René's URL Explorer Experiment

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DiscussionForumPosting","headline":"Mark down to post style is not there.","articleBody":"This solution adds Markdown support to your Substack newsletter workflow. It includes a parser for inline Markdown formatting (supporting **bold** and *italic* text) and a function that processes a Markdown file to create a structured post draft. \n\nFor those who might be doubting if it works, here’s a link as evidence of its functionality: [[Check if it works](https://gist.github.com/Duartemartins/98afb33ca5eae545e909df41be45f39e)](https://gist.github.com/Duartemartins/98afb33ca5eae545e909df41be45f39e).\n\n---\n\n### Overview\n\n- **Inline Markdown Parsing:**  \n  The `parse_inline` function scans a text string for inline Markdown patterns (like **bold** and *italic*) and converts them into tokens with corresponding formatting marks.\n\n- **Post Draft Creation:**  \n  The `publish_newsletter_to_substack` function reads a Markdown file, splits its content into blocks (headings, images, paragraphs, or bullet lists), and converts these into a structured Post object. It then creates and pre-publishes a draft on Substack.\n\n---\n\n### Code Implementation\n\n```python\nimport re\n\ndef parse_inline(text):\n    \"\"\"\n    Convert inline Markdown in a text string into a list of tokens\n    for use in the post content.\n\n    Supported formatting:\n      - **Bold**: Text wrapped in double asterisks.\n      - *Italic*: Text wrapped in single asterisks.\n    \"\"\"\n    tokens = []\n    # Pattern matches either **bold** or *italic* text.\n    pattern = r'(\\*\\*.*?\\*\\*|\\*.*?\\*)'\n    parts = re.split(pattern, text)\n    \n    for part in parts:\n        if not part:\n            continue\n        if part.startswith(\"**\") and part.endswith(\"**\"):\n            content = part[2:-2]\n            tokens.append({\"content\": content, \"marks\": [{\"type\": \"strong\"}]})\n        elif part.startswith(\"*\") and part.endswith(\"*\"):\n            content = part[1:-1]\n            tokens.append({\"content\": content, \"marks\": [{\"type\": \"em\"}]})\n        else:\n            tokens.append({\"content\": part})\n    \n    return tokens\n\ndef publish_newsletter_to_substack(api):\n    \"\"\"\n    Reads a Markdown file, converts its content into a structured Post,\n    and creates a draft post on Substack.\n\n    Workflow:\n      1. Retrieve the user profile to extract the user ID.\n      2. Read and parse the Markdown file.\n      3. Convert Markdown blocks into post elements:\n         - Headings (lines starting with '#' characters).\n         - Images (using Markdown image syntax: ![Alt](URL)).\n         - Paragraphs and bullet lists with inline Markdown formatting.\n      4. Create and update the draft post.\n    \"\"\"\n    # Retrieve user profile to extract user ID.\n    profile = retry_on_502(lambda: api.get_user_profile())\n    user_id = profile.get(\"id\")\n    if not user_id:\n        raise ValueError(\"Could not get user ID from profile\")\n    \n    # Create a Post instance.\n    post = Post(\n        title=\"FIX TITLE\",  # Replace with the desired title.\n        subtitle=\"\",        # Optionally customize the subtitle.\n        user_id=user_id\n    )\n    \n    # Read the Markdown file.\n    with open(\"blog_0_2025-03-28T19-46-34-098Z.md\", 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:\n        md_content = f.read()\n    \n    # Split content into blocks separated by double newlines.\n    blocks = md_content.split(\"\\n\\n\")\n    \n    for block in blocks:\n        block = block.strip()\n        if not block:\n            continue\n        \n        # Process headings (lines starting with '#' characters).\n        if block.startswith(\"#\"):\n            level = len(block) - len(block.lstrip('#'))\n            heading_text = block.lstrip('#').strip()\n            post.heading(content=heading_text, level=level)\n        \n        # Process images using Markdown image syntax: ![Alt](URL)\n        elif block.startswith(\"!\"):\n            m = re.match(r'!\\[.*?\\]\\((.*?)\\)', block)\n            if m:\n                image_url = m.group(1)\n                # Adjust image URL if it starts with a slash.\n                image_url = image_url[1:] if image_url.startswith('/') else image_url\n                image = api.get_image(image_url)\n                post.add({\"type\": \"captionedImage\", \"src\": image.get(\"url\")})\n        \n        # Process paragraphs or bullet lists.\n        else:\n            if \"\\n\" in block:\n                # Process each line separately.\n                for line in block.split(\"\\n\"):\n                    line = line.strip()\n                    if not line:\n                        continue\n                    # Remove bullet marker if present.\n                    if line.startswith(\"*\"):\n                        line = line.lstrip(\"*\").strip()\n                    tokens = parse_inline(line)\n                    post.add({\"type\": \"paragraph\", \"content\": tokens})\n            else:\n                tokens = parse_inline(block)\n                post.add({\"type\": \"paragraph\", \"content\": tokens})\n    \n    # Create and update the draft post.\n    draft = api.post_draft(post.get_draft())\n    api.put_draft(draft.get(\"id\"), draft_section_id=post.draft_section_id)\n    api.prepublish_draft(draft.get(\"id\"))\n    \n    print(\"Newsletter published (drafted) successfully!\")\n```\n\n---","author":{"url":"https://github.com/a1111198","@type":"Person","name":"a1111198"},"datePublished":"2025-04-01T12:40:27.000Z","interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":"https://schema.org/CommentAction","userInteractionCount":1},"url":"https://github.com/31/python-substack/issues/31"}