Convert PMD to DOX

A program requesting a .dox file can make a PMD document appear to need conversion, but PMD and DOX are ambiguous extensions with no standard direct conversion. First identify both the source application and the exact software that requires the output; the requested extension may actually be .docx.

What the PMD format is

PMD does not identify one universal format. Adobe PageMaker uses .pmd for page-layout documents such as brochures, newsletters, and flyers. SoftMaker PlanMaker uses .pmd for spreadsheets containing cells, formulas, charts, and formatting. Other specialist programs may use the same extension.

Check the file's original application, creation history, or Windows Properties before opening it. A file-identification utility such as TrID can help when that information is unavailable. Work on a copy because attempting to open a file in the wrong program does not identify or convert it reliably.

What the DOX format is

DOX is not the same as DOCX. The extension commonly identifies a Doxygen documentation source file, which is usually plain text containing comments and Doxygen commands. It can also identify an old Visual Basic 6 ActiveX document or an application-specific project file.

Doxygen .dox files are useful because they are editable in any text editor, work well with version control, and can be processed into HTML, PDF, or other generated documentation. They do not preserve a page layout, spreadsheet formulas, or office-document formatting. A Visual Basic DOX file requires the matching VB6 project environment and is not a general-purpose document format.

How to convert the file

1. Confirm the target extension. Ask the recipient or inspect the destination program's documentation. If the requirement is a Microsoft Word file, the target is normally .docx, not .dox. Renaming .pmd to .dox or .docx does not convert the contents.
2. Convert an Adobe PageMaker file. Use the original PageMaker installation, preferably in a compatible legacy environment, or use an older InDesign release that supports importing the relevant PageMaker version. Open the file with File → Open, check missing fonts and linked graphics, and export the result with File → Export to PDF. If editable text is required, use PageMaker's available RTF or text export, copy the content into Microsoft Word, or recreate the layout in InDesign and save the Word-compatible content as .docx. Current InDesign releases may not open every PageMaker file, so verify compatibility before relying on them.
3. Convert a PlanMaker spreadsheet. Open the file in SoftMaker PlanMaker and use File → Save As to create .xlsx, .ods, or .csv, selecting the format according to the destination application. Use .xlsx when formulas, worksheets, and charts must remain usable. A spreadsheet should not be converted directly to a word-processing document unless the goal is only to place a table or report in Word.
4. Create a Doxygen DOX source. There is no format-preserving PMD-to-Doxygen conversion. Extract the relevant text manually into a plain-text editor, save it as filename.dox, and add suitable commands such as \page, \section, or \brief. Run Doxygen against the file and inspect the generated output. Images, tables, formulas, and visual page composition must be recreated separately.
5. Handle a Visual Basic DOX file. A PageMaker or PlanMaker file cannot become a functioning VB6 ActiveX document. Recover or rebuild the original VB6 project and compile it with the required Visual Basic 6 environment instead.

Online and desktop tools

For PageMaker files, a compatible PageMaker installation or supported legacy InDesign release provides more control than an automated converter. Zamzar and Convertio may list some PMD variants and targets such as PDF or DOCX, but their supported formats can change; upload only after the service identifies the source and destination formats explicitly. They do not provide a meaningful automatic conversion to a Doxygen or Visual Basic .dox file.

Online conversion is unsuitable for confidential layouts, unpublished documents, or sensitive spreadsheets unless the service's retention and deletion terms meet your requirements. Download the result and verify fonts, linked images, page breaks, formulas, charts, macros, and print areas. Export to PDF when visual fidelity matters more than editability; expect manual reconstruction when the required output is Doxygen source.