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Microsoft Word to GitHub Wiki Workflow with Writage

Introduction​

This is a guide on how to use the Writage add-in for Microsoft Word to write and edit GitHub wiki pages directly from Word.

This could be beneficial for writers who prefer Word's familiar interface and features, while still being able to leverage GitHub's version control and collaboration capabilities.

Writage is a Markdown editor add-in for Microsoft Word. It allows users to write and edit Markdown documents directly within Word, making it easier to create and format content for GitHub wikis.

A Markdown document pushed to the wiki repository will appear as a new page on the wiki.

Prerequisites​

Instructions​

Setting up Writage​

  1. Follow the installation prompts to set up the Writage add-in.

A graphic showing the Writage installation process

Writage in Microsoft Word​

Once you install the Writage add-in, you can write and edit a Markdown document like a regular Word document. With Writage, you can open existing Markdown files directly in Word, and save Word documents as Markdown files.A graphic showing the Writage interface in Microsoft Word

Converting a Markdown document into a PDF file​

  1. Open the Markdown document in Word.
  2. Click File > Save as.
  3. Select PDF in the file type drop-down menu.
  4. Save the file in a chosen location.

Cloning a GitHub Wiki to GitHub Desktop​

GitHub Desktop doesn't automatically clone a GitHub Wiki. You will have to clone it manually.

  1. Open the wiki and copy the URL in the page’s lower right corner.

    A screenshot of this wiki's homepage

  2. In GitHub Desktop, press CTRL+SHIFT+O to open the "Clone a Repository" dialog.

  3. Click on the URL tab.

  4. Paste the wiki’s URL and press Clone.

    A screenshot of a cloning dialog in GitHub Desktop

Pushing a Markdown document to a GitHub Wiki​

Once you've written a Markdown document in Word, you can push it to the GitHub Repository wiki without needing to copy and paste it to the GitHub Markdown editor and format it there.

  1. Save the Markdown document to the wiki folder set up when installing GitHub Desktop.
  2. Open the GitHub Desktop app.
  3. Select the wiki repository.
  4. Commit the changes (add a summary).
  5. Press CTRL+P to push the changes to the wiki.

NOTE: Add a summary to the file before it can be pushed to the wiki. The summary briefly describes the changes made to the document, which helps other contributors understand the updates without reading the entire document.

A screenshot of the commit dialog in GitHub Desktop

  1. Open the wiki in a browser to double-check the updated wiki.

Repeat the steps to push the document to GitHub when creating a new document or editing an existing document.