---
layout: wiki
title: WikiRestructuredText
updated: 2021-04-16 08:14
author: trac
default: true
---

## reStructuredText Support in Trac

### Introduction

Trac supports [reStructuredText (RST)](http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/ref/rst/restructuredtext.html) as an alternative to wiki markup where [WikiFormatting](/briareus/notes/WikiFormatting/) is used.

From the reStucturedText webpage:

> "reStructuredText is an easy-to-read, what-you-see-is-what-you-get plaintext markup syntax and parser system. It is useful for in-line program documentation (such as Python docstrings), for quickly creating simple web pages, and for standalone documents. reStructuredText is designed for extensibility for specific application domains."
If you want a file from your Subversion repository to be displayed as reStructuredText in the Trac source browser, set \`text/x-rst\` as the value for the Subversion property \`svn:mime-type\`, or add the extension \`rst\` to the filename. See this example.

The examples will only be rendered as reStructuredText if docutils is installed. If Pygments is installed but docutils is not installed, the examples will be syntax-highlighted rather than rendered as reStructuredText.

#### Requirements

To activate RST support in Trac, install the python docutils package with the command \`easy_install docutils\`, or through your operating system package manager. If not already available on your operating system, you can download it from [PyPI](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/docutils).

#### More information on RST

- [reStructuredText Website](http://docutils.sourceforge.net/rst.html)
- [RST Quick Reference](http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/rst/quickref.html)

### Using RST in Trac

To specify that a block of text should be parsed using RST, use the *rst* processor.

#### [TracLinks](/briareus/notes/TracLinks/) in reStructuredText

- Trac provides a custom RST directive \`trac::\` to allow [TracLinks](/briareus/notes/TracLinks/) from within RST text.

<table>
<tr><td>= Wiki Markup</td><td>= Display</td></tr>
</table>

>   {{{#!td
>     {{{
>     {{{#!rst
>     This is a reference to |a ticket|
- **.. \|a ticket\| trac** - #42

>     }}}
>     }}}
>   }}}
>   {{{#!td
>     {{{#!rst
>     This is a reference to |a ticket|
- **.. \|a ticket\| trac** - #42

>     }}}
>   }}}
- You can also use the custom \`:trac:\` role to create [TracLinks](/briareus/notes/TracLinks/) in RST.

<table>
<tr><td>= Wiki Markup</td><td>= Display</td></tr>
</table>

>   {{{#!td
>     {{{
>     {{{#!rst
>     This is a reference to ticket `#12`:trac:
>     To learn how to use Trac, see `TracGuide`:trac:
>     }}}
>     }}}
>   }}}
>   {{{#!td
>     {{{#!rst
>     This is a reference to ticket `#12`:trac:
>     To learn how to use Trac, see `TracGuide`:trac:
>     }}}
>   }}}
> For a complete example of all uses of the `:trac:` role, see WikiRestructuredTextLinks.
#### Syntax highlighting in reStructuredText

There is a directive for doing [TracSyntaxColoring](/briareus/notes/TracSyntaxColoring/) in RST as well. The directive is called code-block:

<table>
<tr><td>= Wiki Markup</td><td>= Display</td></tr>
</table>

```td
  {{{
  {{{#!rst

  .. code-block:: python

     class Test:

         def TestFunction(self):
             pass

  }}}
  }}}
```

```td
  {{{#!rst

  .. code-block:: python

     class Test:

         def TestFunction(self):
             pass

  }}}
```

Note the need to indent the code at least one character after the \`.. code-block\` directive.

#### Wiki Macros in reStructuredText

To enable [Wiki Macros](/briareus/notes/WikiMacros/) in RST, you use the same \`code-block\` directive as for syntax highlighting:

<table>
<tr><td>= Wiki Markup</td><td>= Display</td></tr>
</table>

```td
  {{{
  {{{#!rst

  .. code-block:: RecentChanges

     Trac,3

  }}}
  }}}
```

```td
  {{{#!rst

  .. code-block:: RecentChanges

     Trac,3

  }}}
```

Or use the \`:code-block:\` role for a more concise Wiki Macro-like syntax:

<table>
<tr><td>= Wiki Markup</td><td>= Display</td></tr>
</table>

```td
  {{{
  {{{
  #!rst

  :code-block:`RecentChanges:Trac,3`
  }}}
  }}}
```

```td
  {{{#!rst

  :code-block:`RecentChanges:Trac,3`
  }}}
```

#### Bigger RST Example

The example below should be self-explanatory:

<table>
<tr><td>= Wiki Markup</td><td>= Display</td></tr>
</table>

```td
{{{#!html
<pre class="wiki">{{{#!rst
FooBar Header
=============
reStructuredText is **nice**. It has its own webpage_.

A table:

=====  =====  ======
   Inputs     Output
------------  ------
  A      B    A or B
=====  =====  ======
False  False  False
True   False  True
False  True   True
True   True   True
=====  =====  ======

RST TracLinks
-------------

See also ticket `#42`:trac:.

.. _webpage: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/rst.html
}}}</pre>
}}}
```

```td
{{{#!rst
FooBar Header
=============
reStructuredText is **nice**. It has its own webpage_.

A table:

=====  =====  ======
   Inputs     Output
------------  ------
  A      B    A or B
=====  =====  ======
False  False  False
True   False  True
False  True   True
True   True   True
=====  =====  ======

RST TracLinks
-------------

See also ticket `#42`:trac:.

.. _webpage: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/rst.html
}}}
```

---

See also: [WikiRestructuredTextLinks](/briareus/notes/WikiRestructuredTextLinks/), [WikiProcessors](/briareus/notes/WikiProcessors/), [WikiFormatting](/briareus/notes/WikiFormatting/)