latexindent.pl is a highly configurable command-line formatter for LaTeX source. It can tidy indentation, align content, reshape line breaks, and perform controlled substitutions, with detailed YAML settings for adapting the result to an established document style.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Adds and adjusts indentation inside environments, commands, headings, items, and other recognised LaTeX code blocks.
- Works with
.tex,.sty, and.clssources and supports nested document structures. - Aligns delimiters such as ampersands in environments and commands, with controls for spacing, line breaks, and column layout.
- Can modify line breaks, wrap text, and arrange prose using a one-sentence-per-line style.
- Supports literal string replacements and regular-expression substitutions as a separate, configurable processing stage.
- Uses YAML configuration, allowing users to layer default, user, project, and explicitly selected local settings.
- Provides fine-grained rules for indentation, additional indentation, verbatim content, special blocks, headings, commands, and environments.
- Can write changes back to the source, send formatted text to another file, or be used in workflows that inspect output before replacement.
- Integrates with the pre-commit framework so projects can apply or verify formatting before changes are committed.
- Is distributed through TeX Live and CTAN, with Conda and Docker alternatives for reproducible installation.
- Provides standalone Linux executables for x86-64 and ARM64 users who do not want to install Perl and its module dependencies.
- Ships a large test suite and comprehensive PDF and online documentation, including a quick-start section and worked configurations.
- Encourages safe adoption by supporting separate output files, making it easy to review changes visually or compare them with
latexdiff.
Website: github.com/cmhughes/latexindent.pl
Support:
Developer: Chris Hughes
License: GNU General Public License v3.0
latexindent.pl is written in Perl. Learn Perl with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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