XML to AsciiDoc Converter

About XML to AsciiDoc Converter

Convert XML data to AsciiDoc table markup for technical documentation, books, and articles. AsciiDoc is a lightweight markup language widely used for technical writing and documentation.

Key Features

• Multiple Table Styles: Default, grid (all borders), and frame (outer border)
• Column Alignment: Auto-detect, left, center, or right alignment
• Header Support: Optional header row
• Table Titles: Automatically uses root element name as title
• Column Specifications: Proper AsciiDoc column syntax
• Smart Parsing: Extracts element names and data from XML
• File Download: Save as .adoc file

How to Use

1. Input XML Data: Paste your XML data or upload an .xml file
2. Choose Table Style: Select default, grid, or frame style
3. Set Alignment: Choose auto-detect or specific alignment
4. Configure Header: Toggle header row display
5. Copy or Download: Use the Copy or Download button to save your AsciiDoc markup

Table Styles

Default:

• Clean, minimal table appearance
• No explicit borders in markup
• Relies on AsciiDoc processor defaults

Grid (all borders):

• Shows all cell borders
• Professional appearance
• Best for complex tables

Frame (outer border):

• Shows only outer table border
• Clean, modern look
• Good for simple tables

Example Conversion

XML Input:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<products>
  <product>
    <id>1</id>
    <name>Laptop</name>
    <price>999.99</price>
    <category>Electronics</category>
  </product>
  <product>
    <id>2</id>
    <name>Mouse</name>
    <price>24.99</price>
    <category>Accessories</category>
  </product>
</products>

AsciiDoc Output:

.products
[cols=">,<,>,<"]
|===
|id
|name
|price
|category

|1
|Laptop
|999.99
|Electronics

|2
|Mouse
|24.99
|Accessories

|===

Alignment Options

Auto-detect:

• Automatically detects numeric columns
• Right-aligns numeric data
• Left-aligns text data
• Recommended for most use cases

Left Alignment (<):

• Default alignment for text
• Best for names and descriptions

Center Alignment (^):

• Balanced visual appearance
• Good for headers and short values

Right Alignment (>):

• Perfect for numeric values
• Aligns decimal points naturally

Common Use Cases

• Technical Documentation: Include XML data in technical docs
• Books: Write technical books with AsciiDoc and Asciidoctor
• API Documentation: Document XML structures
• README Files: Create professional documentation
• GitHub Pages: Use with Jekyll-AsciiDoc plugin
• PDF Generation: Convert to PDF with Asciidoctor-PDF

AsciiDoc Syntax

• Table Delimiter: |=== marks table start and end
• Cell Separator: | character separates cells
• Column Specs: cols attribute defines alignment and width
• Table Title: . prefix creates table caption
• Alignment: < (left), ^ (center), > (right)

AsciiDoc Processors

• Asciidoctor: Modern AsciiDoc processor (Ruby)
• Asciidoctor.js: JavaScript implementation
• Asciidoctor-PDF: Direct PDF generation
• Asciidoctor-EPUB3: EPUB book generation

Supported XML Structure

• Root Element: Container for all data rows
• Row Elements: Direct children of root element
• Column Elements: Child elements of each row
• Text Content: Data values extracted from element text

Integration

The generated AsciiDoc markup works with:

• Asciidoctor: Convert to HTML, PDF, EPUB, and more
• GitHub: Render .adoc files in repositories
• GitLab: Native AsciiDoc support
• Static Site Generators: Jekyll, Hugo with plugins
• IDEs: IntelliJ IDEA, VS Code with extensions

Privacy & Security

All conversions happen locally in your browser. Your XML data is never uploaded to any server, ensuring complete privacy and security.

FAQ

• Q: Why do I see cols="<,>" and similar syntax?
  A: The cols attribute encodes alignment information for each column using AsciiDoc’s <, ^, and > symbols. These are interpreted by the AsciiDoc processor, not HTML.
• Q: Can I mix the generated table with other AsciiDoc content?
  A: Yes. You can place headings, paragraphs, code blocks, and other tables before or after the generated block. Just keep the |=== table delimiters intact.
• Q: How are long text values handled?
  A: Newlines inside XML values are flattened into spaces to keep the AsciiDoc table syntax valid. If you need multi-line cells, adjust the content manually after conversion.
• Q: What happens if my XML has extra attributes or nested elements?
  A: The converter focuses on direct child elements of each row element. Attributes or deeper nesting are ignored unless you first normalize your XML into a simple row/column shape.
• Q: Which AsciiDoc processors are recommended?
  A: Asciidoctor (Ruby) and Asciidoctor.js (JavaScript) are widely used and fully support the table syntax generated by this tool.