Introduction
# Local Pandoc Conversion Skill
This skill uses the `pandoc` command-line utility to convert documents between numerous markup formats.
## Basic Usage
The fundamental structure of a `pandoc` command is:
```bash pandoc [options] [input-file]… ```
### Simple Conversion
To convert a Markdown file to HTML:
```bash pandoc -o output.html input.md ```
### Specifying Formats
While `pandoc` can infer formats from file extensions, you can be explicit with the `-f` (from) and `-t` (to) flags.
```bash # Convert HTML to Markdown pandoc -f html -t markdown input.html ```
### Standalone Documents
To create a complete document with a proper header and footer (e.g., a full HTML file), use the `-s` or `--standalone` flag.
```bash pandoc -s -o output.html input.md ```
## Advanced Examples
The following examples are extracted from the official Pandoc User's Guide.
### PDF Output
To create a PDF, `pandoc` typically uses a LaTeX engine. Ensure one is installed.
```bash # Basic PDF creation pandoc input.md -o output.pdf
# Control PDF engine and style via variables pandoc input.md -o output.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex -V geometry:margin=1in -V fontsize=12pt ```
### Document Structure & Metadata
Pandoc can automatically generate a table of contents and use document metadata.
```bash # Create a document with a Table of Contents (up to level 3 headings) pandoc --toc --toc-depth=3 -o output.docx input.md
# Set metadata fields from the command line pandoc -M title:"My Report" -M author:"Galactus" -o output.pdf input.md ```
### Templates and Styling
You can control the final output's structure and style with templates and other options.
```bash # Use a custom template for HTML output pandoc -s --template=my-template.html -o output.html input.md
# For HTML output, link to a custom CSS file pandoc -s --css=styles.css -o output.html input.md
# For DOCX output, use a reference document for styling pandoc --reference-doc=reference.docx -o output.docx input.md ```
### Reading from the Web
Pandoc can directly fetch and convert content from a URL.
```bash pandoc -f html -t markdown https://www.fsf.org ```
### Other Useful Options
```bash # Preserve tabs instead of converting them to spaces pandoc --preserve-tabs ...
# Control line wrapping in the output source code pandoc --wrap=none ...
# Shift heading levels (e.g., make all H1s into H2s, H2s into H3s) pandoc --shift-heading-level-by=1 ... ``` This enhanced documentation provides a more robust foundation for using `pandoc`.