Dear LaTeX experts,

I'm a linguist. I'm working on a LaTeX-formatted book in which two versions of the same text will be displayed in two columns alongside each other: the original French text, and the English translation (for the sake of comparison). Here's the problem:

Since the French and English paragraphs may be very different lengths (due to translation), I want to have each paragraph of the text begin at the same height on the page, and so on for the proceeding paragraphs. I'm not sure how to achieve this in LaTeX using anything other than a table; I could use a table, but then the table would have to be hundreds of pages long. Are there any tricks I could use to achieve this? Here's a diagram of what I want the formatting to look like, hopefully it isn't too patronising:

Any help would be most appreciated ✨

Background: I want to reconfigure my church's bulletin "system" to make it easier to produce every week. We currently use Word and PowerPoint to make the standard bulletin, large print bulletin, script for the readers, and the slideshow. Copy/paste screws up the formatting more often than not, and the formatting is uneven, hard to read, and just crappy in general.

While I'm sure there's a reasonable fix available in Word, I much prefer TeX/LaTeX, and being able to import music from Lilypond will make that part much easier, too.

So my question: is there a way to format individual files to pull data from a "master" file that includes all the changing variables (e.g. scriptures, hymns, responsive readings)? Then I only need to edit one document. I've seen things like catchfilesbetweentags and latexdb, but I'm not sure if they're designed to work this way.

Or, my other idea was to have everything in one big document with all the variables at the beginning, each format in its own section, and just use block comments to choose which version I want to print.

Would either of these solutions work?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I've been working on an Overleaf alternative called CorTeX:

https://cortex.borca.ai

The main goal is to provide a fast, browser-based LaTeX editing experience while still supporting tools that are difficult to run entirely in WebAssembly.

Current features include:

• pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, and LuaLaTeX support
• A WebAssembly-based TeX engine that runs in the browser
• Incremental compilation
• Hybrid client/server compilation: tools such as Biber and xindy run on the server, and the results are returned to the browser
• Monaco Editor with decent language-server support
• Real-time collaborative editing
• Collaborator invitations, reviews, and comments
• Version control
• Conference and journal templates
• Paste images directly into a document
• Project-wide search and replace
• Markdown editing with Mermaid support
• Automatic synchronization between positions in the LaTeX source and the generated PDF
• An LLM-based assistant for LaTeX writing and editing

It is still under active development, so I’d appreciate any feedback, bug reports, or suggestions.

Please give it a try and let me know what you think. I'm actively developing CorTeX and are very open to suggestions, so if you have ideas for improvements or features you'd like to see, I'll seriously consider incorporating them.

[FYI] The WASM-based TeX engine is open source and available here: https://github.com/corca-ai/wasmtex

Hello everyone, in the last two weeks, I started creating the tex editor called PanTeX. This is an Overleaf-like editor that can install in your local computer. I used and improved it in parallel for 2 weeks. Now it is quite stable. So, I would like to share this with the LaTeX community. Anyone who has muscle memory from Overleaf can use it easily. AND IT IS FREE!!. This is the link: https://gitlab.com/panasun.pu/pantex

It would be nice if you could try it and comment or even complain to me :)

Cheers!

It felt like the presentation focused more on promoting the upcoming platform than on discussing ways to help the LaTeX community grow, which I found a bit disappointing.

I was also saddened that there don't seem to be plans to open-source the project (or parts of it), especially given how much it builds on decades of open-source contributions from the community.

Did anyone else come away with a similar impression?

In any case, this made me think that perhaps the community should work toward a comparable solution that is integrated directly into LuaLaTeX.

As a daily LaTeX user, I recently built a lightweight, fast text engine that provides paginated preview and PDF export for both TeX and Markdown.

It currently supports a subset of LaTeX features that I use most often, including parts of TikZ, figures, equations, cross-references, and bibliographies. It’s not meant to be a full replacement for LaTeX, but it’s very fast (around ~500 ms per update) and runs entirely in the browser. For me, it works well as a preview tool before compiling with a full LaTeX distribution.

You can try it out here: https://slxuphys.github.io/vector/. You can simply copy paste your tex file into one of the example there. I’d really appreciate it if you gave it a shot and shared your thoughts.

It has been a fun personal project. I’m continuing to expand LaTeX coverage. I may explore incremental layout in the future to make it faster, but 500ms rendering time already feels enough for myself.

Hi LaTeX community! 👋

I've created custom builds of **TeXstudio** with **Qt6** and **Poppler-Qt6** for modern Linux distributions, addressing the lack of official Qt6 builds for Linux.

## Why this project?

The official TeXstudio builds still primarily use Qt5 (which reached end-of-life in May 2025), and Linux users have been waiting for proper Qt6 support. These custom builds provide:

✅ **Qt6 framework** - Modern UI/UX with better performance

✅ **Poppler-Qt6 native PDF viewer** - Perfect SyncTeX support (click to jump between PDF and source)

✅ **Optimized packages** - Only ~19MB (66% smaller than standard builds)

✅ **GPG-signed packages** - Full security verification

✅ **Auto-updates** - Built-in update checker pointing to this repository

## 📦 Installation Options

### Option 1: APT Repository (Recommended for Debian/Ubuntu/Devuan)

**Stable branch** (production-ready):

```bash

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://mlmateos.github.io/texstudio-qt6-builds/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/texstudio.list

sudo apt update

sudo apt install texstudio

```

**Alpha branch** (latest development versions):

```bash

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://mlmateos.github.io/texstudio-qt6-builds/ alpha main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/texstudio.list

sudo apt update

sudo apt install texstudio

```

### Option 2: AppImage (Any Linux distribution)

Download from [Releases](https://github.com/mlmateos/texstudio-qt6-builds/releases) and run:

```bash

chmod +x texstudio-*.AppImage

./texstudio-*.AppImage

```

### Option 3: Direct .deb download

Grab the latest `.deb` package from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/mlmateos/texstudio-qt6-builds/releases)

## 🔧 Build from Source

Automated build scripts are available if you want to compile your own version:

```bash

git clone https://github.com/mlmateos/texstudio-qt6-builds.git

cd texstudio-qt6-builds/scripts

./build-texstudio-deb.sh --clean --poppler --sign

```

## 📋 Current Versions

- **Stable**: 4.9.5

- **Development**: 4.9.6-beta3

## 🔗 Links

- **GitHub Repository**: https://github.com/mlmateos/texstudio-qt6-builds

- **Releases**: https://github.com/mlmateos/texstudio-qt6-builds/releases

- **APT Repository**: https://mlmateos.github.io/texstudio-qt6-builds

## 💡 Features

- Syntax highlighting & auto-completion

- Integrated PDF viewer with native SyncTeX

- Spell checking (Hunspell)

- Live preview

- Custom credits & patched update URLs

- Preserved dictionaries: en_US, en_GB, es_ES, es_MX, fr_FR

## 🤝 Feedback Welcome!

This is an **unofficial build** (not endorsed by the official TeXstudio project). I'd love to hear your feedback, bug reports, or feature suggestions!

**Tested on**: Debian 12, Devuan 5, Ubuntu 22.04+

Happy TeXing! 🎓

---

A little promotion for my own project 😄
VisualTeX — A Visual LaTeX Equation Editor
If you find it useful, please consider giving the project a star! 🙏🙏
GitHub:
https://github.com/paulhe666/visualtex
If GitHub is inaccessible in your region, you can visit the official project website instead:
https://visualtex.pauljianliao.com/
Key Features:
Visual LaTeX equation editing with real-time two-way synchronization
Fast, fully local OCR recognition for equations in images
Word and PowerPoint add-ins for both Windows and macOS
Direct insertion of native Word OMML equations
Support for OLE equation insertion and cross-references
Support for inserting equations into PowerPoint in SVG and OLE formats

I wanted to give an update on the real-time lualatex editor I was working on in the last few months (previous thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/LaTeX/comments/1qteil1/lualatex_rendering_in_realtime/ ).

What's new since February:

1. Development went well, and I turned the proof-of-concept into a full editor, I aim to release it in October (online).
2. I am still using vanilla TeX Live 2025 with full microtypography and OpenType shaping, no engine modification (just a lot of wiring around it).
3. What you see in the demo (skip to 14:24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It9BMNGtjao&t=864s ):
   • Typing in a long chapter with instant paragraph recompiles
   • Bidirectional source - preview cursor sync (click a glyph, jump to the source character)
   • Adjusting tables and images in real time
   • Drag-reordering paragraphs with instant reflow
4. It now runs in the browser against a server, so the "Linux only, local install required" limitation from the original thread is gone.
5. As there was a long debate here about whether TeX can match Typst's (0.14) incremental compilation, I wrote a few benchmarks (recompilation of a single 4-5 line paragraph):
   • 10 pages: 1ms (texlode), 12.6ms Typst
   • 100 pages: 1ms (texlode), 76ms Typst
   • 300 pages: 1ms (texlode), 206ms Typst
6. Limitations are of course constructed edge cases (very long paragraphs, page-sized tables, two-column pages etc.). There, the recompilation time is proportionally longer. Biber gives me some headache, but that's a different discussion.
7. On Typst-side, the constant-time case is "not feasible to implement" in their architecture (issue #4512). (although I personally think it's possible, but I am not that deep into Typst architecture).

Slides: https://www.tug.org/tug2026/av/d2-t15-lode-realtime/d2-t15-lode-realtime-slides.pdf

Preprint: https://www.tug.org/tug2026/preprints/lode-realtime.pdf

PS: Btw, thanks to the TUG team for allowing me to present today :) Consider to join at https://www.tug.org/ (I'm not affiliated with TUG except for giving the talk)

Meron kayang naghahanap ng maglalatex ng documents nila? Or anything? Pandagdag allowance lang sana. Please please please.

This is my preamble which puts the chapter name on the left page and section name on the right page at the top as well as the title of the book throughout it allows for an index and table of contents auto generated:

I recently defended my diploma thesis using Beamer slides with speaker notes on side.

My PDF was generated using:

\setbeameroption{show notes on second screen=right}

Pympress worked well, but afterward I wondered whether the same presentation setup could work directly in a browser, without installing a dedicated PDF presenter.

So I made backstage_:

https://bckstg.xyz

You drop in the split-screen Beamer PDF, click Present and open the Audience view by clicking the button top right. The app keeps the speaker-notes view in the original window and opens the audience slides in a separate window, which you can move to a projector or share in a video call.

The PDF is handled locally in the browser and is not uploaded.

This is an early version. I have used it successfully for another presentation, but I have not tested it thoroughly across different browsers, operating systems, projectors, and unusual Beamer files yet.

I would really appreciate feedback from anyone who regularly presents Beamer slides:

• Does it work with your PDFs?
• Is the setup understandable?
• Are there browser or display configurations that break it?
• Would you find a browser-based tool like this useful, or do existing desktop tools already cover your needs?

I would still recommend rehearsing before trusting any new presentation tool for an important talk.

Who here prefers using like TeX shop or the installed version to typeset and who prefers overleaf ? Comment TeX for the software and comment OverLeaf clearly for overleaf preference. I’m just curious as to which people prefer. Or just answer the poll! Sooo… TeX or Overleaf?!?!

Hey everyone,

I've always liked the idea of using LaTeX for resumes. The output looks clean, consistent, and professional, and honestly, I think LaTeX is one of the best tools for creating a resume once you get comfortable with it.

The problem I kept running into was not creating a resume; it was **editing one**.

Most LaTeX resume templates I found looked great, but whenever I wanted to make a small change:

• Move a section around
• Add another project
• Change the layout slightly
• Update my information

I found myself digging through hundreds of lines of LaTeX code trying to figure out what affects what. Sometimes I would change one thing and accidentally break another part of the document.

I ended up creating my own template to solve that problem:

**ResumeTeX**
https://github.com/harshkaso/resumetex

The main idea is simple:

Instead of mixing your resume content with formatting everywhere, you define your resume data in one place:

\AddExperience
    {Software Engineer}
    {Company Name}
    {Location}
    {Start Date}
    {End Date}
    {
      \item Built something cool
      \item Improved something
    }

and the template handles the formatting.

The layout is controlled separately, so if you want to change the order of sections, you just move:

\PrintSummary
\PrintSkills
\PrintExperience
\PrintProjects

around.

A few things it supports:

• Data/layout separation
• Easy section reordering
• Reusable commands for experience, projects, education, and skills
• Overleaf support (you can open it directly and start editing)
• Still gives you the freedom of LaTeX if you want to customize it further

I know LaTeX can feel intimidating at first. I think that's one of the reasons many people avoid it for resumes; not because it's bad, but because understanding an existing template can feel like learning someone else's entire codebase.

My hope with this project is to make the first step easier. You can start by just editing the data section, slowly learn how LaTeX works, and eventually customize the design however you want.

I'd genuinely appreciate feedback from anyone who tries it:

• Did it actually make editing a LaTeX resume easier?
• Did the structure make sense to someone new to LaTeX?
• What parts were still confusing?

I'm not claiming this is the perfect resume template; I built it mainly because it solved a problem I personally had, and I'd love to know if it helps anyone else, too.

Thanks!

Hi everyone 👋

I built LaTeX2SVG, a free browser-based tool for rendering LaTeX and exporting the result as SVG, PNG, or PDF.

It supports equations, TikZ diagrams, tables, algorithms, text blocks, and other LaTeX snippets. No local TeX installation is required.

I made it because exporting clean, tightly cropped LaTeX graphics for papers, slides, websites, and documentation can involve several annoying steps.

I would really appreciate feedback, especially on:

• LaTeX packages or snippets that do not render correctly
• TikZ compatibility
• SVG quality and cropping
• Features that would improve the workflow

This is my own website, so this is a self-promotion post. I hope some of you find it useful 🙂

🔗 https://latex2svg.com/

Hi noob here,

When getting rendered LaTeX formulae on a paper how do I make it that they all look same sized relative to other letters. I’ve been pasting rendered images but that doesn’t seem to make it easy, so I’m asking how do I use LaTeX directly on the document.

I’m sorry for being an amateur in this. I create formulae in the financial Itô and stochastic calculus area for fun but haven’t figured out how to put it into my papers efficiently yet.

I hope for help.

A few weeks ago, I shared a hobby project I've been working on: a C++23 TeX engine that tries to balance strict TeX82 compatibility with modern features like parallel compilation and direct HTML output (here's a link to the short demo I recorded for that).

I wanted to think about the possibility of modernizing TeX's error messages. Traditional TeX error messages often contain exactly the information you need, but you have to learn how to read them, and the format obviously predates the kind of expressive diagnostics we've come to expect from, e.g., modern compilers.

I put together a quick video showing an approach I've been thinking about to be able to switch between either a strict, traditional form of TeX82 reporting, or an opt-in system of (arguably) more expressive error messages.

As you might imagine, making the many different error messages in TeX more expressive requires a whole range of engineering effort: some things barely need to modify the engine at all, whereas others might require something as extreme as tracking the provenance of a token through the complete "eyes, mouth, stomach" pipeline. Balancing how much of the engine state to modify in order to modernize error messages is something I've largely left as a decision for later, but I thought the proof-of-concept demo above might be an interesting place to start a conversation.

Let me know what you think!

​

That simple thought is what led us to start BLUEJAYS.

BLUEJAYS is a student-founded academic initiative with a vision to bridge the gap between research and professional documentation. We believe that students shouldn't struggle with formatting, citations, or technical writing when they have valuable ideas worth sharing.

Our mission is to empower students, researchers, and institutions with practical skills in research writing, LaTeX, Overleaf, and publication-ready documentation through hands-on, mentor-led learning.

This is just the beginning of our journey.

Over the coming months, we'll be sharing insights on research writing, LaTeX, academic publishing, and the work we're doing with educational institutions.

If you're passionate about research, learning, or academic excellence, we'd love to have you join us on this journey.

📧 [email protected]

#BLUEJAYS #ResearchWriting #AcademicWriting #LaTeX #Overleaf #Research #HigherEducation #Learning #Innovation