Pdf Checklist Generator

PDF Checklist/Report Generator

This skill provides a reusable pattern for creating professional PDF documents (checklists, reports, scorecards) using Python libraries within execute_code_sandbox.

When to Use This Skill

• Need to generate structured PDF documents programmatically
• Creating checklists with scoring criteria
• Building reports with tables, sections, and formatted content
• Producing downloadable artifacts for workflow tasks

Library Selection

Choose the appropriate library based on your needs:

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1: Plan Document Structure

Define the sections, tables, and scoring criteria before coding:

• Document title and metadata
• Section headers
• Table columns and rows
• Scoring rubric (if applicable)

Step 2: Write Python Code in execute_code_sandbox

Use execute_code_sandbox with the appropriate library. Here are templates:

Template A: Using reportlab (recommended for tables)

pythonCopy code
from reportlab.lib import colors
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Table, TableStyle, Paragraph, Spacer
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet, ParagraphStyle
from reportlab.lib.units import inch

# Create PDF
doc = SimpleDocTemplate("checklist.pdf", pagesize=letter)
elements = []
styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

# Title
title_style = ParagraphStyle('CustomTitle', parent=styles['Heading1'], alignment=1)
elements.append(Paragraph("Compliance Checklist", title_style))
elements.append(Spacer(1, 0.25*inch))

# Create table data
data = [
    ['Criteria', 'Status', 'Score', 'Notes'],
    ['Security Review', 'Pass', '10', 'All checks passed'],
    ['Code Quality', 'Pass', '8', 'Minor improvements'],
    ['Documentation', 'Pending', '5', 'Needs updates'],
]

# Create and style table
table = Table(data, colWidths=[3*inch, 1*inch, 1*inch, 2*inch])
table.setStyle(TableStyle([
    ('BACKGROUND', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.grey),
    ('TEXTCOLOR', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.whitesmoke),
    ('ALIGN', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 'CENTER'),
    ('GRID', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 1, colors.black),
    ('BACKGROUND', (0, 1), (-1, -1), colors.beige),
]))
elements.append(table)

# Build PDF
doc.build(elements)
print("PDF created: checklist.pdf")
print(f"ARTIFACT_PATH:/workspace/checklist.pdf")

Template B: Using fpdf2 (simpler API)

pythonCopy code
from fpdf import FPDF

pdf = FPDF()
pdf.add_page()
pdf.set_font("Arial", "B", 16)
pdf.cell(0, 10, "Project Report", ln=True, align='C')

pdf.set_font("Arial", size=12)
pdf.ln(10)

# Add sections
sections = [
    ("Executive Summary", "Project completed successfully."),
    ("Key Findings", "All milestones achieved on time."),
    ("Recommendations", "Continue current practices."),
]

for title, content in sections:
    pdf.set_font("Arial", "B", 14)
    pdf.cell(0, 10, title, ln=True)
    pdf.set_font("Arial", size=12)
    pdf.multi_cell(0, 8, content)
    pdf.ln(5)

pdf.output("report.pdf")
print("PDF created: report.pdf")
print(f"ARTIFACT_PATH:/workspace/report.pdf")

Template C: Checklist with Scoring

pythonCopy code
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Table, TableStyle, Paragraph, Spacer
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet
from reportlab.lib import colors

doc = SimpleDocTemplate("scorecard.pdf", pagesize=letter)
elements = []
styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

# Title
elements.append(Paragraph("Evaluation Scorecard", styles['Heading1']))
elements.append(Spacer(1, 0.25*inch))

# Scoring criteria table
criteria = [
    ['Category', 'Weight', 'Score (0-10)', 'Weighted'],
    ['Functionality', '30%', '9', '2.7'],
    ['Performance', '25%', '8', '2.0'],
    ['Security', '25%', '10', '2.5'],
    ['Documentation', '20%', '7', '1.4'],
    ['TOTAL', '100%', '-', '8.6/10'],
]

table = Table(criteria, colWidths=[2.5*inch, 1*inch, 1.5*inch, 1.5*inch])
table.setStyle(TableStyle([
    ('BACKGROUND', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.darkblue),
    ('TEXTCOLOR', (0, 0), (-1, 0), colors.whitesmoke),
    ('ALIGN', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 'CENTER'),
    ('GRID', (0, 0), (-1, -1), 1, colors.black),
    ('FONTNAME', (0, -1), (-1, -1), 'Helvetica-Bold'),
    ('BACKGROUND', (0, -1), (-1, -1), colors.lightgrey),
]))
elements.append(table)

doc.build(elements)
print("ARTIFACT_PATH:/workspace/scorecard.pdf")

Step 3: Include ARTIFACT_PATH in Output

Always include the artifact path in your print output so the system can locate the generated file:

pythonCopy code
print(f"ARTIFACT_PATH:/workspace/your_filename.pdf")

Step 4: Verify Output

After generation, verify the PDF was created successfully:

Option A: Use read_file

Copy code
read_file with filetype="pdf" and file_path="/workspace/checklist.pdf"

Option B: Use shell inspection

Copy code
run_shell with command="ls -la /workspace/*.pdf"

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Multi-Section Report

pythonCopy code
sections = [
    ("Introduction", "Overview text..."),
    ("Methodology", "Process description..."),
    ("Results", "Findings summary..."),
    ("Conclusion", "Final recommendations..."),
]

for title, content in sections:
    elements.append(Paragraph(title, styles['Heading2']))
    elements.append(Paragraph(content, styles['Normal']))
    elements.append(Spacer(1, 0.2*inch))

Pattern 2: Status Indicator Table

pythonCopy code
status_colors = {
    'Pass': colors.green,
    'Fail': colors.red,
    'Pending': colors.orange,
    'N/A': colors.grey,
}

# Apply conditional coloring in table style
for row_idx, row_data in enumerate(data[1:], 1):
    status = row_data[1]
    if status in status_colors:
        table.setStyle(TableStyle([
            ('BACKGROUND', (1, row_idx), (1, row_idx), status_colors[status]),
        ]))

Pattern 3: Page Breaks for Long Documents

pythonCopy code
from reportlab.platypus import PageBreak

elements.append(PageBreak())  # Insert page break

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

1. Always verify: Check the PDF exists and is readable after generation
2. Use ARTIFACT_PATH: Include it in output for system discovery
3. Keep it readable: Use adequate spacing (Spacer) between elements
4. Test incrementally: Build complex PDFs section by section
5. Handle errors: Wrap file operations in try/except blocks

Example Complete Workflow

pythonCopy code
# 1. Install library
!pip install reportlab -q

# 2. Generate PDF
from reportlab.platypus import SimpleDocTemplate, Table, TableStyle, Paragraph, Spacer
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.lib import colors

doc = SimpleDocTemplate("/workspace/checklist.pdf", pagesize=letter)
elements = []
styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

elements.append(Paragraph("Task Completion Checklist", styles['Heading1']))
elements.append(Spacer(1, 0.25*inch))

data = [['Task', 'Complete', 'Notes'],
        ['Setup environment', 'Yes', ''],
        ['Run tests', 'Yes', 'All passed'],
        ['Documentation', 'No', 'In progress']]

table = Table(data)
table.setStyle(TableStyle([('GRID', (0,0), (-1,-1), 1, colors.black)]))
elements.append(table)

doc.build(elements)
print("ARTIFACT_PATH:/workspace/checklist.pdf")

# 3. Verify
import os
print(f"File exists: {os.path.exists('/workspace/checklist.pdf')}")
print(f"File size: {os.path.getsize('/workspace/checklist.pdf')} bytes")