ASCIIDOC(1)

# ASCIIDOC(1) Manual Page

## NAME

asciidoc - converts an AsciiDoc text file to HTML or DocBook

## SYNOPSIS

asciidoc [OPTIONS] FILE

## DESCRIPTION

The asciidoc(1) command translates the AsciiDoc text file FILE to DocBook or HTML. If FILE is - then the standard input is used.

## OPTIONS

-a, --attribute=ATTRIBUTE

  Define or delete document attribute. ATTRIBUTE is formatted like NAME=VALUE. Command-line attributes take precedence over document and configuration file attributes. Alternate acceptable forms are NAME (the VALUE defaults to an empty string); NAME! (delete the NAME attribute); NAME=VALUE@ (do not override document or configuration file attributes). Values containing spaces should be enclosed in double-quote characters. This option may be specified more than once. A special attribute named trace controls the output of diagnostic information.

-b, --backend=BACKEND

  Backend output file format: docbook45, docbook5, xhtml11, html4, html5, slidy, wordpress or latex (the latex backend is experimental). You can also use the backend alias names html (aliased to xhtml11) or docbook (aliased to docbook45). Defaults to html. The --backend option is also used to manage backend plugins (see PLUGIN COMMANDS).

-f, --conf-file=CONF_FILE

  Use configuration file CONF_FILE.Configuration files processed in command-line order (after implicit configuration files). This option may be specified more than once.

--doctest

  Run Python doctests in asciidoc module.

-d, --doctype=DOCTYPE

  Document type: article, manpage or book. The book document type is only supported by the docbook backends. Default document type is article.

-c, --dump-conf

  Dump configuration to stdout.

--filter=FILTER

  Specify the name of a filter to be loaded (used to load filters that are not auto-loaded). This option may be specified more than once. The --filter option is also used to manage filter plugins (see PLUGIN COMMANDS).

-h, --help [TOPIC]

  Print help TOPIC. --help topics will print a list of help topics, --help syntax summarizes AsciiDoc syntax, --help manpage prints the AsciiDoc manpage.

-e, --no-conf

  Exclude implicitly loaded configuration files except for those named like the input file (infile.conf and infile-backend.conf).

-s, --no-header-footer

  Suppress document header and footer output.

-o, --out-file=OUT_FILE

  Write output to file OUT_FILE. Defaults to the base name of input file with backend extension. If the input is stdin then the outfile defaults to stdout. If OUT_FILE is - then the standard output is used.

-n, --section-numbers

  Auto-number HTML article section titles. Synonym for --attribute numbered.

--safe

  Enable safe mode. Safe mode is disabled by default. AsciiDoc safe mode skips potentially dangerous scripted sections in AsciiDoc source files.

--theme=THEME

  Specify a theme name. Synonym for --attribute theme=THEME. The --theme option is also used to manage theme plugins (see PLUGIN COMMANDS).

-v, --verbose

  Verbosely print processing information and configuration file checks to stderr.

--version

  Print program version number.

## PLUGIN COMMANDS

The asciidoc(1) --filter, --backend and --theme options are used to install, remove and list AsciiDoc filter, backend and theme plugins. Syntax:

    asciidoc OPTION install ZIP_FILE [PLUGINS_DIR]
    asciidoc OPTION remove PLUGIN_NAME [PLUGINS_DIR]
    asciidoc OPTION list
    asciidoc OPTION build ZIP_FILE PLUGIN_SOURCE

Where:

OPTION

  asciidoc(1) --filter, --backend or --theme option specifying the type of plugin.

PLUGIN_NAME

  A unique plugin name containing only alphanumeric or underscore characters.

ZIP_FILE

  A Zip file containing plugin resources, the name must start with the plugin name e.g. `my_filter-1.0.zip` packages filter `my_filter`.

PLUGINS_DIR

  The directory containing installed plugins. Each plugin is contained in its own separate subdirectory which has the same name as the plugin. PLUGINS_DIR defaults to the `$HOME/.asciidoc/filters` (for filter plugins) or `$HOME/.asciidoc/backends` (for backend plugins) or `$HOME/.asciidoc/themes` (for theme plugins).

PLUGIN_SOURCE

  The name of a directory containing the plugin source files or the name of a single source file.

The plugin commands perform as follows:

install

  Create a subdirectory in PLUGINS_DIR with the same name as the plugin then extract the ZIP_FILE into it.

remove

  Delete the PLUGIN_NAME plugin subdirectory and all its contents from the PLUGINS_DIR.

list

  List the names and locations of all installed filter or theme plugins (including standard plugins installed in the global configuration directory).

build

  Create a plugin file named ZIP_FILE containing the files and subdirectories specified by PLUGIN_SOURCE. File and directory names starting with a period are skipped.

## ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

`SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH`

  If the `SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH` environment variable is set to a UNIX timestamp, then the `{docdate}`, `{doctime}`, `{localdate}`, and `{localtime}` attributes are computed in the UTC time zone, with any timestamps newer than `SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH` replaced by `SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH`. (This helps software using AsciiDoc to build reproducibly.)

## EXAMPLES

`asciidoc asciidoc_file_name.txt`

  Simply generate an html file from the asciidoc_file_name.txt that is in current directory using asciidoc.

`asciidoc -b html5 asciidoc_file_name.txt`

  Use the `-b` switch to use one of the proposed backend or another one you installed on your computer.

`asciidoc -a data-uri -a icons -a toc -a max-width=55em article.txt`

  Use the `-a` switch to set attributes from command-line. AsciiDoc generated its stand-alone HTML user guide containing embedded CSS, JavaScript and images from the AsciiDoc article template with this command.

`asciidoc -b html5 -d manpage asciidoc.1.txt`

  Generating the asciidoc manpage using the html5 backend.

## EXIT STATUS

0

  Success

1

  Failure (syntax or usage error; configuration error; document processing failure; unexpected error).

## BUGS

See the AsciiDoc distribution BUGS file.

## AUTHOR

AsciiDoc was originally written by Stuart Rackham. Many people have contributed to it.

## RESOURCES

GitHub: https://github.com/asciidoc/asciidoc-py3/

Main web site: https://asciidoc.org/

## SEE ALSO

a2x(1)

## COPYING

Copyright (C) 2002-2013 Stuart Rackham.

Copyright (C) 2013-2020 AsciiDoc Contributors.

Free use of this software is granted under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2).