![Canvas Word+PDF Export Features](./canvas-word-pdf-export-feature.png)

# Canvas Word + PDF Export

An [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) plugin that exports a Canvas to **PDF** or **Word (.docx)**.

It can export a canvas in two different ways:

- **As a document, following the arrows** – the canvas is read in the order of its arrows and written as a running text document, with the markdown formatting kept. Works on desktop **and mobile (iOS/iPadOS)**.
- **As drawn** – a PDF that looks like the canvas: boxes, groups, colours, arrows and labels where you placed them. Desktop only.

## Features

### Document export (follow arrows)

- Start at nodes without incoming arrows and follow the arrows. Branches are read left to right; a node where several arrows meet comes after all its predecessors; cycles are handled.
- Unconnected nodes are placed by their position on the canvas.
- Group names become headings (first time the flow enters a group). Arrow labels become an italic line (`» label`) before the node they lead to. The canvas name can be used as the title.
- Markdown is kept: headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, highlight, inline code and code blocks, links, bullet/numbered/task lists (nested), quotes, callouts, tables and images. Notes added as file nodes (including `#heading` sections), link nodes and images are included.
- Output as **Word (.docx)** or **PDF (A4)**. Neither format uses the browser's print engine, so it behaves the same on every platform.

### As drawn (desktop)

- One page sized to the canvas, or the canvas scaled onto A4 landscape/portrait.
- Text, notes, images, links, groups, colours, arrows and labels.
- If the normal print route produces a blank page, the plugin automatically falls back to an image-based PDF with an invisible text layer, so the text can still be selected and searched.

## Installation

### With BRAT (recommended until the plugin is in the community list)

1. Install the **BRAT** plugin from Community plugins.
2. In BRAT choose *Add beta plugin* and enter `sm7urw/canvas-word-pdf-export`.
3. Enable **Canvas Word + PDF Export** in Settings → Community plugins.

BRAT also works on iOS/iPadOS, where hidden folders such as `.obsidian` can't be reached from the Files app.

### Manually

1. Download `main.js` and `manifest.json` from the [latest release](../../releases/latest).
2. Put them in `<your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/canvas-word-pdf-export/`.
3. Restart Obsidian and enable the plugin. (If your vault syncs between devices, the files follow along.)

## Usage

Open a canvas and run one of these from the command palette, or right-click the canvas file / use its ⋯ menu:

| Command | Result |
| --- | --- |
| Export current canvas as Word document (follow arrows) | `<name>-document.docx` |
| Export current canvas as PDF document (follow arrows) | `<name>-document.pdf` |
| Export current canvas to PDF (as drawn) – desktop | `<name>.pdf` |

The file is saved in the vault, next to the canvas by default (or in a folder you choose). On desktop you can instead get a save dialog. On mobile the exported PDF opens right away; Word files are handed to the system.

## Settings

- **Canvas name as title**, **Arrow labels**, **Group names as headings**, **Page numbers** (`2 / 5` in the footer) – for the document export.
- **Vault output folder** – leave empty to save next to the canvas.
- Desktop only: page format for the drawn PDF, always use light theme, export method (automatic or image-based), save location, and *Save debug HTML* for troubleshooting.

## Good to know

- No network access, no telemetry: everything happens locally in Obsidian.
- The PDF document uses the Roboto font, so emojis and rarely used symbols may be missing in the PDF. Word keeps them.
- Long text in a node is clipped to the node's box in the *as drawn* export, just as on the canvas.
- Tested on macOS and iPadOS. Windows, Linux and Android are untested – reports are welcome.

## Development

```bash
npm install
npm run dev      # watch + rebuild main.js
npm run build    # type-check + production build
npm test         # unit tests
```

Copy `main.js` and `manifest.json` into a test vault's `.obsidian/plugins/canvas-word-pdf-export/` to try a build.

### Releasing

```bash
npm version patch      # or minor / major – updates package.json, manifest.json and versions.json, commits and tags
git push --follow-tags
```

The tag is the version number without a leading `v` (set in `.npmrc`). Pushing it triggers the *Release* workflow, which builds the plugin and attaches `main.js` and `manifest.json` to a GitHub release.

## License

[MIT](LICENSE)


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