. |
| "Google Docs publishing isn't available in this version of Ritemark" | This build has no Google connection set up. Use an official Ritemark release. |
Remove Google Docs link… in the Export menu makes Ritemark forget which Doc a file is published to. The Google Doc itself isn't deleted, and Create Google Doc then makes a new one.
Privacy and Disconnecting
Publishing sends the document you publish to Google, into your own Google Drive, and only when you choose Create or Sync. It travels directly between your computer and Google and doesn't pass through Ritemark's or Productory's servers. Your Google sign-in tokens are stored encrypted on your computer, and Ritemark's usage analytics record nothing about Google Docs publishing. The privacy policy lists exactly what Ritemark reads and writes in your Drive.
To stop, click Disconnect on the Google Docs card. Ritemark asks Google to revoke its access and deletes the sign-in from your computer. It never deletes a Google Doc. You can also remove Ritemark's access in your Google Account, under third-party connections.
Quick Reference
| What you want to do | How |
|---|---|
| Connect a Google account | Settings → Google Docs → Connect Google account, or Export → Connect Google Docs… |
| Publish a document | Save it, then Export → Create Google Doc |
| Update the published Doc | Export → Sync Google Doc |
| Open the published Doc | Export → Open Google Doc |
| Start new Docs from your own design | Choose template on the Google Docs card in Settings |
| Forget which Doc a file is published to | Export → Remove Google Docs link… |
| Stop publishing | Disconnect on the Google Docs card |
FAQ
Does Sync bring changes from Google Docs back into my Markdown?
No. Publishing goes one way. Your Markdown file is the original, and Ritemark never reads anything from the Google Doc back into it. If someone edited the Doc in Google Docs since your last Sync, Ritemark warns you before it overwrites their changes.
Can Ritemark see the rest of my Google Drive?
No. Ritemark asks Google for one permission, which covers only the Google Docs it creates and the template you pick. It can't see or change any other file in your Drive.
What doesn't come through?
Comments stay in Ritemark. A ticked checkbox arrives unticked, and bullets nested under a numbered item show as a., b., because Google's API can't do either. An image in a format Ritemark can't publish, such as WebP, is named in the result notification.
Does disconnecting delete my Google Docs?
No. Disconnect revokes Ritemark's access and removes the sign-in from your computer. Your Google Docs stay in your Drive.
Does it work on Windows?
Yes. Google Docs publishing works in Ritemark on macOS and Windows.
Related
- Export - PDF and Word files from the same menu
- Document Properties - The
titleproperty that names your Google Doc - Comments - Notes in the margin, which stay in Ritemark