.RST File Extension
reStructuredText File
| Developer | David Goodger |
| Popularity |
3.5 | 36 Votes |
What is an RST file?
An RST file is a text file that contains code written in the reStructuredText markup language. reStructuredText is used to apply basic styles and formatting to plain text documents. RST files most commonly contain technical documentation for Python programs, though they may also contain text that is meant to be converted into an eBook, simple webpage, or other document.
More Information
reStructuredText is a file format and markup language that software developers and technical writers use to produce technical documentation for Python-based software programs. When processed using the Python Docutils tool or another documentation-processing program, the markup symbols that reStructuredText (RST) files contain are transformed into text formatting.
For example, to add a bulleted list to an RST file, an author would write the following:
- Bulleted list item
- Bulleted list item
- Bulleted list item
When processed by a documentation-processing program, the above text would be shown as:
- Bulleted list item
- Bulleted list item
- Bulleted list item
RST files can also contain symbols used to indicate that text should be bolded (** **), italicized (* *), or transformed into a section header (=====) or sub-header (-----). They may also include links to images and URLs.
How to open an RST file
Because RST files are plain text files, you can open and edit them in any text editor, including:
- GitHub Atom (cross-platform)
- GNU Emacs (cross-platform)
- Microsoft Notepad (Windows)
- Apple TextEdit (Mac)
- Vim (Linux)