reportlab-styles

Use reportlab's pre-defined styles from getSampleStyleSheet() correctly

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ReportLab Pre-Defined Styles Reference

Overview

ReportLab's reportlab.lib.styles.getSampleStyleSheet() provides a collection of pre-defined paragraph styles. Use these existing styles rather than redefining them to avoid KeyError exceptions.

Available Pre-Defined Styles

The standard stylesheet includes these commonly-used styles:

Style Name	Purpose
`Normal`	Default body text
`Title`	Document title (large, bold)
`Heading1`	Level 1 section heading
`Heading2`	Level 2 section heading
`Heading3`	Level 3 section heading
`Heading4`	Level 4 section heading
`Heading5`	Level 5 section heading
`Heading6`	Level 6 section heading
`Bullet`	Bulleted list items
`Definition`	Definition list terms
`Italic`	Italicized text
`Code`	Monospace code text

Correct Usage Pattern

from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet
from reportlab.platypus import Paragraph

# Get the stylesheet
styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

# Use existing styles directly (CORRECT)
title = Paragraph("My Document Title", styles['Title'])
heading = Paragraph("Section Header", styles['Heading1'])
body = Paragraph("Regular text content", styles['Normal'])

Common Mistake to Avoid

# WRONG - Don't redefine existing style names
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet, ParagraphStyle

styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

# This will cause KeyError when you try to use 'Title' later
styles.add(ParagraphStyle(
    name='Title',  # Overwrites the pre-defined 'Title' style
    fontSize=24,
    # ... incomplete definition
))

# Later code expecting the full 'Title' style will fail
paragraph = Paragraph("Title Text", styles['Title'])  # KeyError!

Best Practices

Use existing styles as-is when they meet your needs
Create new style names for custom styles (e.g., MyCustomTitle, CustomHeading)
Base custom styles on existing ones when you need modifications:

from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet, ParagraphStyle

styles = getSampleStyleSheet()

# Create a NEW style with a unique name
custom_title = ParagraphStyle(
    name='CustomTitle',  # Unique name, doesn't conflict
    parent=styles['Title'],  # Base it on existing Title
    fontSize=28,
    spaceAfter=30
)
styles.add(custom_title)

# Now both styles are available
styles['Title']       # Original pre-defined style
styles['CustomTitle'] # Your custom variant

Quick Reference Checklist

Import getSampleStyleSheet() from reportlab.lib.styles
Call styles = getSampleStyleSheet() once at the start
Access styles via styles['StyleName'] (case-sensitive)
Do NOT add styles with names that already exist in the stylesheet
Use unique names for any custom styles you create
Common available styles: Normal, Title, Heading1-6, Bullet, Code, Italic

Repository: HKUDS/OpenSpace
Path: benchmarks/gdpval/skills/reportlab-styles/SKILL.md
Commit: c5a9c4b

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

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