how to get org-mode to recognize markdown-style links?

Question

I'd like to get org-mode to recognize hyperlinks written in Markdown syntax, that is, links in this format:

[markdown link syntax](https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax)

How do I add the markdown hyperlink type to org-mode?

Related but different: How to implement Markdown style link IDs in org-mode?

Probably helpful: http://orgmode.org/manual/Adding-hyperlink-types.html

Answer 1

Well this has bugged me a lot too (I happen to find the Markdown syntax much more intuitive), and today I looked into the required changes to org.el and there's quite some work.

• There should be an org-angle-link-re in org-make-link-regexps similar to the other link types,
• And then it would need to be plumbed down everywhere:
  • into org-any-link-re in that same function org-make-link-regexps,
  • a function org-activate-markdown-links would need to be written and plumbed down into org-set-font-lock-defaults, with further plumbing required to make the org-highlight-links work,
• And then of course, it would be testing and debugging time.

It doesn't look like one can get away with a couple of defadvices, so there would need to be a patch, that would immediately start bit-rotting unless it somehow gets accepted upstream. Which sounds like a tough sell ☹