[Feature] supporting asciidoc syntax and zim-wiki syntax from zim-Desktop-wiki?

[sr79368142]

dear @OlaProeis , After future application improvements, could you consider supporting asciidoc syntax and zim-wiki syntax from zim-Desktop-wiki?

Both syntaxes hold significant potential and have a dedicated user base, yet few editors support them. I've only seen Markor on Android offering such support. Expanding desktop application support would be highly beneficial.

Asciidoc (https://docs.asciidoctor.org/asciidoc/latest/syntax-quick-reference/) currently lacks a WYSIWYG editor comparable to Typora. Most existing editors are cumbersome and lack agility. While I've found this syntax slightly complex, it offers significant advantages for long-form writing.

Since zim-desktop-wiki is a note-taking application, it doesn't support associating default applications. For WYSIWYG editing, you must open zim-desktop-wiki first; you can't double-click a file to open it directly. if you create a file using zim-desktop-wiki, it adds a formatting header. The application defaults to tab indentation instead of the common space indentation and doesn't support customization. Its syntax is very concise (https://github.com/zim-desktop-wiki/zim-desktop-wiki/blob/develop/data/manual/Help/Wiki_Syntax.txt), which I really like. I now use this syntax for almost all my writing.

If possible, I'd be happy to donate to support your development work!!! 💖💖💖

[OlaProeis]

Hi @sr79368142,

Thank you for another thoughtful suggestion!

I've looked into this carefully, and I want to be transparent about the challenges:

AsciiDoc
AsciiDoc is a powerful format, but the main implementation (Asciidoctor) is written in Ruby, and there's no mature pure-Rust parser available. Building or porting one would be a significant undertaking — we're talking weeks of work for a format with complex features like includes, cross-references, conditional blocks, and custom backends. It's definitely not something I can squeeze into a near-term release.

Zim-Wiki
Zim-Wiki syntax is simpler, but it's also quite niche and tightly coupled to the Zim Desktop Wiki application.

Here's the good news: I've added both to the long-term roadmap (v0.5.0+), specifically under "Additional Markup Formats."

More importantly, the Long-Term Vision includes a Plugin System inspired by Obsidian's extensibility model. The idea is to define extension points for custom file handlers, parsers, and renderers. This would allow:

1. Community-developed format plugins (AsciiDoc, Zim-Wiki, Org-mode, etc.)
2. First-party plugins that ship separately from the core editor
3. A sustainable way to support many formats without bloating the main application

So while native AsciiDoc/Zim-Wiki support isn't coming soon, the architecture is being designed with this kind of extensibility in mind. When the plugin system lands, these formats become much more feasible — either as official plugins or community contributions.

Thank you again for the suggestions and for your enthusiasm for Ferrite! 💙

---

Both formats have been added to the ROADMAP.md under Future (v0.5.0+) → Additional Markup Formats.

[sr79368142]

dear @OlaProeis , Thank you for accepting these modest suggestions. If you could enable donations from mainland China, I'd be delighted to sponsor this project. I deeply admire your patience and persistence, and your kind assistance to computer novices! 😄😄😄

[OlaProeis]

@sr79368142 Thank you so much for the kind words and your enthusiasm! 💙

I really appreciate the offer to donate, and I'll be honest with you: the timing is actually relevant. As you may know from the README, Ferrite is developed using AI assistance (Claude via Cursor), which requires API credits. I've recently run out, so development will be a bit slower over the next few weeks while I sort things out.

I'm currently in the process of reaching out to some potential sponsors to help sustain the project. I should know more within a couple of days, I'll keep you posted on how it goes and whether I'll be setting up a way to accept donations (like GitHub Sponsors).

In the meantime, please keep doing what you're doing — your detailed bug reports with screenshots and GIFs are incredibly valuable and help me prioritize what to work on when development picks back up. Your contributions to making Ferrite better for CJK users are already a huge help! 🙏