🗜️ Flatten the file structure of a LaTeX document

✨ What can it do?

• replace \input{FILE} with contents of FILE
• point all \includegraphics{PATH} next to the .tex file
• replace \bibliography with contents of .bbl file (--replace-bib, needed e.g. for PLoS)
• Rename figure filenames like fig3.pdf (--sequential-figures)
• Hide figures by commenting \includegraphics{} (--hide-figures, needed for PLoS)
• copy all source files next to the LaTeX file (--inplace)
• modify your LaTeX file in-place (--inplace)
• make a new folder with the flattened LaTeX project structure (--outdir MYDIR)
• make a ZIP file with the flattened LaTeX project structure (--zip)

These steps are necessary for some Journals (e.g. Springer, PLoS, etc.). With latex-flatten, one can work flexibly on a manuscript with a nested structure and included files and flatten the project only before submission.

📝 TODO - Known Issues - Planned Features

• Have --hide-figures and --sequential-figures operate only within figure environments. The currently don't know whether they're manipulating an actual figure or just a random included graphic anywhere.
• Use relative (not absolute) symlinks for linking to --outdir.
• Find input files from TEXINPUTS
• 🐛 If the same graphic file is \includegraphicsed multiple times, it will only land once in the outdir or ZIP.

❓ Usage

You can run this tool if you have nix installed:

nix run gitlab:nobodyinperson/latex-flatten

# or with arguments (note the lonely double dash --)
nix run gitlab:nobodyinperson/latex-flatten -- --help

Otherwise, you can install it like any other Python package, e.g. with pip or better pipx:

pipx install latex-flatten

# latest development version
pipx install git+https://gitlab.com/nobodyinperson/latex-flatten

This installs the latex-flatten command:

# will operate on all *.tex documents in this folder
latex-flatten 

# specific document
latex-flatten myfile.tex 

# Make a ZIP for PLoS submission
latex-flatten --plos --zip

# Make a new folder with flattened LaTeX structure (to check compilation, etc.)
latex-flatten --outdir FLATTENED

# Make a flat ZIP from your LaTeX project
latex-flatten --zip

# Be moreo chatty, useful for debugging
latex-flatten -vvv

# Help
latex-flatten --help

🛠️ Workflow

1. Compile LaTeX successfully with latexmk or pdflatex -recorder once
2. Run this script next to (or on) the .tex file.

Before using --inplace, you should probably back up your files or git-track them to see the differences and revert in case something unexpected happens.