# Mac-letterhead Progress

## What Works

### PDF Processing

- ✅ Loading and analyzing PDF letterhead templates
- ✅ Detecting letterhead regions to avoid content overlap
- ✅ Merging letterhead with PDF content
- ✅ Multiple merging strategies (darken, multiply, overlay)
- ✅ Multi-page letterhead support (different first/subsequent pages)
- ✅ Preserving PDF metadata and properties
- ✅ Handling various PDF formats and versions

### Markdown Processing

- ✅ **Smart Margin Detection**: Intelligent letterhead position analysis
- ✅ **Adaptive Layout**: Optimal content positioning for any letterhead design
- ✅ **WeasyPrint Integration**: High-quality PDF rendering with CSS styling
- ✅ **ReportLab Fallback**: Reliable rendering when WeasyPrint unavailable
- ✅ **Runtime Engine Detection**: Automatic selection of best available renderer
- ✅ **Consistent API**: Unified interface regardless of rendering engine
- ✅ **Comprehensive Markdown Support**: Headings, lists, code blocks, tables, etc.
- ✅ **uvx Environment Compatibility**: Fixed library path issues in isolated environments
- ✅ **Professional Formatting**: ~82% usable page width optimization
- ✅ **Position-Aware Margins**: Left/right/center letterhead detection
- ✅ **Enhanced Error Handling**: Better diagnostics and fallback mechanisms

### Installation and Packaging

- ✅ **Complete Modular Restructuring**: Full installation system architectural overhaul (v0.9.6)
- ✅ **Enhanced Component Separation**: Discrete modules for better troubleshooting and maintenance
- ✅ **Production Installation**: Robust uvx-based installation for end users
- ✅ **Development Mode**: Local test droplets with `--dev` flag and enhanced debugging
- ✅ **Desktop Application Creation**: Automated droplet building with template system
- ✅ **Drag-and-drop Functionality**: Seamless user interaction with CSS support
- ✅ **Command-line Interface**: Full CLI with comprehensive options and CSS parameters
- ✅ **Self-contained Packages**: Minimal dependencies with smart fallbacks
- ✅ **Advanced Template Management**: Separated production vs development AppleScript templates
- ✅ **Enhanced Resource Management**: Bundled CSS, icons, and letterhead file handling
- ✅ **Comprehensive Validation System**: Input validation and error handling with better diagnostics
- ✅ **macOS Integration**: Native macOS app bundle creation with resource bundling
- ✅ **CSS Support**: Default CSS bundling and custom CSS file support for Markdown processing
- ✅ **Semantic Versioning**: Single source of truth version management in Makefile

### Testing and Documentation

- ✅ Basic test suite for PDF functionality
- ✅ Makefile targets for different test scenarios
- ✅ Dedicated test target for WeasyPrint testing
- ✅ Basic documentation in README
- ✅ Command-line help messages
- ✅ Simple test Markdown file for Markdown testing
- ✅ Test PDF document for basic PDF testing
- ✅ Environment variable configuration for testing

## What's Left to Build

### Advanced Features

- 🔲 **Complex Letterhead Layouts**: Support for multi-region letterheads
- 🔲 **Custom CSS Support**: User-defined styling for Markdown processing
- 🔲 **Preview Functionality**: Live preview before merging
- 🔲 **Batch Processing**: Multiple document processing capabilities

### Cross-Platform Expansion

- 🔲 **Windows Support**: Desktop applications for Windows
- 🔲 **Linux Support**: Desktop applications for Linux
- 🔲 **Web Interface**: Browser-based document processing
- 🔲 **API Service**: RESTful API for integration

### Performance & Scalability

- 🔲 **Large Document Optimization**: Improved handling of large files
- 🔲 **Memory Management**: Better resource utilization
- 🔲 **Parallel Processing**: Multi-threaded document processing
- 🔲 **Caching**: Smart caching for frequently used letterheads

### Advanced Testing

- 🔲 **Comprehensive Test Suite**: Full coverage of all functionality
- 🔲 **Performance Testing**: Benchmarking and optimization
- 🔲 **Cross-platform Testing**: Validation across operating systems
- 🔲 **User Acceptance Testing**: Real-world usage scenarios

### Future Enhancements

- 🔲 **Machine Learning**: Intelligent letterhead analysis
- 🔲 **Cloud Integration**: Cloud storage and sharing features
- 🔲 **Collaboration Tools**: Multi-user document workflows
- 🔲 **Advanced Analytics**: Usage metrics and optimization insights

## Current Status

### Version 0.9.6 (Current - Production Ready with Clean CSS Architecture)

The project is currently at version 0.9.6, representing complete architectural maturity:

**Latest Achievement - Clean CSS Architecture (v0.9.6)**:
- ✅ **Eliminated Hardcoded CSS**: Removed all hardcoded CSS from Python code as requested
- ✅ **Clean CSS Cascade**: Implemented proper loading order: defaults.css → custom.css → smart margins only
- ✅ **Cross-Environment Compatibility**: Fixed pkg_resources with modern importlib.resources + fallbacks
- ✅ **CSS Customization**: Full user styling control while preserving letterhead functionality
- ✅ **AppleScript Integration**: Templates automatically detect and pass bundled CSS files
- ✅ **Smart CSS Filtering**: @page rules automatically removed from custom CSS to preserve margins

The project is currently at version 0.9.6, representing a major architectural improvement:

- **PDF Functionality**: Complete, stable, and optimized
- **Smart Letterhead Processing**: 
  - Intelligent position detection (left/right/center letterheads)
  - Adaptive margin calculation providing ~82% usable page width
  - Fixed critical bugs affecting right-positioned letterheads
- **Modular Architecture**: 
  - Complete installation system restructuring
  - Enhanced component separation for better maintainability
  - Improved troubleshooting capabilities
- **Development & Production Modes**:
  - Production: Robust uvx-based installation
  - Development: Local test droplets with `--dev` flag
  - Enhanced debugging and testing tools
- **Cross-Environment Compatibility**:
  - Fixed uvx environment isolation issues
  - Improved WeasyPrint library path handling
  - Better fallback mechanisms
- **Documentation**: Comprehensive user guide with troubleshooting
- **Testing**: Full test suite with semantic versioning via Makefile

### Major Achievements in 0.9.x

1. **Smart Margin Detection Algorithm**: Revolutionary improvement for letterhead processing
2. **Architecture Restructuring**: Complete modular redesign for better maintainability
3. **Development Workflow**: Enhanced local testing and debugging capabilities
4. **Production Stability**: Robust installation and execution across different environments
5. **Documentation Excellence**: Comprehensive guides for users and developers

### Current Focus

The project has achieved production-ready status with intelligent letterhead processing. Current focus areas include:
- **Performance optimization** for large documents
- **Cross-platform expansion** beyond macOS
- **Advanced features** like batch processing and preview functionality
- **User experience enhancements** based on real-world usage feedback

## Known Issues

### WeasyPrint Installation

- **Issue**: WeasyPrint has complex dependencies that can be challenging to install, particularly on macOS
- **Workaround**: 
  - Tiered installation approach with ReportLab fallback
  - Clear documentation of required system dependencies:
    ```
    brew install pango cairo fontconfig freetype harfbuzz
    ```
  - Dedicated test target that checks for WeasyPrint functionality
  - DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable to help locate system libraries
  - Always import ReportLab dependencies for consistent behavior
- **Status**: Addressed in version 0.8.0

### ReportLab Rendering Limitations

- **Issue**: ReportLab has limitations in rendering complex Markdown elements
- **Workaround**: Use WeasyPrint for complex documents
- **Status**: Known limitation, documented in warnings

### Desktop Application Platform Limitations

- **Issue**: Desktop application currently only supports macOS
- **Workaround**: Use command-line interface on other platforms
- **Status**: Future enhancement planned

### Python 3.12 and 3.13 Compatibility

- **Issue**: PyObjC has circular import issues with Python 3.12 and 3.13
- **Workaround**: Use Python 3.11 for now
- **Status**: Needs investigation and fix

### Markdown Module Import

- **Issue**: Markdown module not found in virtual environments despite being installed
- **Workaround**: 
  - Dynamically add site-packages to sys.path at runtime
  - Set PYTHONPATH environment variable in test scripts
- **Status**: Fixed in version 0.8.0

## Evolution of Project Decisions

### Initial Approach (Version 0.1-0.3)

- Focus on PDF merging functionality
- Simple command-line interface
- Limited letterhead analysis

### Middle Development (Version 0.4-0.6)

- Added desktop application
- Improved letterhead analysis
- Added multiple merging strategies
- Initial Markdown support with ReportLab

### Recent Development (Version 0.7)

- Added WeasyPrint as primary Markdown renderer
- Improved Markdown rendering quality
- Enhanced command-line interface
- Improved error handling

### Major Restructuring (Version 0.9.x)

- **Modular Architecture**: Complete reorganization of installation system
- **Smart Margin Detection**: Intelligent letterhead position analysis
- **Development Mode**: Local testing capabilities with `--dev` flag
- **uvx Compatibility**: Fixed environment isolation issues
- **Enhanced Documentation**: Comprehensive user guide and troubleshooting

### Current Approach (Version 0.9.5)

- **Smart Letterhead Processing**: Intelligent detection of left/right/center positioned letterheads
- **Modular Component Design**: Separated installation logic into discrete modules
- **Enhanced Development Workflow**: Local test droplets for development and debugging
- **Production-Ready Installation**: Robust uvx-based installation for end users
- **Improved Error Handling**: Better diagnostics and fallback mechanisms

### Future Direction

- **Enhanced Cross-platform Support**: Expand beyond macOS
- **Batch Processing**: Multiple document processing capabilities
- **Advanced Margin Detection**: Support for complex letterhead layouts
- **Performance Optimization**: Faster processing for large documents
- **Integration Features**: API and service-oriented architectures

## Milestones and Achievements

### Version 0.1.0 (Initial Release)

- Basic PDF merging functionality
- Simple command-line interface

### Version 0.3.0 (Feature Release)

- Multiple merging strategies
- Improved letterhead analysis
- Better error handling

### Version 0.5.0 (Desktop Release)

- macOS desktop application
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Improved user experience

### Version 0.7.0 (Markdown Release)

- Initial Markdown support
- WeasyPrint integration
- Enhanced command-line options

### Version 0.8.0 (Foundation)

- Tiered installation approach
- Dual rendering engines
- Improved testing strategy
- Focus on documentation and user experience
- Dynamic Python path management
- Fixed Markdown module import issues

### Version 0.9.0-0.9.5 (Architecture & Intelligence)

- **Complete Architecture Restructuring**:
  - Modular installation system (`letterhead_pdf/installation/`)
  - Separated production vs development templates
  - Enhanced component isolation for better troubleshooting
  
- **Smart Margin Detection Algorithm**:
  - Intelligent letterhead position detection (left/right/center)
  - Adaptive margin calculation for optimal content layout
  - ~82% usable page width regardless of letterhead design
  - Fixed critical margin calculation bugs affecting right-positioned letterheads

- **Development & Testing Enhancements**:
  - Development mode droplets with `--dev` flag
  - Local code testing capabilities
  - Enhanced debugging and troubleshooting tools
  - Improved Makefile with semantic versioning

- **uvx Environment Compatibility**:
  - Fixed WeasyPrint library path issues in isolated environments
  - Improved reliability across different system configurations
  - Better fallback handling for missing dependencies

- **Enhanced User Experience**:
  - Comprehensive documentation updates
  - Better error messages and troubleshooting guides
  - Streamlined installation process
  - Professional document layout for any letterhead design
