| name | universal-document-generator |
| description | Converts Markdown study content to print-ready PDF documents with professional formatting. Covers full pipeline from source PDFs to clean text to Markdown notes to PDF output. Works for ANY university, ANY subject. Trigger on requests to generate PDFs from Markdown, create printable study materials, or batch-convert notes to PDF.
|
Universal Document Generator — Markdown to PDF Pipeline
Overview
Generates print-ready, professionally formatted PDF documents from Markdown study content. Designed
for creating exam-ready printed materials — unit notes, PYQ solutions, syllabus references, formula
sheets, and master solutions.
Supports Node.js (Playwright — primary, renders LaTeX via KaTeX) and Python (weasyprint —
fallback, Unicode math only). Includes a QP (Question Paper) variant that renders LaTeX
equations via KaTeX and uses Times New Roman for authentic exam-paper formatting.
Dependency note: The core MD→QP-PDF pipeline runs on Node.js only (marked +
playwright). Python is optional — only needed for PDF text extraction (pdf-extract.py) or
the weasyprint fallback. See DEPENDENCIES.md for full install
instructions.
How This Skill Works
- User provides: Markdown file(s) with study content, or PDF source material to convert through
the pipeline
- System converts: MD → HTML → PDF using CSS-styled A4 formatting
- System outputs: Print-ready PDF with page numbers, styled tables, syntax-highlighted code,
and diagrams
The Full Conversion Pipeline
Source PDF (syllabus/PYQ)
│
▼ [pdf-extract.py / pdftotext / OCR]
Plain Text (.txt)
│
▼ [Manual authoring or AI-assisted structuring]
Markdown Notes (.md)
│
▼ [convert-to-pdf.py or convert-to-pdf.js]
Print-Ready PDF (.pdf)
Stage 1: PDF → TXT
Use scripts/pdf-extract.py or the universal-document-reader skill to extract text from source
PDFs.
Stage 2: TXT → MD
Structure the extracted text into Markdown with proper headings, tables, code blocks, and exam-style
formatting.
Stage 3: MD → PDF
Use one of the conversion scripts to generate a print-ready PDF.
Stage 3b: MD → QP-Styled PDF (KaTeX + Times New Roman)
For authentic question-paper formatting with equations rendered via KaTeX:
node scripts/convert-qp-to-pdf.js paper.md paper.pdf
python3 scripts/convert-qp-to-pdf.py paper.md paper.pdf
Requires (Node): npm install marked playwright && npx playwright install chromium Requires
(Python): pip install markdown weasyprint
Note: The QP variant uses @font-face to load Times New Roman from system fonts and converts
[ ... ] math blocks to $$ ... $$ KaTeX delimiters. Inline \mu, \alpha, etc. are rendered
via CDN-loaded KaTeX auto-render.
SPPU Question Paper — Exact Page Properties (from 1225+ PDF analysis)
When generating an SPPU QP PDF, use these exact layout properties extracted from actual SPPU QPs
across FE/SE/TE/BE and 2012/2015/2019/2024 patterns:
| Property | Main Pattern (2019/2015 SE/TE/BE) | BE 2012 | FE 2024 (normalized) |
|---|
| Page size | A4 (595.3×841.9 pt) | A4 (595.3×841.9 pt) | A4 (595.3×841.9 pt) |
| Left margin | ~70.8 pt (~1″) | ~70.8 pt | ~70.8 pt |
| Right margin | ~48.1 pt | ~48.1 pt | ~48.1 pt |
| Top margin | ~56.3 pt | ~56.3 pt | ~56.3 pt |
| Bottom edge | ~59–63 pt | ~62.9 pt | ~59–63 pt |
| Text area | ~476 × 723 pt | ~476 × 723 pt | ~476 × 723 pt |
| Paper code | PC#### (no hyphen) | P#### | PC-#### or PD#### |
| Producer | Distiller 11.0 + iTextSharp 5.5.9 | iTextSharp 5.5.9 | Distiller 11.0 / cairo |
Layout structure:
Total No. of Questions : N] SEAT No. : [number]
[Paper Code] [Total No. of Pages : N]
[Paper Number] e.g., [6352]-35
[Program Name]
[SUBJECT NAME IN ALL CAPS]
(Pattern) (Semester) (Subject Code)
Time : [X] Hours] [Max. Marks : XX]
Instructions to the candidates:
1) [Instruction 1]
2) [Instruction 2]
Typographic Rules:
- Paper number — bold, centered, larger than body
- Subject name — ALL CAPS, bold
- Time/marks — bold, left/right justified on same line
- Instructions — numbered with
), indent 3 spaces
- Question numbers — bold like
**Q1)**
- Sub-questions — lowercase
a) b) c), bold, indent
- Marks —
[N] brackets, right-aligned
- OR separator —
**OR** centered on its own line
Conversion Backends
Option A: Python (weasyprint)
python3 scripts/convert-to-pdf.py notes.md
python3 scripts/convert-qp-to-pdf.py paper.md paper.pdf
for f in *.md; do python3 scripts/convert-to-pdf.py "$f"; done
Requires: pip install markdown weasyprint
Option B: Node.js (Playwright)
node scripts/convert-to-pdf.js notes.md
node scripts/convert-qp-to-pdf.js paper.md paper.pdf
Requires: npm install marked playwright && npx playwright install chromium
PDF Output Features
| Feature | Detail |
|---|
| Page Size | A4 with 2cm margins |
| Headers | Styled h1/h2/h3/h4 with distinct colors |
| Tables | Professional styling, alternating row colors |
| Code Blocks | Dark theme (GitHub Dark style), monospace font |
| Inline Code | Light gray background with accent color |
| Page Numbers | Centered at bottom |
| Blockquotes | Left-accented blue border |
| Page Breaks | Avoided inside tables, code blocks, blockquotes |
| Diagrams | Mermaid or image support via HTML |
Use Cases
| Scenario | Description |
|---|
| Unit Notes → PDF | Convert subject unit notes to printable study sheets |
| PYQ Solutions → PDF | Generate print-friendly previous year question solutions |
| Formula Sheets → PDF | Create compact formula reference PDFs |
| Syllabus Reference → PDF | Print official syllabus with CO-PO mapping |
| Master Solutions → PDF | Compile full subject solutions into one document |
| Flashcards → PDF | Generate printable flashcard sheets |
Style Customization
The CSS template can be customized by editing the script:
- Colors:
--primary: #0d3b66, --accent: #1b5a8c, --code-bg: #0d1117
- Fonts: Segoe UI, Calibri, DejaVu Sans (Python) / system fonts (JS)
- Spacing: Line height, margins, padding per element type
- Page: Size, margins, header/footer content
Error Handling
| Situation | Action |
|---|
| Markdown parse error | Validate Markdown syntax; check for unclosed code blocks or mismatched delimiters |
| Font not found | Fall back to system fonts (Segoe UI, Calibri); note font substitution in output |
| PDF renderer unavailable | Ensure Playwright is installed (npx playwright install chromium); fall back to weasyprint (Python) |
| Page count exceeds limit | Adjust margins or font size; split document into multiple volumes if necessary |
Quality Gate — Check Before Output
Session Config
This skill integrates with the session config system (deps/session-profile.json). Before
executing, check for an existing session profile:
- If
deps/session-profile.json exists, read university, subject, pattern, and exam_type
fields to auto-configure the skill.
- If the file does not exist, fall back to user-provided context or prompt the user to run
setup-exam-prompt (or npm run init) first.
- Session config eliminates redundant context detection — detection happens once and is reused
across all skill calls.
Integration with Other Skills
- universal-session-config: Reads formatting preferences (university, pattern) from session
profile
- universal-document-reader: First stage (PDF → TXT)
- universal-notes-generator: Produces MD content ready for PDF conversion
- universal-a-plus-answer-writer: Generates answers that can be compiled into PDF
- universal-diagram-generator: Embeds rendered SVG diagrams into PDF output
- universal-formula-sheet-generator: Outputs MD formula sheets for PDF
- universal-flashcard-generator: Flashcard content exportable to printable PDF
- universal-mind-map-generator: Mermaid diagrams embeddable in PDF output
