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