LaTeX Compilation Environment

While TeXRA focuses on AI-assisted editing and generation of LaTeX source code, several features rely on having a working LaTeX distribution installed on your system for tasks like compiling previews or processing generated latexdiff files.

Required LaTeX Distribution

You need a functional LaTeX distribution installed, such as:

• Windows: MiKTeX or TeX Live
• macOS: MacTeX (includes TeX Live)
• Linux: TeX Live (often available via package manager)

Getting LaTeX set up correctly can sometimes feel like wrestling an octopus, but it's necessary for features like compiling diffs and TikZ previews.

Ensure that the pdflatex command (or your preferred LaTeX engine) is accessible from your system's command line.

See the main Installation Guide for more details on installing LaTeX and other essential dependencies like Perl (required for latexdiff).

Integration with LaTeX Workshop

TeXRA is designed to work smoothly alongside the popular LaTeX Workshop extension, which provides excellent compilation, previewing, and IntelliSense features.

Workflow Interaction:

TeXRA leverages LaTeX Workshop when available. For example, after generating a comparison file using its latexdiff features (see LaTeX Diff guide), TeXRA attempts to automatically trigger LaTeX Workshop's build and view commands. This allows you to quickly compile and see the visualized changes in the resulting PDF.

Recommended Setting:

To keep your project directory clean, it's highly recommended to configure LaTeX Workshop to place its build output files (like .aux, .log, .pdf) into a separate subdirectory. TeXRA is aware of this common practice.

1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,).
2. Search for Latex-workshop: Latex: Out Dir.
3. Set the value to ./build or %DIR%/build.

This directs build files to a build/ subdirectory within your project, preventing clutter in your main source directory. While TeXRA primarily works with the source .tex files, having a clean setup benefits the overall workflow, especially when using LaTeX Workshop for compilation and previewing.

Alternative: Online Compilers (e.g., Overleaf)

Setting up and maintaining a local LaTeX distribution can sometimes be challenging due to complex dependencies or system configurations. If you encounter persistent issues with local compilation for previewing latexdiff outputs or TikZ figures, using an online LaTeX editor and compiler like Overleaf can be a convenient alternative. You can upload the .tex files generated by TeXRA (like diff files or standalone TikZ files) to Overleaf to compile and view them there.