LaTeX Plus - Cross-Platform LaTeX Editor with AI

An open-source macOS/Windows application for LaTeX with integrated AI capabilities. Compile .tex files to PDF and generate LaTeX code from natural language prompts.

Features

• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS and Windows
• GUI Editor: Electron-based graphical interface
• CLI Tool: Command-line interface for automated workflows
• AI Integration: Generate LaTeX code from text prompts
  • Cloud: OpenAI GPT-4 for high-quality generation
  • Local: Ollama support for privacy and offline usage
• PDF Compilation: Compile LaTeX documents to PDF
• Modern UI: Clean, user-friendly interface

Prerequisites

Required

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• npm (v7 or higher)
• LaTeX Distribution:
  • macOS: MacTeX or BasicTeX
  • Windows: MiKTeX or TeX Live

Optional

• AI Integration (choose one):
  • OpenAI API Key: For cloud-based AI generation
  • Ollama: For local, privacy-focused AI generation
    • Install from ollama.ai
    • Recommended models: codellama, llama2, mistral

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/landsharkiest/macos-windows-latex-plus-cli-app.git
   cd macos-windows-latex-plus-cli-app

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up AI Integration (optional - choose one):

   Option A: OpenAI (Cloud)

   # macOS/Linux
   export AI_PROVIDER=openai
   export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
   
   # Windows (Command Prompt)
   set AI_PROVIDER=openai
   set OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
   
   # Windows (PowerShell)
   $env:AI_PROVIDER="openai"
   $env:OPENAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

   Option B: Ollama (Local)

   # 1. Install Ollama from https://ollama.ai
   
   # 2. Pull a model (codellama recommended for LaTeX)
   ollama pull codellama
   
   # 3. Start Ollama service (if not already running)
   ollama serve
   
   # 4. Configure environment
   # macOS/Linux
   export AI_PROVIDER=ollama
   export OLLAMA_MODEL=codellama
   
   # Windows (Command Prompt)
   set AI_PROVIDER=ollama
   set OLLAMA_MODEL=codellama
   
   # Windows (PowerShell)
   $env:AI_PROVIDER="ollama"
   $env:OLLAMA_MODEL="codellama"

Usage

GUI Application

Start the Electron GUI:

npm start

Features:

• Open and edit .tex files
• Compile LaTeX to PDF
• Generate LaTeX code from AI prompts
• Save your work

Keyboard Shortcuts:

• Ctrl/Cmd + S: Save file
• Ctrl/Cmd + B: Compile to PDF

CLI Commands

1. Create a Sample File

node cli/latex-cli.js init [filename]

Creates a sample LaTeX document.

Example:

node cli/latex-cli.js init my-document.tex

2. Compile LaTeX to PDF

node cli/latex-cli.js compile <file> [options]

Options:

• -o, --output <dir>: Output directory (default: ./output)
• -c, --compiler <name>: LaTeX compiler (default: pdflatex)
• --clean: Clean auxiliary files after compilation

Examples:

# Basic compilation
node cli/latex-cli.js compile document.tex

# Custom output directory
node cli/latex-cli.js compile document.tex -o ./pdf-output

# Clean auxiliary files
node cli/latex-cli.js compile document.tex --clean

3. Generate LaTeX with AI

node cli/latex-cli.js generate "<prompt>" [options]

Options:

• -o, --output <file>: Output file path (default: ./generated.tex)
• -p, --provider <name>: AI provider (openai or ollama)
• -m, --model <name>: Model name to use
• --compile: Automatically compile the generated LaTeX

Examples:

# Generate with OpenAI
node cli/latex-cli.js generate "Create a research paper with abstract and introduction" -p openai

# Generate with Ollama (local)
node cli/latex-cli.js generate "Create a resume template" -p ollama -m codellama

# Generate and compile
node cli/latex-cli.js generate "Create a math worksheet" --compile -o worksheet.tex

# Use environment variable for provider
export AI_PROVIDER=ollama
node cli/latex-cli.js generate "Create a presentation"

Project Structure

macos-windows-latex-plus-cli-app/
├── src/
│   ├── main.js          # Electron main process
│   ├── renderer.html    # GUI HTML
│   ├── renderer.js      # GUI JavaScript
│   ├── styles.css       # GUI styles
│   ├── compiler.js      # LaTeX compiler module
│   └── ai-generator.js  # AI integration module
├── cli/
│   └── latex-cli.js     # CLI application
├── config/
│   └── default.json     # Configuration file
├── output/              # Compiled PDFs (created automatically)
├── package.json         # Project dependencies
└── README.md           # This file

Configuration

Edit config/default.json to customize settings:

{
  "latex": {
    "compiler": "pdflatex",
    "outputDir": "./output",
    "options": [
      "-interaction=nonstopmode",
      "-halt-on-error"
    ]
  },
  "ai": {
    "provider": "openai",
    "enabled": true,
    "ollama": {
      "baseUrl": "http://localhost:11434",
      "model": "llama2"
    },
    "openai": {
      "model": "gpt-4"
    }
  }
}

AI Provider Configuration:

• Set provider to "openai" or "ollama"
• For Ollama: Customize baseUrl if running on a different host/port
• For Ollama: Change model to any installed model (codellama, mistral, etc.)
• For OpenAI: Adjust model for different GPT versions

Building Executables

Build platform-specific executables:

# Build for current platform
npm run build

# Build for macOS
npm run build:mac

# Build for Windows
npm run build:win

Executables will be created in the dist/ directory.

Error Handling

The application includes comprehensive error handling:

• Missing LaTeX Compiler: Provides installation instructions
• Invalid Files: Validates file extensions and existence
• Compilation Errors: Displays detailed error messages
• AI Errors: Handles API key issues and quota limits

Troubleshooting

LaTeX compiler not found

Error: LaTeX compiler 'pdflatex' not found

Solution: Install a LaTeX distribution:

• macOS: brew install --cask mactex-no-gui
• Windows: Download and install MiKTeX

AI features not working

Error: AI integration not available

Solution: Configure an AI provider:

For OpenAI:

export AI_PROVIDER=openai
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-api-key"

For Ollama (Local):

1. Install Ollama: https://ollama.ai
2. Pull a model: ollama pull codellama
3. Start Ollama: ollama serve
4. Set environment:

   export AI_PROVIDER=ollama
   export OLLAMA_MODEL=codellama

Ollama connection failed

Error: Cannot connect to Ollama at http://localhost:11434

Solution:

1. Make sure Ollama is installed and running: ollama serve
2. Check if the service is accessible: curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags
3. Verify the model is installed: ollama list
4. If using a custom port, set OLLAMA_BASE_URL environment variable

Permission errors on CLI

Error: Permission denied

Solution:

chmod +x cli/latex-cli.js

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Built with Electron
• CLI powered by Commander.js
• AI integration via OpenAI API

Support

For issues and questions, please open an issue on GitHub.