Convert YML to Textile

Why Convert YML to Textile?

Converting YML files to Textile markup is particularly valuable for teams that use Redmine for project management. Redmine uses Textile as its default formatting language for wiki pages, issue descriptions, and project documentation. By converting YML configuration files and data to Textile, you can automatically generate well-formatted Redmine wiki pages documenting your infrastructure, application settings, and deployment configurations.

TextPattern CMS also uses Textile as its content formatting language. If your website or blog runs on TextPattern, converting YML data sources to Textile enables automatic content generation. The Textile format is also useful for creating formatted content in any system that supports the RedCloth (Ruby), php-textile (PHP), or python-textile (Python) libraries.

Key Benefits of Converting YML to Textile:

• Redmine Integration: Generate formatted wiki pages and issue descriptions from YML config files
• TextPattern Content: Create CMS content from structured YML data sources
• Table Generation: Textile's table syntax makes data presentation clean and readable
• CSS Styling: Textile supports inline CSS classes, enabling styled output
• Human Readable: Textile output is easy to read even without rendering
• HTML Output: Textile converts directly to clean, valid HTML for web display

Practical Examples

Example 1: Redmine Project Wiki Page

Input YML file (deploy-config.yml):

deployment:
  environment: production
  server: web-prod-01.example.com
  database:
    host: db-prod.example.com
    port: 5432
    name: myapp_production
  services:
    - name: nginx
      version: 1.24
    - name: redis
      version: 7.2
    - name: sidekiq
      workers: 5

Output Textile file (deploy-config.textile):

h1. Deployment Configuration

h2. Environment

*environment:* production
*server:* web-prod-01.example.com

h2. Database

|_. Property |_. Value |
| host | db-prod.example.com |
| port | 5432 |
| name | myapp_production |

h2. Services

|_. Name |_. Details |
| nginx | version: 1.24 |
| redis | version: 7.2 |
| sidekiq | workers: 5 |

Example 2: API Endpoint Documentation

Input YML file (api-spec.yml):

api:
  base_url: https://api.example.com/v2
  endpoints:
    - path: /users
      method: GET
      description: List all users
      auth: required
    - path: /users/{id}
      method: PUT
      description: Update a user
      auth: required

Output: A Textile document with the API base URL as a heading, and a formatted table of endpoints showing path, HTTP method, description, and authentication requirements. The output is ready to paste into a Redmine wiki page or TextPattern article.

Example 3: Kubernetes Deployment Manifest

Input YML file (deployment.yml):

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: frontend-app
  namespace: production
spec:
  replicas: 3
  containers:
    - name: nginx
      image: nginx:1.25
      ports:
        - containerPort: 80
    - name: php-fpm
      image: php:8.2-fpm
      ports:
        - containerPort: 9000

Output Textile renders as:

h1. Kubernetes Deployment: frontend-app

h2. Metadata

|_. Property |_. Value |
| apiVersion | apps/v1 |
| kind | Deployment |
| name | frontend-app |
| namespace | production |

h2. Spec

*replicas:* 3

h3. Containers

|_. Name |_. Image |_. Port |
| nginx | nginx:1.25 | 80 |
| php-fpm | php:8.2-fpm | 9000 |

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the difference between .yml and .yaml?

A: There is no functional difference. Both extensions represent the same YAML format. The .yml extension is shorter and commonly used by Docker Compose, Ruby on Rails, Travis CI, and GitHub Actions. The .yaml extension is the official recommendation from the YAML specification. Our converter handles both identically.

Q: What is the difference between Textile and Markdown?

A: Both are lightweight markup languages, but they differ in syntax and ecosystem. Textile uses h1. for headings and *bold* for bold text, while Markdown uses # and **bold**. Textile has built-in CSS class support and is the default in Redmine. Markdown is more widely adopted on platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Stack Overflow.

Q: Can I use the output in Redmine directly?

A: Yes. Redmine uses Textile as its default text formatting language. You can paste the converted Textile content directly into Redmine wiki pages, issue descriptions, or project documentation. The formatting will render correctly without any modifications.

Q: Does Textile support tables?

A: Yes. Textile has a concise table syntax using pipe characters (|). Header rows use |_. prefix for header cells. Our converter automatically generates Textile tables from YML arrays of objects, with keys as column headers.

Q: Can I convert the Textile output to HTML?

A: Yes. Textile is designed to convert to HTML. You can use RedCloth (Ruby), php-textile (PHP), python-textile (Python), or Pandoc to convert Textile to HTML. You can also use our converter for direct Textile to HTML conversion.

Q: Is Textile still actively used?

A: Yes. While Markdown has become more popular overall, Textile remains the default formatting language in Redmine (one of the most popular open-source project management tools) and TextPattern CMS. Many organizations with Redmine installations rely on Textile daily.

Q: What happens if my YML file has syntax errors?

A: If the YML file contains syntax errors, the converter will treat the content as plain text and wrap it in a Textile preformatted block (bc. or pre.), ensuring you still receive a valid output file.