Quarto Authoring

Quarto Authoring

This skill is based on Quarto CLI v1.8.26.

When to Use What

Task: Write a new Quarto document Use: Follow "QMD Essentials" below, then see specific reference files

Task: Convert R Markdown to Quarto Use: references/​conversion-rmarkdown.md

Task: Migrate bookdown project Use: references/​conversion-bookdown.md

Task: Migrate xaringan slides Use: references/​conversion-xaringan.md

Task: Migrate distill article Use: references/​conversion-distill.md

Task: Migrate blogdown site Use: references/​conversion-blogdown.md

Task: Add cross-references Use: references/​cross-references.md

Task: Configure code cells Use: references/​code-cells.md

Task: Add figures with captions Use: references/​figures.md

Task: Create tables Use: references/​tables.md

Task: Add citations and bibliography Use: references/​citations.md

Task: Add callout blocks Use: references/​callouts.md

Task: Add diagrams (Mermaid, Graphviz) Use: references/​diagrams.md

Task: Control page layout Use: references/​layout.md

Task: Use shortcodes Use: references/​shortcodes.md

Task: Add conditional content Use: references/​conditional-content.md

Task: Use divs and spans Use: references/​divs-and-spans.md

Task: Configure YAML front matter Use: references/​yaml-front-matter.md

Task: Find and use extensions Use: references/​extensions.md

Task: Apply markdown linting rules Use: references/​markdown-linting.md

QMD Essentials

Basic Document Structure

---
title: "Document Title"
author: "Author Name"
date: today
format: html
---

Content goes here.

A Quarto document consists of two main parts:

1. YAML Front Matter: Metadata and configuration at the top, enclosed by ---.
2. Markdown Content: Main body using standard markdown syntax.

Divs and Spans

Divs use fenced syntax with three colons:

::: {.class-name}
Content inside the div.
:::

Spans use bracketed syntax:

This is [important text]{.highlight}.

Details: references/​divs-and-spans.md

Code Cell Options Syntax

A code cell starts with triple backticks and a language identifier between curly braces. Code cells are code blocks that can be executed to produce output.

Quarto uses the language's comment symbol + | for cell options. Options use dashes, not dots (e.g., fig-cap not fig.cap).

• R, Python: #|
• Mermaid: %%|
• Graphviz/​DOT: //|

```{r}
#| label: fig-example
#| echo: false
#| fig-cap: "A scatter plot example."
#| fig-width: 8
#| fig-height: 6

plot(x, y)
```

Common execution options:

Set document-level defaults in YAML front matter:

execute:
  echo: false
  warning: false

Details: references/​code-cells.md

Cross-References

Labels must start with a type prefix. Reference with @:

• Figure: fig- prefix, e.g., #| label: fig-plot → @fig-plot
• Table: tbl- prefix, e.g., #| label: tbl-data → @tbl-data
• Section: sec- prefix, e.g., {#sec-intro} → @sec-intro
• Equation: eq- prefix, e.g., {#eq-model} → @eq-model

Example:

::: {#fig-plot}
A plot.

A caption for the plot.
:::

See @fig-plot for the results.

```{r}
#| label: fig-plot
#| fig-cap: "A caption for the plot."
plot(1)
```

See @fig-plot for the results.

Details: references/​cross-references.md

Callout Blocks

Five types: note, warning, important, tip, caution.

::: {.callout-note}
This is a note callout.
:::

::: {.callout-warning}

## Custom Title

This is a warning with a custom title.

:::

Details: references/​callouts.md

Figures

Basic figure with caption:

![Caption text](image.png){#fig-name fig-alt="Alt text"}

Subfigures:

::: {#fig-group layout-ncol=2}
![Sub caption 1](image1.png){#fig-sub1}

![Sub caption 2](image2.png){#fig-sub2}

Main caption for the group.
:::

Details: references/​figures.md

Tables

Pipe table with caption:

::: {#tbl-example}

| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| -------- | -------- |
| Data 1   | Data 2   |

Table caption.
:::

Details: references/​tables.md

Citations

Basic syntax:

According to @smith2020, the results show...
Multiple citations [@smith2020; @jones2021].
Parenthetical only [-@smith2020].

Configure in YAML:

bibliography: references.bib
csl: apa.csl

Details: references/​citations.md

Common Workflows

Creating an HTML Document

title: "My Report"
author: "Your Name"
date: today
format:
  html:
    toc: true
    code-fold: true
    theme: cosmo

Creating a PDF Document

title: "My Report"
format:
  pdf:
    documentclass: article
    papersize: a4

Creating a RevealJS Presentation

---
title: "My Presentation"
format: revealjs
---

## First Slide

Content here.

## Second Slide

More content.

Setting Up a Quarto Project

Create _quarto.yml in the project root:

project:
  type: website

website:
  title: "My Site"
  navbar:
    left:
      - href: index.qmd
        text: Home
      - href: about.qmd
        text: About

format:
  html:
    theme: cosmo

Resources

Reference Files

• references/​code-cells.md - Hashpipe syntax, execution options, code display
• references/​cross-references.md - Labels, prefixes, all reference types
• references/​figures.md - Figures, subfigures, layouts, lightbox
• references/​tables.md - Pipe tables, grid tables, styling
• references/​citations.md - Bibliography, CSL, footnotes
• references/​callouts.md - Callout types, appearance, collapsible
• references/​diagrams.md - Mermaid, Graphviz/​DOT
• references/​layout.md - Column classes, margin content
• references/​shortcodes.md - Built-in shortcodes
• references/​conditional-content.md - Format-specific content
• references/​divs-and-spans.md - Fenced divs, spans, raw blocks
• references/​yaml-front-matter.md - Document and project YAML
• references/​extensions.md - Using and finding extensions
• references/​markdown-linting.md - Markdown linting rules for Quarto

Conversion Guides

• references/​conversion-rmarkdown.md - R Markdown to Quarto
• references/​conversion-bookdown.md - bookdown to Quarto
• references/​conversion-xaringan.md - xaringan to RevealJS
• references/​conversion-distill.md - distill to Quarto
• references/​conversion-blogdown.md - blogdown to Quarto website

External Resources

• Quarto Documentation
• Quarto Guide
• Quarto Extensions
• Community Extensions List