# perldoc > Pod::Text::Overstrike

## NAME
    [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown) - Convert POD data to formatted overstrike text

## SYNOPSIS
        use [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown);
        my $parser = [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown)->new (sentence => 0, width => 78);

        # Read POD from STDIN and write to STDOUT.
        $parser->parse_from_filehandle;

        # Read POD from file.pod and write to file.txt.
        $parser->parse_from_file ('file.pod', 'file.txt');

## DESCRIPTION
    [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown) is a simple subclass of [Pod::Text](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText/markdown) that highlights output text using
    overstrike sequences, in a manner similar to nroff. Characters in bold text are overstruck
    (character, backspace, character) and characters in underlined text are converted to overstruck
    underscores (underscore, backspace, character). This format was originally designed for
    hard-copy terminals and/or line printers, yet is readable on soft-copy (CRT) terminals.

    Overstruck text is best viewed by page-at-a-time programs that take advantage of the terminal's
    stand-out and *underline* capabilities, such as the less program on Unix.

    Apart from the overstrike, it in all ways functions like [Pod::Text](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText/markdown). See [Pod::Text](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText/markdown) for details
    and available options.

## BUGS
    Currently, the outermost formatting instruction wins, so for example underlined text inside a
    region of bold text is displayed as simply bold. There may be some better approach possible.

## COMPATIBILITY
    [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown) 1.01 (based on [Pod::Parser](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AParser/markdown)) was the first version of this module included
    with Perl, in Perl 5.6.1.

    The current API based on [Pod::Simple](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3ASimple/markdown) was added in [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown) 2.00, included in Perl
    5.9.3.

    Several problems with wrapping and line length were fixed as recently as [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown)
    2.04, included in Perl 5.11.5.

    This module inherits its API and most behavior from [Pod::Text](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText/markdown), so the details in "COMPATIBILITY"
    in [Pod::Text](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText/markdown) also apply. [Pod::Text](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText/markdown) and [Pod::Text::Overstrike](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText%3A%3AOverstrike/markdown) have had the same module version
    since 4.00, included in Perl 5.23.7. (They unfortunately diverge in confusing ways prior to
    that.)

## AUTHOR
    Originally written by Joe Smith <<Joe.Smith@inwap.com>>, using the framework created by Russ
    Allbery <<rra@cpan.org>>. Subsequently updated by Russ Allbery.

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
    Copyright 2000 by Joe Smith <<Joe.Smith@inwap.com>>

    Copyright 2001, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2018-2019, 2022 by Russ Allbery <<rra@cpan.org>>

    This program is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as
    Perl itself.

## SEE ALSO
    [Pod::Text](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3AText/markdown), [Pod::Simple](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Pod%3A%3ASimple/markdown)

    The current version of this module is always available from its web site at
    <<https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/software/podlators/>>. It is also part of the Perl core
    distribution as of 5.6.0.