This software is a versatile plain text renderer that supports various input formats. It has reStructuredText and plain text front-ends which enable users to create documents with text.
The software has been developed with two layers, separating the processing of the input file from the actual rendering algorithm. The input layer contains format-specific frontends that parse the input streams and feed them into the renderer. The renderer then generates a proprietary tree representation of the document and assembles the paginated line-by-line representation to a plain text file.
The renderer of Transcribo allows for attaching specific translator and wrapper to every content block. This feature provides the user with high granularity control of the output. Currently, frontends for mark-up languages such as reStructuredText and plain text are available. Additional frontends for formats like LaTeX, OpenOffice, RTF, and HTML could be added.
Transcribo is easy to install with no dependencies, and it is a pure Python package. However, for users who want to use the translation features for Braille, a Braille translator like liblouis or YABT may be required. The rST frontend module is a Docutils writer component that supports a reasonable subset of the rST features. It offers support for paragraphs, sections, bullet lists, enumerations, block quotes, and references.
To translate an rST document into plain text, use the transcribo-rst.py frontend tool. You can use either the command-line or configuration file to modify the page width and translator to use. All other configurations are in transcribo.renderer.styles.py.
In conclusion, Transcribo is a remarkable software with its unique features that enable plain text conversion accurately. The software is easy to install and use, making it the ideal software for people who need plain text output devices like Braille embossers. With its high granularity control, the software offers users a high level of flexibility that is rare in other software.
Version 0.5.2: N/A