AsciiDoc

AsciiDoc

AsciiDoc is a text document format for writing notes, documentation, articles, books, ebooks, slideshows, web pages, man pages and blogs. It is highly configurable and allows easy conversion to numerous formats including HTML, PDF, EPUB, man page format and more.
Office & Productivity Documentation
AsciiDoc image
text markup documentation writing publishing
AsciiDoc alternatives ➤

AsciiDoc: Highly Configurable Text Document Formats

AsciiDoc is a text document format for writing notes, documentation, articles, books, ebooks, slideshows, web pages, man pages and blogs. It is highly configurable and allows easy conversion to numerous formats including HTML, PDF, EPUB, man page format and more.

What is AsciiDoc?

AsciiDoc is a text document format used for writing structured documents like user documentation, books, articles, and web pages. It focuses on semantic markup, which means the syntax highlights the meaning and structure of content rather than its appearance. For example, text marked up as a chapter title is clearly differentiated from body text.

AsciiDoc files use a simple, easy-to-read syntax that is similar to Markdown in some ways. However, AsciiDoc provides more extensibility and capabilities out of the box. Key features include:

  • Support for document structure like book parts, chapters, sections
  • Ability to build modular and reusable content through includes and conditionals
  • Powerful formatting capabilities like tables, lists, quotes, sidebars, images, etc.
  • Multilingual and internationalization support
  • Output to HTML, PDF, ePub, DocBook, man pages, and more

One major advantage of AsciiDoc over raw HTML or Markdown is its flexibility. The same AsciiDoc source can be used to produce HTML for online documentation as well as PDF or ePub for printable manuals. Its clean, semantic markup also makes AsciiDoc easier to write, edit, and translate over time compared to HTML.

Overall, AsciiDoc excels at technical documentation across platforms and outputs. Many open source software projects have adopted it for their documentation needs. The intuitive syntax, extensibility through JavaScript/Python, and powerful out-of-the-box capabilities make AsciiDoc a great choice for technical writing.

AsciiDoc Features

Features

  1. Lightweight markup language
  2. Easy to write and read in plain text editor
  3. Built-in semantics for document structure
  4. Output to multiple formats including HTML, PDF, EPUB
  5. Extensive tooling support
  6. Modular design

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Human readable syntax

Fast to write and edit

Integrates well with version control

Large ecosystem of extensions and tools

Multi-format publishing from single source

Active open source community

Cons

Less commonly used than Markdown

Steeper learning curve than Markdown

Less support in online editors/platforms

PDF output requires custom build process

Limited built-in styling options

Official Links

Official Website
https://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc

The Best AsciiDoc Alternatives

Top Office & Productivity and Documentation and other similar apps like AsciiDoc

Here are some alternatives to AsciiDoc:

Asciidoctor icon
Asciidoctor
MarkMyWords icon
MarkMyWords
Docutils icon
Docutils
PHP Markdown icon
PHP Markdown
Txt2tags icon
txt2tags
Text::Amuse icon
Text::Amuse
Suggest an alternative ❐

Asciidoctor icon

Asciidoctor

Asciidoctor is an open-source text processor for converting AsciiDoc content to HTML5, DocBook, PDF, and other formats. It allows authors to write content using a plain text editor with minimal formatting, focusing on the content instead of complex markup.Some key features of Asciidoctor include:Converts AsciiDoc formatted plain text files into...
Asciidoctor image
MarkMyWords icon

MarkMyWords

MarkMyWords is a free, open-source writing and text editor application designed for authors. It provides a clean, minimalist interface that removes unnecessary buttons and menus to eliminate distractions while writing.Key features of MarkMyWords include:Basic text formatting tools for bold, italics, underlining, strikethrough, headings, lists, links, and quotesFull screen writing mode...
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Docutils icon

Docutils

Docutils is an open-source text processing system for processing plaintext documentation into useful formats like HTML, LaTeX, XML, etc. It allows writers to author documents in plaintext lightweight markup languages that are easy to read and write, then convert them automatically to HTML, LaTeX, PDF, XML, and other formats required...
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PHP Markdown icon

PHP Markdown

PHP Markdown is an open source PHP library that converts Markdown formatted text into HTML. It was created by Michel Fortin and supports most standard Markdown syntax including headers, emphasis, lists, links, images, code blocks, blockquotes, and inline HTML.Some key features of PHP Markdown include:Supports the full range of Markdown...
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Txt2tags icon

Txt2tags

txt2tags is an open source, lightweight markup language and document generator. It allows users to write text files with simple formatting markup, and convert those files into HTML, XHTML, LaTeX, Lout, man page, mgp, sgml, xml, xhtml or txt outputs.Some key features of txt2tags include:Simple and intuitive syntax based on...
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Text::Amuse icon

Text::Amuse

Text::Amuse is a Perl module that provides functionality for generating random amusing text based on context-free grammars. The text is produced by combining words and phrases based on a set of grammatical rules defined in the module.Some key features and usage scenarios for Text::Amuse include:Generating humorous nonsensical sentences, poems, dialogues,...
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