When pandoc sets a Word template, it cannot set highlight-style

[Achuan-2]

pandoc input.md -o output.docx --reference-doc ref.docx --highlight-style=haddock

How can I quickly modify the highlight-style of ref.docx?

[rnwst]

Please attach your ref.docx so we can try to reproduce this.

[Achuan-2]

ref.docx

@rnwst

[rnwst]

For the future, please use the issue template and include a MRE.

I ran pandoc test.md -o test.docx --reference-doc=ref.docx --highlight-style=haddock, where test.md contains a code block with the code from your ref.docx, for illustrative purposes:

```python
import os
def create_folder(folder_name):
    try:
        os.makedirs(folder_name, exist_ok=True)
        print(f"Folder '{folder_name}' created successfully.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
create_folder("new_folder")
```

The resulting test.docx did not use the haddock highlighting style. This is because your ref.docx defines all the styles that are used for syntax highlighting (NormalTok, SpecialStringTok, VariableTok, ...) and thereby effectively overwrites the styles that would otherwise be dynamically created by pandoc when you define the highlighting style via --highlight-style=.... If you run the same command with the default reference-doc.docx:
pandoc test.md -o test.docx --highlight-style=haddock
then the haddock syntax highlighting style is applied as expected.
Alternatively, you can remove all the syntax highlighting styles (the ones that end in Tok) from your ref.docx, that should work too.

pandoc version 3.7.0.1

You can use the discussion forum for future queries about pandoc.

I think this can be closed.

[Achuan-2]

Thank you a lot

[Achuan-2]

@rnwst

I have another question I'd like to ask you.

By default, pandoc's Source Code style doesn't have top and bottom borders.

When I add Source Code styling and include top and bottom borders, its background color becomes fixed. This causes issues when using styles like breezeDark. How can I add top and bottom borders to source code without affecting its styling?

ref.docx

default

breezeDark

Why can't pandoc directly override Word styles? Is there some implementation difficulty?
Looking forward to your reply

[rnwst]

@Achuan-2 -- if you provide a Source Code style in your reference-doc.docx, then the background color of your code blocks is set by that style. If there is no Source Code style, pandoc dynamically creates the Source Code style, which will have the correct background color. If you want a border around your code blocks, you need to modify your Source Code style to have the same background color as the highlighting theme that you intend to use.

If Pandoc were to override existing styles that are normally generated dynamically for syntax highlighting purposes (Source Code and all the styles that end in Tok), you wouldn't be able to apply style customisations such as adding a border around your code blocks, because that would be overridden by pandoc's own version of the Source Code style.

Please use the discussion forum for all future queries about pandoc.