README

A Laravel package that provides seamless integration between Laravel Blade templates and LaTeX, enabling you to create dynamic PDF documents using familiar Blade syntax while maintaining valid LaTeX structure.

Features

🔥 Blade + LaTeX Integration: Use Laravel Blade directives within LaTeX templates
📄 Valid LaTeX Structure: Templates remain compilable with standard LaTeX compilers
🎯 Multiple Output Formats: Generate PDFs, download source files, or return content as strings
🚀 Easy to Use: Simple API with powerful customization options
⚡ Pipeline-Based Processing: Clean, extensible compilation using Laravel Pipeline
🔌 Extensible: Add custom processors and restorers for specialized LaTeX needs
🧪 Well Tested: Comprehensive test suite ensuring reliability

Support us

If this package helps you in your projects, consider supporting the development by buying me a coffee on Saweria.

Your support helps maintain and improve this package for the Laravel community. ☕️

Installation

You can install the package via composer:

composer require agungsugiarto/latex-for-laravel

The package will automatically register its service provider.

Requirements

PHP 8.1 or higher
Laravel 10.0 or higher
pdflatex installed on your system (for PDF compilation)

Quick Start

Create a LaTeX template file resources/views/invoice.blade.tex:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}
\begin{document}

\title{\blade{{ $title }}}
\author{\blade{{ $author }}}
\maketitle

\blade{@foreach($items as $item)}
\section{\blade{{ $item['name'] }}}
\blade{{ $item['description'] }}
\blade{@endforeach}

\end{document}

Use it in your controller:

// Generate and download PDF
return view('invoice', [
    'title' => 'Monthly Invoice',
    'author' => 'John Doe',
    'items' => [
        ['name' => 'Service 1', 'description' => 'Description here'],
        ['name' => 'Service 2', 'description' => 'Another description'],
    ]
])->compile('invoice.pdf', 'download');

LaTeX Template Structure

All .blade.tex files must follow this structure to ensure they are valid LaTeX documents that can be compiled directly while still supporting Laravel Blade directives.

Required Structure

1. Include the `\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}` definition

Every LaTeX template must include this command in the preamble:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}
\begin{document}
% Your content here
\end{document}

2. Wrap all Blade directives in `\blade{}`

All PHP/Blade code must be wrapped in \blade{} commands. There are three forms of blade directives:

Escaped Output: `\blade{{ expression }}`

For safe output of variables that should be escaped to prevent LaTeX compilation issues:

% Variable output
\title{\blade{{ $title }}}
\author{\blade{{ $author->name }}}

% Method calls and complex expressions  
\section{\blade{{ $document->getFormattedTitle() }}}
\date{\blade{{ now()->format('Y-m-d') }}}

Unescaped Output: `\blade{!! expression !!}`

For raw LaTeX content that should be rendered without escaping:

% Raw LaTeX commands
\blade{!! $latexCommands !!}

% Pre-formatted LaTeX content
\blade{!! '\textbf{Bold} and \textit{italic} text' !!}

% Complex LaTeX structures
\blade{!! $generatedTableContent !!}

Literal Content: `\blade{content}`

For Blade directives, PHP code, and other content that should pass through directly:

% Control structures
\blade{@if($condition)}
\section{Conditional Section}
\blade{@endif}

\blade{@foreach($items as $item)}
\item \blade{{ $item['name'] }}: \blade{{ $item['description'] }}
\blade{@endforeach}

% PHP code blocks
\blade{@php
    $processedData = processData($rawData);
    $formattedOutput = formatForLaTeX($processedData);
@endphp}

% Blade components and includes
\blade{@include('partials.latex-header')}
\blade{@yield('content')}

Complete Example

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}

\begin{document}

\title{\blade{{ $title }}}
\author{\blade{{ $author }}}
\date{\blade{{ $date }}}
\maketitle

\tableofcontents

\blade{@foreach($sections as $section)}
\section{\blade{{ $section['title'] }}}
\blade{{ $section['content'] }}

\blade{@if(isset($section['subsections']))}
\blade{@foreach($section['subsections'] as $subsection)}
\subsection{\blade{{ $subsection['title'] }}}
\blade{!! $subsection['content'] !!}
\blade{@endforeach}
\blade{@endif}

\blade{@endforeach}

\blade{@if($includeReferences)}
\bibliography{\blade{{ $bibliographyFile }}}
\blade{@endif}

\end{document}

Benefits of This Structure

Valid LaTeX: The file can be compiled directly with pdflatex without processing Blade directives
Blade Processing: Laravel can process all \blade{} commands to generate dynamic content
IDE Support: LaTeX editors will recognize the file as valid LaTeX and provide syntax highlighting
Version Control: The files are readable and diffable in version control systems

Pipeline Processing Architecture

The package uses a modern pipeline-based approach for processing LaTeX templates, providing clean separation of concerns and extensibility for custom use cases.

How It Works

The compilation process follows these steps:

Blade Directive Processing: Using Laravel Pipeline, the compiler processes different types of \blade{} directives:
- \blade{!! raw content !!} → Direct unescaped output
- \blade{{ expression }} → Escaped output (converted to markers, then restored as PHP echo statements)
- \blade{literal content} → Direct literal content (for Blade directives, PHP code, etc.)
Blade Compilation: Standard Laravel Blade compilation processes the resulting template
Marker Restoration: Another pipeline restores any temporary markers to proper PHP code

Built-in Processors

Raw Content Processor

Handles unescaped LaTeX content:

\blade{!! $latexCommands !!}      % → {!! $latexCommands !!}
\blade{!! '\textbf{Bold Text}' !!} % → {!! '\textbf{Bold Text}' !!}

Echo Expression Processor

Handles escaped variable output:

\blade{{ $documentTitle }}         % → <?php echo e($documentTitle); ?>
\blade{{ $author->name }}          % → <?php echo e($author->name); ?>
\blade{{ config('latex.class') }}  % → <?php echo e(config('latex.class')); ?>

Literal Content Processor

Handles Blade directives and PHP code:

\blade{@if($condition)}            % → @if($condition)
\blade{@foreach($items as $item)}  % → @foreach($items as $item)
\blade{<?php echo $var; ?>}        % → <?php echo $var; ?>
\blade{@yield('content')}          % → @yield('content')

Extending the Pipeline

You can add custom processors and restorers to handle specialized LaTeX needs:

Adding Custom Processors

// Get the compiler instance using the service container binding
$compiler = app('latex.compiler');

// Add a custom processor for mathematical expressions
$compiler->addProcessor(function($content, $next) {
    // Process custom \math{} directives
    $content = preg_replace(
        '/\\\\math\s*{(.*?)}/s', 
        '\\begin{equation}$1\\end{equation}', 
        $content
    );
    
    return $next($content);
});

// Add a processor for custom bibliography handling
$compiler->addProcessor(function($content, $next) {
    // Process \bibref{} to \cite{}
    $content = str_replace('\bibref{', '\cite{', $content);
    
    return $next($content);
});

Adding Custom Restorers

// Get the compiler instance using the service container binding
$compiler = app('latex.compiler');

// Add a custom restorer for special markers
$compiler->addRestorer(function($content, $next) {
    // Restore custom markers to PHP code
    $content = preg_replace(
        '/###CUSTOM_MATH_START###(.*?)###CUSTOM_MATH_END###/',
        '<?php echo $mathHelper->render("$1"); ?>',
        $content
    );
    
    return $next($content);
});

Complete Custom Extension Example

<?php

use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;

class LaTeXMathExtensionServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
    public function boot()
    {
        $this->registerMathExtension();
    }
    
    private function registerMathExtension()
    {
        // Get the compiler instance using the service container binding
        $compiler = $this->app->make('latex.compiler');
        
        // Process \blademath{} directives
        $compiler->addProcessor(function($content, $next) {
            // Convert \blademath{expression} to markers
            $content = preg_replace(
                '/\\\\blademath\s*{(.*?)}/s',
                '###MATH_START###$1###MATH_END###',
                $content
            );
            
            return $next($content);
        });
        
        // Restore math markers to specialized PHP
        $compiler->addRestorer(function($content, $next) {
            $content = preg_replace(
                '/###MATH_START###(.*?)###MATH_END###/',
                '<?php echo $this->renderMath("$1"); ?>',
                $content
            );
            
            return $next($content);
        });
    }
}

'providers' => [
    // Other providers...
    App\Providers\LaTeXMathExtensionServiceProvider::class,
],

Usage in Templates

After registering the extension:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}
\newcommand{\blademath}[1]{}

\begin{document}

\title{\blade{{ $title }}}

% Using the custom math processor
\blademath{x^2 + y^2 = z^2}

% Standard blade directives still work
\blade{@foreach($equations as $eq)}
\blade{{ $eq->description }}
\blademath{\blade{{ $eq->formula }}}
\blade{@endforeach}

\end{document}

API Reference

Compilation Methods

The compile() method supports various output destinations:

// Display PDF inline in browser
return view('template', $data)->compile('document.pdf', 'inline');

// Force download PDF
return view('template', $data)->compile('document.pdf', 'download');

// Save PDF to storage
view('template', $data)->compile('document.pdf', 'storage');

// Save PDF to storage and display inline
return view('template', $data)->compile('document.pdf', 'storage-inline');

// Save PDF to storage and download
return view('template', $data)->compile('document.pdf', 'storage-download');

// Return PDF content as string
$pdfContent = view('template', $data)->compile('document.pdf', 'string');

// Download LaTeX source file
return view('template', $data)->compile('document.tex', 'tex');

// Return LaTeX source as string
$latexSource = view('template', $data)->compile('document.tex', 'tex-string');

// Save LaTeX source to storage
view('template', $data)->compile('document.tex', 'storage-tex');

// Custom handler with closure
return view('template', $data)->compile('document.pdf', function($view, $pdfContent, $fileName, $texFile) {
    // Custom processing logic
    return response()->json(['success' => true, 'size' => strlen($pdfContent)]);
});

Advanced Usage

Using with Blade Components

Create reusable LaTeX components:

% resources/views/components/latex-section.blade.tex
\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}
\section{\blade{{ $title }}}
\blade{{ $content }}

\blade{@if($includeSubsections)}
\blade{@foreach($subsections as $subsection)}
\subsection{\blade{{ $subsection }}}
\blade{@endforeach}
\blade{@endif}

Use in your main template:

\documentclass{article}
\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}
\begin{document}

\blade{@component('components.latex-section', ['title' => 'Introduction', 'content' => $intro])}
\blade{@endcomponent}

\end{document}

Working with Complex LaTeX Structures

For advanced LaTeX documents with multiple processors:

// In your controller or service

class DocumentService
{
    public function setupAdvancedCompiler()
    {
        // Get the compiler instance using the service container binding
        $compiler = app('latex.compiler');
        
        // Add mathematical notation processor
        $compiler->addProcessor(function($content, $next) {
            // Convert \bladeformula{} to proper math environments
            $content = preg_replace_callback(
                '/\\\\bladeformula\s*{(.*?)}/s',
                function($matches) {
                    return "\\begin{align}\n" . trim($matches[1]) . "\n\\end{align}";
                },
                $content
            );
            
            return $next($content);
        });
        
        // Add figure handling processor
        $compiler->addProcessor(function($content, $next) {
            // Process dynamic figure inclusion
            $content = preg_replace(
                '/\\\\bladefigure\s*{([^}]+)}\s*{([^}]+)}\s*{([^}]+)}/',
                '###FIG_START###$1|$2|$3###FIG_END###',
                $content
            );
            
            return $next($content);
        });
        
        // Restore figure markers
        $compiler->addRestorer(function($content, $next) {
            $content = preg_replace_callback(
                '/###FIG_START###([^|]+)\|([^|]+)\|([^#]+)###FIG_END###/',
                function($matches) {
                    return '<?php echo $this->renderFigure("' . 
                           trim($matches[1]) . '", "' . 
                           trim($matches[2]) . '", "' . 
                           trim($matches[3]) . '"); ?>';
                },
                $content
            );
            
            return $next($content);
        });
        
        return $compiler;
    }
}

Example Template for Advanced Processors

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\newcommand{\blade}[1]{}
\newcommand{\bladeformula}[1]{}
\newcommand{\bladefigure}[3]{}

\begin{document}

\title{\blade{{ $title }}}

% Using mathematical notation processor
\bladeformula{E = mc^2}

% Using figure processor (path, caption, label)
\bladefigure{images/chart.png}{Sales Chart}{fig:sales}

% Standard blade directives still work
\blade{@foreach($formulas as $formula)}
\bladeformula{\blade{{ $formula->latex }}}
\blade{@endforeach}

\end{document}

Error Handling

try {
    return view('report', $data)->compile('report.pdf', 'download');
} catch (\Illuminate\Process\Exceptions\ProcessFailedException $e) {
    // Handle LaTeX compilation errors
    return response()->json(['error' => 'LaTeX compilation failed'], 500);
}

Testing

composer test

Changelog

Please see CHANGELOG for more information on what has changed recently.

Contributing

Please see CONTRIBUTING for details.

Security Vulnerabilities

Please review our security policy on how to report security vulnerabilities.

Credits

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.

agungsugiarto / latex-for-laravel

Maintainers

Details