Can apache on rpi4 serve markdown documents?

[Bosse_B]

I have kept notes in a txt file on my computer on various Linux issues I have encountered when working on RPi projects.
Now I have converted it to a markdown document (extension md) in order to make it easier to navigate and read.

It works fine in Windows 10 when I drop it onto my Firefox browser (where I have installed the Markdown Viewer web extension)..

But when I copied the file to my RPi4 into the web dir and try to access it via the browser using http:// syntax it does not show up.
Instead I am getting a dialog asking me if I want to save the file or send it to a different application.

Quite a disappointment after spending many hours on the conversion...

Is there some way to configure apache such that it will in fact serve the markdown file as a document displayed in any browser?
Here is the Firefox dialog at the moment:

FirefoxMDdialog.png (9.88 KiB) Viewed 293 times

[neilgl]

Yes it can. The issue seems to be how Firefox treats local files (.md) on the PC to those from a webserver (pi3 running apache2).
I installed Markdown Viewer Webext Add-On into Firefox on my PC.
Open a local File "README.md" (python requests library documentation) on the PC using Firefox on that PC - all OK
Try to open the same file being served from a raspberry pi running apache2 - firefox asks to open/save the file.
A workaround for now is:
So, tell firefox to save the file, then go to Options. Scroll down to Applications - you will now see "MD file" set to "Always Ask"
Open the file again from pi running apache2 - firefox asks to open/save the file - this time set it toOpen with Firefox, and do this automatically from now on.
There must be a better way?

[Bosse_B]

Yeah, this is basically what I have seen too.
A local file system MD file renders OK (through the add-on) but not when served by apache2.
I got to a state where Firefox will save the file to a local temp dir and then display it from there (if I set "open with" to Firefox).
But then it is still a local file being displayed (as seen in the address bar).
Last iteration I did placed the file here:
file:///C:/Users/Bosse/AppData/Local/Temp/LinuxCommands-3.md

If I use Chrome I get to see the raw file without any MD rendering at all...

[DougieLawson]

Do you mean serve or render?
Have you set the right MIME-type?

[dickon]

It looks like there's a mod_perl2 handler -- a trivial google will find it -- which will render the thing before sending it to the browser, which should do what you want for reading. Otherwise, try a Wiki engine: most of them use a variant of it.

[Bosse_B]

Do you mean serve or render?
Have you set the right MIME-type?

Well, what I mean is:
- I put the file LinuxCommands.md into a web dir on the server
- I use the browser and open URL http://myserver.com/doc/LinuxCommands.md
- The document is shown as an MD document fully rendered in my browser (not working now)

Right now using Firefox and the add-on for markdown this local URL will properly display the document:
file:///D:/RaspberryPi/LinuxCommands.md

If this is serve or render I don't know, what is the difference?
I would like to access the document via the server so it is available in most situations.
I have a dynamic domain pointing to my apache2 server.

[Bosse_B]

It looks like there's a mod_perl2 handler -- a trivial google will find it -- which will render the thing before sending it to the browser, which should do what you want for reading. Otherwise, try a Wiki engine: most of them use a variant of it.

Hmm,
why mod_perl2?
Should it not be mod_markdown or similar?
I am not using perl anywhere I know.

[DougieLawson]

That's rendering.

https://github.com/hamano/apache-mod-markdown (don't know if that will compile and install OK on Raspbian, you'll need a whole lot of Apache2 development tools and libraries).

[neilgl]

The workaround is ok for now

[dickon]

It looks like there's a mod_perl2 handler -- a trivial google will find it -- which will render the thing before sending it to the browser, which should do what you want for reading. Otherwise, try a Wiki engine: most of them use a variant of it.

Hmm,
why mod_perl2?
Should it not be mod_markdown or similar?
I am not using perl anywhere I know.

Just something I spotted whilst looking at the problem. mod_perl2 is a *very* useful Apache module I happen to have used a fair bit, and it's the sort of thing I'd expect to be able to do this sort of thing without difficulty.