🏛️ Academic Document Generator

Born from frustration with proprietary tools and complex LaTeX workflows, this converter was built as a completely independent solution. No Microsoft dependencies, no complex LaTeX installations - just pure Python-powered document generation.

📑 Table of Contents

The Markdown PDF Generator revolutionizes academic document creation through intelligent 2-Pass PDF Generation and seamless YAML Front Matter Integration.

🎯 Use Case

📋 Master Thesis Proposals

Complete YAML configuration
All document metadata in one place
Automatic title page
HHN branding and professional layout
Supervisor signatures
Digital signature fields for all participants
HHN Corporate Design
University-compliant styling and logos

💡 Professional academic documents only with markdown

🏗️ Architecture & Design

📁 Modular Structure

hhn_pdf_generator/
├── core/
│   ├── generator.py      # Main PDF Generator - Core conversion engine orchestrating Markdown to PDF
│   ├── styles.py         # Dynamic Styling - CSS-like formatting, fonts, colors, layouts
│   ├── config.py         # Configuration - Centralized document settings and user preferences
│   └── template.py       # Custom Document Template - Page layouts, headers, footers, structure
├── generators/
│   ├── title_page.py     # Title Page Generator - Automated creation with metadata and branding
│   ├── toc.py            # Table of Contents Generator - Intelligent heading extraction and navigation
│   └── signature.py      # Signature Generator - Digital signatures and document authentication
├── utils/
│   ├── yaml_parser.py    # YAML Front Matter Parser - Metadata and configuration extraction
│   ├── markdown_parser.py # Markdown Content Parser - Extended syntax and content preprocessing
│   ├── logo_handler.py   # Logo Management - Image embedding, resizing, institutional branding
│   └── page_tracker.py   # Page Number Tracking - Accurate cross-references and numbering
└── main.py               # CLI Entry Point - Command-line interface for document conversion
ReportLab
PDF Engine
PyYAML
Front Matter
Python 3.x
Core Language
Markdown
Input Format

✨ Key Features

🔄 2-Pass PDF Generation

Innovative 2-Pass Generation for exact page numbers in table of contents.

def generate_pdf(self, input_file, output_file=None):
    # First pass: Page number tracking
    doc = PageTrackingDocTemplate(temp_output)
    story = self._build_story_first_pass(styles, content, doc)
    doc.build(story)
    
    # Second pass: Final PDF with accurate TOC
    page_tracker = doc.get_page_tracker()
    toc_generator.set_actual_page_numbers(page_tracker)
    doc_final.build(story_final)

📋 YAML Front Matter

Intelligent configuration via YAML Header for flexible document creation.

---
student:
  name: "Marc Nauendorf"
  student_id: "200882"
  program: "Software Engineering Master"
  supervisor: "Prof. Dr. supervisor"

document:
  type: "Master Thesis Proposal"
  submission_date: "November 2025"

flags:
  toc_on_table_page: true
  signature_line: true
  supervisor_signature: true
---

📊 Advanced Features

🔗 Interactive Table of Contents

Intelligent table of contents with clickable links and automatically generated page numbers through innovative 2-pass processing.

def create_table_of_contents(self):
    # First pass: Collect headings
    for item in self.toc_items:
        anchor = create_anchor_name(item['text'])
        page = self.get_actual_page(anchor)
        
        # Create clickable links
        link = f'<a href="#{anchor}">{item["text"]}</a>'
        dots = "." * (50 - len(item["text"]))
        story.append(Paragraph(f'{link}{dots}{page}'))

✍️ Signature System

Intelligent creation of signature fields for all participants with flexible arrangement and HHN standards.

class SignatureGenerator:
    def create_signatures(self, yaml_data):
        signatures = []
        
        # Student Signature (always)
        signatures.append(self.create_student_sig())
        
        # Supervisor Signatures (configurable)
        if yaml_data.get('supervisor'):
            signatures.append(self.create_supervisor_sig())
        
        return Table(signatures, style=self.signature_style)

🏛️ Logo Integration

Automatic download and integration of university logos with intelligent fallback system.

class LogoHandler:
    def setup_branding(self):
        # Download HHN Logo
        hhn_logo = self.download_hhn_logo()
        
        # Download UniTyLab Logo  
        lab_logo = self.download_unitylab_logo()
        
        # Fallback to text headers
        if not (hhn_logo and lab_logo):
            return self.create_text_headers()
        
        return self.create_logo_headers(hhn_logo, lab_logo)

💡 All features work seamlessly together for fully automated, professional PDF creation

🎨 Extended Features

✨ Rich Markdown Formatting

Full support for extended Markdown syntax with intelligent PDF rendering and professional typography.

📝 Text Styling

Professional text formatting with automatic typography:

  • *Italic text* - Elegant emphasis
  • **Bold text** - Strong highlighting
  • `Code snippets` - Inline code
💬 Quote Blocks

Intelligent quote rendering with proper indentation:

> Quote blocks with automatic styling and professional formatting
📋 Smart Lists

Automatic list formatting with proper spacing and numbering:

Numbered Lists:
  1. Automatic numbering
  2. Professional spacing
  3. Consistent formatting
Bullet Lists:
  • Clean bullet points
  • Proper indentation
  • Academic standards
class MarkdownRenderer:
    def render_text_formatting(self, text):
        # Italic text processing
        text = re.sub(r'\*(.*?)\*', r'<i>\1</i>', text)
        
        # Bold text processing  
        text = re.sub(r'\*\*(.*?)\*\*', r'<b>\1</b>', text)
        
        # Code formatting
        text = re.sub(r'`(.*?)`', r'<font name="Courier">\1</font>', text)
        
        return text
    
    def render_quotes(self, content):
        # Professional quote block styling
        quote_style = ParagraphStyle(
            'Quote',
            leftIndent=20,
            rightIndent=20,
            borderLeft=2,
            borderColor=colors.HexColor('#81c784')
        )
        return Paragraph(content, quote_style)

🔧 Usage & Integration

$ Terminal Commands 

# Simple conversion
python main.py proposal.md

# With output path
python main.py thesis.md -o custom_thesis.pdf

# Batch conversion (Windows)
./convert_all.bat
Quick Start
Drag & Drop Markdown file
Auto-Install
Dependencies handled automatically
Cross-Platform
Windows, Linux, macOS

⚡ Automatic Dependency Installation

The generator automatically checks and installs all required Python packages via intelligent startup script:

📄
ReportLab PDF Generation Engine
⚙️
PyYAML YAML Processing
🖼️
Pillow Image Processing

🚀 Smart Startup Process 

def check_and_install_dependencies():
    required_packages = ['reportlab', 'PyYAML', 'Pillow', 'requests']
    
    for package in required_packages:
        try:
            __import__(package)
            print(f"✅ {package} already installed")
        except ImportError:
            print(f"📦 Installing {package}...")
            subprocess.check_call([sys.executable, "-m", "pip", "install", package])
            print(f"✅ {package} installed successfully")

💡 Zero configuration required - just run and go!

🏆 Advantages over LaTeX

Feature Academic Document Generator LaTeX
Learning Curve ✅ Minimal (Markdown) ❌ Steep
Setup Time ✅ < 5 Minutes ❌ Hours
Error Messages ✅ User-friendly ❌ Cryptic
Version Control ✅ Git-optimized ✅ Git Possible
Collaboration ✅ Easy sharing ❌ Complex

💡 This PDF Generator combines the simplicity of Markdown with the professionalism of LaTeX