---
name: "Pod::Text"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl"
version: "5.004.04-7.0.1"
release: "Debian 2.1 (Slink)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Pod::Text/3pm"
---

# Pod::Text(3pm)

convert POD data to formatted ASCII text

## NAME

Pod::Text - convert POD data to formatted ASCII text

## SYNOPSIS

```
        use Pod::Text;
```

```
        pod2text("perlfunc.pod");
```

Also:

```
        pod2text [B<-a>] [B<->I<width>] < input.pod
```

## DESCRIPTION

Pod::Text is a module that can convert documentation in the POD format (such as can be found throughout the Perl distribution) into formatted ASCII. Termcap is optionally supported for boldface/underline, and can enabled via `$Pod::Text::termcap=1`. If termcap has not been enabled, then backspaces will be used to simulate bold and underlined text.

A separate *pod2text* program is included that is primarily a wrapper for Pod::Text.

The single function `pod2text()` can take the optional options **-a** for an alternative output format, then a **-***width* option with the max terminal width, followed by one or two arguments. The first should be the name of a file to read the pod from, or "\<&STDIN" to read from STDIN. A second argument, if provided, should be a filehandle glob where output should be sent.

## AUTHOR

Tom Christiansen \<*tchrist@mox.perl.com*\>

## TODO

Cleanup work. The input and output locations need to be more flexible, termcap shouldn't be a global variable, and the terminal speed needs to be properly calculated.