make: *** [pdf] Error 1

[FrancescoFilippi]

I'm trying to use the template in my thesis. Love both the idea and the template, but I'm stack with this error:

Unknown reader: pdf
Pandoc can convert to PDF, but not from PDF.
make: *** [pdf] Error 1

I've updated the make script as --latex-engine isn't supported anymore and (listening to pandoc own logging) --pdf-engine should be used. Final Makefile's pdf script looks like this:

pdf:
	pandoc $(INPUTDIR)/*.md \
	-o $(OUTPUTDIR)/thesis.pdf \
	-H $(STYLEDIR)/preamble.tex \
	--template $(STYLEDIR)/template.tex \
	--bibliography=$(BIBFILE) \
	--csl=$(STYLEDIR)/ref_format.csl \
	-V fontsize=12pt \
	-V papersize=a4paper \
	-V documentclass:report \
	-N \
	--pdf-engine=xelatex

I've installed every package required by the preamble.tex file and I can't get the script up and working.
Any ideas? Thanks.

[robwalton]

Pandoc uses the file extension of input files to determine the reader type. So, two thing is might be:

1. Is the -V documentclass:report line correct. I think it should have an equal not at semicolon. This might mess up pandoc's argument parsing.

2. Does $(INPUTDIR)/*.md definitely find any files?

[FrancescoFilippi]

I tried to bypass the makefile and run the pandoc command directly with the local paths (documentclass:report updated with documentclass=report):

pandoc -N -H style/preamble.tex --template style/template.tex --bibliography=source/references.bib --csl=style/ref_format.csl -V fontsize=12pt -V papersize=a4paper -V documentclass=report source/*.md --pdf-engine=xelatex -o output/thesis.pdf

Something actually changed and the previous error is gone, so @robwalton was right and there was definitely something wrong with $(INPUTDIR)/*.md. In fact looks like now is trying to generate the .pdf, but a different kind of error did show up:

Error producing PDF.
! Undefined control sequence.
<argument> \LaTeX3 error: 
                           Erroneous variable \c__fontspec_shape_n_n_tl used!
l.3806 \emfontdeclare{ \emshape, \eminnershape }

[tompollard]

@FrancescoFilippi The command that you've listed works fine for me. What is your operating system, pandoc version, and latex distribution? Thanks for highlighting the --latex-engine issue, btw. I've updated the Makefile.

[FrancescoFilippi]

@tompollard

• macOS High Sierra 10.13.1
• pandoc 2.1.1
  Compiled with pandoc-types 1.17.3.1, texmath 0.10.1, skylighting 0.6
  Default user data directory: /Users/francesco/.pandoc
• pdfTeX 3.14159265-2.6-1.40.18 (TeX Live 2017)
  kpathsea version 6.2.3

I didn't install the whole MacTeX distribution, just the basicTeX.

[tompollard]

It sounds like the last point in your list might be an issue. You may be missing the required packages. Can you check if fontspec is installed?

tlmgr list --only-installed | grep fontspec

If it is installed, you should see something like:

i fontspec: Advanced font selection in XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX.

[tompollard]

Could you post the result of tlmgr info fontspec?

[FrancescoFilippi]

That's it. fontspec was installed but there was a version mismatch. So

tlmgr update fontspec

solved the problem. Thanks!

[tompollard]

Great, thanks @FrancescoFilippi.