latexclippings 0.1.0

Batch render LaTeX files to cropped SVG images

LaTeXclippings

Batch render LaTeX files to cropped SVG images.

Features

LaTeXclippings takes multiple LaTeX files, and an optional preamble, as input. Using your computer's LaTeX installation, it renders each input file as an SVG image or embeddable HTML <img> tag. All relevant LaTeX features are supported, including regular text, inline and display math, and tables.

Each rendered image is cropped, allowing it to be easily embedded in other content. When generating HTML <img> tags, additional CSS style rules are added, which adjust the SVG's scale and baseline to match the surrounding text. No more misaligned equations!

LaTeXclippings provides a simple command-line utility, as well as a Python API for integration into more complex projects (like static website generators). LaTeXclippings also converts pdflatex errors into informative Python exceptions, helping you identify the file and line responsible for an error.

Dependencies

LaTeXclippings is written in Python, and also uses:

• pdflatex to generate PDFs from LaTeX source
• inkscape for PDF cropping and SVG conversion

Usage

Command Line

The latexclippings command reads LaTeX files (or standard input) and outputs SVG or embeddable HTML. (If you did not install LaTeXclippings from PyPI, you can use ./latexclippings.py or python latexclippings.py instead.)

Using standard input and output:

$ # Kinetic energy formula (in classical mechanics).
$ echo '$ E_k = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 $' | latexclippings > kinetic-energy.svg

Rendering multiple LaTeX files to HTML, using a custom preamble:

$ latexclippings --format html --preamble my-preamble.tex \
>         apple.tex banana.tex grape.tex
$ ls
apple.html  banana.html  grape.html  my-preamble.tex
apple.tex   banana.tex   grape.tex

The contents of apple.html (note the inline CSS styles for scaling and alignment):

<img style="display: inline-block; width: 21.38669ex;
height: 2.08727ex; vertical-align: -0.45000ex;"
alt="I enjoy eating apples." title="I enjoy eating apples."
src="data:image/svg+xml;base64, PHN2ZwogICB4bWxuczp...">

Python API

For more sophisticated usage (e.g. integration into a static website generator), you can use the Python API.

from latexclippings import LatexFile

lf = LatexFile([r"This is some \LaTeX code.", r"Math: $ \sin(x) $"])

c = lf.clippings[0]
print(f"The first clipping is {c.width} by {c.height} ex, "
        + f"with {c.depth} ex below the baseline.")

with open("math.svg", "w") as f:
    f.write(lf.clippings[1].svg)

License

LaTeXclippings is licensed under the MIT License.