Format Export Skill Skill

Format Export Skill

Invocation Triggers

Apply this skill when:

Exporting screenplay to PDF
Converting to Final Draft (FDX)
Generating HTML preview
Preparing scripts for delivery

Recommended: Better Fountain Extension

The simplest export method uses the Better Fountain VS Code extension:

| Format | Command Palette Action | |--------|------------------------| | PDF | Fountain: Export to PDF | | FDX | Fountain: Export to FDX | | HTML | Fountain: Export to HTML |

Steps:

Open .fountain file in VS Code
Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS)
Type the export command
Choose output location

Extension: Better Fountain on VS Code Marketplace

Export Formats Overview

| Format | Extension | Purpose | Tools | |--------|-----------|---------|-------| | PDF | .pdf | Industry standard delivery | Better Fountain, afterwriting, Highland | | FDX | .fdx | Final Draft import | Better Fountain, screenplain, Highland | | HTML | .html | Web preview/sharing | Better Fountain, afterwriting | | Plain Text | .txt | Accessibility, archival | direct copy |

PDF Export

Industry Standard Format

Font: Courier 12pt
Margins: 1.5" left, 1" right, 1" top/bottom
Page Size: US Letter (8.5" x 11")
Page Numbers: Top right, starting page 2

Better Fountain (Recommended)

In VS Code: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Fountain: Export to PDF"

CLI: afterwriting (for automation)

# Install
npm install -g afterwriting

# Basic PDF export
afterwriting --source screenplay.fountain --pdf

# With configuration
afterwriting --source screenplay.fountain --pdf --config pdf-config.json

# Output to specific file
afterwriting --source screenplay.fountain --pdf --output script.pdf

PDF Configuration (pdf-config.json)

{
  "print_title_page": true,
  "print_profile": "default",
  "print_header": "",
  "print_footer": "",
  "print_watermark": "",
  "print_dialogue_numbers": false,
  "print_notes": false,
  "print_sections": false,
  "print_synopses": false,
  "scenes_numbers": "none",
  "each_scene_on_new_page": false
}

Highland (macOS)

Open .fountain file in Highland
File → Export → PDF
Configure options in preferences

Wrap (macOS)

Open .fountain file
File → Export → PDF

FDX Export (Final Draft XML)

Purpose

Import into Final Draft software
Collaboration with Final Draft users
Industry compatibility

Better Fountain (Recommended)

In VS Code: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Fountain: Export to FDX"

CLI: screenplain (for automation)

# One-time installation (requires Python 3.8+ and pipx)
pipx install screenplain

# Export to FDX
screenplain --format fdx screenplay.fountain output.fdx

Note: afterwriting does NOT support FDX export. Use Better Fountain, screenplain, or Highland.

Highland Export (macOS)

Highland 2 offers native FDX export:

Open .fountain file in Highland 2
File → Export → Final Draft

Compatibility Notes

Basic Fountain elements export cleanly
Notes, sections, synopses may not transfer
Review formatting after import to Final Draft
Scene numbers transfer if present

HTML Export

Purpose

Web-based reading
Easy sharing via URL
Print from browser

Better Fountain (Recommended)

In VS Code: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Fountain: Export to HTML"

CLI: afterwriting (for automation)

afterwriting --source screenplay.fountain --html

HTML Configuration

{
  "html_use_paper_size": true,
  "html_scenes_numbers": "none",
  "html_print_dialogue_numbers": false
}

Custom HTML Template

For custom styling, process Fountain to JSON then apply template:

afterwriting --source screenplay.fountain --fountain --output screenplay.json
# Then apply custom HTML template to JSON

Export Workflow

Pre-Export Checklist

[ ] Script Supervisor approval
[ ] Standards Reviewer approval
[ ] All [[notes]] resolved or intentional
[ ] Title page complete and current
[ ] Fountain syntax validated

Export Process

1. Validate Fountain file
2. Run export command
3. Verify output file created
4. Open and review output
5. Check page count
6. Verify title page
7. Sample check formatting
8. Package for delivery

Post-Export Verification

[ ] File opens without errors
[ ] Page count as expected
[ ] Title page correct
[ ] Character names format correctly
[ ] Dialogue layout proper
[ ] Transitions right-aligned
[ ] No orphaned elements

Version Naming

Convention

[Title]_v[Major].[Minor]_[YYYYMMDD].[ext]

Examples

Seoul_Identity_v1.0_20251227.pdf
Seoul_Identity_v1.1_20251228.pdf
Seoul_Identity_v2.0_20260115.pdf
Seoul_Identity_v2.0_20260115.fdx

Major vs. Minor

Major (1.0 → 2.0): Significant rewrite
Minor (1.0 → 1.1): Polish, small changes

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS

Highland: Best native Fountain support
Wrap: Simple, clean interface
Slugline: Also available

Windows/Linux

afterwriting CLI: Cross-platform
Trelby: Open source screenwriting
WriterSolo: Online option

Online Tools

afterwriting.com: Web-based export
WriterSolo: Cloud-based option

Troubleshooting

PDF Issues

| Problem | Solution | |---------|----------| | Wrong fonts | Check PDF config, ensure Courier | | Bad margins | Verify config matches standards | | Missing title page | Enable in config | | Notes appearing | Disable print_notes |

FDX Issues

| Problem | Solution | |---------|----------| | Elements misformatted | Review in Final Draft, adjust | | Notes missing | Expected - FDX doesn't support all | | Dual dialogue broken | May need manual fix in FD |

HTML Issues

| Problem | Solution | |---------|----------| | Print looks wrong | Use paper size option | | Styling off | Use default CSS or customize |

Export Scripts

Note: For manual exports, use the Better Fountain extension. The scripts below are for CI/CD automation.

Bash Export All Formats

#!/bin/bash
SCRIPT="screenplay.fountain"
NAME="Seoul_Identity"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)
VERSION="1.0"

# PDF export (afterwriting)
afterwriting --source $SCRIPT --pdf --output "${NAME}_v${VERSION}_${DATE}.pdf"

# FDX export (screenplain - requires pipx install screenplain)
screenplain --format fdx $SCRIPT "${NAME}_v${VERSION}_${DATE}.fdx"

# HTML export (afterwriting)
afterwriting --source $SCRIPT --html --output "${NAME}_v${VERSION}_${DATE}.html"

echo "Export complete:"
ls -la ${NAME}_v${VERSION}_${DATE}.*

Export Checklist

PDF Delivery

[ ] Page count within target
[ ] Title page per standards
[ ] No scene numbers (spec)
[ ] No WGA numbers (spec)
[ ] Filename follows convention
[ ] File under 10MB

FDX Delivery

[ ] Opens in Final Draft
[ ] Elements formatted correctly
[ ] Scene headings intact
[ ] Dialogue blocks correct

Competition Submission

[ ] Format matches guidelines
[ ] Page count within limits
[ ] Anonymous if required
[ ] Filename as specified

Agent Skills: Format Export Skill

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