canvas-export

canvas-export: Export Canvas to Image/PDF

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Export Methods

Method 1: Advanced Canvas Plugin Export (Preferred)

The Advanced Canvas plugin provides built-in PNG and SVG export with transparency support.

Requirements: Obsidian running with Advanced Canvas installed.

Workflow:

1. Instruct the user: "In Obsidian, right-click the canvas background → Advanced Canvas → Export as PNG/SVG"
2. Or use Obsidian's command palette: Advanced Canvas: Export as PNG
3. The exported file appears in the canvas directory.

This is the highest-quality export method — it uses Obsidian's own rendering engine.

Method 2: Playwright Screenshot (Fallback)

When Obsidian is not running or Advanced Canvas is not installed, use Playwright to capture the canvas.

Requirements: Playwright installed (pip install playwright && playwright install chromium)

Workflow:

1. Check if Playwright is available:

   python3 -c "from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright; print('ok')" 2>/dev/null && echo "available" || echo "not available"
   

2. If available, generate a standalone HTML viewer of the canvas and screenshot it:

   # Generate HTML from canvas JSON
   python3 -c "
   import json, sys
   canvas = json.load(open(sys.argv[1]))
   # ... render to HTML with absolute positioning ...
   " [canvas_path] > /tmp/canvas-preview.html
   
   # Screenshot with Playwright
   python3 -c "
   from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
   with sync_playwright() as p:
       browser = p.chromium.launch()
       page = browser.new_page(viewport={'width': 1920, 'height': 1080})
       page.goto('file:///tmp/canvas-preview.html')
       page.screenshot(path='[output_path]', full_page=True)
       browser.close()
   "
   

3. Report the output path and dimensions.

Method 3: User-Assisted Screenshot

When neither method is available:

1. Tell the user: "Open the canvas in Obsidian, zoom to fit all content, then take a screenshot."
2. On Linux (COSMIC): suggest Print key for screenshot tool.
3. On macOS: suggest Cmd+Shift+4.

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Operations

Export to PNG (/canvas export png [output_path])

1. Identify the target canvas (default: active canvas or main.canvas).
2. Determine output path:
   • If provided: use it.
   • If not: [canvas_dir]/exports/[canvas-name].png
3. Try Method 1 (Advanced Canvas) first.
4. If not available: try Method 2 (Playwright).
5. If neither: use Method 3 (user-assisted).
6. Report: "Exported [canvas] to [path] ([width]x[height] pixels)"

Export to SVG (/canvas export svg [output_path])

1. Same flow as PNG, but use SVG format.
2. Advanced Canvas supports SVG export with transparency.
3. Playwright fallback: render HTML, use page.screenshot(type='svg') — note: Playwright doesn't natively export SVG. Fall back to PNG.
4. Report format and path.

Export to PDF (/canvas export pdf [output_path])

For standard canvases:

1. Export to PNG first, then convert: convert [png] [pdf] (ImageMagick).

For presentation canvases:

1. Detect if canvas has edge-connected slide groups (presentation pattern).
2. Export each slide group as a separate PNG.
3. Combine into a multi-page PDF:

   convert slide-1.png slide-2.png slide-3.png output.pdf
   

4. Report: "Exported [N]-slide presentation to [path]"

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Output Directory Convention

Exports go to [canvas_dir]/exports/ by default:

• Vault mode: wiki/canvases/exports/
• Standalone mode: .canvases/exports/

Create the directory if it doesn't exist.

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Limitations

• Playwright rendering is approximate — it doesn't replicate Obsidian's exact canvas renderer
• SVG export via Playwright is not supported — falls back to PNG
• PDF export requires ImageMagick (convert command)
• Mermaid diagrams in text nodes may not render in Playwright screenshots (requires Mermaid JS library)
• GIF animations are captured as static frames in screenshots
• Export quality depends on the method used (Advanced Canvas > Playwright > Screenshot)