pdf-gen-fallback-501bcc

Fallback pattern for PDF/document generation when execute_code_sandbox fails with opaque errors

Quality

80%

Does it follow best practices?

Run evals on this skill

Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

View guide

Securityby

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Fix and improve this skill with Tessl

tessl review fix ./benchmarks/gdpval/skills/pdf-gen-fallback-501bcc/SKILL.md

PDF Generation Fallback Pattern

When to Use

Apply this pattern when execute_code_sandbox returns opaque or unhelpful errors during PDF, DOCX, or other document generation tasks. This fallback uses run_shell with direct python -c execution for more reliable document generation.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Detect Sandbox Failure

If execute_code_sandbox fails during document generation with errors like:

Opaque runtime errors
Missing library errors that don't resolve with import statements
Silent failures with no output

Proceed to the fallback approach.

2. Check Library Availability

Before generating documents, verify the required Python libraries are available in the shell environment:

python -c "import reportlab; print('OK')" 2>&1 || echo "reportlab missing"
python -c "import fpdf; print('OK')" 2>&1 || echo "fpdf missing"
python -c "import pypdf; print('OK')" 2>&1 || echo "pypdf missing"
python -c "import docx; print('OK')" 2>&1 || echo "python-docx missing"

3. Install Missing Libraries (If Needed)

If a library is missing, install it via pip:

pip install reportlab fpdf2 pypdf python-docx

4. Execute Document Generation via run_shell

Use run_shell with python -c and multi-line strings for document generation:

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 Title')
c.drawString(100, 700, 'Content here')
c.save()
print('SUCCESS: PDF created')
"

For DOCX files:

python -c "
from docx import Document

doc = Document()
doc.add_heading('Document Title', 0)
doc.add_paragraph('Content here')
doc.save('output.docx')
print('SUCCESS: DOCX created')
"

5. Include Explicit Error Handling

Always wrap generation code with try/except for clear error reporting:

python -c "
try:
    from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
    from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
    
    c = canvas.Canvas('output.pdf', pagesize=letter)
    c.drawString(100, 750, 'Content')
    c.save()
    print('SUCCESS')
except ImportError as e:
    print(f'MISSING_LIBRARY: {e}')
    exit(1)
except Exception as e:
    print(f'GENERATION_ERROR: {e}')
    exit(1)
"

6. Verify Output File

After generation, confirm the file was created and is valid:

ls -la output.pdf
file output.pdf
test -f output.pdf && echo "File exists" || echo "File missing"

Complete Example Workflow

# Step 1: Check and install library
python -c "import reportlab" 2>&1 || pip install reportlab

# Step 2: Generate PDF with error handling
python -c "
try:
    from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
    from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
    
    c = canvas.Canvas('report.pdf', pagesize=letter)
    c.setFont('Helvetica', 12)
    c.drawString(100, 750, 'Surveillance Report')
    c.drawString(100, 700, 'Generated via fallback pattern')
    c.save()
    print('SUCCESS: report.pdf created')
except Exception as e:
    print(f'ERROR: {e}')
    exit(1)
"

# Step 3: Verify
test -f report.pdf && echo "Verification: PASSED" || echo "Verification: FAILED"

Why This Works

Direct Execution: run_shell with python -c bypasses sandbox limitations that may affect document generation libraries
Explicit Errors: Try/except blocks provide actionable error messages instead of opaque failures
Environment Control: Shell execution gives more control over the Python environment and library paths
Verification: Explicit file checks confirm success rather than assuming it

Common Libraries

Library	Purpose	Import Statement
reportlab	PDF generation	`from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas`
fpdf2	PDF generation	`from fpdf import FPDF`
pypdf	PDF manipulation	`from pypdf import PdfReader`
python-docx	DOCX generation	`from docx import Document`
xlsxwriter	Excel files	`import xlsxwriter`

Repository: HKUDS/OpenSpace
Path: benchmarks/gdpval/skills/pdf-gen-fallback-501bcc/SKILL.md
Commit: c5a9c4b

Last updated: 2 days ago
First committed: 14 days ago

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.