---
name: "txt2pdbdoc"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "txt2pdbdoc"
version: "1.4.4-8+b1"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/txt2pdbdoc"
---

# txt2pdbdoc(1)

Text to Doc file converter for Palm Pilots

## NAME

txt2pdbdoc - Text to Doc file converter for Palm Pilots

## SYNOPSIS

**txt2pdbdoc** \[**-b**\] \[**-c**\] \[**-v**\] *document-name* *file.txt* *file.pdb*\
 **txt2pdbdoc** **-d** \[**-D**\] \[**-v**\] *file.pdb* \[ *file.txt* \]\
 **txt2pdbdoc** **-V**

## DESCRIPTION

**txt2pdbdoc** converts a plain text file to a **Doc**(4) file in PDB (Pilot Database) format used by all models of the Palm Pilot. (It can also convert a Doc file to plain text.) Resultant PDB files can be downloaded directly to a Pilot during a HotSync.

The *document-name* is used in the Document List view of a Doc reader application on the Pilot.

## OPTIONS

- **-b**

  Ordinarily, characters with an ASCII code less than 9 are removed and both carriage-returns and form-feeds are converted to newlines. This option suppresses that behavior.

- **-c**

  Ordinarily, text is compressed. This option suppresses compression.

- **-d**

  Decode the given Doc file to text either to a file or to standard output if no file is specified.

- **-D**

  Do not check the file type/creator of the file to decode. This option should be specified **only** if you know for **sure** that the file is in fact some sort of Doc file. Attempting to decode non-Doc files will result in undefined behavior and quite possibly crash.

- **-v**

  Verbose mode. For encoding, print progress and compression statistics per 4K of text to standard error as well as overall statistics when completed; for decoding, print progress in a \`\`countdown'' style.

- **-V**

  Print the version number of **txt2pdbdoc** to standard output and exit.

## EXAMPLE

To convert a text file to Doc file:

```
txt2pdbdoc 'Through the Looking Glass' alice.txt alice.pdb
```

## EXIT STATUS

Exits with one of the values given below:

- 0

  Success.

- 1

  Error in command-line options or use.

- 2

  Unable to open source file.

- 3

  Unable to open destination file.

- 4

  Unable to read file.

- 5

  Unable to write file.

- 6

  File is not a Doc file.

- 7

  Doc file uses unknown compression type.

## CAVEATS

- 1\.

  Document names are limited to 31 characters in PDB format. Longer names are truncated but have the 29-31st characters replaced by \`\``...`'' to indicate truncation.

- 2\.

  The command isn't called \`\`txt2doc'' to avoid confusion about possibly having anything to do with Microsoft Word documents that use the `.doc` extension.

## SEE ALSO

[html2pdbtxt(1)](/html2pdbtxt/1.md), [pdbtxt2html(1)](/pdbtxt2html/1.md), [doc(4)](/doc/4.md), [pdb(4)](/pdb/4.md)

## AUTHOR

Paul J. Lucas \<*pauljlucas@mac.com*\>