LaTeX with VS Code Setup Guide

This guide will help you set up and use LaTeX with Visual Studio Code for document creation, particularly for documents with Thai language support.

Prerequisites

1. Install MacTeX (LaTeX Distribution)

MacTeX is the standard LaTeX distribution for macOS that includes all necessary LaTeX packages and compilers.

# Download and install MacTeX from:
# https://www.tug.org/mactex/

# Or install via Homebrew (recommended)
brew install --cask mactex-no-gui

Note: MacTeX is a large download (~4GB). The mactex-no-gui version excludes GUI applications to save space.

2. Install Visual Studio Code

Download and install VS Code from https://code.visualstudio.com/

3. Install LaTeX Workshop Extension

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "LaTeX Workshop"
4. Install the extension by James Yu

Project Structure

This project uses the following structure:

thesis-proposal/
├── main.tex              # Main LaTeX document
├── main.pdf              # Generated PDF output
├── font/                 # Custom fonts directory
│   └── Sarabun/         # Thai font family
│       ├── Sarabun-Regular.ttf
│       ├── Sarabun-Medium.ttf
│       ├── Sarabun-Italic.ttf
│       └── ...
├── images/              # Images and figures
│   ├── platform_1.png
│   └── platform_2.png
└── README.md           # This guide

Building the Document

Method 1: VS Code Tasks (Recommended)

This project includes a pre-configured VS Code task for building with XeLaTeX:

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Type "Tasks: Run Task"
3. Select "Build LaTeX with XeLaTeX"

Method 2: LaTeX Workshop Extension

The LaTeX Workshop extension provides automatic building:

1. Save your .tex file (Cmd+S)
2. The extension will automatically compile the document
3. View the PDF in the integrated viewer

Method 3: Terminal Commands

You can also build manually using terminal commands:

# Build with XeLaTeX (required for Thai fonts)
xelatex -interaction=nonstopmode main.tex

# For documents with bibliography
xelatex main.tex
bibtex main
xelatex main.tex
xelatex main.tex

Key Features of This Setup

XeLaTeX Compiler

This project uses XeLaTeX instead of standard LaTeX because:

• Unicode Support: Better handling of Thai characters
• Font Flexibility: Can use system fonts and custom fonts
• Advanced Typography: Better text rendering for non-Latin scripts

Thai Language Support

The document includes:

• Custom Sarabun font family for Thai text
• Proper font configuration for Thai typography
• Unicode support for Thai characters

VS Code Configuration

The project includes optimized settings for:

• Automatic compilation with XeLaTeX
• Custom build tasks
• Thai language support

LaTeX Workshop Extension Features

1. Automatic Compilation

• Files are compiled automatically when saved
• Progress shown in the status bar
• Error messages displayed in the Problems panel

2. PDF Preview

• Integrated PDF viewer
• Sync between source and PDF (SyncTeX)
• Side-by-side editing and preview

3. Useful Shortcuts

• Cmd+S: Save and compile
• Cmd+Option+V: View PDF
• Cmd+Option+J: Navigate to PDF location
• Cmd+Option+C: Clean auxiliary files

4. Snippets and IntelliSense

• LaTeX command completion
• Environment snippets
• Symbol insertion
• Citation management

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Thai Fonts Not Displaying

Problem: Thai characters appear as boxes or missing characters

Solution:

• Ensure XeLaTeX is used (not pdfLaTeX)
• Verify font files are in the correct location
• Check font path in the LaTeX document

2. Compilation Errors

Problem: Document fails to compile

Solution:

• Check the Problems panel in VS Code
• Review the LaTeX log file
• Ensure all required packages are installed

3. PDF Not Updating

Problem: PDF doesn't reflect recent changes

Solution:

• Save the file (Cmd+S) to trigger compilation
• Check if there are compilation errors
• Try cleaning auxiliary files and rebuilding

Cleaning Auxiliary Files

LaTeX generates several auxiliary files during compilation. To clean them:

# Remove auxiliary files
rm *.aux *.log *.out *.synctex.gz *.toc *.lof *.lot *.bbl *.blg

Or use the LaTeX Workshop command:

1. Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P)
2. "LaTeX Workshop: Clean up auxiliary files"

Useful Extensions

Consider installing these additional extensions:

1. LaTeX Utilities - Additional LaTeX tools
2. Code Spell Checker - Spell checking for documents
3. Better Comments - Enhanced comment highlighting
4. Bracket Pair Colorizer - Better bracket matching

Tips for Effective LaTeX Writing

1. File Organization

• Keep images in a separate images/ folder
• Use meaningful file names
• Comment your code extensively

2. Version Control

• Use Git for version control
• Commit frequently with meaningful messages
• Consider using .gitignore for auxiliary files

3. Writing Process

• Write content first, format later
• Use labels and references for cross-references
• Preview frequently to catch errors early

Additional Resources

• LaTeX Workshop Documentation
• MacTeX Documentation
• XeLaTeX Guide
• Thai LaTeX Guide

Example Git Ignore

Create a .gitignore file to exclude auxiliary files:

# LaTeX auxiliary files
*.aux
*.bbl
*.bcf
*.blg
*.fdb_latexmk
*.fls
*.log
*.out
*.run.xml
*.synctex.gz
*.toc
*.lof
*.lot
*.acn
*.acr
*.alg
*.glg
*.glo
*.gls
*.ist
*.lol
*.nav
*.snm
*.vrb

# OS generated files
.DS_Store
.DS_Store?
._*
.Spotlight-V100
.Trashes
ehthumbs.db
Thumbs.db

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Happy LaTeX writing! 🎓📝