PDF Generation Fallback

This skill provides a reliable workflow for generating PDFs and documents when

execute_code_sandbox

returns opaque errors. Use direct

run_shell

with

python -c

as a fallback, with library availability checks and explicit error handling.

When to Use

• execute_code_sandbox

  fails with cryptic error messages during document/PDF generation
• You need to generate PDFs, reports, or structured documents
• Standard library execution is unreliable for document creation tasks

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1: Check Library Availability

Before attempting generation, verify that required libraries are installed:

run_shell command="python -c \"import reportlab; print('reportlab available')\""
run_shell command="python -c \"import fpdf; print('fpdf available')\""
run_shell command="python -c \"import pypdf; print('pypdf available')\""

Step 2: Attempt execute_code_sandbox First

Try the sandbox approach initially (it's cleaner for iteration):

execute_code_sandbox code="""
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas

c = canvas.Canvas("output.pdf", pagesize=letter)
c.drawString(100, 750, "Document Content")
c.save()
print("ARTIFACT_PATH:/path/to/output.pdf")
"""

Step 3: Detect Opaque Errors

Watch for these failure indicators:

• Generic "execution failed" messages
• Import errors that don't match library availability checks
• Timeout errors during document rendering
• Missing artifact paths in output

Step 4: Fall Back to run_shell

If sandbox fails, use direct shell execution:

run_shell command="python -c \"
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
c = canvas.Canvas('output.pdf', pagesize=letter)
c.drawString(100, 750, 'Document Content')
c.save()
print('PDF created successfully')
\""

Step 5: Verify Output

After generation, confirm the file exists:

run_shell command="ls -la output.pdf && file output.pdf"

Complete Example Workflow

1. Check libraries: run_shell "python -c \"import reportlab\""
2. Try sandbox: execute_code_sandbox with PDF generation code
3. If error detected: Fall back to run_shell with python -c
4. Verify: run_shell "ls -la *.pdf"
5. Read result: read_file filetype="pdf" file_path="output.pdf"

Error Handling Tips

• Capture stderr from run_shell to diagnose issues
• Use absolute paths when possible to avoid working directory issues
• For complex documents, write the Python script to a file first, then execute
• Consider installing missing libraries:

  run_shell command="pip install reportlab"

Library Alternatives

If reportlab is unavailable, try:

• fpdf

  - Simpler API, good for basic PDFs

• weasyprint

  - HTML/CSS to PDF conversion

• pypdf

  - PDF manipulation and merging

Common Pitfalls

• Don't assume sandbox errors mean the approach is wrong—often it's环境 issues
• Always verify the PDF was created before proceeding
• Handle encoding issues explicitly (use utf-8)
• For images in PDFs, ensure image files are accessible to the execution context