markupdriven

Markupdriven refers to practices where markup languages determine the structure, organization, and presentation of content or data. In a markupdriven workflow, content is authored in markup syntax such as HTML, XML, Markdown, or reStructuredText, and rendering engines or transformers produce the final outputs.

The approach emphasizes the role of content as the primary source, with formatting rules expressed as markup rather than embedded in application code. It enables multi-output pipelines because the same markup source can be transformed into web pages, printed documents, APIs, or other formats by applying different stylesheets or templates. It is often contrasted with code-driven templating or WYSIWYG workflows.

Common domains include documentation, technical publishing, and content management, where markup-based authoring dominates: XML-based standards like DITA or DocBook; Markdown-driven documentation ecosystems; and static site generators that convert Markdown or reStructuredText into HTML. Toolchains such as Jekyll, Hugo, Sphinx, MkDocs, and Pandoc exemplify this pattern, as do XML publishing pipelines in enterprise contexts.

Benefits include a clear separation between content and presentation, easier version control and diffs, language-agnostic processing, and flexible multi-format publishing. Challenges include handling complex layouts with markup, the need for accompanying style or transformation layers, and potential learning curve for authors new to markup syntax.

Related concepts include markup language, content management, templating, and declarative publishing.