Markdown-visual is a simple markdown visualizer for Power BI. It uses the showdown.js library (a bidirectional Markdown to HTML converter) and is free from external dependencies. This tool enables you to render markdown content within your Power BI reports, making it easier to communicate information effectively.
Important Update: We have now added a sanitization layer to the HTML generated by showdown.js. We use the DOMPurify library to sanitize the HTML content before setting it to the target element. This significantly improves the safety of the HTML content by removing any potentially malicious content. However, it's important to note that no sanitization method can guarantee 100% safety. Therefore, always be cautious when dealing with HTML content, even when it has been sanitized. Please make sure to always use the
sanitizeAndSetHtmlmethod when you need to set HTML content to an element, to ensure that the content is as safe as possible.
- Seamless integration with Power BI reports.
- No external dependencies required.
- Easy rendering of markdown content.
To use markdown-visual in your Power BI reports, you have two options:
Option 1: Install from Microsoft AppSource (Recommended)
The visual is now available on Microsoft AppSource.
- In Power BI Desktop, click on "Insert" > "More visuals" > "Get more visuals."
- Search for "Markdown Visual" in AppSource.
- Click "Add" to install the visual to your Power BI Desktop.
- Add the visual to your report and add a field that contains markdown. Please note that you might have to change the aggregation to "First" if nothing is shown.
Option 2: Install from GitHub Releases
- Download the latest release from the GitHub releases page.
- Add the markdown-visual to your report:
- Click on "Insert" > "Visual."
- Choose "Import a custom visual."
- Select the downloaded .pbiviz file.
- Add the visual to your report and add a field that contains markdown. Please note that you might have to change the aggregation to "First" if nothing is shown.
# Heading 1
This is a simple markdown visualizer for Power BI.
## Heading 2
It supports various markdown features such as **bold**, *italic*, and [links](https://example.com).
- Lists
- Are
- Also
- SupportedWe personally use markdown-visual to display the contents of GitHub issues for stakeholders. The example report "github-issues.pbix" demonstrates how to fetch and present GitHub issue data in Power BI.
If you want to run the visual locally or create a .pbiviz package, the project now relies on the powerbi-visuals-webpack-plugin.
# install once
npm install
# start the HTTPS dev server on https://localhost:8080
npm run start
# create an optimized .pbiviz package in the dist folder
npm run package
# optional: install a trusted development certificate (only required once)
This visual processes markdown content locally within your Power BI environment and does not send data to external servers. For detailed information about data handling, security measures, and your privacy rights, please see our comprehensive Privacy Policy.
Key privacy highlights:
- Local Processing Only: All markdown conversion and rendering occurs in your browser
- No Data Storage: No persistent storage of your content
- Content Sanitization: HTML output is sanitized for security using DOMPurify
- External Image Fetching: If your markdown references images hosted externally (e.g.,
), your browser will fetch those images from the external hosts. - No Other External Requests: The visual itself does not send your data to external servers.
We welcome contributions to markdown-visual. If you'd like to contribute, please follow these guidelines:
- Fork the repository.
- Create a new branch for your feature or bug fix.
- Make your changes and ensure the code is well-documented.
- Submit a pull request, explaining the changes you made and why they are necessary.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.