jgm · jgm · Jan 21, 2022 · Jan 18, 2022
diff --git a/MANUAL.txt b/MANUAL.txt
@@ -644,7 +644,9 @@ header when requesting a document from a URL:
     files specified later on the command line will be preferred
     over those specified in earlier files. Metadata values
     specified inside the document, or by using `-M`, overwrite
-    values specified with this option.
+    values specified with this option. The file will be searched
+    for first in the working directory, and then in the `metadata`
+    subdirectory of the user data directory (see `--data-dir`).
 
 `-p`, `--preserve-tabs`
 
@@ -1512,6 +1514,7 @@ Nonzero exit codes have the following meanings:
    93 PandocIpynbDecodingError
    94 PandocUnsupportedCharsetError
    97 PandocCouldNotFindDataFileError
+   98 PandocCouldNotFindMetadataFileError
    99 PandocResourceNotFound
 ----- ------------------------------------
 

diff --git a/pandoc.cabal b/pandoc.cabal
@@ -251,6 +251,9 @@ extra-source-files:
                  test/command/3510-export.latex
                  test/command/3510-src.hs
                  test/command/3971b.tex
+                 test/command/5876.yaml
+                 test/command/5876/metadata/5876.yaml
+                 test/command/5876/metadata/command/5876.yaml
                  test/docbook-chapter.docbook
                  test/docbook-reader.docbook
                  test/docbook-xref.docbook

diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/App.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/App.hs
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ convertWithOpts opts = do
       case optMetadataFiles opts of
         []    -> return mempty
         paths -> mconcat <$>
-           mapM (\path -> do raw <- readFileStrict path
+           mapM (\path -> do raw <- readMetadataFile path
                              yamlToMeta readerOpts (Just path) raw) paths
 
     let transforms = (case optShiftHeadingLevelBy opts of

diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Class/PandocMonad.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Class/PandocMonad.hs
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ module Text.Pandoc.Class.PandocMonad
   , getResourcePath
   , readDefaultDataFile
   , readDataFile
+  , readMetadataFile
   , fillMediaBag
   , toLang
   , setTranslations
@@ -586,6 +587,25 @@ readDataFile fname = do
             then readFileStrict (userDir </> fname)
             else readDefaultDataFile fname
 
+-- | Read metadata file from the working directory or, if not found there, from
+-- the metadata subdirectory of the user data directory.
+readMetadataFile :: PandocMonad m => FilePath -> m B.ByteString
+readMetadataFile fname = do
+  existsInWorkingDir <- fileExists fname
+  if existsInWorkingDir
+     then readFileStrict fname
+     else do
+       dataDir <- getUserDataDir
+       case dataDir of
+         Nothing ->
+           throwError $ PandocCouldNotFindMetadataFileError $ T.pack fname
+         Just userDir -> do
+           let path = userDir </> "metadata" </> fname
+           existsInUserDir <- fileExists path
+           if existsInUserDir
+              then readFileStrict path
+              else throwError $ PandocCouldNotFindMetadataFileError $ T.pack fname
+
 -- | Read file from from the default data files.
 readDefaultDataFile :: PandocMonad m => FilePath -> m B.ByteString
 readDefaultDataFile "reference.docx" =

diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Error.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Error.hs
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ data PandocError = PandocIOError Text IOError
                  | PandocFilterError Text Text
                  | PandocLuaError Text
                  | PandocCouldNotFindDataFileError Text
+                 | PandocCouldNotFindMetadataFileError Text
                  | PandocResourceNotFound Text
                  | PandocTemplateError Text
                  | PandocAppError Text
@@ -118,6 +119,8 @@ renderError e =
     PandocLuaError msg -> "Error running Lua:\n" <> msg
     PandocCouldNotFindDataFileError fn ->
         "Could not find data file " <> fn
+    PandocCouldNotFindMetadataFileError fn ->
+        "Could not find metadata file " <> fn
     PandocResourceNotFound fn ->
         "File " <> fn <> " not found in resource path"
     PandocTemplateError s -> "Error compiling template " <> s
@@ -198,6 +201,7 @@ handleError (Left e) =
       PandocIpynbDecodingError{} -> 93
       PandocUnsupportedCharsetError{} -> 94
       PandocCouldNotFindDataFileError{} -> 97
+      PandocCouldNotFindMetadataFileError{} -> 98
       PandocResourceNotFound{} -> 99
 
 err :: Int -> Text -> IO a

diff --git a/test/command/5876.md b/test/command/5876.md
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+```
+% pandoc -s -t native --data-dir=command/5876 --metadata-file=5876.yaml
+Hello
+^D
+Pandoc
+  Meta
+    { unMeta =
+        fromList
+          [ ( "desc"
+            , MetaInlines
+                [ Str "Found"
+                , Space
+                , Str "in"
+                , Space
+                , Str "metadata"
+                , Space
+                , Str "directory."
+                ]
+            )
+          ]
+    }
+  [ Para [ Str "Hello" ] ]
+```
+```
+% pandoc -s -t native --data-dir=command/5876 --metadata-file=command/5876.yaml
+Hello
+^D
+Pandoc
+  Meta
+    { unMeta =
+        fromList
+          [ ( "desc"
+            , MetaInlines
+                [ Str "Found"
+                , Space
+                , Str "in"
+                , Space
+                , Str "working"
+                , Space
+                , Str "directory."
+                ]
+            )
+          ]
+    }
+  [ Para [ Str "Hello" ] ]
+```
+```
+% pandoc -s -t native --data-dir=command/5876 --metadata-file=does-not-exist.yaml
+Hello
+^D
+Could not find metadata file does-not-exist.yaml
+```
+```
+% pandoc -s -t native --metadata-file=does-not-exist.yaml
+Hello
+^D
+Could not find metadata file does-not-exist.yaml
+```
diff --git a/test/command/5876.yaml b/test/command/5876.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+desc: Found in working directory.
+---
diff --git a/test/command/5876/metadata/5876.yaml b/test/command/5876/metadata/5876.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+desc: Found in metadata directory.
+---
diff --git a/test/command/5876/metadata/command/5876.yaml b/test/command/5876/metadata/command/5876.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+desc: Should not be loaded.
+---