Converter setup

rtflite can convert RTF documents to PDF and other formats using a separately installed LibreOffice.

Install LibreOffice

On macOS (using Homebrew):

brew install --cask libreoffice

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt-get install libreoffice

On Windows (using Chocolatey):

choco install libreoffice

Using the converter

Once LibreOffice is installed, convert RTF files to PDF in your code:

import rtflite as rtf

# Create your RTF document
doc = rtf.RTFDocument(df=df, ...)
doc.write_rtf("output.rtf")

# Convert to PDF
try:
    converter = rtf.LibreOfficeConverter()
    converter.convert(
        input_files="output.rtf",
        output_dir=".",
        format="pdf",
        overwrite=True
    )
    print("PDF created successfully!")
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("LibreOffice not found. Please install it for PDF conversion.")

Custom installation paths

If LibreOffice is installed in a non-standard location, you can specify the path:

converter = rtf.LibreOfficeConverter(executable_path="/custom/path/to/soffice")

Supported output formats

Besides PDF, LibreOffice can convert RTF to:

• docx - Microsoft Word format
• doc - Microsoft Word 97-2003 format
• html - HTML format
• odt - OpenDocument Text format
• txt - Plain text

Example:

converter.convert(input_files="output.rtf", output_dir=".", format="docx")

For an explicit export filter, use LibreOffice's extension:filter[:options] syntax. The returned filename uses only the extension:

pdf_path = converter.convert(
    "output.rtf", output_dir="pdfs", format="pdf:writer_pdf_Export"
)
text_path = converter.convert(
    "output.rtf", output_dir="text", format="txt:Text (encoded):UTF8"
)

Filter names and options are passed through to LibreOffice unchanged. See LibreOffice's filter tables for available filters. Availability depends on the installed LibreOffice version.

Timeouts and isolated conversions

Each LibreOffice process has a 120 second timeout, including the version check. For larger documents, increase the limit when creating the converter:

converter = rtf.LibreOfficeConverter(timeout=300)

Use timeout=None to disable the limit. Failed conversions and timeouts raise RuntimeError. Existing output files are preserved if conversion fails, even with overwrite=True.

Each conversion uses a temporary LibreOffice user profile, independent of open LibreOffice windows and other conversions. This also means personal settings and extensions are not used. Output files and any HTML companion resources are generated in a temporary directory and moved to the destination after conversion succeeds. The temporary files and profile are then removed.

Batch conversion

Convert multiple RTF files at once:

files = ["file1.rtf", "file2.rtf", "file3.rtf"]
converter = rtf.LibreOfficeConverter()
converter.convert(input_files=files, output_dir="pdfs/", format="pdf", overwrite=True)

CI/CD integration

For automated workflows:

GitHub Actions

- name: Install LibreOffice
  run: |
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install -y libreoffice

Docker

FROM python:3.14
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libreoffice

Troubleshooting

"Can't find LibreOffice executable" error

1. Ensure LibreOffice is installed
2. Restart your terminal/IDE
3. Check if soffice is in your PATH:
4. macOS/Linux: which soffice
5. Windows: where soffice
6. If not in PATH, specify the full path when creating the converter

Version requirements

soffice --version

Performance tips