Convert MD to Textile

Why Convert MD to Textile?

Converting Markdown documents to Textile format is essential when working with Textpattern CMS, Redmine project management, or other platforms that use Textile markup. When you convert MD to Textile, you're transforming Markdown's simple syntax into Textile's more feature-rich markup language that offers better typographic control, native superscript/subscript support, and advanced formatting options.

Textile was created by Dean Allen in 2002 as a "humane web text generator" - a lightweight markup language that's both easy to write and read in plain text while providing powerful formatting capabilities when rendered. Textile powers Textpattern CMS, a popular content management system, and is supported by Redmine (project management), GitHub (comments), and various forums and blog platforms. Unlike Markdown which focuses on simplicity, Textile provides richer typography with features like underline (+text+), strikethrough (-text-), superscript (^super^), and subscript (~sub~).

Our converter uses Pandoc to translate Markdown syntax into Textile markup: # becomes h1., ** becomes *bold*, * becomes _italic_, [links](url) become "links":url, and images convert from  to !file(alt)!. The conversion maintains document structure while unlocking Textile's additional formatting features. Textile's syntax is designed to be intuitive and human-readable, making it easy to manually edit converted content.

Common conversion scenarios include: migrating documentation from GitHub to Textpattern CMS, converting Markdown guides to Redmine wiki format, transforming blog posts for Textile-based platforms, and preparing content for forums that support Textile markup. Textile excels in scenarios requiring fine typographic control, as it supports CSS classes and IDs, alignment options, and advanced table formatting that goes beyond basic Markdown capabilities.

Key Benefits of Converting MD to Textile:

• Textpattern CMS: Publish content to Textpattern-powered websites
• Redmine Integration: Create properly formatted Redmine wiki pages and comments
• Rich Typography: Access superscript, subscript, underline, and strikethrough
• Better Image Control: Align images left, right, center with !<image!, !>image!, !=image!
• Advanced Tables: Create complex tables with colspan and rowspan
• CSS Integration: Add classes and IDs to elements for styling
• Abbreviations: Define abbreviations with ABC(Always Be Closing) syntax

Practical Examples

Example 1: Basic Document Conversion

Input Markdown file (article.md):

# Introduction

This is **bold text** and this is *italic text*.

Here's a [link to example](https://example.com).

## Features

- First item
- Second item
- Third item

Output Textile file (article.textile):

h1. Introduction

This is *bold text* and this is _italic text_.

Here's a "link to example":https://example.com.

h2. Features

* First item
* Second item
* Third item

Example 2: Rich Typography Features

Input Markdown file (science.md) - with HTML for special chars:

# Chemical Formula

Water formula: H<sub>2</sub>O

Einstein equation: E=mc<sup>2</sup>

~~This text is crossed out~~

Output Textile file (science.textile) - native support:

h1. Chemical Formula

Water formula: H~2~O

Einstein equation: E=mc^2^

-This text is crossed out-

Example 3: Redmine Wiki Page

Input Markdown file (project.md):

# Project Overview

**Status:** Active
**Priority:** High

## Tasks

1. Setup environment
2. Write documentation
3. Deploy application

> Note: Remember to test before deploying.

Output Textile file (project.textile) - for Redmine:

h1. Project Overview

*Status:* Active
*Priority:* High

h2. Tasks

# Setup environment
# Write documentation
# Deploy application

bq. Note: Remember to test before deploying.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is Textile?

A: Textile is a lightweight markup language created by Dean Allen in 2002. It's designed to be easy to read and write in plain text while generating clean HTML. Textile uses intuitive syntax like *bold*, _italic_, "link":url, and h1. for headers. It's used by Textpattern CMS, Redmine, and GitHub (legacy support).

Q: How does Textile syntax differ from Markdown?

A: Main differences: Headers use h1., h2. (not #, ##), bold uses * (not **), italic uses _ (not *), links are "text":url (not [text](url)), and images are !file! (not ). Textile has native support for underline (+text+), strikethrough (-text-), superscript (^super^), and subscript (~sub~) which Markdown lacks.

Q: Can I use converted Textile in Textpattern CMS?

A: Yes! Textpattern CMS natively supports Textile markup. After conversion, you can paste the Textile content directly into Textpattern articles. The CMS will render the Textile markup as formatted HTML. You can further enhance it with Textile-specific features like CSS classes, alignment, and advanced tables.

Q: Does Redmine support Textile?

A: Yes! Redmine (project management software) uses Textile as its primary wiki markup language. Converted Textile files work perfectly in Redmine wikis, issues, comments, and forums. Redmine also adds its own Textile extensions like ticket linking (#123) and user mentions (@username).

Q: How do I add superscript and subscript in Textile?

A: Textile has native support! Use ^text^ for superscript (E=mc^2^ → E=mc²) and ~text~ for subscript (H~2~O → H₂O). This is much cleaner than Markdown which requires HTML tags (<sup> and <sub>). After conversion, you can add these directly to your Textile files.

Q: Can I style elements with CSS classes in Textile?

A: Yes! Textile supports CSS classes and IDs. Use p(classname). for paragraphs with classes, h1(#id). for headers with IDs, and *(classname)bold* for inline styling. For example: p(alert). This is a warning creates <p class="alert">. This is much more powerful than basic Markdown.

Q: What are the advantages of Textile over Markdown?

A: Textile offers: native underline, strikethrough, superscript, subscript; better image alignment (!<image!, !>image!); CSS classes and IDs on any element; definition lists; advanced table features (colspan, rowspan); abbreviation definitions. Textile is more feature-rich for publishing, while Markdown is simpler for basic documentation.

Q: Is Textile still actively used?

A: Yes, though less popular than Markdown. Textile is actively maintained and used by: Textpattern CMS community, Redmine installations worldwide, some GitHub comments (legacy), forums and blogs. While Markdown dominates documentation, Textile remains strong in CMS and project management contexts where its richer feature set is valuable.