Pandoc resources

pandoc

An opinionated list of online materials that pandoc users may find useful.

Author

Albert Krewinkel

Published

August 23, 2022

These are the resources that I’d want to have if I was to learn about pandoc (the universal document converter) all over again:

Installing

latest release
The GitHub release page has installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Docker images

There are three types of pandoc Docker images:

  • minimal – very small, just the bare pandoc binary;
  • core – includes pandoc-crossref and helpers programs, e.g. those used by pandoc for SVG image conversion;
  • latex – like core, plus TeXLive with all packages required by the default template.

These images can be used as an alternative to a system-wide installation. The image repository descriptions also explain how the images can be used.

Documentation

manual

The official pandoc manual. When in doubt, this should always be the first resource to check. It covers all command line options, defaults files settings, format extensions, etc.

Note that this always documents the latest pandoc version. If something isn’t working as documented, you may need to update.

FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions; click on the questions to see the answer.
Wiki
Pandoc’s GitHub wiki; contains many additional resources, links, and tips.
Lua filters
How to modify a document programmatically; also documents all constructors and utility functions exposed by pandoc.
Custom reader
Interface that allows to write parsers for otherwise unsupported formats.
Custom writers
Interface that allows to use pandoc to convert to a custom output format.
Format-specific documentation

The support for some formats is tune-able enough to warrant additional documentation.

  • EPUB – How to make an ebook
  • Org – Emacs Org-mode
  • JATS – The Journal Article Tag Set

Getting help

Please make sure to search the web before posting.

pandoc-discuss

Official pandoc mailing list; usually the best way to get help. The main developers and many seasoned users lurk here and answer questions.

The web interface makes it seem like a Google account is required to post, but this isn’t so: Write a mail to obfuscated mail address to subscribe to the list with any mail address.

StackOverflow
Post here to reach a more programming oriented group of people. Please do not cross-post, many people that follow the pandoc tag have also subscribed to the mailing list.
TeX/LaTeX Stack Exchange
This is a good place to ask for help when pandoc is used to generate PDFs via LaTeX. Be sure to include the (relevant parts) of the generated LaTeX output in your question, as most people there do not use pandoc. Some even seem to actively dislike it, so be prepared.

Misc

pandoc in the fediverse
I use this Mastodon account to post small tips and updates.
Quarto
Scientific and technical publishing system based on pandoc.
Zettlr
Markdown editor with “zettelkasten” functionality.

Edits

  • 2022-12-09: Added Mastodon account in favor of Twitter; the account on the latter platform is no longer updated.