PDF Generation Troubleshooting Workflow

This skill provides a systematic approach to generating PDFs when multiple tools may be unavailable. Follow this fallback sequence to ensure PDF generation succeeds.

Workflow Overview

1. Try pandoc first (simplest for markdown/HTML conversion)
2. Fallback to reportlab (Python library for programmatic PDFs)
3. Fallback to fpdf2 (alternative Python PDF library)

Each step includes installation verification before execution.

Step 1: Attempt pandoc Conversion

Use pandoc for markdown or HTML to PDF conversion. Check availability first:

# Check if pandoc is available
which pandoc || echo "pandoc not found"

If available, convert:

pandoc input.md -o output.pdf

If pandoc fails or is unavailable, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Attempt reportlab

Check Installation

python3 -c "import reportlab" 2>/dev/null && echo "reportlab available" || echo "reportlab not found"

Install if Needed

pip install reportlab

Create PDF Script

Use write_file to create a Python script:

from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

def create_pdf(filename, content):
    c = canvas.Canvas(filename, pagesize=letter)
    c.drawString(100, 750, content)
    c.save()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    create_pdf("output.pdf", "Your content here")

Execute Script

Use run_shell with proper directory context:

cd /path/to/working/directory && python3 script.py

If reportlab fails, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Attempt fpdf2

Check Installation

python3 -c "from fpdf import FPDF" 2>/dev/null && echo "fpdf2 available" || echo "fpdf2 not found"

Install if Needed

pip install fpdf2

Create PDF Script

from fpdf import FPDF

def create_pdf(filename, text):
    pdf = FPDF()
    pdf.add_page()
    pdf.set_font("Arial", size=12)
    pdf.cell(200, 10, txt=text, ln=True)
    pdf.output(filename)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    create_pdf("output.pdf", "Your content here")

Execute Script

cd /path/to/working/directory && python3 script.py

Decision Matrix

Tool	Best For	Limitations
pandoc	Markdown/HTML conversion	Requires external installation
reportlab	Complex layouts, graphics	Steeper learning curve
fpdf2	Simple text PDFs	Limited formatting options

Error Handling Pattern

For each tool attempt:

1. Check availability/installation
2. Install if missing (pip install <package>)
3. Create script using write_file
4. Execute using run_shell with cd <dir> && <command>
5. Verify output file exists
6. If fails, move to next tool in sequence

Example Fallback Implementation

# Pseudocode for full workflow
if command -v pandoc >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    pandoc input.md -o output.pdf && exit 0
fi

if python3 -c "import reportlab" 2>/dev/null; then
    # Create and run reportlab script
    exit 0
fi

# Final fallback: fpdf2
pip install fpdf2
# Create and run fpdf2 script

Key Principles

• Always verify tool availability before attempting use
• Install on-demand when a tool is missing
• Use write_file for script creation (ensures clean, versionable code)
• Use run_shell with explicit directory context (cd <dir> && <cmd>)
• Progressive fallback ensures at least one method succeeds
• Verify output after each attempt before moving to next tool