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make_deck - Pandoc Beamer Presentation Generator

A standalone tool for creating beautiful PDF presentations from Markdown using Pandoc and LaTeX beamer.

Installation (macOS)

Option 1: Homebrew (Recommended)

The easiest way to install make_deck on macOS:

# Add the tap and install make_deck (includes all dependencies)
brew tap hubrix/make_deck https://github.com/hubrix/make_deck
brew install make-deck

# Optional: Install enhanced fonts for better typography
brew install --cask font-hack-nerd-font

Option 2: One-Shot Bootstrap

Install all dependencies automatically on macOS:

make bootstrap-macos
# or with options:
bash scripts/bootstrap-macos.sh --full-tex      # install mactex-no-gui instead of tectonic
bash scripts/bootstrap-macos.sh --no-fonts      # skip Nerd Fonts
bash scripts/bootstrap-macos.sh --no-imagemagick

Option 3: Manual Installation

If you prefer manual installation:

# Install dependencies manually
brew install pandoc tectonic imagemagick

# Optional: Install fonts for enhanced typography
brew install --cask font-hack-nerd-font

# Download make_deck executable from this repository

Quick Start

Once installed, creating presentations is simple:

# Basic usage
make_deck presentation.md presentation.pdf

# With enhanced styling (uses preamble.tex)
make_deck presentation.md presentation.pdf --preamble

# Get help
make_deck --help

Using Make Targets

You can also use the provided Makefile:

make check      # verify pandoc and a TeX engine exist
make build      # generate presentation.pdf
make preamble   # generate presentation_nice_formatting.pdf with enhanced styling
make open       # open the generated PDF

Example Markdown Structure

Create a presentation.md file with this structure:

---
title: "My Presentation"
author: "Your Name"
institute: "Your Organization"
theme: "Frankfurt"
colortheme: "beaver"
fonttheme: "professionalfonts"
mainfont: "Hack Nerd Font"
fontsize: 11pt
aspectratio: 169
date: "2024"
toc: true
---

# Introduction

This is the first slide.

## Key Points

- Point one
- Point two
- Point three

# Conclusion

Thank you for your attention!

Installation (Other Platforms)

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install pandoc imagemagick

# Install a TeX distribution
sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-recommended texlive-fonts-recommended
sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-extra texlive-xetex

# Download make_deck executable from this repository

Manual Dependencies

If package managers aren't available:

1. Install Pandoc
2. Install a TeX engine:
   • Tectonic (lightweight, recommended)
   • MacTeX (macOS)
   • TeX Live (cross-platform)
3. Download the make_deck executable

Advanced Features

Column Layouts

Use fenced divs for multi-column layouts:

## Two Columns

::: columns

:::: column
Left content here.
::::

:::: column
Right content here.
::::

:::

Custom Styling

The repository includes enhanced styling via preamble.tex:

• Custom color schemes
• Frame numbers
• Enhanced footer design
• Better code syntax highlighting

Use --preamble flag or make preamble to apply enhanced styling.

Themes and Customization

Beamer offers many themes and color schemes:

• Theme Matrix
• Font Themes

About This Project

This project builds on the excellent work from the original pandoc-beamer-how-to guide, providing:

• A standalone make_deck executable
• macOS-optimized installation via Homebrew
• Enhanced styling options
• Automated dependency management
• Cross-platform compatibility

Technical Details

The tool uses:

• Pandoc for Markdown to LaTeX conversion
• Tectonic or LuaLaTeX for PDF generation
• Beamer for presentation formatting
• Custom LaTeX templates for enhanced styling

Font Considerations

For best results with custom fonts:

• Install Nerd Fonts for enhanced typography
• Use the lualatex engine for TrueType font support
• Specify fonts in the YAML frontmatter

Examples

The repository includes example presentations:

• Basic presentation - default styling
• Enhanced presentation - with preamble.tex

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "No TeX engine found": Install Tectonic or a TeX distribution
2. Font not found: Install the specified font or use system fonts
3. Build fails: Verify that all dependencies are properly installed

Getting Help

• Run make_deck --help for usage information
• Run make check to verify dependencies
• See the detailed documentation below for advanced usage

---

Detailed Documentation

YAML Configuration

The YAML frontmatter supports extensive customization:

title: "Presentation Title"
author: "Author Name"
institute: "Institution"
topic: "Subject Area"
theme: "Frankfurt"           # Beamer theme
colortheme: "beaver"         # Color scheme
fonttheme: "professionalfonts"
mainfont: "Hack Nerd Font"   # Custom font
fontsize: 10pt
urlcolor: red
linkstyle: bold
aspectratio: 169             # 16:9 aspect ratio
titlegraphic: img/logo.png   # Title slide graphic
logo: img/small-logo.png     # Corner logo
date: "March 2024"
lang: en-US
section-titles: false
toc: true                    # Table of contents

Advanced Pandoc Options

The underlying Pandoc command supports many options:

• --listings: Enhanced code formatting
• --toc: Automatic table of contents
• --slide-level 2: H2 headers create new slides
• --dpi=300: High-resolution images
• Custom templates and filters

Column Layout Examples

Equal Width Columns

::: columns
:::: column
Left content
::::
:::: column  
Right content
::::
:::

Custom Width Columns

::: columns
:::: {.column width=40%}
Narrow column
::::
:::: {.column width=60%}
Wide column
::::
:::

Three Columns

::: columns
:::: column
Left
::::
:::: column
Center  
::::
:::: column
Right
::::
:::

Images and Graphics

Format images for presentations:

# With caption and sizing
![Caption text](image.png){width=80% height=60%}

# Centered image
![](image.png){.center width=50%}

Code Blocks

Syntax highlighted code:

```python
def hello_world():
    print("Hello, World!")
    return True
```

Mathematical Expressions

LaTeX mathematical expressions are fully supported:

Inline math: $E = mc^2$

Display math:
$$\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}$$