Convert Typst to Textile

Why Convert Typst to Textile?

Converting Typst documents to Textile format enables publishing professionally typeset content on platforms that use Textile markup, most notably Redmine and Trac project management systems. While Typst produces beautiful printed documents, Textile provides a lightweight web-friendly format for sharing content on collaborative platforms.

Redmine, one of the most popular open-source project management tools, uses Textile as its default markup language for wiki pages, issue descriptions, and project documentation. Converting Typst reports and technical documentation to Textile allows seamless integration into Redmine-based project workflows without manual reformatting.

Textile's syntax shares some similarities with Typst: both use * for bold and _ for italic text. However, headings, tables, lists, and other structural elements use different conventions. The conversion handles these differences automatically, transforming Typst's = headings into Textile's h1. format and #table() into Textile's pipe-based table syntax.

For teams that author technical documents in Typst but maintain project wikis in Redmine or Trac, this conversion streamlines the workflow. Research reports, meeting notes, and technical specifications written in Typst can be published directly to Textile-powered platforms, ensuring that the project documentation stays up to date with the latest authored content.

Key Benefits of Converting Typst to Textile:

• Redmine Publishing: Post directly to Redmine wiki and issue trackers
• Trac Integration: Share content on Trac-powered project sites
• Web-Ready: Textile converts directly to styled HTML
• CSS Styling: Textile supports inline CSS classes and IDs
• Human-Readable: Textile source is easy to read and edit
• Footnote Support: Academic footnotes preserved in Textile format
• Table Formatting: Typst tables convert to Textile table syntax

Practical Examples

Example 1: Technical Report

Input Typst file (report.typ):

= Sprint Report

== Completed Tasks

The team completed *12 user stories*
and fixed _8 critical bugs_ during
this sprint.

=== Key Achievements
- Deployed v2.0 to production
- Reduced API latency by 40%
- Added OAuth2 authentication

Output Textile file (report.textile):

h1. Sprint Report

h2. Completed Tasks

The team completed *12 user stories*
and fixed _8 critical bugs_ during
this sprint.

h3. Key Achievements
* Deployed v2.0 to production
* Reduced API latency by 40%
* Added OAuth2 authentication

Example 2: Table Data

Input Typst file (metrics.typ):

== Performance Metrics

#table(
  columns: 3,
  [*Service*], [*Latency*], [*Uptime*],
  [API],       [45ms],      [99.9%],
  [Database],  [12ms],      [99.95%],
  [Cache],     [2ms],       [99.99%],
)

Output Textile file (metrics.textile):

h2. Performance Metrics

|_. Service |_. Latency |_. Uptime |
| API       | 45ms      | 99.9%   |
| Database  | 12ms      | 99.95%  |
| Cache     | 2ms       | 99.99%  |

Example 3: Documentation with Code

Input Typst file (docs.typ):

= API Documentation

== Authentication

All requests require a *Bearer token*
in the Authorization header.

```python
import requests

headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN"}
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
```

For more details, see the _security guide_.

Output Textile file (docs.textile):

h1. API Documentation

h2. Authentication

All requests require a *Bearer token*
in the Authorization header.

bc. import requests
headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN"}
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

For more details, see the _security guide_.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is Textile markup?

A: Textile is a lightweight markup language created by Dean Allen in 2002 for web content authoring. It uses symbols like h1. for headings, * for bold, _ for italic, and | for tables. Textile is the default markup in Redmine and Trac and converts directly to HTML for web display.

Q: How does Textile differ from Markdown?

A: Textile uses different syntax conventions: h1. instead of #, uses periods after heading levels, supports CSS class/ID attributes natively, and has different table syntax. Textile is less widely used than Markdown but is the standard in Redmine and certain CMS platforms. Textile also supports footnotes and block-level attributes out of the box.

Q: Are Typst math equations preserved?

A: Textile has no native mathematical notation support. Typst equations are converted to plain text representations. If the target platform supports MathJax or similar libraries, you can wrap equations in appropriate HTML tags. For math-heavy documents, consider converting to HTML or Markdown with MathJax support instead.

Q: Can I use the output in Redmine directly?

A: Yes. The converted Textile output is fully compatible with Redmine's wiki syntax. You can paste it directly into Redmine wiki pages, issue descriptions, or project documentation. Headings, lists, tables, bold, italic, and code blocks all render correctly in Redmine.

Q: How are Typst tables converted?

A: Typst's #table() function is converted to Textile's pipe-based table syntax. Header cells use the |_. prefix, and data cells use the standard | prefix. Column formatting and cell content are preserved. The resulting tables render correctly in any Textile processor.

Q: What about Typst images and figures?

A: Typst #figure() and #image() references are converted to Textile image syntax (!url!). Figure captions are preserved as text below the image. The actual image files need to be uploaded separately to the target platform for the images to display correctly.

Q: Does Textile support code highlighting?

A: Textile provides code blocks using the bc. (block code) prefix. While Textile itself does not specify syntax highlighting, platforms like Redmine apply highlighting based on the code language. Typst code blocks are converted to Textile bc. blocks with appropriate formatting.

Q: Is Textile still actively used?

A: Yes. While Markdown has become more popular for general use, Textile remains the default markup language in Redmine (widely used for project management in thousands of organizations), Trac, and Textpattern CMS. Many development teams use Textile daily through their Redmine installations.