Format conversion

Convert generated RTF files to other document formats using LibreOffice.

rtflite.convert.LibreOfficeConverter

LibreOfficeConverter(executable_path: str | Path | None = None, *, timeout: float | None = 120)

Convert RTF documents to other formats using LibreOffice.

Convert RTF files to various formats including PDF, DOCX, HTML, and others using LibreOffice in headless mode.

Requirements

LibreOffice 7.1 or later must be installed.
Automatically finds LibreOffice in standard installation paths.
For custom installations, provide executable_path parameter.

Note

The converter runs LibreOffice in headless mode, so no GUI is required. This makes it suitable for server environments and automated workflows.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
`executable_path`	`str \| Path \| None`	Path (or executable name) to LibreOffice. If None, searches standard installation locations for each platform.	`None`
`timeout`	`float \| None`	Maximum seconds for each LibreOffice process, including the version check. Defaults to 120. Use None to disable.	`120`

Raises:

Type	Description
`FileNotFoundError`	If LibreOffice executable cannot be found.
`ValueError`	If timeout is invalid or the version cannot be parsed.
`RuntimeError`	If LibreOffice is too old, fails to start, or times out.

convert

convert(input_files: str | Path | Sequence[str | Path], output_dir: str | Path, format: str = 'pdf', overwrite: bool = False) -> Path | Sequence[Path]

Convert RTF file(s) to specified format using LibreOffice.

Performs the actual conversion of RTF files to the target format using LibreOffice in headless mode. Supports single file or batch conversion.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
`input_files`	`str \| Path \| Sequence[str \| Path]`	Path to input RTF file or list of paths. Can be string or Path object. For batch conversion, provide a list/tuple.	required
`output_dir`	`str \| Path`	Directory where converted files will be saved. Created if it doesn't exist. Can be string or Path object.	required
`format`	`str`	Target format for conversion. Supported formats: `'pdf'`: Portable Document Format (default) `'docx'`: Microsoft Word (Office Open XML) `'doc'`: Microsoft Word 97-2003 `'html'`: HTML Document `'odt'`: OpenDocument Text `'txt'`: Plain Text Also accepts LibreOffice's `extension:filter[:options]` syntax, for example `'pdf:writer_pdf_Export'` or `'txt:Text (encoded):UTF8'`. Filter names and options are passed through unchanged; the extension determines the output filename.	`'pdf'`
`overwrite`	`bool`	If `True`, overwrites existing files in output directory. If `False`, raises error if output file already exists. Existing output is preserved if LibreOffice fails to convert the input.	`False`

Returns:

Type	Description
`Path \| Sequence[Path]`	Path \| Sequence[Path]: For single file input, returns Path to the converted file. For multiple files, returns list of Paths.

Raises:

Type	Description
`FileNotFoundError`	If an input file is missing or is not a file.
`FileExistsError`	If output file exists and overwrite=False.
`ValueError`	If format does not start with a valid file extension.
`RuntimeError`	If LibreOffice conversion fails or times out.

Note

Each file is converted with a temporary, isolated LibreOffice user profile, independent of an open desktop session or other conversions. Personal LibreOffice settings and extensions are not used. Batch inputs are processed sequentially, with a new process for each file.

Examples:

Single file conversion:

converter = LibreOfficeConverter()
pdf_path = converter.convert(
    "report.rtf",
    output_dir="pdfs/",
    format="pdf"
)
print(f"Created: {pdf_path}")

Batch conversion with overwrite:

rtf_files = ["report1.rtf", "report2.rtf", "report3.rtf"]
pdf_paths = converter.convert(
    input_files=rtf_files,
    output_dir="output/pdfs/",
    format="pdf",
    overwrite=True
)
for path in pdf_paths:
    print(f"Converted: {path}")