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Overview

The Autype VS Code Extension lets you write reports, papers, invoices, API docs, and any other document using an extended Markdown syntax. Render a live PDF preview side-by-side with your editor, then export to PDF, DOCX, or ODT with a single click. The extension uses the Autype Developer API. Pro and Team include automation credits; Engine and Editor can unlock API access with a permanent credit top-up.

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Product demo

Autype VS Code Extension demo

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What You Can Build

Autype goes far beyond plain Markdown. Write professional documents with:
  • Charts — bar, line, pie, doughnut, radar, scatter, bubble, polar area
  • Math equations — LaTeX syntax rendered as images ($$E = mc^2$$)
  • Styled tables — captions, colored headers, alternating rows, images in cells
  • Code blocks — syntax-highlighted, optionally rendered as images
  • Table of Contents — auto-generated from headings with page numbers
  • List of Figures / Tables — auto-numbered figure and table indices
  • QR codes — URL, WiFi, vCard
  • Page layouts — page breaks, orientation changes, spacers, cover pages
  • Multi-column layouts — two- or three-column sections (like academic papers)
  • Variables — dynamic placeholders like {{companyName}} or {{date/DD.MM.YYYY}}
  • Cross-references — link to headings, figures, and tables by anchor
  • Headers & footers — with page numbers, logos, and dynamic content
  • Images — local images auto-uploaded with hash-based caching
The extension includes three example projects (business report, API documentation, scientific paper) so you can see everything in action.

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Getting Started

1

Install & Sign Up

Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace. Create an account at app.autype.com, activate Developer API access through Pro, Team, or a permanent credit top-up, and copy your API key (starts with ak_).
2

Set Your API Key

Run Autype: Set API Key from the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P), or click the Autype button in the VS Code status bar and select Set API Key. The key is stored securely in VS Code’s secret storage.The Autype status bar button opens a menu — use "Set API Key" to store your keyAutype quick-pick menu with all commands — "Set API Key" highlighted
3

Create a Project

Create a folder with an autype.json config file and a .md content file:
Or right-click any folder in the Explorer and select Autype: Create New Document to scaffold a project automatically.
4

Configure autype.json

See the full document JSON reference for page sizes, fonts, headers, footers, variables, and more.
5

Open the Preview & Export

Open any .md file in the project folder, then click the Autype icon in the editor title bar (or run Autype: Show Preview).Click the Autype icon or the Render button in the editor title bar to open the preview panelClick Render to generate the PDF, then Ctrl+Scroll (Cmd+Scroll on macOS) to zoom. Choose a format from the dropdown and click Export.

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Features

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Live PDF Preview

Render your document and view the result side-by-side with the editor. The preview uses PDF.js for fast, native rendering with text selection and zoom.

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Insert Toolbar

A vertical toolbar next to the preview gives you one-click access to all formatting options — headings, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, highlight, links, images, tables, code blocks, math, charts, QR codes, variables, page breaks, columns, TOC, and more.

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Auto-Rerender

Enable auto-rerender to automatically re-render the preview whenever you edit the Markdown or autype.json. 10-second cooldown between renders.

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Syntax Highlighting

The extension registers a dedicated autype-markdown language for .mdd files with a custom TextMate grammar that highlights Autype-specific syntax like variables ({{name}}), page breaks, directives, and more.

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Image Caching

Local images are uploaded to the Autype API with SHA-256 hash-based deduplication. Unchanged images are not re-uploaded, making repeated renders fast.

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Commands

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Settings

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Plans & Pricing

VS Code rendering and exports use automation credits. Pro and Team include monthly credits; a permanent top-up enables the same workflow on Engine and Editor. Purchased credits never expire. See Pricing for credit details.

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Example Projects

The extension ships with three example projects in the example/ folder:
  • business-report/ — A quarterly business report with TOC, list of figures, charts, styled tables, and images
  • api-documentation/ — REST API documentation with code blocks, endpoint tables, and request/response examples
  • scientific-paper/ — A two-column academic paper with equations, citations, bibliography, and figures
Open any example folder, set your API key, and click Render to see it in action.