nbctl export¶

Convert notebooks to multiple formats simultaneously.

Description¶

The export command converts Jupyter notebooks to various output formats including HTML, PDF, Markdown, Python scripts, LaTeX, and more. You can export to multiple formats in a single command.

Use this command to: - Generate reports (HTML, PDF) - Create documentation (Markdown) - Extract code (Python scripts) - Create presentations (Slides) - Share results with non-technical stakeholders

Usage¶

nbctl export NOTEBOOK --format FORMATS [OPTIONS]

Arguments¶

Argument	Description	Required
`NOTEBOOK`	Path to the Jupyter notebook file	Yes

Options¶

Option	Short	Type	Default	Description
`--format`	`-f`	TEXT	Required	Output formats (comma-separated)
`--output-dir`	`-o`	PATH	Current dir	Output directory for exported files
`--no-input`		Flag	False	Exclude input cells (code)
`--no-prompt`		Flag	False	Exclude cell prompts (In[1], Out[1])

Supported Formats¶

Format	Extension	Description	Requirements
`html`	.html	HTML document	None
`pdf`	.pdf	PDF document	LaTeX (pdflatex)
`markdown`, `md`	.md	Markdown document	None
`python`, `py`	.py	Python script	None
`latex`, `tex`	.tex	LaTeX document	None
`rst`	.rst	reStructuredText	None
`slides`	.html	Reveal.js presentation	None

Output¶

Exported files are saved with the notebook's base name and appropriate extension:

notebook.ipynb → exports/
├── notebook.html
├── notebook.pdf
├── notebook.md
└── notebook.py

Success Message¶

Exported to HTML: notebook.html
Exported to PDF: notebook.pdf
Exported to Markdown: notebook.md

3 formats exported successfully

Error Messages¶

PDF export failed: pdflatex not found
  Install LaTeX to enable PDF export

PDF Export Requirements¶

PDF export requires LaTeX to be installed:

macOS¶

brew install --cask mactex

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)¶

sudo apt-get install texlive-xetex texlive-fonts-recommended

Windows¶

Download and install MiKTeX

Output Options¶

Standard Output¶

Includes both input cells (code) and output cells (results).

No Input (`--no-input`)¶

Excludes code cells, shows only outputs and markdown.
Use case: Reports for non-technical audiences.

No Prompt (`--no-prompt`)¶

Removes In[1]: and Out[1]: prompts.
Use case: Clean documentation or presentations.

Exit Codes¶

Code	Meaning
0	All exports successful
1	File not found or invalid notebook
2	No valid formats specified
3	One or more exports failed (partial success)

Notes¶

Multiple formats: Can export to multiple formats in one command
Preserves structure: Maintains notebook cell order and structure
Image handling: Images are embedded in HTML/PDF, extracted for Markdown
Python export: Converts to .py with markdown as comments
Slides format: Creates reveal.js presentation (HTML-based)

Common Format Combinations¶

Use Case	Formats	Command
Reports	HTML, PDF	`-f html,pdf`
Documentation	Markdown, HTML	`-f md,html`
Code extraction	Python	`-f py`
Complete archive	All formats	`-f html,pdf,md,py`
Presentations	Slides, PDF	`-f slides,pdf`

extract - Extract outputs (images, data) separately
run - Execute notebooks before exporting
clean - Clean notebooks before exporting