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Code-block Image Export

Status: shipped in Phase 0.4 · Issue: #4

Each rendered code block in View mode now ships an PNG action next to Copy that exports the block as a self-contained PNG image — preserving syntax highlighting, the active VSCode theme background, and the typography exactly as they appear on screen. Useful for slide decks, blog posts, social shares.

At a glance

WhereHover any rendered code block in View mode → toolbar (top-right) → PNG button
Enginehtml-to-image — DOM → canvas → PNG, no server roundtrip
OutputPNG at 2× pixel ratio (Retina-friendly), background matches the active VSCode editor background, rounded corners preserved
Save targetVSCode showSaveDialog defaulting to the markdown file's directory with a slugified filename like typescript-snippet-3.png
After saveInformation toast with Open (in default app) and Reveal (in OS file manager) actions

How it works

  1. The code-block toolbar is augmented with a PNG button next to the existing Copy.
  2. On click, the webview:
    • Hides the toolbar temporarily (so it doesn't appear in the captured image)
    • Reads --vscode-editor-background for an accurate background
    • Calls toPng(pre, { pixelRatio: 2, backgroundColor, style: { boxShadow: 'none', borderRadius: '6px' } })
    • Restores the toolbar
    • Posts { type: 'saveCodeImage', dataUrl, suggestedName } to the extension host
  3. The host:
    • Decodes the data URL into a Buffer
    • Suggests <lang>-snippet-<n>.png next to the markdown file
    • Opens vscode.window.showSaveDialog
    • Writes the buffer with vscode.workspace.fs.writeFile
    • Shows an info toast with Open / Reveal actions

If anything fails (DOM serialization error, CSP block on a remote font, etc.), the webview posts { type: 'showError', message } and the host surfaces it via showErrorMessage. The toolbar is restored regardless via a try/finally.

What's preserved

  • Syntax highlighting (highlight.js classes + the active CSS rules)
  • Background color (--vscode-editor-background)
  • Font family (--vscode-editor-font-family)
  • Border radius and 1px border from the existing <pre> styling
  • Padding (so the code doesn't bleed against the image edge)

What's stripped:

  • The hover toolbar (Copy / PNG buttons) — would clutter the export
  • Box shadow (none in current styles, but explicitly disabled for the export)

Edge cases & limitations

  • Very wide code lines: the PNG renders the full width of the <pre> as it appears on screen. If the code overflows horizontally and the user scrolled right, the visible area is what's captured. To capture the entire block, scroll the <pre> to the start before clicking PNG.
  • Mermaid blocks: the attachCodeActions() selector only matches pre, not .mermaid divs, so PNG export is intentionally limited to highlighted code. Mermaid diagrams have their own zoom/pan/copy controls (see mermaid-polish.md); a similar PNG export for mermaid is a future-work seed.
  • Remote fonts: html-to-image inlines images by re-fetching them as data URIs. If a code block embeds a remote <img> (rare in syntax-highlighted code), the CSP's img-src https: lets that fetch succeed. If a font-face references a remote URL, html-to-image does not inline fonts — fallback fonts may be used in the rendered PNG. The webview uses VSCode's monospace font (var(--vscode-editor-font-family)), which is system-installed, so this is rarely a problem.
  • Save cancelled: clicking Cancel in the save dialog is silent; no error toast.
  • Pixel ratio: fixed at 2 for Retina output. A user setting (markItDown.codeBlock.exportPixelRatio) is a future addition; not in v0.4.

Files of interest

  • src/webview/main.ts — attachCodeActions adds the PNG button; exportCodeBlockAsPng hides the toolbar, calls toPng, and posts the saveCodeImage message
  • src/editor/markdownEditorProvider.ts — host-side saveCodeImage and showError message handlers; saveCodeImage does the data-URL → buffer → save-dialog → write flow
  • package.json — html-to-image runtime dep