Write Latex documentation with interactive code using Docker and VSCode

A Docker container for Latex in VSCode. The base image is Latex Dev Container.

Installation

1. Clone the repo.
2. Launch VSCode.
3. Open a new remote connection, and choose open folder in container.
4. Choose the cloned folder.

This will build and run the container, starting a remore VSCode session inside the container. The whole project's folder is mounted as a volume (see ./.devcontainer/docker-compose) to persist every edit.

For more info about using VSCode in Docker containers see this link.

Usage

Once the session is started, create a folder with a .tex file inside, and start typing. Every .tex document is compiled authomatically every time it is saved.

For a brief intro to Latex see this link.

Useful packages

As per December 2022, Latex Dev Container installs the full version of Tex Live 2021 containing almost every package you would need. To add additional packages, just add them in ./devcontainer/Dockerfile below RUN tlmgr install and run rebuild container.

Here is a list of additional packages already present in the Dockerfile.

• pythontex: to excecute python code in Latex for an interactive documentation. As one would expect, pythontex has python as requirement: here python3.9 is installed.

  Pythontex usage example

  \newcommand{\pymultiply}[2]{\py{#1*#2}}
  
  \begin{pycode}
      print("Python says ``Hello!''")
  \end{pycode}
  
  $8 \times 256 = \pymultiply{8}{256}$
  

• minted: for fancy and customizable code visualization.

  Minted usage example

  \begin{minted}[mathescape,
      linenos,
      numbersep=5pt,
      gobble=2,
      frame=lines,
      framesep=2mm]{csharp}
  string title = "This is a Unicode $\pi$ in the sky"
  /*
  Defined as $\pi=\lim_{n\to\infty}\frac{P_n}{d}$ where $P$ is the perimeter
  of an $n$-sided regular polygon circumscribing a
  circle of diameter $d$.
  */
  const double pi = 3.1415926535
  \end{minted}
  

Requirements

1. VSCode
   • Extension remote-containers
2. Docker e Docker-compose