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DokuWiki File Format (.dokuwiki)

A DOKUWIKI file holds a page written in DokuWiki syntax, the plain-text markup that DokuWiki itself stores as a .txt file on disk rather than in a database.

.dokuwikiDocuments

DokuWiki at a glance#

Full nameDokuWiki markup
File extension.dokuwiki
CategoryDocuments
DeveloperAndreas Gohr
First released2004
Other extensions.txt
CompressionUncompressed
FileFlip supportFileFlip reads and writes this format

What a .dokuwiki file can hold#

These are the things a DokuWiki file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Selectable textYes
Human readableYes

Strengths and limitations of DokuWiki#

What DokuWiki does well

  • Pages are ordinary text files, so there is no database to install, back up, or corrupt
  • Covers headings, tables, footnotes, and media embeds without needing a plugin
  • A whole wiki can be moved or backed up by copying its data directory

Where DokuWiki falls short

  • Many of DokuWiki's roughly 1,000 plugins add their own syntax, which nothing outside a DokuWiki install running that plugin can read correctly
  • Has no template or transclusion system as capable as MediaWiki's, so content is more self-contained but less reusable across pages
  • Rarely encountered outside DokuWiki itself, so most other software needs a converter to read it at all

Keep pages in DokuWiki syntax while the wiki is actually running DokuWiki, since that's the renderer every construct is written for.

Convert DokuWiki syntax to another format when retiring the wiki or moving its content onto a different platform.

How to open a .dokuwiki file#

A .dokuwiki file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts DokuWiki into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

PlatformPrograms that open it
WindowsVisual Studio Code, Notepad++
macOSVisual Studio Code, BBEdit
LinuxVisual Studio Code, Vim, Emacs
WebDokuWiki, FileFlip

DokuWiki questions people ask#

What program opens a DokuWiki file?

A DokuWiki page is a plain-text file, so any text editor opens it, but the markup only renders as a formatted page inside a running DokuWiki install. Viewing it as intended means either running DokuWiki or converting the file to a format like HTML or Markdown first.

Why does DokuWiki store pages as text files instead of a database?

DokuWiki was built to skip a database entirely, storing every page as a plain-text file in this syntax on the server's filesystem. That makes a DokuWiki install easy to back up with a plain file copy and easy to read even without the software running.

Can I convert a DokuWiki page to Word or PDF?

Yes, DokuWiki syntax converts to formats like DOCX or PDF by first turning the markup into a structured document, which renders headings, links, and tables. Syntax that comes from a specific DokuWiki plugin may not convert, since only DokuWiki itself with that plugin installed knows how to render it.

Converting DokuWiki files#

Convert DokuWiki to another format

See every DokuWiki conversion (37 more)

Convert another format to DokuWiki

See every document conversion (62 more)

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.