LaTeX integration#

FrameSeq can compile a LaTeX table or other local body fragment into a normal presentation object. FrameSeq still owns slide structure, layout, themes, navigation, and export; Tectonic owns the fragment's LaTeX typesetting.

Install the compiler#

LaTeX support is optional:

npm install --save-dev node-tectonic

The package supplies a Tectonic binary for supported desktop and CI platforms. Tectonic downloads required LaTeX files on first use and keeps them in its operating-system cache. Later builds reuse both that package cache and FrameSeq's content-addressed fragment cache.

Because it uses a native build-time compiler, this integration is intended for local development and CI rather than browser-only environments such as the online StackBlitz playground.

Write an inline table#

Use a static tagged template so JavaScript preserves every backslash:

slide("Experimental results");

latex`
  \begin{tabular}{lrr}
    \toprule
    Model & Accuracy & Latency \\
    \midrule
    Baseline & 91.2\% & 18 ms \\
    FrameSeq & \textbf{94.6\%} & 12 ms \\
    \bottomrule
  \end{tabular}
`
  .width(820)
  .position({ x: 180, y: 210 });

The result accepts the same modifiers as other content objects, including .width(), .position(), .color(), .style(), and .showAt(). Its height follows the compiled fragment's aspect ratio.

Use a separate file#

Put only the document-body fragment in the file:

% tables/results.tex
\begin{tabular}{lrr}
  \toprule
  Model & Accuracy & Latency \\
  \midrule
  Baseline & 91.2\% & 18 ms \\
  FrameSeq & \textbf{94.6\%} & 12 ms \\
  \bottomrule
\end{tabular}

Then attach it to the current slide:

latexFile("./tables/results.tex")
  .width(percent(80));

Paths are resolved relative to the .slides.ts entry file, must remain inside its directory, and are watched by Vite.

Available preamble#

FrameSeq wraps every fragment in a tightly fitted standalone document and loads these common packages:

• amsmath and amssymb
• booktabs
• array, tabularx, and multirow
• xcolor and graphicx

The public API accepts fragments rather than complete documents. Do not include \documentclass, \begin{document}, or \end{document}. Static templates also cannot contain JavaScript interpolation.

Use FrameSeq's KaTeX-backed text and math commands for ordinary formulas. The LaTeX integration is most useful when existing tabular source or package-based table layout is the object you want to preserve.

Build and export behavior#

static LaTeX fragment
        ↓ Tectonic during the Vite transform
positioned HTML glyphs and rules
        ↓ FrameSeq embeds fonts and wraps the result
one scalable slide object

The browser receives no compiler and makes no package requests. HTML and PDF use the embedded result directly. Editable PPTX export preserves the fragment as a high-resolution image, while flattened PPTX captures it with the rest of the slide.

Current restrictions#

• latex and latexFile() require static source.
• The input is a body fragment, not a complete LaTeX document.
• The build machine needs a platform supported by node-tectonic and network access the first time Tectonic fetches a required package.
• LaTeX objects preserve their own TeX font metrics; FrameSeq theme font settings do not replace those fonts.
• PowerPoint treats the compiled fragment as one rendered object rather than editable table cells.