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Online Converters

By Smashing Editorial, April 10th, 2007 in Developer's Toolbox | 103 Comments | Forum

Online converters always come in handy. Once you need to perform some operation with your files, they can save your time achieving the same results online, without installing some specific software. In fact, there are many online tools, which convert formats, files and code snippets for free. Some of them are quite specific tools aimed for developers, but some are common “all-rounders”, which manage to convert almost every format to a more popular one. Using them, you can generate .pdf-documents out of images, images out of texts or RSS-feeds out of web-sites. You can also convert any audio- and video-files immediately - the results can be received via e-mail.

So what can you use? What should you use?

This overview of online-converters for users and developers might give you some useful starting points and improve your productivity.

“All-Rounders”

Media-Convert
Media-Convert can deal with many formats. Most important are Text, HTML, XHTML, Microsoft Word, RTF, PDF, PS, Open Office, Star Writer, CSV, dBase, Microsoft Excel, Pocket Excel, Lotus 123, Quattro Pro, Star Calc, Open Office, MathML, Open Office Formeln, Powerpoint. Besides: Video and Audio-formats.
txt2tags
This tool generates HTML, XHTML, SGML, LaTeX, Lout, Man Page, MoinMoin, MagicPoint and PageMaker-documents out of a single plain text-file with minimal markup.
Zamzar
Zamzar supports conversion between a wide variety of different file formats. Many conversion options, among them 11 document formats, 8 image formats, 9 audio formats and 12 video formats.

Development

HTML Converter
The tool converts HTML to PHP, Javascript or ASP
HTML To JS/PHP/Perl
From HTML to JavaScript or PHP
HTML to Perl
From HTML to Perl
Binary to Hexstring Encoding
Generates SQL quieries.
Response.Right
Converts Text/HTML to PHP, ASP (VBScript and JavaScript) and JSP.
ASP Translator
Converts ASP to PHP. Registration is required.
DOS2UNIX, UNIX2DOS, MAC2UNIX

HTML & CSS

Text to JavaScript
If you’ve ever tried to make some normal text containing characters like ‘ into a JavaScript variable, you will know how frustrating it can be when you miss one, or you miss a \ or a line break or a tag. Well, let this script do it for you.
CSS HTML
Converts CSS-code to HTML and HTML to CSS-Code.
HTML2TXT
Converts HTML in plain text.
HTML2Wiki
Converts HTML to Wiki-Markup
HTML -> PHP, JavaScript, ASP
This program let you convert your HTML in various scripting languages such as: HTML to PHP, HTML to Javascript and HTML to ASP
Draac.Com’s Html To Javascript
Type or paste your Html codes into the text box below, then press the button and convert your Html coding to Javascript.
HTML to JavaScript Convertor
This tool takes your markup and converts it to a series of document.write() statements that you can use in a block of JavaScript.

Graphics

ConvertIcon
Convertts ICO to PNG and PNG to ICO.
FavIcon from Pics
Creates Favicons out of images - automatically.
JPG 2 ASCII
Converts JPG to ASCII images.
ASCII-O-Matic
Converts JPG-images to ASCII-text - doesn’t work in all browsers.
TEXT-IMAGE
Converts images to HTML, ASCII or Matrix Green Text

Color

Color converter
Converts HEX-colors to RGB und RGB to HEX.
HEX 2 RGB
Converts HEX to RGB
Cs2Aco
Converts Color Schemer Schemes to Photoshop Palettes.

PDF

HTML 2 PDF
Converts HTML and whole sites to PDF
Online PDF Converter
You can generate plain text, .jpg-, .png-, .gif- or .tiff-images out of .pdf-files.
PDF Conversion
PDF -> Text.
Show PDF
PDF -> HTML.
PDF Online
Converts MS Word (DOC), MS Publisher (PUB), MS Word (RTF), MS Excel (XLS), MS PowerPoint (PPT), HTML (MHT), MS PowerPoint (PPS), Text (TXT) and JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, WMF, EMF, GIF to PDF online. The .pdf-file is sent via e-mail.

RSS

Feed43
Generates RSS-feeds out of web-sites
RSS2GIF
This tool converts RSS-feeds to images.
RSS/RDF
RSS -> JavaScript.
RSSxl
Converts web-sites to RSS 2.0.

Further converters

X2V
Converts hCard to vCard
CSV Converter
Converts tables: from CSV to HTML or WikiMedia-format.
Excel to CSV
Converts Excel-documents to CSV
Greasemonkey Compiler
Converts Greasemonkey User-Scripts to Mozilla/Firefox Extensions.

Published in Developer's Toolbox, April 10th, 2007
Tags: converter, html, media, pdf, rss, tools

1.

Carlos Eduardo (April 10th, 2007, 4:19 am)

Wow… Very good!

I like these lists! Always helping us…
Thank you :)
2.

Скакунов Александр (April 10th, 2007, 4:52 am)

Nice!
I like the Zamzar now!
3.

Paul (April 10th, 2007, 4:55 am)

And new logo - looks awesome :)
4.

Russell Heimlich (April 10th, 2007, 5:20 am)

Why on Earth would you convert HTML to JavaScript? All it does is add document.writeln statements to each line. That’s boo-muck.
5.

Vitaly Friedman & Sven Lennartz (April 10th, 2007, 6:30 am)

Russell, if you write JavaScript-Code, you sometimes need to present HTML some way so that it is embedded in the JavaScript code. This converter does exactly that.
6.

Calítoe.:. (April 10th, 2007, 7:27 am)

Great list, but what about HTML entities converters? Ideal for those who want to use special characters: Link [www.w3clubs.com]
7.

Joe (April 10th, 2007, 10:11 am)

As always, kudos.
Definitely , i will add to my bookmarks :D
8.

marcel (April 10th, 2007, 10:43 am)

For unit and temperature conversions see Link [01conversion.com]
9.

efoiv (April 10th, 2007, 12:22 pm)

grrr I hate that media-convert is here :( It’s easy enough to find by search engines but I hate seeing things like that get high visibility since it seems to always mark their demise.

I love this tool for so may things but it can be abused and when they become abused theey seem to go away :(
10.

Daniel Fisher(lennybacon) (April 10th, 2007, 3:54 pm)

ASCII ART for all browsers and not only JPEG:

Link [www.codeproject.com]
11.

Joe (April 10th, 2007, 7:14 pm)

What about Image to Mosaic? (my friend made the generator)

Link: Link [imagemosaicgenerator.click42.com] :)
12.

gr8pixel (April 11th, 2007, 1:06 am)

anyone knows how to convert hex colors to pantone?
13.

tech (April 11th, 2007, 1:53 am)

vaovvv we can be converted everything :D
14.

David Bradley (April 11th, 2007, 2:19 am)

We run a great online converter from Microscopic Earthling on the sciencetext.com site, with it you convert between the common units such as feet and meters in length, area, mass, and volume as well as between some more obscure measurements such as the Canadian arpent and the South African morgen for instance. Eternally useful.

db
15.

adam (April 11th, 2007, 2:59 am)

gr8pixel, to make a color that converts hex colors to Pantone requires paying to get the data from Pantone Corp. However, the data and cost are built into Photoshop and some other programs. To take advantage of this in Photoshop, open the color picker and select a color. Then click the “color libraries” button and the closest Pantone equivalent will be shown.
16.

Navdeep (April 11th, 2007, 4:09 am)

good resource
17.

Jens Meiert (April 11th, 2007, 4:09 am)

Feeling free to point to UITest.com’s references as well …
18.

GaryS (April 11th, 2007, 10:55 am)

Link [www.garyshood.com]

Link [www.garyshood.com]

Enjoy! I made them.
19.

Search Engine Web (April 11th, 2007, 11:05 am)

This is definitely a Bookmarker!
20.

flashmotus (April 12th, 2007, 7:24 am)

una raccolta molto utile, grazie
21.

Rikk David (April 14th, 2007, 8:17 am)

What’s with the comments that are merely repeats of this sites intro? And repeated?!
22.

gr8pixel (April 14th, 2007, 4:11 pm)

thanks adam!!!! :) i’ll try that.
23.

Rob Mason (April 20th, 2007, 8:38 pm)

OMG I think I love you. Why have I not found this site sooner! Great site. Great articles.
24.

Paul (April 25th, 2007, 11:07 am)

I need to convert a .dat file to a database (Access preferred). The only way i can do it now is to convert it to Excel and then to Access, but the file is too large for Excel to get it all.
Can you help?
Thanks
25.

PSpeth (April 25th, 2007, 10:03 pm)

Here is a great find for me:
Link [www.soldesignco.com]

This free online tool will convert an html file with a style section in the head to an HTML file with inline styles.

This seems a bit backwords, but it is the format needed for sending Newsletters. This is because the EMail programs only recognize inline styles.
26.

Motorcycle Guy (April 27th, 2007, 7:15 am)

quieries eh? is that like a gay programmer?
27.

Michael (April 27th, 2007, 10:38 pm)

Does annyone know how to convert pdf files into powerpoint files? The other way arround doens’t seem to be a problem.
Thanks Michael
28.

Vincent Clark (May 2nd, 2007, 6:28 am)

Please add to your list of PDF Online Converters Link [www.freepdfconvert.com] I am sure you would not mind this sort of advertising since that is the purpose of this page.
29.

Greg (May 8th, 2007, 9:51 am)

More online tools can be found here Link [www.cyber-junkie.com]
30.

Jody McLeod (June 14th, 2007, 10:27 pm)

You don’t know how long I have been searching for such a site - and I was only looking for a couple of converters - THIS IS A GOLDMINE. You’ve converted me. Thank you, Thank you!
31.

Gerald Martin (June 26th, 2007, 2:30 am)

Very useful list. Thank You!
32.

Himanshu Kapoor (June 27th, 2007, 6:16 pm)

Thanks. I never knew that I can convert my Ms Word document into pdf free using pdfonline.com
33.

talkativetaurus (June 28th, 2007, 9:10 pm)

wow! this is really life saving!

but i dont think the list has online dat file converter..
can someone help?

thanks.
34.

Yarn (July 8th, 2007, 9:27 pm)

Very useful blog.
best regards
35.

Steven Gerrard(Liverpool ledgend) (July 15th, 2007, 1:04 pm)

zamzar is preety cool to convert small files like clips about myself! but i wish it would allow us to convert files which are larger than a 100MB….:’(
then i could convert movies about myself proudly representing the glorious LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB!
36.

Heihachi (August 6th, 2007, 6:14 pm)

i will add to my bookmarks
37.

jk (August 10th, 2007, 10:28 pm)

useful!
i could convert many files now…
thanks! :)
i’m still finding *.wmv/ avi to *.asf converterss
38.

Paul Verhoeven (September 2nd, 2007, 5:39 pm)

How do I convert MIX files in JPEG files? Can somebody help me?
Thanks
39.

bub (November 17th, 2007, 3:11 pm)

Link [www.netcoole.com] saved me months of work on one web app I upgraded.
40.

Jalpari (April 17th, 2008, 2:30 am)

I always like smashing magazine articles
41.

james (April 26th, 2008, 10:54 pm)

Where is youconvertit.com

Did you try it, it is also an amzing tool better than zamzar since it gives you for free 300MB to upload.
42.

dora (October 10th, 2008, 10:20 am)

Great info thanks. Here is easiest way to convert images: Link [www.converterz.net]
43.

Marilu (November 18th, 2008, 6:47 pm)

Do you know of a converter for PowerPoint to Flash?
44.

mike (January 15th, 2009, 7:21 am)

How could you miss out all of the convertors at Link [www.calcResult.com] ?
45.

rip_pit (May 20th, 2009, 8:30 am)

I find this tool usefull too: Link [home2.paulschou.net]
This translator encodes and decodes into text, bin, hex, base64, dec/char, message digest / checksum