ScriptEngineManager manager = new ScriptEngineManager();
ScriptEngine jsEngine = manager.getEngineByName("js");
try
{
    jsEngine.eval(new InputStreamReader(getClass().getResourceAsStream("showdown.js")));
    showdownConverter = jsEngine.eval("new Showdown.converter()");
}
catch (Exception e)
{
    log.error("could not create showdown converter", e);
}

try
{
    return ((Invocable) jsEngine).invokeMethod(
        showdownConverter, 
        "makeHtml", 
        markdownString
    ) + "";
}
catch (Exception e)
{
    log.error("error while converting markdown to html", e);
    return "[could not convert input]";
}

<cfscript>
manager = createObject("java", "javax.script.ScriptEngineManager").init();
jsEngine = manager.getEngineByName("js");

showdownJS = fileRead('#getDirectoryFromPath(getCurrentTemplatePath())#/showdown.js');

jsEngine.eval(showdownJS);
showdownConverter = jsEngine.eval("new Showdown.converter()");

markdownString = fileRead("#getDirectoryFromPath(getCurrentTemplatePath())#/markdown.txt");

args = [markdownString];

result = jsEngine.invokeMethod(
    showdownConverter,
    "makeHtml",
    args
) & "";
</cfscript>

Showdown Demo
-------------

You can try out Showdown on this page:

  - Type some [Markdown] text on the left side.
  - See the corresponding HTML on the right.

For a Markdown cheat-sheet, switch the right-hand window from *Preview* to *Syntax Guide*.

Showdown is a JavaScript port of the original Perl version of Markdown.  You can get the full [source code] by clicking on the version number at the bottom of the page.

Also check out [WMD, the Wysiwym Markdown Editor][wmd].  It'll be open source soon; email me at the address below if you'd like to help me test the standalone version.

**Start with a [blank page] or edit this document in the left window.**

  [Markdown]: http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/
  [source code]: http://attacklab.net/showdown/showdown-v0.9.zip
  [wmd]: http://wmd-editor.com/
  [blank page]: ?blank=1 "Clear all text"

<cfcomponent output="false" accessors="true">
    <cffunction name="init" output="false" access="public" returntype="Showdown" hint="Constructor">
        <cfset variables.manager = createObject("java", "javax.script.ScriptEngineManager").init()>
        <cfset variables.engine = manager.getEngineByName("javascript")>
        <cfreturn this/>
    </cffunction>

    <cffunction name="toHTML" output="false" access="public" returntype="any" hint="">
        <cfargument name="markdownText" type="string" required="true"/>
        <cfset var local = structNew()/>
        <cfset var bindings = variables.engine.createBindings()>
        <cfset var result = "">

        <cftry>
            <cfset bindings.put("markdownText", arguments.markdownText)>
            <cfset variables.engine.setBindings(bindings, createObject("java", "javax.script.ScriptContext").ENGINE_SCOPE)>
            <cfset var showdownJS = fileRead('#getDirectoryFromPath(getCurrentTemplatePath())#/showdown.js')>
            <cfset showdownJS &= showdownAdapterJS()>
            <cfset result = engine.eval(showdownJS)>
            <cfcatch type="javax.script.ScriptException">
                <cfset result = "The script had an error: " & cfcatch.Message>
            </cfcatch>
        </cftry>

        <cfreturn result>
    </cffunction>

    <cffunction name="showdownAdapterJS" output="false" access="private" returntype="string" hint="">
        <cfset var local = structNew()/>
<cfsavecontent variable="local.javascript">
<cfoutput>#chr(13)##chr(10)#var __converter = new Showdown.converter();
__converter.makeHtml(markdownText);</cfoutput>
</cfsavecontent>
        <cfreturn local.javascript>
    </cffunction>
</cfcomponent>

<cfset showdown = createObject("component", "Showdown").init()>
<cfset markdownString = fileRead("#getDirectoryFromPath(getCurrentTemplatePath())#/markdown.txt")>
<cfoutput>#showdown.toHTML(markdownString)#</cfoutput>