SISTEM OTOMATISASI FORMATTING DOKUMEN SKRIPSI MENGGUNAKAN METODE RULE-BASED PROCESSING SESUAI PEDOMAN PENULISAN PROGRAM STUDI INFORMATIKA UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH MAKASSAR

Abstract

The process of compiling a thesis frequently encounters technical formatting problems, including incorrect margin settings, inappropriate font types and sizes, inconsistent line spacing, improper chapter numbering, and non-compliant citation formats. These recurring issues consume time and increase the revision burden for both students and supervisors. This study develops DocuForge, a web-based thesis formatting automation system using the Rule-Based Processing method for the Informatics Study Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar. The system architecture adopts a Router–Service–Rule pattern that integrates document parsing via python-docx, IF–THEN rule validation, automatic formatting correction, and PDF report generation using fpdf2. The rules implemented cover eight formatting aspects: margin, font, line spacing, paragraph alignment, chapter heading structure, subchapter headings, cover page layout, and paragraph indentation. Testing was conducted using black box testing on a thesis document containing various formatting violations. Results show that the system successfully detected all explicit formatting violations and automatically corrected 1,126 non-compliant text segments, 65 paragraph spacing errors, 59 misaligned paragraphs, 12 cover elements, 5 chapter headings, and 28 subchapters. The Rule-Based Processing approach proved highly effective for deterministic and numerical formatting attributes. The system significantly reduces the manual revision burden, enabling students to focus more on research substance rather than technical formatting issues.