#Installation & Usage

Zolt can be used in two primary ways: as a Command Line Interface (CLI) or as a library integrated into your TypeScript/JavaScript projects.

#Using the CLI

The CLI is the easiest way to build your Zolt documents. You can run it immediately using a package runner (npx, bunx, etc.).

#Quick Start with Package Runners

If you have a JavaScript package manager installed, you can build a Zolt file without installing anything globally:

bunx @marmotz/zolt build your-file.zlt -o output.html

npx @marmotz/zolt build your-file.zlt -o output.html

pnpm dlx @marmotz/zolt build your-file.zlt -o output.html

yarn dlx @marmotz/zolt build your-file.zlt -o output.html

#Live Preview

Zolt includes a built-in live preview mode with automatic page reloading (LiveReload). This is the recommended way to work on your documents:

bunx @marmotz/zolt build index.zlt --server

This will build your project, start a live preview server at http://127.0.0.1:1302 , and automatically rebuild and refresh your browser whenever you save a file.

#CLI Commands Reference

For a complete list of commands and options, see the CLI Commands Reference .

#Programmatic Usage (API)

You can integrate Zolt directly into your Node.js applications by using it as a library.

#Installation

Install the package in your project:

bun add @marmotz/zolt

npm install --save @marmotz/zolt

pnpm add @marmotz/zolt

yarn add @marmotz/zolt

#Usage

Import the high-level functions to build Zolt content programmatically:

import { buildFile, buildString, buildFileToString } from '@marmotz/zolt';

// Option A: Build a file to a specific output path
await buildFile('input.zlt', 'output.html', {
  variables: { author: 'Zolt User' }
});

// Option B: Build a string and get the resulting HTML
const html = await buildString('# Hello {$name}', {
  variables: { name: 'World' }
});

console.log(html); // "<h1>Hello World</h1>"

// Option C: Build a file and get the resulting HTML as a string
const htmlFromFile = await buildFileToString('input.zlt', {
  variables: { author: 'Zolt User' }
});

#Creating Your First Document

Create a file named hello.zlt and add some Zolt syntax:

---
title: "Hello Zolt"
author: "Your Name"
---

# Welcome to Zolt!

This is a **bold** statement and this is //italic//.

:::info [Note]
Zolt is awesome!
:::

Current date: {{ Date.buildTime() }}

Then build it:

bunx @marmotz/zolt build hello.zlt -o hello.html

npx @marmotz/zolt build hello.zlt -o hello.html

pnpm dlx @marmotz/zolt build hello.zlt -o hello.html

yarn dlx @marmotz/zolt build hello.zlt -o hello.html

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