escape-latex

library1.2.0jsnpmunverified

escape-latex is a JavaScript utility for sanitizing strings by escaping LaTeX special characters, making them safe for inclusion in LaTeX documents. The current stable version is 1.2.0. As a focused utility, it typically has an infrequent release cadence, with updates primarily for bug fixes or minor enhancements. Its key differentiators include the ability to selectively escape characters that would simply malform LaTeX (`# $ % & \ ^ _ { }`) versus those that affect formatting (spaces, en-dashes, em-dashes) via the `preserveFormatting` option. Furthermore, it provides an `escapeMapFn` callback, allowing developers to fully customize or extend the character-to-escape mapping based on specific LaTeX requirements, offering flexibility beyond standard escaping mechanisms. It is designed for use in Node.js environments.

serialization

npm install escape-latex

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ESCAPE-LATEX

escape-latex

serializationjavascriptv1.2.0

Install

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Import

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Disk

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Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

lescape

✓ import lescape from 'escape-latex';

✗ import { lescape } from 'escape-latex';

The library exports a default function, not a named export. ESM environments should use a default import.

lescape

✓ const lescape = require('escape-latex');

✗ const { lescape } = require('escape-latex');

In CommonJS, the module's default export is directly assigned to the variable.

options

✓ lescape(input, { preserveFormatting: true });

✗ lescape(input, true);

Configuration is passed as an options object, not direct boolean arguments, especially for `preserveFormatting`.

Demonstrates basic, formatting-preserving, and custom character escaping using `escape-latex` in an ESM context.

import lescape from 'escape-latex'; // Basic escaping: only characters that would malform LaTeX are escaped. // Note: multiple spaces might be collapsed by LaTeX. const basicEscaped = lescape("Hello #World! This is $money & more."); console.log('Basic Escaped:', basicEscaped); // Preserving formatting: also escapes spaces, tabs, en-dashes, em-dashes. // LaTeX will render multiple spaces as multiple non-breaking spaces. const formattedEscaped = lescape("Hello World -- with dashes --- and tabs\t!", { preserveFormatting: true }); console.log('Formatted Escaped:', formattedEscaped); // Custom escaping: use escapeMapFn to define specific character mappings. const customEscaped = lescape("Custom! @ symbol.", { escapeMapFn: (defaultEscapes, formattingEscapes) => { // Add an escape for '@' symbol defaultEscapes['@'] = '\\at{}'; return Object.assign({}, defaultEscapes, formattingEscapes); } }); console.log('Custom Escaped:', customEscaped); /* Example Output: Basic Escaped: Hello \#World! This is \$money \& more. Formatted Escaped: Hello~~~World~--~with~dashes~---~and~tabs\\t! Custom Escaped: Custom! \at{} symbol. */

Debug

Known issues

breakingEn-dash and em-dash characters are no longer escaped by default, changing previous behavior.

fix

To re-enable en-dash and em-dash escaping, set the `preserveFormatting` option to `true` when calling `escape-latex`.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaBy default, the library only escapes characters that would malform LaTeX syntax. It does not preserve whitespace or other formatting characters (like dashes or tabs) that LaTeX might normalize or interpret differently.

fix

If the final LaTeX output needs to closely resemble the input string's formatting, including multiple spaces, tabs, and specific dash representations, set the `preserveFormatting` option to `true`.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaThe `escapeMapFn` allows for custom escape logic, but incorrect modifications can lead to malformed LaTeX or unintended output.

fix

When using `escapeMapFn`, always ensure that the custom mappings produce valid LaTeX syntax. It's recommended to combine your custom escapes with `defaultEscapes` and `formattingEscapes` using `Object.assign({}, defaultEscapes, formattingEscapes)` to avoid losing default escaping behavior.

affects: *

Errors

Common errors & fixes

LaTeX Error: Missing $ inserted

Input string contains unescaped math mode delimiters like '$' or '^' outside of a math environment.

fix

The default `escape-latex` function will escape these. Ensure you are passing the string through `lescape()` before including it in your LaTeX document.

My output string 'Hello World' is rendered as 'Hello World' in LaTeX, I expected three spaces.

By default, `escape-latex` does not escape whitespace characters, and LaTeX itself collapses multiple spaces into a single space.

fix

To preserve multiple spaces, tabs, and other formatting characters, call `lescape("Hello   World", { preserveFormatting: true });`. This will convert spaces into non-breaking space commands (`~`).

Specific character (e.g., '€', '£') is not being escaped or is causing issues in LaTeX.

The default escape map does not include all possible special characters from various encodings, or you have a custom character you wish to treat specially.

fix

Use the `escapeMapFn` option to extend or modify the character escape mapping. For example, `escapeMapFn: (d, f) => { d['€'] = '\euro{}'; return Object.assign({}, d, f); }`.

Upgrade

Version history

1.2.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

2 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/dangmai/escape-latex ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/escape-latex ↗