How to use Python filter with Pandoc to convert md with tikz to html on Windows 8.1

[Richard Herron]

This is a cross-post from Stackoverflow. I asked the question 8 days ago,
but it didn't receive much attention.

Here's the question
link: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30696797/how-to-use-python-filter-with-pandoc-to-convert-md-with-tikz-to-html-on-windows

You may want to answer the question there (then paste here), because I have
a 100 point bounty. Sorry for the cross-post.

---

I am trying to use a Pandoc filter to convert a markdown file with a tikz
picture to html. I am on Win 8.1 (and I have all the dependencies --
pdflatex, Python 2.7, ImageMagick, and the pandocfilters Python package). I
am using the tikz.py script that John MacFarlane provides on
[github](https://github.com/jgm/pandocfilters).

I found a similar [question](https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/issues/1096) on
the Pandoc Google Group and John MacFarlane suggests wrapping the filter in
a Windows batch script (the filter must be an executable). Here is my
command line input (I'll provide the file contents below).

pandoc -o temp.html --filter .\tikz.bat -s temp.md

But I keep getting the following error.

pandoc: Failed reading: satisfyElem

The script generates the "tikz-images" subfolder, but it is empty, as is
the resulting output file temp.html.

If I run `python tikz.py temp.md` from the Windows command prompt it hangs.
If I kill the command with `CTRL-C`, then I get the following.

C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\temp>python tikz.py temp.md
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "tikz.py", line 70, in <module>
toJSONFilter(tikz)

The same occurs with `python caps.py temp.md`. A hang, followed by:

C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\temp>python caps.py temp.md
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "caps.py", line 15, in <module>
toJSONFilter(caps)


How can I get this to work? FWIW, the bigger goal is for the input files to
be [R Markdown](http://rmarkdown.rstudio.com/), but I want to understand
the filters in Pandoc Markdown alone first.

Here are the file contents.

tikz.bat

python tikz.py %*

temp.md

\begin{tikzpicture}

\draw [<->](-3,0)--(3,0);
\draw (-2,-.2)--(-2,.2);
\draw (-1,-.2)--(-1,.2);
\draw(0,-.2)--(0,.2);
\draw (1,-.2)--(1,.2);
\draw (2,-.2)--(2,.2);
\node[align=left,below] at (-4.5,-0.2) {Cash flow};
\node[align=left,above] at (-4.5,0.2) {Time period};
\node[align=left,above] at (-2,0.2) {-2};
\node[align=left,above] at (-1,0.2) {-1};
\node[align=left,above] at (0,0.2) {0};
\node[align=left,above] at (1,0.2) {+1};
\node[align=left,above] at (2,0.2) {+2};
\node[align=left,below] at (1,-0.2) {\$100};
\node[align=left,below] at (2,-0.2) {\$100};

\end{tikzpicture}

Can this work?

tikz.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

"""
Pandoc filter to process raw latex tikz environments into images.
Assumes that pdflatex is in the path, and that the standalone
package is available. Also assumes that ImageMagick's convert
is in the path. Images are put in the tikz-images directory.
"""

import hashlib
import re
import os
import sys
import shutil
from pandocfilters import toJSONFilter, Para, Image
from subprocess import Popen, PIPE, call
from tempfile import mkdtemp

imagedir = "tikz-images"


def sha1(x):
return
hashlib.sha1(x.encode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())).hexdigest()


def tikz2image(tikz, filetype, outfile):
tmpdir = mkdtemp()
olddir = os.getcwd()
os.chdir(tmpdir)
f = open('tikz.tex', 'w')
f.write("""\\documentclass{standalone}
\\usepackage{tikz}
\\begin{document}
""")
f.write(tikz)
f.write("\n\\end{document}\n")
f.close()
p = call(["pdflatex", 'tikz.tex'], stdout=sys.stderr)
os.chdir(olddir)
if filetype == 'pdf':
shutil.copyfile(tmpdir + '/tikz.pdf', outfile + '.pdf')
else:
call(["convert", tmpdir + '/tikz.pdf', outfile + '.' +
filetype])
shutil.rmtree(tmpdir)


def tikz(key, value, format, meta):
if key == 'RawBlock':
[fmt, code] = value
if fmt == "latex" and re.match("\\\\begin{tikzpicture}", code):
outfile = imagedir + '/' + sha1(code)
if format == "html":
filetype = "png"
elif format == "latex":
filetype = "pdf"
else:
filetype = "png"
src = outfile + '.' + filetype
if not os.path.isfile(src):
try:
os.mkdir(imagedir)
sys.stderr.write('Created directory ' + imagedir +
'\n')
except OSError:
pass
tikz2image(code, filetype, outfile)
sys.stderr.write('Created image ' + src + '\n')
return Para([Image([], [src, ""])])

if __name__ == "__main__":
toJSONFilter(tikz)

[John MacFarlane]

Can you try (with a relatively recent pandoc) with simply

--filter tikz.py

Post by Richard Herron
This is a cross-post from Stackoverflow. I asked the question 8 days
ago, but it didn't receive much attention.
Here's the question
link: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30696797/how-to-use-python-fil
ter-with-pandoc-to-convert-md-with-tikz-to-html-on-windows
You may want to answer the question there (then paste here), because I
have a 100 point bounty. Sorry for the cross-post.
---
I am trying to use a Pandoc filter to convert a markdown file with a
tikz picture to html. I am on Win 8.1 (and I have all the dependencies
-- pdflatex, Python 2.7, ImageMagick, and the pandocfilters Python
package). I am using the tikz.py script that John MacFarlane provides
on [github](https://github.com/jgm/pandocfilters).
I found a similar [question](https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/issues/1096)
on the Pandoc Google Group and John MacFarlane suggests wrapping the
filter in a Windows batch script (the filter must be an executable).
Here is my command line input (I'll provide the file contents below).
pandoc -o temp.html --filter .\tikz.bat -s temp.md
But I keep getting the following error.
pandoc: Failed reading: satisfyElem
The script generates the "tikz-images" subfolder, but it is empty, as
is the resulting output file temp.html.
If I run `python tikz.py temp.md` from the Windows command prompt it
hangs. If I kill the command with `CTRL-C`, then I get the following.
C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\temp>python tikz.py temp.md
File "tikz.py", line 70, in <module>
toJSONFilter(tikz)
C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\temp>python caps.py temp.md
File "caps.py", line 15, in <module>
toJSONFilter(caps)
How can I get this to work? FWIW, the bigger goal is for the input
files to be [R Markdown](http://rmarkdown.rstudio.com/), but I want to
understand the filters in Pandoc Markdown alone first.
Here are the file contents.
tikz.bat
python tikz.py %*
temp.md
\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw [<->](-3,0)--(3,0);
\draw (-2,-.2)--(-2,.2);
\draw (-1,-.2)--(-1,.2);
\draw(0,-.2)--(0,.2);
\draw (1,-.2)--(1,.2);
\draw (2,-.2)--(2,.2);
\node[align=left,below] at (-4.5,-0.2) {Cash flow};
\node[align=left,above] at (-4.5,0.2) {Time period};
\node[align=left,above] at (-2,0.2) {-2};
\node[align=left,above] at (-1,0.2) {-1};
\node[align=left,above] at (0,0.2) {0};
\node[align=left,above] at (1,0.2) {+1};
\node[align=left,above] at (2,0.2) {+2};
\node[align=left,below] at (1,-0.2) {\$100};
\node[align=left,below] at (2,-0.2) {\$100};
\end{tikzpicture}
Can this work?
tikz.py
#!/usr/bin/env python
"""
Pandoc filter to process raw latex tikz environments into images.
Assumes that pdflatex is in the path, and that the standalone
package is available. Also assumes that ImageMagick's convert
is in the path. Images are put in the tikz-images directory.
"""
import hashlib
import re
import os
import sys
import shutil
from pandocfilters import toJSONFilter, Para, Image
from subprocess import Popen, PIPE, call
from tempfile import mkdtemp
imagedir = "tikz-images"
return
hashlib.sha1(x.encode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())).hexdigest()
tmpdir = mkdtemp()
olddir = os.getcwd()
os.chdir(tmpdir)
f = open('tikz.tex', 'w')
f.write("""\\documentclass{standalone}
\\usepackage{tikz}
\\begin{document}
""")
f.write(tikz)
f.write("\n\\end{document}\n")
f.close()
p = call(["pdflatex", 'tikz.tex'], stdout=sys.stderr)
os.chdir(olddir)
shutil.copyfile(tmpdir + '/tikz.pdf', outfile + '.pdf')
call(["convert", tmpdir + '/tikz.pdf', outfile + '.' +
filetype])
shutil.rmtree(tmpdir)
[fmt, code] = value
outfile = imagedir + '/' + sha1(code)
filetype = "png"
filetype = "pdf"
filetype = "png"
src = outfile + '.' + filetype
os.mkdir(imagedir)
sys.stderr.write('Created directory ' +
imagedir + '\n')
pass
tikz2image(code, filetype, outfile)
sys.stderr.write('Created image ' + src + '\n')
return Para([Image([], [src, ""])])
toJSONFilter(tikz)
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For more options, visit [4]https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
References
4. https://groups.google.com/d/optout

[Richard Herron]

Thanks, John. I should have mentioned that I'm using 1.13.2

C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\pandoc_question>pandoc --version
pandoc 1.13.2
Compiled with texmath 0.8.0.1, highlighting-kate 0.5.11.1.

If I run pandoc with only `--filter tikz.py`, then it hangs and prints just
a "p" when a press CTRL-C.

C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\pandoc_question>pandoc --filter tikz.py
p

This is the same whether I use tikz.py or .\tikz.py.

If I run tikz.py with full arguments, but without the batch file wrapper,
then I get "Error running filter tikz.py".

C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\pandoc_question>pandoc -o temp.pdf --filter
tikz.py temp.md
pandoc: Error running filter tikz.py
C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\pandoc_question\tikz.py: createProcess:
invalid argument (Exec format error)

Do these cover all the cases you wanted to see?

Post by John MacFarlane
Can you try (with a relatively recent pandoc) with simply
--filter tikz.py

Post by Richard Herron
This is a cross-post from Stackoverflow. I asked the question 8 days
ago, but it didn't receive much attention.
Here's the question

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30696797/how-to-use-python-fil

Post by Richard Herron
ter-with-pandoc-to-convert-md-with-tikz-to-html-on-windows
You may want to answer the question there (then paste here), because I
have a 100 point bounty. Sorry for the cross-post.
---
I am trying to use a Pandoc filter to convert a markdown file with a
tikz picture to html. I am on Win 8.1 (and I have all the dependencies
-- pdflatex, Python 2.7, ImageMagick, and the pandocfilters Python
package). I am using the tikz.py script that John MacFarlane provides
on [github](https://github.com/jgm/pandocfilters).
I found a similar [question](https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/issues/1096)
on the Pandoc Google Group and John MacFarlane suggests wrapping the
filter in a Windows batch script (the filter must be an executable).
Here is my command line input (I'll provide the file contents below).
pandoc -o temp.html --filter .\tikz.bat -s temp.md
But I keep getting the following error.
pandoc: Failed reading: satisfyElem
The script generates the "tikz-images" subfolder, but it is empty, as
is the resulting output file temp.html.
If I run `python tikz.py temp.md` from the Windows command prompt it
hangs. If I kill the command with `CTRL-C`, then I get the following.
C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\temp>python tikz.py temp.md
File "tikz.py", line 70, in <module>
toJSONFilter(tikz)
C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\temp>python caps.py temp.md
File "caps.py", line 15, in <module>
toJSONFilter(caps)
How can I get this to work? FWIW, the bigger goal is for the input
files to be [R Markdown](http://rmarkdown.rstudio.com/), but I want

to

Post by Richard Herron
understand the filters in Pandoc Markdown alone first.
Here are the file contents.
tikz.bat
python tikz.py %*
temp.md
\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw [<->](-3,0)--(3,0);
\draw (-2,-.2)--(-2,.2);
\draw (-1,-.2)--(-1,.2);
\draw(0,-.2)--(0,.2);
\draw (1,-.2)--(1,.2);
\draw (2,-.2)--(2,.2);
\node[align=left,below] at (-4.5,-0.2) {Cash flow};
\node[align=left,above] at (-4.5,0.2) {Time period};
\node[align=left,above] at (-2,0.2) {-2};
\node[align=left,above] at (-1,0.2) {-1};
\node[align=left,above] at (0,0.2) {0};
\node[align=left,above] at (1,0.2) {+1};
\node[align=left,above] at (2,0.2) {+2};
\node[align=left,below] at (1,-0.2) {\$100};
\node[align=left,below] at (2,-0.2) {\$100};
\end{tikzpicture}
Can this work?
tikz.py
#!/usr/bin/env python
"""
Pandoc filter to process raw latex tikz environments into images.
Assumes that pdflatex is in the path, and that the standalone
package is available. Also assumes that ImageMagick's convert
is in the path. Images are put in the tikz-images directory.
"""
import hashlib
import re
import os
import sys
import shutil
from pandocfilters import toJSONFilter, Para, Image
from subprocess import Popen, PIPE, call
from tempfile import mkdtemp
imagedir = "tikz-images"
return
hashlib.sha1(x.encode(sys.getfilesystemencoding())).hexdigest()
tmpdir = mkdtemp()
olddir = os.getcwd()
os.chdir(tmpdir)
f = open('tikz.tex', 'w')
f.write("""\\documentclass{standalone}
\\usepackage{tikz}
\\begin{document}
""")
f.write(tikz)
f.write("\n\\end{document}\n")
f.close()
p = call(["pdflatex", 'tikz.tex'], stdout=sys.stderr)
os.chdir(olddir)
shutil.copyfile(tmpdir + '/tikz.pdf', outfile + '.pdf')
call(["convert", tmpdir + '/tikz.pdf', outfile + '.' +
filetype])
shutil.rmtree(tmpdir)
[fmt, code] = value
outfile = imagedir + '/' + sha1(code)
filetype = "png"
filetype = "pdf"
filetype = "png"
src = outfile + '.' + filetype
os.mkdir(imagedir)
sys.stderr.write('Created directory ' +
imagedir + '\n')
pass
tikz2image(code, filetype, outfile)
sys.stderr.write('Created image ' + src + '\n')
return Para([Image([], [src, ""])])
toJSONFilter(tikz)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
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[3]

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Post by Richard Herron
9da8-073ca2bf624b%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit [4]https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
References
3.
4. https://groups.google.com/d/optout

[John MacFarlane]

Post by Richard Herron
Thanks, John. I should have mentioned that I'm using 1.13.2
C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\pandoc_question>pandoc --version
pandoc 1.13.2
Compiled with texmath 0.8.0.1, highlighting-kate 0.5.11.1.
If I run pandoc with only `--filter tikz.py`, then it hangs and prints
just a "p" when a press CTRL-C.

It's waiting for input from the terminal or a pipe. You
should specify the name of the input file.

Post by Richard Herron
If I run tikz.py with full arguments, but without the batch file
wrapper, then I get "Error running filter tikz.py".
C:\Users\Richard\Desktop\pandoc_question>pandoc -o temp.pdf
--filter tikz.py temp.md
pandoc: Error running filter tikz.py
invalid argument (Exec format error)

I don't use Windows. Can anyone out there who uses python filters
with Windows comment?