Eisvogel is a pandoc LaTeX template that converts markdown files to PDF or LaTeX output.
The template addresses the need to produce professionally formatted documents from markdown source files. It works by providing a customizable LaTeX template that pandoc uses during conversion, handling layout, typography, and styling automatically. The template is built on KOMA-Script and designed specifically for lecture notes and exercises with a focus on computer science content. Users supply metadata via YAML blocks in their markdown to control document properties like title, author, and headers or footers.
Eisvogel suits developers and academics who write in markdown and need PDF output without manually crafting LaTeX. It works well for lecture notes, technical documentation, and exercise sheets where consistent formatting matters. The template supports both standard documents and beamer presentations from a single markdown source. Installation requires pandoc and a LaTeX distribution, though a Docker image is available for users who prefer not to install LaTeX locally. The template is compatible with pandoc 3.
Development activity shows consistent maintenance with updates addressing compatibility and feature requests. The project maintains separate template files for different output types, with multi-file source templates that are compiled into single-file distributions at release. Documentation includes working examples with preview images and clear installation instructions for multiple operating systems. The codebase is organized to support both direct use and Docker-based workflows, indicating attention to different user environments.
