Re: [Docutils-users] Does the doctree reader work?

[Matěj C. <mc...@ce...>]

On Mon Jan 26, 2026 at 11:42 AM CET, Guenter Milde via Docutils-users wrote:
> On 2026-01-24, Matěj Cepl wrote:
> Docutils supports the use of 3rd party parsers like "MySt" with the
> "generic front-end":
>
> To generate a HTML5 document from Markdown input, use
>
>   docutils --parser=myst
>
> To get ODT output from Markdown documents, try
>
>   docutils --parser=myst --writer=odt

I see! Thank you, I missed that, it makes much more sense. Unfortunately
for me, is it correct to say that docutils odt writer doesn’t support
vector images? Which format is supported?

See text of my yesterday’s sermon on https://git.sr.ht/~mcepl/2026-01-25-adulthood/tree

When running suggested command `docutils --parser=myst --writer=odt
becoming_adult.md becoming_adult.odt` I get this error:

$ docutils --verbose --traceback --parser=myst --writer=odt bec
oming_adult.md becoming_adult.odt
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/matej/.bin/docutils", line 8, in <module>
    sys.exit(main())
             ~~~~^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/__main__.py", line 84, in main
    publish_cmdline(reader=args.reader,
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                    parser=args.parser,
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    ...<2 lines>...
                    description=description,
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                    argv=remainder)
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/core.py", line 442, in publish_cmdline
    output = publisher.publish(
        argv, usage, description, settings_spec, settings_overrides,
        config_section=config_section, enable_exit_status=enable_exit_status)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/core.py", line 272, in publish
    output = self.writer.write(self.document, self.destination)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/writers/__init__.py", line 97, in write
    self.translate()
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/writers/odf_odt/__init__.py", line 511, in translate
    self.document.walkabout(self.visitor)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/nodes.py", line 232, in walkabout
    if child.walkabout(visitor):
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/nodes.py", line 232, in walkabout
    if child.walkabout(visitor):
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/nodes.py", line 232, in walkabout
    if child.walkabout(visitor):
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/nodes.py", line 224, in walkabout
    visitor.dispatch_visit(self)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/writers/odf_odt/__init__.py", line 1554, in dispatch_visit
    nodes.GenericNodeVisitor.dispatch_visit(self, node)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/nodes.py", line 2734, in dispatch_visit
    return method(node)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/writers/odf_odt/__init__.py", line 2187, in visit_image
    self.generate_image(node, source, destination, el2)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/writers/odf_odt/__init__.py", line 2414, in generate_image
    width, height = self.get_image_scaled_width_height(node, source)
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages/docutils/writers/odf_odt/__init__.py", line 2270, in get_image_scaled_width_height
    with PIL.Image.open(filename, 'r') as img:
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/home/matej/.local/lib/python3.13/site-packages/PIL/Image.py", line 3580, in open
    raise UnidentifiedImageError(msg)
PIL.UnidentifiedImageError: cannot identify image file 'parent_and_child.svg'
$ 

If it is a known limitation of the ODT writer, is there a ticket for it?
I cannot find anything on https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils/bugs/

The minimal reproducer can be:

```markdown
    ----
    date: 2026-01-25T11:00:00
    category: faith
    tags: [innerHealing, sermon, PCF]
    ----

    # Becoming adult

    ```{image} parent_and_child.png
    :alt: A schematic image of large adult facing a child
    :width: 50%
    :align: center
    ```
```

Any thoughts?

Best,

Matěj

-- 
http://matej.ceplovi.cz/blog/, @mc...@en...
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