Convert ORG to Textile

Why Convert ORG to Textile?

Converting Org-mode documents to Textile format is essential when you need to share content with teams using Redmine, Trac, or other project management tools that natively support Textile markup. While Org-mode excels for personal productivity within Emacs, Textile provides seamless integration with popular issue tracking systems.

Textile is the default markup language in Redmine, one of the most widely used open-source project management platforms. If your organization uses Redmine for issue tracking and wiki documentation, converting your Org-mode notes to Textile ensures your content renders correctly and is editable by team members who may not use Emacs.

The conversion is particularly valuable for Ruby on Rails developers, as Textile has strong roots in the Ruby community through the RedCloth library. Documentation written in Org-mode can be converted to Textile for use in Rails applications or Ruby-based content management systems.

Textile's syntax is designed to be human-readable and easy to learn. Converting from the more complex Org-mode syntax to Textile simplifies your documents while preserving essential formatting, making content more accessible to collaborators unfamiliar with Org-mode's conventions.

Key Benefits of Converting ORG to Textile:

• Redmine Integration: Native support in Redmine wikis and issues
• Team Collaboration: Accessible to non-Emacs users
• Ruby Ecosystem: Works with Rails and RedCloth
• Wiki Systems: Compatible with Trac and other wikis
• Readable Syntax: Easy for anyone to edit
• HTML Output: Clean HTML generation
• CSS Styling: Supports inline CSS classes

Practical Examples

Example 1: Basic Document Structure

Input ORG file (document.org):

#+TITLE: Project Documentation
#+AUTHOR: Jane Developer

* Introduction

Welcome to the *project documentation*.
This guide covers installation and usage.

* Installation

Install the package using pip:

#+BEGIN_SRC bash
pip install myproject
#+END_SRC

#+BEGIN_NOTE
Requires Python 3.8 or higher.
#+END_NOTE

Output Textile file (document.textile):

h1. Project Documentation

h2. Introduction

Welcome to the *project documentation*.
This guide covers installation and usage.

h2. Installation

Install the package using pip:

bc. pip install myproject

p(note). Requires Python 3.8 or higher.

Example 2: Tables and Lists

Input ORG file (api.org):

* API Endpoints

| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------+----------+-------------|
| GET    | /users   | List users  |
| POST   | /users   | Create user |
| DELETE | /users   | Remove user |

** Parameters
- id :: User identifier
- name :: User's full name
- email :: Email address

Output Textile file (api.textile):

h2. API Endpoints

|_. Method |_. Endpoint |_. Description |
| GET | /users | List users |
| POST | /users | Create user |
| DELETE | /users | Remove user |

h3. Parameters

- *id* - User identifier
- *name* - User's full name
- *email* - Email address

Example 3: Links and Formatting

Input ORG file (guide.org):

* Resources

Check out these /important/ resources:

- [[https://docs.python.org][Python Documentation]]
- [[https://github.com/myproject][Project Repository]]

For questions, contact [email protected]~.

#+BEGIN_QUOTE
This project is licensed under MIT.
#+END_QUOTE

Output Textile file (guide.textile):

h2. Resources

Check out these _important_ resources:

* "Python Documentation":https://docs.python.org
* "Project Repository":https://github.com/myproject

For questions, contact @[email protected]@.

bq. This project is licensed under MIT.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is Textile markup?

A: Textile is a lightweight markup language created by Dean Allen in 2002. It was designed to be easy to read and write while producing clean HTML output. Textile is commonly used in Redmine issue tracking, Trac wiki systems, and Ruby on Rails applications via the RedCloth library.

Q: Will my TODO items be preserved?

A: Textile doesn't have native task management features like Org-mode. TODO states, deadlines, and scheduling information will be converted to plain text. For example, "TODO Write documentation" becomes regular text "TODO Write documentation" without special functionality.

Q: How are code blocks converted?

A: Org-mode code blocks (#+BEGIN_SRC ... #+END_SRC) are converted to Textile's bc. (block code) syntax. However, Textile's code block syntax is more limited and doesn't support language-specific syntax highlighting in the same way as Org-mode or some other formats.

Q: Can I use the output in Redmine?

A: Yes! Textile is Redmine's native markup format. The converted files can be directly pasted into Redmine wiki pages, issue descriptions, and comments. Tables, links, and formatting will render correctly in Redmine's interface.

Q: What about Org-mode tables?

A: Org-mode tables are converted to Textile table syntax using pipes (|). Header rows are marked with |_. prefix. However, spreadsheet formulas are Org-specific and won't be preserved - only the calculated values as static text.

Q: Does Textile support CSS styling?

A: Yes, Textile has good CSS support. You can apply CSS classes using parentheses like p(classname). and IDs using p(#idname). This styling information may need manual adjustment after conversion from Org-mode.

Q: Can I convert back to Org-mode?

A: Yes, using Pandoc you can convert Textile back to Org-mode: `pandoc -f textile -t org input.textile -o output.org`. This is useful if you receive Textile content that you want to incorporate into your Org-mode workflow.

Q: What happens to Org-mode properties?

A: Property drawers and Org-mode specific metadata don't have Textile equivalents and will be omitted during conversion. Document title and author from #+TITLE and #+AUTHOR are typically converted to heading elements.