LaTeX Canvas

Build and edit LaTeX math in Obsidian with a point-and-click palette.

LaTeX Canvas is for LaTeX beginners and people who only write an equation now and then. Instead of remembering commands, you click a fraction, a sum or a matrix, and fill in the boxes. Every button shows the LaTeX it inserts, so you pick up the syntax as you go. It stays out of the way of people who type LaTeX directly: no default hotkeys and no key remapping.

Your notes only ever contain plain LaTeX ($…$ and $$…$$), so they keep working without the plugin.

Research and design notes are in docs/research.md.

Features

• Equation palette in the right sidebar. Open it from the ribbon (Σ), the command palette ("Open equation palette") or the editor's right-click menu.
• Click a button to insert its LaTeX at the cursor. Outside math, the result is wrapped in $…$. A selection becomes the first slot of the template.
• Empty slots are shown as □ (\square) and selected in turn. Use Next empty slot to jump to the next one (also available as a command you can bind to a hotkey).
• Hover a button to see the LaTeX behind it.
• Live preview of the equation under the cursor. Click a □ in the preview to select that slot in the note, then type to fill it. The selected slot is highlighted.
• Operators and relations adapt to the cursor: each side gets a □ only when it is empty. Nothing there yet gives $□ \neq □$; at the end of $2+2$ you get $2+2 \div □$. \forall, \exists and \neg only take a □ on the right.
• Matrices of any size up to 6 × 6: pick rows × columns on the size grid, then click a bracket style. Cases use the row count only.

Installation

LaTeX Canvas needs Obsidian 1.7.2 or newer. It is built desktop-first.

From Community plugins

Once the plugin is listed: open Settings → Community plugins → Browse, search for LaTeX Canvas, then install and enable it.

Beta versions with BRAT

1. Install and enable the BRAT plugin.
2. In BRAT's settings, choose Add beta plugin and enter LaurDr/LaTeX-Canvas.
3. Enable LaTeX Canvas under Settings → Community plugins.

Manually

1. Download main.js, manifest.json and styles.css from the latest release.
2. Put them in <your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/latex-canvas/. The .obsidian folder is hidden; on macOS, press Cmd + Shift + . in Finder to show it.
3. Reload Obsidian and enable LaTeX Canvas under Settings → Community plugins.

Development

npm install
npm run dev     # watch build -> main.js
npm run build   # type-check + production build
npm run lint

To try a build, copy main.js, manifest.json and styles.css into <your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/latex-canvas/, or link the repository folder there and run npm run dev.

Layout:

src/
  main.ts               plugin lifecycle: view, commands, menu, editor listener
  ui/palette-view.ts    sidebar palette (ItemView)
  math/templates.ts     palette catalog
  math/latex.ts         pure logic: template expansion, $…$ detection, slots
  math/editor-actions.ts  glue between the logic and Obsidian's Editor

Releasing

1. On main, set minAppVersion in manifest.json if newer Obsidian APIs are used, then run npm version patch (or minor / major). This updates package.json, manifest.json and versions.json, commits, and creates a tag named after the version (no v prefix).
2. Push the commit and the tag: git push && git push --tags.
3. The Release Obsidian plugin workflow builds the plugin and creates a draft release with main.js, manifest.json and styles.css attached. Review it on GitHub and publish it.

The community directory picks up new releases on its own once the plugin is listed. The first listing is requested at community.obsidian.md.

License

MIT