Use with Raku and PDF generation

[tbrowder]

I would love to use podlite in my Raku code, especially for producing certain relatively simple PDF documents. From looking at it over the years it looks like Raku's "pod" and podlite share a lot in allowable syntax and utility.

Some questions:

1. Given Raku's foray into a superset of the original pod6, is there a current list of incompatible features between the three versions?

2. Given podlite's PDF generation capability, can it provide any of the following:

   • text horizontal align: center, right, justified
   • text vertical align: underline, strikethrough, overbar
   • page break
   • page numbering
   • font selection

If not, are there any plans to add any of the above?

[zag]

Hey 👋 thanks a lot for your message and for following Podlite’s progress!

Given Raku's foray into a superset of the original pod6, is there a current list of incompatible features between the three versions?

You’re right — Podlite started as a lighter version of the original S26, and it keeps growing while staying true to the same core ideas.The main difference is that Podlite is not tied to any specific programming language, which makes it much more flexible and widely usable.

While building the Raku knowledge base, I went through around 7,000 files (*.pod6, *.rakudoc, *.rakumod, *.p6, *.markdown), and there were no critical issues. That was a good sign that Podlite’s spec works well with other dialects.

Given Podlite's PDF generation capability, can it provide any of the following:
text horizontal align: center, right, justified
text vertical align: underline, strikethrough, overbar
page break
page numbering
font selection

Yes — page breaks are already planned and will be available through the =pagebreak block.

As for the others, Podlite still follows its original principle:

Podlite is a purely descriptive markup notation, with no presentational components.

This approach keeps the markup simple and focused on structure rather than appearance — but it also makes it easier to render in different formats later.

For your use case (creating lightweight PDFs from Raku), the template-based approach will probably be the most exciting.
It works like CSS in web development — you’ll be able to define how each block or section should look in a PDF.
Templates can target elements by their block name or :id, giving full control over layout and style without mixing presentation into the document itself.

Thanks again for your thoughtful questions — I really appreciate it ❤️

[tbrowder]

Thanks. That sounds great, and I think the template approach is the way to go. I'll look around some more.

Any idea when the =pagebreak will be available?

[zag]

Thanks! 😊 glad to hear the template approach sounds like a good fit.

About the =pagebreak block — there’s no exact release date yet.
right now there’s a bit of a gap between the spec and the implementation, since some parts still need to be tested and verified in practice.
I’m planning to go through the spec review and updates once things settle down after the winter holidays — so most likely sometime early next year.
thank you