latex-toolbox 0.2.0

CLI for creating standalone LaTeX projects from this toolbox.

LaTeX Toolbox

Skip the setup. Start writing. Everything you need, nothing more.

Lire en français

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LaTeX Toolbox is a command-line tool that generates ready-to-compile, standalone LaTeX projects from templates. Each generated project embeds its own styles and assets — it can be compiled, shared, and versioned independently, with no dependency on this repository.

Installation

pipx install latex-toolbox

Requires Python 3.10+. If pipx is not installed: brew install pipx on macOS, or see pipx.pypa.io.

First setup

On a fresh machine, run the setup command to check your environment and install LaTeX automatically:

latex-toolbox setup

This verifies that latexmk and lualatex are available, and offers to install them via your system package manager (brew on macOS, apt on Debian/Ubuntu, winget on Windows). VS Code extensions are also installed if the code CLI is available.

Usage

Interactive mode

Run create with no arguments to be guided step by step:

$ latex-toolbox create

Project name: my-report
Available templates:
  1. rapport-projet-en
  2. rapport-projet-fr
  3. rapport-ter
  4. research
Choose a template [1-4]: 1
Create project in [/Users/thomas/Desktop]:

Project created: /Users/thomas/Desktop/my-report
Edit: my-report/my-report.tex
Next: fill in frontmatter/metadata.tex then save to compile.
Open project in VS Code? [y/N]

With flags

All arguments are optional — omitted ones are prompted interactively.

# specify everything upfront
latex-toolbox create --name my-report --template rapport-projet-en

# create in a specific directory
latex-toolbox create --name my-paper --template research --output ~/Desktop

Rename a project

# from the parent directory
latex-toolbox rename old-name new-name

# from inside the project directory
latex-toolbox rename new-name

This renames the folder, the main .tex file, and any existing build artifacts.

Available templates

Template	Language	Description
rapport-projet-en	English	Project report with cover page, TOC, introduction, conclusion, AI statement
rapport-projet-fr	French	Same structure as above, in French
rapport-ter	English	Academic TER report with detailed structure, bibliography, and appendices
research	English	Research article with two-column layout, abstract, and BibTeX bibliography

latex-toolbox list-templates

After creating a project

1. Open the generated folder in VS Code.
2. Fill in frontmatter/metadata.tex — title, authors, course name, university logo.
3. Save the main .tex file to trigger compilation (requires LaTeX Workshop).
4. The PDF is built into build/.

Example metadata.tex:

\newcommand{\reporttitle}{Audio Fingerprinting Study}
\newcommand{\coursename}{Machine Learning}

\resetauthors
\addauthor{Alice Martin}{}
\addauthor{Bob Durand}{}

\resetteachers
\addteacher{Dr Example}{}

\resetprojectlinks
\addprojectlink{Repository}{https://github.com/example/project}

Leaving the second argument empty in \addauthor{...}{} or \addteacher{...}{} hides the role label.

Generated project structure

my-project/
├── my-project.tex            ← main file (named after the project)
├── frontmatter/
│   ├── metadata.tex          ← title, authors, course
│   └── toc.tex
├── sections/
├── backmatter/
├── figures/
├── images/
├── screens/
├── assets/
│   ├── images/common/
│   └── logos/
├── styles/packages/          ← embedded styles, no external dependency
├── scripts/                  ← standalone setup scripts
├── .vscode/                  ← LaTeX Workshop settings
└── .gitignore

Styles and logos are copied into the project at creation time. The generated project has no runtime dependency on this repository.

Command reference

Command	Description
latex-toolbox create	Create a project (interactive)
latex-toolbox create --name NAME --template TEMPLATE	Create with explicit arguments
latex-toolbox create --output DIR	Set output directory
latex-toolbox rename OLD NEW	Rename from parent directory
latex-toolbox rename NEW	Rename from inside project directory
latex-toolbox list-templates	List available templates
latex-toolbox setup	Check and set up the LaTeX environment
latex-toolbox setup --check-only	Check without installing anything
latex-toolbox setup --install-tex	Install LaTeX directly
latex-toolbox --version	Show installed version

Versioning generated projects

Each generated project is self-contained, making it straightforward to version independently:

cd my-project
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial report"

Create a dedicated private repository and invite only the collaborators relevant to that document.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.