Markdown to Office Skill

Overview

This skill enables conversion from Markdown to various Office formats using Pandoc - the universal document converter. Convert your Markdown files to professional Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and more while preserving formatting and structure.

How to Use

• Provide the Markdown content or file

• Specify the target format (docx, pptx, pdf, etc.)

• Optionally provide a reference template for styling

• I'll convert using Pandoc with optimal settings

Example prompts:

• "Convert this README.md to a professional Word document"

• "Turn my markdown notes into a PowerPoint presentation"

• "Generate a PDF from this markdown with custom styling"

• "Create a Word doc from this markdown using company template"

Domain Knowledge

Pandoc Fundamentals

# Basic conversion

pandoc input.md -o output.docx

pandoc input.md -o output.pdf

pandoc input.md -o output.pptx

# With template

pandoc input.md --reference-doc=template.docx -o output.docx

# Multiple inputs

pandoc ch1.md ch2.md ch3.md -o book.docx

Supported Conversions

From

To

Command

Markdown

Word

pandoc in.md -o out.docx

Markdown

PDF

pandoc in.md -o out.pdf

Markdown

PowerPoint

pandoc in.md -o out.pptx

Markdown

HTML

pandoc in.md -o out.html

Markdown

LaTeX

pandoc in.md -o out.tex

Markdown

EPUB

pandoc in.md -o out.epub

Markdown to Word (.docx)

#### Basic Conversion

pandoc document.md -o document.docx

#### With Template (Reference Doc)

# First create a template by converting sample

pandoc sample.md -o reference.docx

# Edit reference.docx styles in Word, then use it

pandoc input.md --reference-doc=reference.docx -o output.docx

#### With Table of Contents

pandoc document.md --toc --toc-depth=3 -o document.docx

#### With Metadata

pandoc document.md \

  --metadata title="My Report" \

  --metadata author="John Doe" \

  --metadata date="2024-01-15" \

  -o document.docx

Markdown to PDF

#### Via LaTeX (Best Quality)

# Requires LaTeX installation

pandoc document.md -o document.pdf

# With custom settings

pandoc document.md \

  --pdf-engine=xelatex \

  -V geometry:margin=1in \

  -V fontsize=12pt \

  -o document.pdf

#### Via HTML/wkhtmltopdf

pandoc document.md \

  --pdf-engine=wkhtmltopdf \

  --css=style.css \

  -o document.pdf

#### PDF Options

pandoc document.md \

  -V papersize:a4 \

  -V geometry:margin=2cm \

  -V fontfamily:libertinus \

  -V colorlinks:true \

  --toc \

  -o document.pdf

Markdown to PowerPoint (.pptx)

#### Basic Conversion

pandoc slides.md -o presentation.pptx

#### Markdown Structure for Slides

---

title: Presentation Title

author: Author Name

date: January 2024

---

# Section Header (creates section divider)

## Slide Title

- Bullet point 1

- Bullet point 2

  - Sub-bullet

## Another Slide

Content here

::: notes

Speaker notes go here (not visible in slides)

:::

## Slide with Image

![Description](image.png){width=80%}

## Two Column Slide

:::::::::::::: {.columns}

::: {.column width="50%"}

Left column content

:::

::: {.column width="50%"}

Right column content

:::

::::::::::::::

#### With Template

# Use corporate PowerPoint template

pandoc slides.md --reference-doc=template.pptx -o presentation.pptx

YAML Frontmatter

Add metadata at the top of your Markdown:

---

title: "Document Title"

author: "Author Name"

date: "2024-01-15"

abstract: "Brief description"

toc: true

toc-depth: 2

numbersections: true

geometry: margin=1in

fontsize: 11pt

documentclass: report

---

# First Chapter

...

Python Integration

import subprocess

import os

def md_to_docx(input_path, output_path, template=None):

    """Convert Markdown to Word document."""

    cmd = ['pandoc', input_path, '-o', output_path]

    if template:

        cmd.extend(['--reference-doc', template])

    subprocess.run(cmd, check=True)

    return output_path

def md_to_pdf(input_path, output_path, **options):

    """Convert Markdown to PDF with options."""

    cmd = ['pandoc', input_path, '-o', output_path]

    if options.get('toc'):

        cmd.append('--toc')

    if options.get('margin'):

        cmd.extend(['-V', f"geometry:margin={options['margin']}"])

    subprocess.run(cmd, check=True)

    return output_path

def md_to_pptx(input_path, output_path, template=None):

    """Convert Markdown to PowerPoint."""

    cmd = ['pandoc', input_path, '-o', output_path]

    if template:

        cmd.extend(['--reference-doc', template])

    subprocess.run(cmd, check=True)

    return output_path

pypandoc (Python Wrapper)

import pypandoc

# Simple conversion

output = pypandoc.convert_file('input.md', 'docx', outputfile='output.docx')

# With options

output = pypandoc.convert_file(

    'input.md',

    'docx',

    outputfile='output.docx',

    extra_args=['--toc', '--reference-doc=template.docx']

)

# From string

md_content = "# Hello\n\nThis is markdown."

output = pypandoc.convert_text(md_content, 'docx', format='md', outputfile='output.docx')

Best Practices

• Use Templates: Create a reference document for consistent branding

• Structure Headers: Use consistent heading levels (## for slides, # for sections)

• Test Incrementally: Convert small sections first to verify formatting

• Include Metadata: Use YAML frontmatter for document properties

• Handle Images: Use relative paths and specify dimensions

Common Patterns

Batch Conversion

import subprocess

from pathlib import Path

def batch_convert(input_dir, output_format, output_dir=None):

    """Convert all markdown files in a directory."""

    input_path = Path(input_dir)

    output_path = Path(output_dir) if output_dir else input_path

    for md_file in input_path.glob('*.md'):

        output_file = output_path / md_file.with_suffix(f'.{output_format}').name

        subprocess.run([

            'pandoc', str(md_file), '-o', str(output_file)

        ], check=True)

        print(f"Converted: {md_file.name} -> {output_file.name}")

batch_convert('./docs', 'docx', './output')

Report Generator

def generate_report(title, sections, output_path, template=None):

    """Generate Word report from structured data."""

    # Build markdown

    md_content = f"""---

title: "{title}"

date: "{datetime.now().strftime('%B %d, %Y')}"

---

"""

    for section_title, content in sections.items():

        md_content += f"# {section_title}\n\n{content}\n\n"

    # Write temp file

    with open('temp_report.md', 'w') as f:

        f.write(md_content)

    # Convert

    cmd = ['pandoc', 'temp_report.md', '-o', output_path, '--toc']

    if template:

        cmd.extend(['--reference-doc', template])

    subprocess.run(cmd, check=True)

    os.remove('temp_report.md')

Examples

Example 1: Technical Documentation

import subprocess

# Create comprehensive markdown

doc = """---

title: "API Documentation"

author: "Dev Team"

date: "2024-01-15"

toc: true

toc-depth: 2

---

# Introduction

This document describes the REST API for our service.

## Authentication

All API requests require an API key in the header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

## Endpoints

### GET /users

Retrieve all users.

**Response:**

| Field | Type | Description |

|-------|------|-------------|

| id | integer | User ID |

| name | string | Full name |

| email | string | Email address |

### POST /users

Create a new user.

**Request Body:**

{

"name": "John Doe",

"email": "john@example.com"

}

## Error Codes

Code
Meaning

400
Bad Request

401
Unauthorized

404
Not Found

500
Server Error

"""

# Save markdown

with open('api_docs.md', 'w') as f:
f.write(doc)

# Convert to Word

subprocess.run([
'pandoc', 'api_docs.md',
'-o', 'api_documentation.docx',
'--toc',
'--reference-doc', 'company_template.docx'
], check=True)

# Convert to PDF

subprocess.run([
'pandoc', 'api_docs.md',
'-o', 'api_documentation.pdf',
'--toc',
'-V', 'geometry:margin=1in',
'-V', 'fontsize=11pt'
], check=True)

Example 2: Presentation from Markdown

slides_md = """---

title: "Q4 Business Review"

author: "Sales Team"

date: "January 2024"

---

# Overview

## Agenda

- Q4 Performance Summary

- Regional Highlights

- 2024 Outlook

- Q&A

# Q4 Performance

## Key Metrics

- Revenue: $12.5M (+15% YoY)

- New Customers: 250

- Retention Rate: 94%

## Regional Performance

:::::::::::::: {.columns}

::: {.column width="50%"}

**North America**

- Revenue: $6.2M

- Growth: +18%

:::

::: {.column width="50%"}

**Europe**

- Revenue: $4.1M

- Growth: +12%

:::

::::::::::::::

# 2024 Outlook

## Strategic Priorities

1. Expand APAC presence

2. Launch new product line

3. Improve customer onboarding

## Revenue Targets

| Quarter | Target |

|---------|--------|

| Q1 | $13M |

| Q2 | $14M |

| Q3 | $15M |

| Q4 | $16M |

# Thank You

## Questions?

Contact: sales@company.com

"""

with open('presentation.md', 'w') as f:

    f.write(slides_md)

subprocess.run([

    'pandoc', 'presentation.md',

    '-o', 'q4_review.pptx',

    '--reference-doc', 'company_slides.pptx'

], check=True)

Limitations

• Complex Word formatting may not convert perfectly

• PDF conversion requires LaTeX or wkhtmltopdf

• PowerPoint animations not supported

• Some advanced tables may need manual adjustment

• Image positioning can be tricky

Installation

# macOS

brew install pandoc

# Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt-get install pandoc

# Windows

choco install pandoc

# Python wrapper

pip install pypandoc

Resources

• Pandoc User's Guide

• GitHub Repository

• Pandoc Templates

• pypandoc Documentation