Overview

This is a simple module to execute pdflatex in an easy and clean way. The pdflatex command line utility by default generates a lot of output and can create many files.

Instantiation

The PDFLaTeX class can be instantiated directly or through helpers:

• from_texfile(filename)
• from_binarystring(binstr, jobname)
• from_jinja2_template(jinja2_template, jobname = None, **render_kwargs)

jobname is any string that can be used to create a valid filename;

Examples:

In all the following examples, no files are left on the filesystem, unless requested with the keep_pdf_file and keep_log_file parameters to the create_pdf method.

Create PDF from .tex file

from pdflatex import PDFLaTeX

pdfl = PDFLaTeX.from_texfile('my_file.tex')
pdf, log, completed_process = pdfl.create_pdf(keep_pdf_file=True, keep_log_file=True)

The function create_pdf returns 3 results:

1. The pdf file in a binary string;
2. The log file generated by pdflatex as text;
3. An instance of subprocess.CompleteProcess with the results of the pdflatex execution.

Also, create_pdf takes a few parameters:

1. keep_pdf_file: an optional boolean. Default to False. If True a pdf file is maintained. Its location and name depends on the value of the -output-directory and -jobname parameters. It is also derived from the tex filename or the jinja2 template filename if no parameter is given;
2. keep_log_file: same thing, for the log file.
3. env: a default ENV mapping for the execution of pdflatex. You probably want to skip this.

Create PDF from Jinja2 Template

import os
import pdflatex
import jinja2 

env = pdflatex.JINJA2_ENV
env['loader'] = jinja2.FileSystemLoader(os.path.abspath('.'))
env = jinja2.Environment(**env)
template = env.get_template('jinja.tex')
pdfl = pdflatex.PDFLaTeX.from_jinja2_template(template, data='Hello world!')
pdf, log, cp = pdfl.create_pdf()

Quite self explanatory, just note that pdflatex includes a dictionary JINJA2_ENV with a suggestion of environment parameters for you to use with jinja2 and LaTeX. It os defined as:

JINJA2_ENV = {'block_start_string': '\BLOCK{',
              'block_end_string': '}',
              'variable_start_string': '\VAR{',
              'variable_end_string': '}',
              'comment_start_string': '\#{',
              'comment_end_string': '}',
              'line_statement_prefix': '%%',
              'line_comment_prefix': '%#',
              'trim_blocks': True,
              'autoescape': False }

Create PDF file from binary string:

import pdflatex

with open('my_file.tex', 'rb') as f:
    pdfl = pdflatex.PDFLaTeX.from_binarystring(f.read(), 'my_file')
pdf, log, cp = pdfl.create_pdf()