Formatting Documentation: A Guide to Plain Text Document Processors

Whether you’re writing a technical manual, report, or long-form article, having an effective system for formatting documents is essential. Plain text document processors have long been used by developers, engineers, and writers as a simple yet powerful way to format content. In this in-depth guide, we will explore various plain text formatting options and help you choose the right one for your needs.

Groff: The Legacy Unix Formatter

Let’s start with Groff, one of the oldest plain text document formatters still in use today. Developed as a free software replacement for Unix troff in the 1980s, Groff is preinstalled on most Linux/Unix systems. Files use the .txt or .groff extension and support headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, equations and more using simple macros. Output formats include PostScript, HTML, PDF and plaintext.

Groff’s big advantages are its wide availability and ease of use with a basic but functional feature set. The learning curve is minimal compared to other options. For quick system documentation, manuals or reports on Unix/Linux machines, Groff remains highly effective. However, its dated origins and lack of newer features limit its usefulness for more complex documents.
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LaTeX: Power and Precision

On the opposite end of the spectrum is LaTeX, by far the most full-featured document processor available. Complex mathematical formulas, bibliographies, indexes and advanced layout are some of LaTeX’s specialties. Its output quality rivals professional publishing when used properly. However, the tradeoff is a much steeper learning curve due to its depth and complexity.

LaTeX files use the .tex extension and require auxiliary programs like BibTeX for citations. Writing documents can feel more technical than with simpler systems. Extensive packages exist for nearly any content type, but choosing the right ones takes experience. For long manuscripts, scientific papers and other content requiring precision, LaTeX offers unparalleled control when you learn its nuances.
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Markdown and Variants

As a more accessible alternative to LaTeX, Markdown has grown tremendously in popularity since its 2004 debut. Files use the .md or .markdown extension and contain formatted text using lightweight syntax like headers, lists, links etc. Embedded between two asterisks or underscores for italics and bold.

Various Markdown processors exist to render output as HTML, PDF and other formats. Common ones include Python-based Markdown and Markdown Extra for extended syntax. GitHub Flavored Markdown adds task lists, tables and other features for project documentation. RMarkdown weaves Markdown content with embedded R code chunks.

All Markdown variants maintain an emphasis on simplicity while offering more advanced editing than raw HTML. Their minimal learning curve makes them preferable for quick notes, code documentation and reports over heavier systems like LaTeX or DocBook.

AsciiDoc: A GitHub Favorite

Taking inspiration from Markdown,AsciiDoc provides more features for books, manuals and other structured documents while preserving a plaintext focus. Files use the .asciidoc extension and contain text formatted using DocBook-style formatting rules. Blocks include paragraphs, sections headers, lists, quotes, admonitions and more.

AsciiDoc integrates smoothly with popular tools like Git, GitHub, Jenkins and Maven. AsciiDoc files rendered to HTML,PDF,EPUB and other formats look more polished than basic Markdown. Embedded attributes also facilitate building large standardized documentation sets across multiple products. As such, it has gained considerable adoption for Git-centric technical documentation at enterprises like Red Hat, GitHub and Google.
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reStructuredText: The Sphinx Standard

Python’s native documentation format, reStructuredText, combines features of Markdown and LaTeX in a system focused on technical documentation. Files utilize the .rst extension and contain formatted text using simple markup rules with support for inline markup, sections, citations, cross-references and more.

The canonical reStructuredText processor is Sphinx, used by Python’s own documentation and many Python projects. Sphinx renders reStructuredText to HTML, LaTeX output and other formats with uniform styling. Sphinx’s automation of building and linking related documents together makes reStructuredText well-suited for Python or other programming language documentation projects.
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Org Mode

Part of the popular Emacs text editor, Org mode uses plain text files with a simple markup syntax for notes, project planning, and authoring documents. The .org file extension is used. Headers, lists, code blocks and tables are supported. Embedded LaTeX, images and links can also be included. Tools like Org exporter translate files to HTML, LaTeX, Markdown and more. Its ties to Emacs offer integrated functionality for writing and organizing content.
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Textile

Textile originated as a Ruby-based mini-language for formatting discussions and articles on websites like Backpackit and LivingSocial. It uses intuitive plain text formatting rules via inline HTML-like tags. Files use .textile extension. Common features include paragraphs, headings, lists, blockquotes, and simple tables. Textile documents convert to (X)HTML and PDF output. Its lightweight syntax balances simplicity with functionality.
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MediaWiki

The formatting syntax used by Wikipedia allows for easy addition and maintenance of web content. Features include headings, lists, links, references, templates and more. Files use .wiki or .mediawiki extension. Extensions exist to convert MediaWiki markup to various formats like HTML, EPUB or Markdown. While focused on collaborative editing, it can still be used by individuals for plain text authoring.
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In choosing between these popular plain text options, consider your content type, preferred output formats, learning curve and collaborators. LaTeX provides unmatched quality but requires significant investment. Groff meets basic needs, Markdown/reStructuredText strike a good balance, while AsciiDoc/DocBook support expanded features.

With experience, your choice may evolve as needs change. But by gaining familiarity with at least one formatting system, you’ll find new flexibility and power for presenting technical documentation and long-form written works in a clean, consistent and accessible way. With practice, plain text offers creative and precise document control far beyond basic prose.