# 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

- ✅ Parsing Markdown to HTML
- ✅ WeasyPrint rendering with CSS styling
- ✅ ReportLab fallback rendering
- ✅ Runtime detection of available rendering engines
- ✅ Consistent API regardless of rendering engine
- ✅ Support for common Markdown elements (headings, lists, code blocks, etc.)
- ✅ Basic table support
- ✅ Dynamic Python path management for finding optional modules

### Installation and Packaging

- ✅ Basic installation (PDF-only functionality)
- ✅ Full installation (PDF + Markdown support)
- ✅ Desktop application creation
- ✅ Drag-and-drop functionality
- ✅ Command-line interface
- ✅ Self-contained package with minimal dependencies

### 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

### Markdown Processing Enhancements

- 🔲 Improved CSS styling for WeasyPrint
- 🔲 Better handling of complex tables
- 🔲 Support for custom CSS
- 🔲 Improved image handling in Markdown

### Testing Improvements

- 🔲 Comprehensive test suite for Markdown functionality
- 🔲 Cross-platform testing
- 🔲 Performance testing with large documents
- 🔲 Fix compatibility issues with Python 3.12 and 3.13 (PyObjC circular import)

### Documentation

- 🔲 Detailed installation instructions for different platforms
- 🔲 Troubleshooting guide for WeasyPrint installation
- 🔲 API documentation
- 🔲 Examples for common use cases

### Future Enhancements

- 🔲 Cross-platform desktop application
- 🔲 Additional merging strategies
- 🔲 Preview functionality
- 🔲 Batch processing

## Current Status

### Version 0.8.0 (In Progress)

The project is currently at version 0.8.0, with the following status:

- **PDF Functionality**: Complete and stable
- **Markdown Functionality**: Implemented with tiered approach
  - WeasyPrint: Primary renderer (requires optional dependencies)
  - ReportLab: Fallback renderer (included in core dependencies)
  - Python path management: Dynamically adds site-packages to sys.path
- **Installation**: Tiered approach implemented
  - Basic: PDF-only functionality
  - Full: PDF + Markdown support
- **Testing**: 
  - Basic tests implemented and passing
  - Full tests implemented with Python 3.11 and passing
  - Issues with Python 3.12 and 3.13 due to PyObjC circular import
- **Documentation**: Basic documentation available, detailed documentation in progress

### Current Focus

The current focus is on finalizing the Markdown processing functionality, ensuring a smooth installation experience for both basic and full installations, and fixing compatibility issues with Python 3.12 and 3.13.

## 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

### Current Approach (Version 0.8.0)

- Tiered installation approach
- Dual rendering engines for Markdown
- Improved testing strategy
- Focus on user experience and documentation
- Dynamic Python path management
- Simple test Markdown file for reliable testing

### Future Direction

- Enhance Markdown rendering capabilities
- Improve cross-platform support
- Add batch processing functionality
- Consider web interface or service
- Fix compatibility issues with newer Python versions

## 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 (Current)

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