Path expansions for variables

[avidseeker]

My goal is to specify a css file for revealjs given a generic path. The following defaults file works as expected

to: revealjs
variables:
  css: ['/home/myusername/.local/share/pandoc/revealjs.css']

However, when it is changed to

  css: ['~/.local/share/pandoc/revealjs.css']

pandoc gives a warning,

[WARNING] Could not fetch resource ~/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css

But for some reason setting

  css: ['"$HOME"/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css']

results in pandoc not complaining about "could not fetch resource". Without a warning, the user expects pandoc to have found the file, but the resulting output is without style (possible bug? at least it should show a warning).

Now that none of this work, is it possible to at least have pandoc look for revealjs.css file within its $XDG_DATA_HOME/pandoc$ directory? Currently this

  css: ['revealjs.css']

results in [WARNING] Could not fetch resource revealjs.css.

[iandol]

Did you try the syntax like:

csl:  ${HOME}/mycsldir/special.csl

${HOME}, ${USERDATA} and ${.} are supported, though not in all defaults fields (only those that accept paths), but css should work...

https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#defaults-files

[avidseeker]

Unfortunately, this didn't work.

[WARNING] Could not fetch resource ${HOME}/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css

but /home/myusername/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css works.

[iandol]

Hm, I just tested this:

css: ${USERDATA}/templates/custom.css

becomes:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="/home/cog5/.local/share/pandoc/templates/custom.css" />

I tested ${HOME} and it worked too. Pandoc V3.2 on Ubuntu 22.04 -- are you using an ancient version of Pandoc?

[avidseeker]

I see now. Expansions don't work when css: is a key of variables:. i.e: the following

css: ${HOME}/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css
variables:
  css: ${HOME}/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css

results in

<link rel="stylesheet" href="${HOME}/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css"/>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/home/myusername/.local/share/pandoc/layouts/revealjs.css"/>