pnglatex

pnglatex is a small script that turns formulas into png images.

$ pnglatex -f "E=mc^2"

Installation

Download or clone the repository, then make pnglatex an executable and add it to your path, e.g.

# chmod +x pnglatex
# cp pnglatex /usr/bin/pnglatex

Dependencies

pnglatex depends on dvipng, imagemagick, latex, and optipng packages. Optional dependencies include xclip to copy image to clipboard, and notify-send to show a preview of the image through a notification.

Tips

You can pipe into pnglatex:

$ cat formula.tex | pnglatex

You can generate and open your image with a one-liner:

$ pnglatex -f "E=mc^2" | xargs eog

Omitting -f option will start interactive mode.

$ pnglatex
E=mc^2
<Ctrl-D>

Logs can give you a good idea of what went wrong.

$ pnglatex -f "E=mc^2" -l out.log

Options

• -b <color> Set the background color
• -B <color> Set the border color
• -d <dpi> Set the output resolution to the specified dpi
• -e <environment> Set the environment for the formula (i.e. displaymath or eqnarray)
• -f <formula> The formula
• -F <color> Set the foreground color
• -h Print the help message
• -H <file> Insert the content of the specified file in the preamble
• -l <file> Log file
• -m <margin> Set the margin
• -o <file> Specify the output file name
• -O Optimize the image
• -p <packages> A colon separated list of package names
• -P <padding> Set the padding
• -s <size> Set the font size
• -S Don't print image file name
• -v Show version

Defaults

You can set default options by creating a properties file named .pnglatex in your home directory. The following is an example content:

BACKGROUND=White
BORDER=
DPI=180
ENVIRONMENT=displaymath
FOREGROUND=Black
HEADER=
MARGIN=
OPTIMIZE=1
PACKAGES=amsmath:amssymb
PADDING=3
SIZE=11

Command line provided options override the default options in the ~/.pnglatex file.

cliptex Plugin

cliptex is a small script that creates formulas using the system clipboard.

$ cliptex

The above command uses the content of the system clipboard to generate a formula. The clipboard is then replaced by the generated image.

Tips

Bind the script to the Ctrl + Alt + C key combination. Write your formula directly in the GMail editor, select it and strike the key combination. Then, press Ctrl + V to replace the formula with the generated image.

cliptex uses the default options set in the ~/.pnglatex file.

Installation

Download or clone the repository, then type

# chmod +x cliptex
# cp cliptex /usr/bin/cliptex

Dependencies

cliptex depends on pnglatex, wl-clipboard and xclip.

Options

• -h Print this help message.
• -s <session> Force a session (wayland or x11).
• -S Don't show system notifications.
• -v Show version.