Document Generation — Dual Backend

What it does

This skill provides a robust document-generation workflow that prefers direct Pandoc execution for standard Markdown→DOCX/PDF/HTML conversions and uses ReportLab as a reliable fallback for heavy Unicode or programmatic PDF needs. It outlines quick-start steps, Unicode sanitization, two backend paths (Pandoc and ReportLab), troubleshooting tips, and sample scripts for typical conversion tasks.

When to use it

Use the Pandoc path for most straightforward conversions (DOCX, HTML, PDF when LaTeX is available). Choose the ReportLab path when documents contain heavy Unicode (CJK, special symbols), require precise programmatic layout, or when LaTeX/pandoc dependencies are unavailable. Use the dual-backend workflow when you need automated fallback and error recovery between backends.

What's included

• Scripts: examples and templates for Pandoc commands and ReportLab Python scripts (examples included in the skill body).
• References: guidance on installation and common troubleshooting steps for Pandoc, LaTeX, wkhtmltopdf, and ReportLab.
• Instructions: step-by-step workflows for quick direct conversion, a sanitized Pandoc path for PDF, a ReportLab-first approach for Unicode, and a hybrid fallback flow with verification and retry.

Compatible agents

Suitable for agents that can run shell commands and write files (shell-enabled agents such as Claude Code, Copilot/Codex-like environments, Cursor/Gemini CLI integrations).