direct-reportlab-pdf-generation

name	direct-reportlab-pdf-generation
description	Generate complex multi-page PDFs by running reportlab Python code directly via run_shell when shell_agent fails on document creation

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
 reportlab.lib.enums  TA_CENTER, TA_LEFT, TA_JUSTIFY

 ():
    doc = SimpleDocTemplate(filename, pagesize=letter,
                           rightMargin=, leftMargin=,
                           topMargin=, bottomMargin=)
    
    story = []
    styles = getSampleStyleSheet()
    
    
    title_style = ParagraphStyle(
        ,
        parent=styles[],
        fontSize=,
        textColor=colors.HexColor(),
        spaceAfter=,
        alignment=TA_CENTER
    )
    
    heading_style = ParagraphStyle(
        ,
        parent=styles[],
        fontSize=,
        textColor=colors.HexColor(),
        spaceBefore=,
        spaceAfter=
    )
    
    body_style = ParagraphStyle(
        ,
        parent=styles[],
        fontSize=,
        leading=,
        alignment=TA_JUSTIFY
    )
    
    
     section  content_data:
         section[] == :
            story.append(Paragraph(section[], title_style))
         section[] == :
            story.append(Paragraph(section[], heading_style))
         section[] == :
            story.append(Paragraph(section[], body_style))
            story.append(Spacer(, ))
         section[] == :
            table = Table(section[], colWidths=section.get())
            table.setStyle(TableStyle([
                (, (, ), (-, ), colors.grey),
                (, (, ), (-, ), colors.whitesmoke),
                (, (, ), (-, -), ),
                (, (, ), (-, ), ),
                (, (, ), (-, ), ),
                (, (, ), (-, ), ),
                (, (, ), (-, -), colors.beige),
                (, (, ), (-, -), , colors.black),
            ]))
            story.append(table)
            story.append(Spacer(, ))
         section[] == :
            story.append(PageBreak())
    
    doc.build(story)