Failing to specify a Typst template via metadata variable

[hgvhgv]

I am trying to use a different Typst template I have written, but I can't get Pandoc or Typst or properly import it. My defaults file has the following

variables:
  template: /Users/hgv/.config/pandoc/templates/draft.typst

It creates a typst output with this line:

#import "/Users/hgv/.config/pandoc/templates/draft.typst": conf

which then fails when creating a PDF

I am using the default.typst Pandoc-typst tample.
I have tried quoting the string, using env variables, using ${.} per the manual, and placing the template in my current working dir.

[jgm]

What do you wish the output was instead?

[jgm]

Oh, wait -- are you trying to do what you could otherwise do with the --template CLI option? If so, it's a mistake to think you can do that by setting a variable.

[hgvhgv]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I want to use my own Typst template, which is listed here https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#variables-for-typst as a possible metadata variable.

When I run pandoc input.md -o out.pdf --pdf-engine typst I get the PDF I want. I have left the Pandoc template default.typst as is but have modified the standard Pandoc Typst template template.typst; the latter file is $DATA_DIR/templates/template.typst and is symlinked to the file in my branch of the styles repo.

But I'd like to use a different Typst template for a different look for my drafts and I wrote a draft.typst template based on Pandoc's template.typst. But when I run pandoc input.md -o out.pdf --pdf-engine typst --variable template=/Users/hgv/.config/pandoc/templates/draft.typst (equivalent to my defaults setup above) it says

error: file not found (searched at /Users/hgv/${PWD}/Users/hgv/.config/pandoc/templates/draft.typst)
   ┌─ toPdfViaTempFile11427-0.typ:25:8
   │
25 │ #import "/Users/hgv/.config/pandoc/templates/draft.typst": conf
   │         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Error producing PDF.

I included the typst output above because it shows the interim output, but I should have included the error. Obviously it is looking for the file beneath my current dir---this is the problem I can't fix.

[jgm]

I'm not sure typst allows you to specify an absolute path for an import.
Cf. typst/typst#4195

One approach you could use would be to put a custom template, special.typst, in your pandoc templates directory. This could just be a copy of (or even symlink to) the standard default.typst. But then put your templates.typst in the same directory; pandoc should find it there, because it looks for partials first in the same directory as the template used.
Then you could call it with --template=special.

[hgvhgv]

Wow, thanks for the quick response and finding that. I'm sorry I didn't consider that typst must be the source of the issue. An interesting limitation by typst, and not very intuitive, but I understand why I suppose.

I guess Pandoc could get around it by importing the file itself (as it does with the default template.typst) into the interim file.

In the interim, a note on the User Guide might be helpful (as simple as Typst template to use (relative path only).).

Thanks again, as always, Pandoc is the best and I appreciate your help and work greatly!

[jgm]

I've added a note to that effect.