deedeeharris Hebrew RTL — Document Generation Rules
ALWAYS use this skill alongside the relevant document skill (pptx-generator, minimax-docx, etc.).
The 8 Rules (All Formats)
Rule 1 — Set RTL at document level Every format has a top-level RTL switch. Set it first, before any content.
Rule 2 — RTL on EVERY text element
Do NOT assume inheritance. Explicitly set rtlMode, lang: "he-IL", align: "right" on each element individually.
Rule 3 — Use a helper function Wrap all RTL settings in a reusable function. Never set them manually per element — you will miss some.
Rule 4 — Rich text arrays — RTL per item When building arrays of text runs, each item needs its own RTL flag, not just the container.
Rule 5 — Mirror layout elements Page numbers → LEFT side. Accent borders → LEFT side. Badges → LEFT side. Everything flips horizontally.
Rule 6 — Hebrew punctuation
- Use
׳(U+05F3 geresh) not apostrophe' - Use
״(U+05F4 gershayim) not double-quote" - Use
—(U+2014 em-dash) not hyphen-
Rule 7 — Natural comma placement
- Correct:
לגעת, ללמוד וליצור - Wrong:
לגעת ,ללמודComma goes AFTER the word, not before the next one.
Rule 8 — Test with real mixed content Always verify with: Hebrew + numbers + English words + punctuation together.
Format-Specific Implementation
PptxGenJS (pptx-generator skill)
// Step 1: Document level
pres.rtlMode = true;
// Step 2: Helper function — use for EVERY addText call
function rtl(opts) {
return {
...opts,
fontFace: "Arial",
rtlMode: true,
lang: "he-IL"
};
}
// Step 3: All text elements via helper
slide.addText("טקסט בעברית", rtl({
x: 0, y: 0, w: 9, h: 1,
fontSize: 14,
align: "right"
}));
// Step 4: Page number badge → LEFT side (mirrored from default right)
slide.addShape(pres.shapes.OVAL, {
x: 0.3, y: 5.1, w: 0.4, h: 0.4, // LEFT not right (x: 9.3)
fill: { color: theme.accent }
});
python-docx (minimax-docx skill)
from docx.oxml.ns import nsdecls
from docx.oxml import parse_xml
from docx.enum.text import WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH
def set_rtl(paragraph):
"""Apply RTL to a paragraph — call on EVERY paragraph."""
pPr = paragraph._p.get_or_add_pPr()
bidi = parse_xml(f'<w:bidi {nsdecls("w")} val="1"/>')
pPr.append(bidi)
paragraph.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.RIGHT
# Usage — every paragraph
p = doc.add_paragraph()
set_rtl(p)
run = p.add_run("טקסט בעברית")
run.font.name = "David" # or "Arial", "Calibri"
HTML/CSS
<!-- Document level -->
<html lang="he" dir="rtl">
<body>
<style>
body {
direction: rtl;
text-align: right;
font-family: 'Heebo', 'Arial', sans-serif;
}
/* Code blocks stay LTR */
pre, code {
direction: ltr;
text-align: left;
}
</style>
ReportLab / minimax-pdf
from reportlab.lib.enums import TA_RIGHT
from reportlab.lib.styles import getSampleStyleSheet
styles = getSampleStyleSheet()
hebrew_style = styles['Normal'].clone('Hebrew')
hebrew_style.alignment = TA_RIGHT
hebrew_style.fontName = 'Helvetica' # or register a Hebrew font
# Use for every paragraph with Hebrew text
from reportlab.platypus import Paragraph
p = Paragraph("טקסט בעברית", hebrew_style)
Punctuation Cheat Sheet
| Instead of | Use | Unicode | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
' apostrophe |
׳ geresh |
U+05F3 | מ׳כ, פל׳ג |
" double-quote |
״ gershayim |
U+05F4 | צה״ל, רמ״ד |
- hyphen |
— em-dash |
U+2014 | מ״כ א — לחום |
, wrong side |
, after word |
— | לגעת, ללמוד |
Common Failure Modes to Watch For
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers appear on wrong side | BiDi not set at document level | Rule 1 |
| Parentheses reversed | No per-element RTL | Rule 2 |
| Page number on right | Layout not mirrored | Rule 5 |
| צה"ל looks broken | ASCII quotes instead of gershayim | Rule 6 |
,מילה (space before comma) |
Wrong comma placement | Rule 7 |
| English inside Hebrew flips | Wrap in <span dir="ltr"> in HTML, or use BiDi marks in other formats |
Rule 8 |