pdf

name	pdf
description	Professional PDF solution. Create PDFs using HTML+Paged.js (academic papers, reports, documents). Process existing PDFs using Python (read, extract, merge, split, fill forms). Supports KaTeX math formulas, Mermaid diagrams, three-line tables, citations, and other academic elements. Also use this skill when user explicitly requests LaTeX (.tex) or native LaTeX compilation.

Route Selection

Route	Trigger	Route File
HTML (default)	All PDF creation requests	routes/html.md
LaTeX	User explicitly requests LaTeX, .tex, or Tectonic	routes/latex.md
Process	Work with existing PDFs (extract, merge, fill forms, etc.)	routes/process.md

Default to HTML. Only use LaTeX route when user explicitly requests it.

MANDATORY: Read Route File Before Implementation

You MUST read the corresponding route file before writing ANY code. Route files contain critical implementation details NOT duplicated here. Skipping this step leads to incorrect output (wrong scripts, missing CSS, broken layouts).

Before implementation, you MUST:

1. Determine the route (HTML / LaTeX / Process)
2. Read the route file (routes/html.md, routes/latex.md, or routes/process.md)
3. Only then proceed with implementation

This file (SKILL.md) contains constraints and principles. Route files contain how-to details.

Decision Rules

Route Selection

User Says	Route
"Create a PDF", "Make a report", "Write a paper"	HTML
"Use LaTeX", "Compile .tex", "Use Tectonic"	LaTeX
"Extract text from PDF", "Merge these PDFs", "Fill this form"	Process

Cover Style Selection (HTML Route)

Context	Style
Academic paper, thesis, formal coursework	Minimal (white, centered, no decoration)
Reports, proposals, professional documents	Designed (choose from style reference in html.md)
Uncertain	Default to Designed — plain text cover = mediocre

Key principle: Cover background separates "acceptable" from "impressive". See html.md for 11 style options.

Citation Format Selection

Document Language	Format
Chinese	GB/T 7714 (use [J][M][D] identifiers)
English	APA
Mixed	Chinese refs → GB/T 7714, English refs → APA

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Quick Start

Use the unified CLI for all operations:

# Check environment (JSON output, exit code 0=ok, 2=missing deps)
./scripts/pdf.sh check

# Auto-fix missing dependencies (idempotent, safe to run multiple times)
./scripts/pdf.sh fix

# Convert HTML to PDF
./scripts/pdf.sh html input.html --output output.pdf

# Compile LaTeX to PDF
./scripts/pdf.sh latex input.tex --output output.pdf

Exit codes:

• 0 = success
• 1 = usage error
• 2 = dependency missing (run pdf.sh fix)
• 3 = runtime error

Dependencies by route:

• HTML route: Node.js, Playwright, Chromium
• Process route: Python 3, pikepdf, pdfplumber
• LaTeX route: Tectonic

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Core Constraints (Must Follow)

1. Output Language

Output language must match user's query language.

• User writes in Chinese → PDF content in Chinese
• User writes in English → PDF content in English
• User explicitly specifies language → Follow user's specification

2. Word Count and Page Constraints

• Strictly follow user-specified word/page count requirements
• Do not arbitrarily inflate content length

3. Citation and Search Standards

CRITICAL: Search Before Writing

DO NOT fabricate information. When in doubt, SEARCH.

If content involves ANY of these, you MUST search FIRST before writing:

• Statistics, numbers, percentages, rankings
• Policies, regulations, laws, standards
• Academic research, theories, methodologies
• Current events, recent developments
• Anything you're not 100% certain about

Never proceed with writing if you need statistics, research data, or policy information without searching first. Making up facts is strictly prohibited. When uncertain, search.

When Search is Required

Scenario	Search?	Notes
Statistics, data	Required	e.g., "2024 employment rate"
Policies, regulations	Required	e.g., "startup subsidies"
Research, papers	Required	e.g., "effectiveness of method X"
Time-sensitive content	Required	Information after knowledge cutoff
Uncertain facts	Required	If unsure, always search
Common knowledge	Not needed	e.g., "water boils at 100°C"

Search workflow:

1. Identify facts/data requiring verification
2. Search for authentic sources
3. If results insufficient, iterate search until reliable info obtained
4. Include real sources in references
5. If search fails repeatedly, tell the user instead of making up data

Citations Must Be Real

Fabricating references is prohibited. All citations must have:

• Correct author/institution names
• Accurate titles
• Verifiable year, journal/source

Cross-references (Must Be Clickable)

As shown in <a href="#fig-1-1">Figure 1-1</a>...
From <a href="#eq-2-1">Equation (2-1)</a>...
See <a href="#sec3">Section 3</a>...

Note: id must be placed at container top (see CSS Counters section in html.md).

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Content Quality Constraints

1. Word/Page Count Constraints

Must strictly follow user-specified word or page count requirements:

User Request	Execution Standard
Specific word count (e.g., "3000 words")	Within ±20%, i.e., 2400-3600 words
Specific page count (e.g., "5 pages")	Exactly equal, last page may be partial
Word count range (e.g., "2000-3000 words")	Must fall within range
No explicit requirement	Infer reasonably by document type; prefer thorough over superficial
Minimum specified (e.g., "more than 5000 words")	No more than 2x, i.e., 5000-10000 words

Prohibited behaviors:

• Arbitrarily shortening content ("concise" is not an excuse)
• Padding pages with excessive bullet lists (maintain high information density)
• Exceeding twice the user's requested length

Special case - Resume/CV:

• Resume should be 1 page unless user specifies otherwise
• Use compact margins: margin: 1.5cm

2. Outline Adherence (Mandatory)

When user provides outline:

• Strictly follow the user-provided outline structure
• Section titles must match outline (minor wording adjustments OK, no level/order changes)
• Do not add or remove sections arbitrarily
• If outline seems problematic, ask user first before modifying

When no user outline:

• Use standard structures based on document type:
  • Academic papers: IMRaD (Introduction-Methods-Results-Discussion) or Introduction-Literature Review-Methods-Results-Discussion-Conclusion
  • Business reports: Conclusion-first (Executive Summary → Detailed Analysis → Recommendations)
  • Technical docs: Overview → Principles → Usage → Examples → FAQ
  • Course assignments: Follow assignment structure requirements
• Sections must have logical progression, no disconnects

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Tech Stack Overview

Route	Tools	Purpose
HTML	Playwright + Paged.js	HTML → PDF conversion
HTML	KaTeX, Mermaid	Math formulas, diagrams
Process	pikepdf	Form filling, page operations, metadata
Process	pdfplumber	Text and table extraction
Process	LibreOffice	Office → PDF conversion
LaTeX	Tectonic	LaTeX → PDF compilation