Convert RTF to Textile

Why Convert RTF to Textile?

Converting RTF documents to Textile format is the ideal solution when you need to bring formatted content into Redmine project management, Textpattern CMS, or wiki-based documentation systems. Textile is a lightweight markup language that was designed specifically for web writers who want readable formatting without writing raw HTML. When your documentation, issue descriptions, or articles exist in RTF format, converting to Textile enables direct use in these platforms while preserving the essential formatting structure.

Textile offers a remarkably expressive syntax that is more feature-rich than Markdown in several important areas. Features like underline (+text+), strikethrough (-text-), superscript (^text^), subscript (~text~), footnotes, acronym expansion, and CSS class/ID assignment on any element give authors fine-grained control over their content. Textile's table syntax supports headers (|_. Header|), colspan (\2. spans two columns), and rowspan (/2. spans two rows), making it capable of representing complex tabular data that simpler markup languages cannot handle.

Redmine, one of the most popular open-source project management tools, uses Textile as its default markup language for issues, wiki pages, news, and documentation. Converting RTF documentation to Textile enables teams to import user guides, technical specifications, and project documentation directly into Redmine's wiki system. This centralizes all project information in one searchable, version-controlled platform that the entire team can access and edit collaboratively.

The resulting Textile file contains clean, readable plain text with intuitive markup symbols that convert to semantic HTML. Textile's philosophy of being "as easy to read as it is to write" means that even users unfamiliar with markup languages can understand and edit Textile documents. This makes it an excellent choice for teams where not everyone is technical but everyone needs to contribute to documentation.

Key Benefits of Converting RTF to Textile:

• Redmine Integration: Default markup for issues, wikis, and project documentation
• Intuitive Syntax: *bold*, _italic_, +underline+, @code@, -strikethrough-
• Rich Table Support: Headers, colspan, rowspan, and cell alignment
• Footnotes and Acronyms: Built-in support for footnotes [1] and acronym expansion
• CSS Styling: Apply classes and IDs to any element for custom styling
• Clean HTML Output: Converts to semantic, well-structured HTML
• Version Control: Plain text format works perfectly with Git repositories

Practical Examples

Example 1: Converting Project Documentation

Input RTF file (user_guide.rtf):

User Guide
Introduction
Welcome to the application user guide.

Installation Steps:
1. Download the installer
2. Run setup.exe
3. Follow the wizard

Note: Requires Windows 10 or higher.

Output Textile file (user_guide.textile):

h1. User Guide

h2. Introduction

Welcome to the application user guide.

h2. Installation Steps

# Download the installer
# Run setup.exe
# Follow the wizard

p(note). *Note:* Requires Windows 10 or higher.

Example 2: Converting a Redmine Bug Report

Input RTF file (bug_report.rtf):

Bug Report: Login Failure with Special Characters
Description:
Users cannot log in when passwords contain special characters.

Steps to Reproduce:
- Create account with password: Test@123!
- Attempt to log in
- Error message is displayed

Expected: Login succeeds
Actual: Error "Invalid credentials"

Output Textile file (bug_report.textile):

h1. Bug Report: Login Failure with Special Characters

h2. Description

Users cannot log in when passwords contain special characters.

h2. Steps to Reproduce

* Create account with password: @Test@123!@
* Attempt to log in
* Error message is displayed

*Expected:* Login succeeds
*Actual:* Error "Invalid credentials"

Example 3: Converting a Product Comparison Table

Input RTF file (comparison.rtf):

Product Comparison
Feature    Basic    Pro    Enterprise
Users      10       50     Unlimited
Storage    1GB      10GB   100GB
Support    Email    Phone  24/7 Priority

Output Textile file (comparison.textile):

h1. Product Comparison

|_. Feature |_. Basic |_. Pro |_. Enterprise |
| Users | 10 | 50 | Unlimited |
| Storage | 1GB | 10GB | 100GB |
| Support | Email | Phone | 24/7 Priority |

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is Textile and where is it used?

A: Textile is a lightweight markup language created by Dean Allen in 2002, designed for web writers who want simple, readable formatting that converts to clean HTML. It's used primarily in Redmine (project management and issue tracking), Textpattern CMS (content management), and some wiki systems. Its syntax includes *bold*, _italic_, +underline+, @code@, and h1. through h6. for headers.

Q: How does Textile compare to Markdown?

A: Textile offers more formatting options than Markdown: underline (+text+), strikethrough (-text-), superscript/subscript, definition lists, footnotes, acronym expansion, and CSS classes/IDs on any element. Tables support colspan and rowspan. Markdown is simpler, more popular, and widely supported (GitHub, Stack Overflow). Choose Textile for Redmine or when you need advanced formatting; choose Markdown for broader platform compatibility.

Q: Will my RTF formatting be preserved in Textile?

A: Yes, core formatting like bold, italic, headings, lists, and tables is fully converted to Textile equivalents. RTF features like custom fonts and colors don't have direct Textile counterparts, but you can apply CSS classes to Textile elements for styling. The text content and document structure are preserved accurately, producing clean Textile markup ready for Redmine, Textpattern, or any Textile-compatible platform.

Q: How do I create tables in Textile?

A: Basic tables use pipes: |Cell 1|Cell 2| for each row. Headers use |_. Header 1|_. Header 2|. Alignment: |<. left-aligned|>. right-aligned|=. centered|. Colspan uses \2. to span two columns, and rowspan uses /2. to span two rows. Cell and row classes are supported: |(class). Cell|. Textile tables are more powerful than Markdown's, supporting complex layouts with spanning and styling.

Q: How do I format text in Textile?

A: Bold: *text*, Italic: _text_, Underline: +text+, Strikethrough: -text-, Superscript: ^text^, Subscript: ~text~, Inline code: @code@, Citation: ??text??. Combine styles: *_bold italic_*. Headers use h1. through h6. followed by text. Paragraph attributes: p(class). for CSS class, p{color:red}. for inline style. Links: "link text":url. Images: !image_url!.

Q: What are Textile's advanced features?

A: Textile includes footnotes (text[1] with fn1. footnote content), acronym expansion (ABC(Always Be Coding) shows tooltip on hover), block quotes (bq. quoted text), code blocks (bc. code), definition lists (- term := definition), and CSS class/ID assignment on any element. You can also embed raw HTML within Textile documents. These features make Textile more expressive than basic Markdown.

Q: Can I use Textile outside of Redmine?

A: Yes! While Redmine is the most prominent user, Textile is supported by Textpattern CMS, and parsers exist for all major programming languages: RedCloth (Ruby, the reference implementation), PHP-Textile (PHP), python-textile (Python), and textile-js (JavaScript). Pandoc also supports Textile conversion. You can use Textile in any project and convert it to HTML using these libraries.

Q: How do I create lists in Textile?

A: Unordered lists use * for items (** for nested, *** for deeper nesting). Ordered lists use # (## for nested). Mixed nesting works: start with * for unordered, then ## for nested ordered items. Definition lists use - term := definition. No blank lines are needed between list items. Textile automatically determines nesting depth based on the number of * or # characters at the start of each line.