Typst functions (pagebreak) dynamically in python section

[sisi31er]

Description

Hi all,
I'm using Quarto with Typst as the PDF engine. My goal is to loop through a list in Python and insert formatting stuff like newpage or typst functions dynamically.

---
title: "Template Report"
subtitle: "July 2025"
author: "Fictive Company"
echo: False
format: typst
jupyter: python3
---


```{python}
from IPython.display import Markdown, display
machines = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
for machine_id in machines:
    display(Markdown(f"## Machine {machine_id} - Performance Overview"))
    # test line break
    display(Markdown("```{typst}\n#pagebreak()\n```"))
    print("{{< pagebreak >}}")
```

Previously I was using LaTeX as engine there I could insert LaTeX Code with Markdown and it worked:
display(Markdown(r"\clearpage"))

Question:

• Is there a way to emit Typst Code from within Python codeblocks?
• Or do you have any other, better ways to reach my goal?

Thanks in advance! I'll appreciate any tipps and workarounds.

Simon

[mcanouil]

Could you properly format your post using code blocks for code and terminal outputs? Thanks.
If your code contains code blocks, you need to enclose it using more backticks, i.e., usually four ````.
See https://quarto.org/bug-reports.html#formatting-make-githubs-markdown-work-for-us.

Also, please ensure your example is fully reproducible and has external resource only if required.

[sisi31er]

I formatted it correctly and it should be reproducible now. Sorry!

I couldn't get it to work dynamically from within the Python code block (inside the for loop).

[sisi31er]

The command

display(Markdown("{{< pagebreak >}}"))

produces:
[typst]: Compiling test.typ to test.pdf...error: pagebreaks are not allowed inside of containers
= hint: try using a #colbreak() instead

But for colbreak doesn't exist a shortcode.

[mcanouil]

The shortcode is markdown, it should emitted as such.

Your "typst" code block is a regular code block, see raw content from the documentation: https://quarto.org/docs/authoring/markdown-basics.html#raw-content

[mcanouil]

That's a Typst error. It's not a Quarto error.

Use keep-md: true to look at the intermediate markdown and keep-typ: true to look at the Typst file.
Then see what is wrong.

Note that in this particular case, Typst tells you exactly what to do.

display(Markdown("`#colbreak()`{=typst}"))

[sisi31er]

Thank you very much!

Weirdly it doesn't produce a pagebreak although I don't use it in double column layout. But that's a Typst problem I have to look up:

"The function will behave like a page break when used in a single column layout or the last column on a page. Otherwise, content after the column break will be placed in the next column." (https://typst.app/docs/reference/layout/colbreak/)

But inserting other typst code behaves like expected, so again thank you very much

[cderv]

Just to add a bit more context on how to make your original example works.

{{< pagebreak >}} is indeed the way to create pagebreak in multiple format, as Quarto shortcode will write the correct syntax for you based on output format.

As you are trying to use that from computation cell, you need to output raw markdown. And this is where it is tricky

---
title: "Template Report"
subtitle: "July 2025"
author: "Fictive Company"
echo: False
format: typst
jupyter: python3
keep-md: true
---


```{python}
#| output: asis
from IPython.display import Markdown, display
machines = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
for machine_id in machines:
    display(Markdown(f"\n## Machine {machine_id} - Performance Overview"))
    display(Markdown("{{< pagebreak >}}"))
```

This above will work because I added

• output: asis to tell Quarto to consider this output as raw markdown, and don't wrap in any other blocks
• \n before your header so that this works correctly to have new lines before a title.

Why do you need output: asis ?

Because you are using a for-loop to output some Markdown content.

If you were using only a single output and no for loop that would be ok.

```{python}
from IPython.display import Markdown, display
machines = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Markdown(f"\n## Machine {machines[1]} - Performance Overview\n\n{{{{< pagebreak >}}}}\n")
```

For loop requires display(), as multiple output in a python Jupyter cell. And then output: asis is required as Quarto won't do it for you by default in this case.

Doc is here about how to create raw output: https://quarto.org/docs/computations/execution-options.html#raw-output

[typst]: Compiling test.typ to test.pdf...error: pagebreaks are not allowed inside of containers
= hint: try using a #colbreak() instead

About this error from typst, this is because without output: asis, the shortcode would be wrapped in a Div in the intermediate markdown

::: {.cell-output .cell-output-display .cell-output-markdown}
{{< pagebreak >}}
::

Which will wrap the typst code in a block...

#block[
#pagebreak()
]

And this is not supported in typst syntax.

I wonder if this should be considered an improvement in Quarto 🤔 Not sure because afterall output: asis is the way to go when producing raw markdown from a cell output.

Hope it helps understand.

[mcanouil]

There is/was a discussion to extend the pagebreak shortcode with colbreak for Typst.

I will edit once I found it again.

Found it:

• Pagebreak shortcode does not work in typst in multiple columns layout #11819

[cderv]

Thanks !