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XWiki File Format (.xwiki)

An XWiki file holds a page written in XWiki Syntax, the wiki markup of the XWiki platform, an open-source Java wiki used to build enterprise knowledge bases and structured wiki applications.

.xwikiDocuments

XWiki at a glance#

Full nameXWiki markup
File extension.xwiki
CategoryDocuments
DeveloperLudovic Dubost
First released2004
CompressionUncompressed
FileFlip supportFileFlip writes this format but cannot open one

What a .xwiki file can hold#

These are the things a XWiki 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 XWiki#

What XWiki does well

  • Designed as its own syntax rather than inherited from an earlier wiki, so it's more internally consistent than most wiki markups
  • Macros take named parameters, so embedding structured content in a page doesn't need bespoke plugin syntax
  • XWiki's rendering engine also parses Confluence, MediaWiki, Creole and TWiki syntax, so migrating a page in from one of those doesn't always require a full rewrite

Where XWiki falls short

  • Meaningful only inside XWiki; nothing else renders it
  • Most XWiki users write pages through the platform's WYSIWYG editor, so the raw markup is edited by hand less often than in wikis built around plain text
  • Two incompatible syntax versions, 1.0 and 2.x, have existed, so an older page or macro reference isn't always transferable as-is

Leave a page in XWiki Syntax while it's edited and served from an XWiki installation.

Convert XWiki Syntax to Markdown or HTML when a page's content needs to exist outside the XWiki platform.

How to open a .xwiki file#

A .xwiki file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on.

PlatformPrograms that open it
WindowsAny text editor
macOSAny text editor
LinuxAny text editor
WebXWiki

XWiki questions people ask#

What is a .xwiki file?

A .xwiki file holds a page's worth of XWiki Syntax, the wiki markup used by the XWiki platform. XWiki stores pages in its own database rather than as loose files, so this extension appears when a page has been exported or converted rather than pulled straight from an XWiki install.

Is XWiki still actively developed?

Yes. XWiki has shipped continuously since Ludovic Dubost first released it in 2004, and the project remains under active development as open-source software.

Can XWiki read MediaWiki or Confluence markup?

Yes. XWiki's rendering engine can parse several other wiki syntaxes, including MediaWiki, Confluence, Creole and TWiki, in addition to its own XWiki Syntax, which is what makes migrating pages in from those platforms possible without hand-converting every page first.

Converting XWiki files#

FileFlip cannot open a .xwiki file, so there is nothing to convert it into here. It appears on the site as something other formats can be converted to.

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.