92 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
92 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
# LaTeX2Image
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A Node.js web application that allows LaTeX math equations to be entered and converted to PNG/JPG/SVG images.
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For each conversion, an isolated Docker container with a LaTeX installation is started; it compiles the generated `.tex` file and converts it to an SVG vector image. If required, the SVG file is then converted to a raster image format for PNG/JPG using [sharp](https://sharp.pixelplumbing.com/).
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Bootstrap and jQuery are used in the web interface, with AJAX calls made to the conversion API endpoint.
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## Live Demo
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The application is accessible at [https://latex2image.joeraut.com](https://latex2image.joeraut.com)
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## Requirements
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### Operating system
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I made use of Ubuntu 18.04. Other Linux distributions should work without problems.
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### Docker
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[Docker CE](https://docs.docker.com/install/linux/docker-ce/ubuntu/) with [non-root user support](https://docs.docker.com/install/linux/linux-postinstall/#manage-docker-as-a-non-root-user).
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### [latex-docker](https://github.com/blang/latex-docker)
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Docker image containing the required LaTeX packages preinstalled.
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Pull the image:
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```
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docker pull blang/latex:ubuntu
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```
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### Node.js
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I made use of v10.14.2, anything newer should be fine.
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After cloning or downloading this project, run the following to install local dependencies from npm:
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```
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cd latex2image-web/
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npm install
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```
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## Usage
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To run:
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```
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node app.js
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```
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The web interface will be accessible at `http://localhost:3001` by default. The port and HTTP URL can be modified inside `app.js`.
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Enter a LaTeX equation, for example `\frac{a}{b}`, and press Convert. The result will be displayed below the button.
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## Security
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LaTeX is powerful, with the reading and writing of external files and execution of terminal commands possible. It was decided that a new isolated Docker container be launched for every conversion.
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The container is only able to access the local `temp/<id>/` directory and has no network access.
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Additionally, the compilation process will be killed after 5 seconds if not complete; this is to safeguard against infinite loops and other troublesome LaTeX quirks.
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## Internals
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### Commands used:
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* `latex` - Converts `.tex` source file to `.dvi` intermediate
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* `dvisvgm` - Converts `.dvi` file to `.svg` vector image
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We use [sharp](https://www.npmjs.com/package/sharp) to convert the SVG file to PNG and JPG images where required.
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## Notes
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* The directories `temp/` and `output/` will be generated automatically inside the `latex2image-web/` directory upon first launch.
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* `temp/` stores temporary `.tex`, `.dvi`, and `.svg` files during compilation in an inner `temp/<id>/` directory, which is deleted upon completion of the conversion.
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* Final output images are stored in `output/`, and are never deleted.
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## Authors
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* Joseph Rautenbach - [joeraut](https://github.com/joeraut)
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## Issues
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For any issues or bugs, please submit an issue or pull request.
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## License
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This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
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