direct-reportlab-pdf-generation

Direct ReportLab PDF Generation via run_shell

When to Use This Skill

Use this pattern when:

• You need to create a complex, multi-page PDF document with structured content
• Delegating PDF generation to shell_agent fails or produces unreliable results
• You need fine-grained control over PDF layout, styling, and pagination

Core Technique

Instead of asking shell_agent to handle PDF creation, write inline Python code using the reportlab library and execute it directly via run_shell. This gives you deterministic control over the document structure.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your PDF Content

Organize your content into logical sections that will become pages or page groups:

• Title page
• Table of contents (optional)
• Main content sections
• Appendices or references

Step 2: Write the ReportLab Python Script

Create a Python script that uses these key reportlab components:

from reportlab.lib import colors
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet, ParagraphStyle
from reportlab.lib.units import inch
from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Paragraph, Spacer, Table, TableStyle, PageBreak, Image
from reportlab.lib.enums import TA_CENTER, TA_LEFT, TA_JUSTIFY

def create_pdf(filename, content_data):
    doc = SimpleDocTemplate(filename, pagesize=letter,
                           rightMargin=72, leftMargin=72,
                           topMargin=72, bottomMargin=72)
    
    story = []
    styles = getSampleStyleSheet()
    
    # Custom styles
    title_style = ParagraphStyle(
        'CustomTitle',
        parent=styles['Heading1'],
        fontSize=24,
        textColor=colors.HexColor('#1a1a1a'),
        spaceAfter=30,
        alignment=TA_CENTER
    )
    
    heading_style = ParagraphStyle(
        'CustomHeading',
        parent=styles['Heading2'],
        fontSize=16,
        textColor=colors.HexColor('#2c3e50'),
        spaceBefore=20,
        spaceAfter=12
    )
    
    body_style = ParagraphStyle(
        'CustomBody',
        parent=styles['Normal'],
        fontSize=11,
        leading=16,
        alignment=TA_JUSTIFY
    )
    
    # Build document content
    for section in content_data:
        if section['type'] == 'title':
            story.append(Paragraph(section['text'], title_style))
        elif section['type'] == 'heading':
            story.append(Paragraph(section['text'], heading_style))
        elif section['type'] == 'paragraph':
            story.append(Paragraph(section['text'], body_style))
            story.append(Spacer(1, 12))
        elif section['type'] == 'table':
            table = Table(section['data'], colWidths=section.get('col_widths'))
            table.setStyle(TableStyle([
                ('BACKGROUND', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.grey),
                ('TEXTCOLOR', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.whitesmoke),
                ('ALIGN', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 'CENTER'),
                ('FONTNAME', (0, 0), (-1, 0), 'Helvetica-Bold'),
                ('FONTSIZE', (0, 0), (-1, 0), 12),
                ('BOTTOMPADDING', (0, 0), (-1, 0), 12),
                ('BACKGROUND', (0, 1), (-1, -1), colors.beige),
                ('GRID', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 1, colors.black),
            ]))
            story.append(table)
            story.append(Spacer(1, 20))
        elif section['type'] == 'pagebreak':
            story.append(PageBreak())
    
    doc.build(story)