End QuestPDF and Markdig across Novolis

name: End QuestPDF Markdig overview: Eliminate QuestPDF and Markdig from all Novolis repos by routing text PDFs through Documents/Skia, growing Novolis.Markup.Markdown into the sole parser/HTML path, rewriting score PDF on Skia, then deleting the packages from CPM. todos: [] isProject: false

Definition of done

No PackageReference / PackageVersion for QuestPDF or Markdig remains under d:\novolis. No using QuestPDF / using Markdig in product or test code. CI and verify-nuget-only stay green. BooksWriterStudio, manuscript print, Avalonia markdown preview, novolis-mdpdf, and MIDI score PDF all run without those packages.

Current dependency map

flowchart LR
  subgraph keep [Already Markdig/QuestPDF free]
    MD["Novolis.Markup.Markdown"]
    MDD["Markdown.Documents"]
    Docs["Documents + Skia"]
    Tool["Tools.MarkdownPdf"]
    MD --> MDD --> Docs
    Tool --> Docs
  end

  subgraph kill [Must retire]
    Render["Markdown.Rendering"]
    Ava["Avalonia.Markdown"]
    ExpPdf["Manuscript.Export.Pdf"]
    Score["Audio.Midi ScorePdfExporter"]
    Markdig["Markdig 0.41.3"]
    Quest["QuestPDF 2025.7.4"]
    Render --> Markdig
    Render --> Quest
    Ava --> Markdig
    ExpPdf --> Markdig
    ExpPdf --> Quest
    Score --> Quest
  end

Live producers today

Target architecture

flowchart TB
  rawMd["Raw Markdown / chapter files"]
  novMd["Novolis.Markup.Markdown\nParse + ToHtml"]
  meta["ManuscriptMetadata / assembler"]
  paged["PagedDocument"]
  skiaDoc["Documents.Skia DocumentPdf"]
  skiaScore["Audio Skia score PDF"]
  preview["Avalonia MarkdownPreviewPane"]

  rawMd --> novMd
  meta -->|"structured TextBox + blocks"| paged
  novMd -->|"body blocks via Markdown.Documents"| paged
  paged --> skiaDoc
  novMd -->|"HTML"| preview
  MusicScore["MusicScore"] --> skiaScore

Ownership decisions (fixed)

1. All prose/report/book PDF → Novolis.Documents + .Layout + .Skia only. Never reintroduce QuestPDF.
2. Sole Markdown engine → grow `Novolis.Markup.Markdown` (Parse AST + MarkdownToHtmlConverter). Markdig is not replaced by a different third-party parser.
3. Manuscript print maps domain → `PagedDocument` (metadata panels from ManuscriptMetadata, not Markdig QuoteBlock detection). Assembled reader .md may keep > [!tag] for human files, but PDF must not require Markdig quote merging.
4. Score PDF stays in Novolis.Audio.Midi, rewritten to SkiaSharp `SKDocument` (reuse existing SVG builders via Svg.Skia or draw with SKCanvas). Do not force scores through the one-column PagedDocument model.
5. `MarkdownPdfExporter` (QuestPDF) is deleted; callers use MarkdownDocumentPdfExporter / novolis-mdpdf.
6. `Novolis.Markup.Markdown.Rendering` becomes Markdig/QuestPDF-free HTML helpers over Novolis MD, or is folded into Novolis.Markup.Markdown / deleted once Avalonia and manuscript HTML move — end state: package either gone or thin and Markdig-free.

Phase 0 — Guardrails (governance + inventory lock)

• Add a short policy note under novolis-governance (or extend nuget/library docs): QuestPDF and Markdig are forbidden; PDF = Documents/Skia; Markdown = Novolis.Markup.Markdown.
• Optional analyzer / script check listing banned package IDs (same spirit as layer-boundary verify).
• Update documents-vs-questpdf canvas status as phases land (tracking only).

Phase 1 — Quick kills (same week)

• Remove unused QuestPDF PackageReference from MusicMakerLab.
• Retarget any remaining samples/docs that advertise MarkdownPdfExporter to Documents / novolis-mdpdf.
• Delete or obsolete `MarkdownPdfExporter.cs` and its tests; drop QuestPDF from Markup.Rendering CPM once no other file in that package uses it.
• Strip redundant QuestPDF.Settings bootstrap from BooksWriterStudio Program.cs only after Export.Pdf no longer needs the package (Phase 3 end) — until then leave it.

Exit: Markup no longer references QuestPDF. Dogfood/tools already Documents-only.

Phase 2 — Grow Novolis Markdown + Documents blocks

Work in novolis-markup and novolis-documents.

Parser / HTML (`Novolis.Markup.Markdown`) — expand MarkdownDocument.Parse + HTML converter to cover what manuscript + Avalonia actually need:

• Fenced / indented code blocks
• Thematic breaks (---)
• Pipe tables (already partial) with stable cell model
• Nested lists depth used in books/reference
• Inline emphasis, code spans, links (AST runs — required for preview HTML; PDF may still flatten to plain until Documents gains inline runs)
• Callout / > [!tag] value as first-class nodes (not only mapper heuristics)
• Keep Mermaid as Avalonia HTML post-process (no Markdig required)

Documents blocks (close books/reference gaps from prior analysis):

• CodeBlock (mono + fill) in model + paginator + Skia
• First-class or improved list placement (hanging indent), not only • paragraphs
• Mapper updates in MarkdownPagedDocumentMapper
• Themes in MarkdownPdfThemes pick up code/list styling

Exit: Golden tests: Calypso chapter-144 + a reference-manual fixture through Markdown.Documents match acceptance A1–A3 shape (cover/TOC/chapter breaks/footers/metadata TextBox/tables/code).

Phase 3 — Manuscript off Markdig + QuestPDF

Work in novolis-manuscript.

flowchart LR
  asm["BookPrintAssembler / metadata"]
  bridge["ManuscriptPagedDocumentBuilder NEW"]
  pdf["DocumentPdf.Write"]
  html["MarkdownToHtml / emitters"]
  asm --> bridge --> pdf
  asm --> html

1. Add `ManuscriptPagedDocumentBuilder` in Export.Pdf (or sibling package) that builds PagedDocument from assembled chapters + ManuscriptPrintSettings (trim 6×9, cover, TOC, H1 breaks, footer {page}, metadata → TextBoxBlock from structured tags — port logic from ChapterMetadata* / QuestPdfBlockRenderer without Markdig types).
2. Body markdown: MarkdownDocument.Parse → existing Documents mapper (not Markdig walk).
3. Dual-run behind env/CLI flag (NOVOLIS_MANUSCRIPT_PDF=documents or --engine documents) with QuestPDF default until goldens pass; then flip default to Documents; then delete QuestPdfDocuments, QuestPdfBlockRenderer, Markdig pipeline files, and PackageReferences.
4. Retarget HTML/TXT companions in ManuscriptDocumentEmitters to Novolis MD HTML/plain (port PlainTextRenderer onto Novolis AST).
5. Rewrite unit tests that Markdown.Parse Markdig or assert QuestPDF-only branches; keep behavioral tests (PDF magic bytes, metadata in HTML, list/table TXT, page count smoke on Calypso folder).
6. Export.Markdown stops depending on Markdig Rendering HTML; use Novolis ToHtml.

Exit: Novolis.Manuscript.Export.Pdf and unit tests have zero Markdig/QuestPDF refs. BooksWriterStudio + manuscript-cli print produce Documents PDFs.

Phase 4 — Avalonia preview off Markdig

Work in novolis-avalonia.

• Rewrite MarkdownPreviewPipeline to MarkdownDocument.Parse → MarkdownToHtmlConverter + existing Mermaid rewrite.
• Drop Markdig from Avalonia CPM / csproj.
• Adjust preview tests to Novolis HTML (GFM subset parity for tables/code/lists/headings used in studios).

Exit: Novolis.Avalonia.Markdown Markdig-free.

Phase 5 — Score PDF off QuestPDF

Work in novolis-audio.

• Replace QuestPDF page chrome in ScorePdfExporter with SkiaSharp PDF pages (landscape A4, header/footer, multi-page systems).
• Keep orchestral / piano-roll SVG generation; render via Svg.Skia into the PDF canvas (same approach Documents uses for SVG images).
• Remove QuestPDF from Audio.Midi + MusicMakerLab leftovers; drop EnsureCommunityLicense.
• Update audio unit tests for byte/file export.

Exit: No QuestPDF in novolis-audio / apps CPM.

Phase 6 — Package retirement and org cleanup

• Delete or gut Markdig/QuestPDF surfaces in Markdown.Rendering; update novolis-markup README and package docs.
• Remove PackageVersion entries from: manuscript, markup, avalonia, audio, apps, dogfooding Directory.Packages.props.
• Grep gate: zero hits for QuestPDF / Markdig package IDs outside historical docs/plans (or mark plans superseded).
• Publish bumped packages via normal main push → GPR; consumers restore nuget.org + GitHub only.
• Run pwsh -File d:\novolis\novolis-governance\scripts\verify-nuget-only.ps1 and platform ProjectRef build of affected slnx.

Suggested execution order and ownership

Do not route books through the old Markup MarkdownPdfExporter at any step. Do not put book/domain flags into Novolis.Documents public API — keep manuscript chrome in manuscript builder + Documents primitives.

Main risks (accept and mitigate)

• Parser fidelity: Novolis MD must reach “good enough GFM” for Calypso + studio preview or Phase 3/4 stall — invest in Phase 2 tests before flipping manuscript default.
• Page reflow: Documents line-breaks ≠ QuestPDF; freeze page-count / TOC goldens on a real Calypso tree before default flip.
• Score rewrite: Independent Skia work; schedule after books so license pressure drops first where Community eligibility matters most.
• External books repo: D:\repos\books only shells to manuscript-cli — no QuestPDF code there; regenerating prints after Phase 3 is the validation.

Out of scope

• Becoming a QuestPDF-style constraint layout engine inside Documents.
• Replacing YamlDotNet or Mermaid.
• Pixel-identical PDFs vs historical QuestPDF output (behavioral + visual sign-off, not bitwise).