FILE2BRL(1)

📦
version 2.12.0 · 8 versions
, in ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

✨ NAME ✨

okay so bestie, let me introduce you to file2brl — the glow-up machine that translates an xml or a text file into an embosser-ready braille file 💅 (this is page file2brl(1) from the User Commands girlies, in case you were wondering where you were)

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

file2brl [OPTION] [inputFile] [outputFile]

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So what does it actually do? It takes an xml, html, or plain text file and translates it into an embosser-ready braille file. That's the whole main character move. ✨

And it's not just copying letters over — it includes translation into grade two, if that's what you want, plus mathematical codes, etc. It also handles formatting according to a built-in style sheet — and plot twist, that style sheet can be modified by you. Iconic, honestly.

Now the input/output tea ☕:

  • If inputFile is not specified, or if it's -, then input is taken from stdin.
  • If outputFile is not specified, the output is sent to stdout.

periodt.

🌸 OPTIONS 🌸

  • -h, --help — displays this help and exits, no notes.
  • -v, --version — displays version information and exits.
  • -f, --config-file — names a configuration file that specifies how to do the translation.
  • -b, --backward — backward translation.
  • -r, --reformat — reformat a braille file.
  • -T, --text — treats it as text even if it's xml.
  • -t, --html — html document, not xhtml.
  • -p, --poorly-formatted — translates a poorly formatted file (we don't judge, fr fr 🙈).
  • -P, --paragraph-line — treats each block of text ending in a newline as a paragraph. If there are two newline characters, a blank line will be inserted before the next paragraph.
  • -C, --config-setting — specify particular configuration settings. They override any settings that are specified in a config file.
  • -w, --writeable-path — path for temp files and log file.
  • -l, --log-file — write errors to file2brl.log instead of stderr.

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Written by John J. Boyer. (the blueprint, honestly)

🦋 REPORTING BUGS 🦋

Report bugs to <liblouis-liblouisxml@freelists.org>. Please be nice to them, they're doing their best 🫶

Copyright © 2023 ViewPlus Technologies, Inc. and JJB Software, Inc.

License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. (yes bestie, no warranty at all, that's the whole vibe check 💀)

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

The full documentation for file2brl is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and file2brl programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info liblouisutdml

should give you access to the complete manual. go read it, it's giving ✨educated✨

okay and for the sign-off, this whole thing is liblouisutdml 2.12.0, dated February 2026, and it lives at FILE2BRL(1). bye bestie, go emboss something gorgeous 💅🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from