Rxiv-Maker VS Code Extension

🔗 Companion extension for Rxiv-Maker - The automated LaTeX article generation system

A VS Code extension that brings the power of Rxiv-Maker directly into your editor. Transform scientific manuscript writing with enhanced markdown features, intelligent autocompletion, and seamless integration with the rxiv-maker workflow.

This extension provides syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and project management tools for rxiv-markdown - the enhanced markdown syntax that bridges the gap between easy writing and professional LaTeX output.

About Rxiv-Maker

Rxiv-Maker is an automated LaTeX article generation system that transforms scientific writing from chaos to clarity. It converts Markdown manuscripts into publication-ready PDFs with reproducible figures, professional typesetting, and zero LaTeX hassle.

The platform bridges the gap between easy writing (Markdown) and beautiful output (LaTeX), featuring automated figure generation from Python/R scripts and Mermaid diagrams, seamless citation management, and integration with GitHub Actions for cloud-based PDF generation.

VS Code Extension Features

• 🎨 Syntax Highlighting: Custom syntax highlighting for rxiv-maker markdown files (.rxm)
• 🐍 Python Code Execution: Full syntax highlighting for embedded Python code blocks and expressions
• 📝 Blindtext Support: Intelligent support for LaTeX blindtext placeholder commands
• 💡 Citation Completion: IntelliSense for bibliography entries from 03_REFERENCES.bib
• 🔗 Cross-reference Completion: Autocompletion for @fig:, @table:, @eq:, @snote: references
• ✅ YAML Validation: Schema validation for 00_CONFIG.yml configuration files
• ⚡ Smart Commands: Insert Python blocks, blindtext, citations, and references with intelligent templates
• 🏗️ Integrated Workflow: Direct access to rxiv-maker build, validate, and clean commands
• 🔄 Smart Update Management: Auto-detects rxiv-maker installation method (Homebrew, pipx, uv, pip) and shows appropriate upgrade commands
• 📊 Status Bar Integration: Shows rxiv-maker Python package version and update availability at a glance

🎨 Syntax Highlighting Demo

Enhanced syntax highlighting demonstrates the extension's comprehensive support for scientific writing features including Python code blocks, mathematical notation, cross-references, citations, and LaTeX injection.

See example-syntax-showcase.rxm for a comprehensive demonstration of all syntax highlighting features. This file showcases:

• Text formatting: Bold, italic, subscript, superscript
• Scientific notation: Chemical formulas, mathematical expressions
• Cross-references: Figures, tables, equations, supplementary materials
• Citations: Multiple citation formats and bibliography integration
• Python code blocks: Executable code with full syntax highlighting
• LaTeX injection: Direct LaTeX commands and mathematical notation
• Advanced features: Blindtext, comments, document control commands

Perfect for taking screenshots and demonstrating the extension's capabilities!

Key Benefits for VS Code Users

• Enhanced Productivity: Write manuscripts with intelligent autocompletion and syntax highlighting
• Error Prevention: Real-time validation catches configuration errors and missing references
• Seamless Integration: Access all rxiv-maker features directly from VS Code
• Professional Writing: Focus on content while the extension handles formatting and references
• Team Collaboration: Consistent experience across team members using VS Code

Supported Rxiv-Markdown Syntax

📋 Complete Rxiv-Markdown Feature List

Markdown Element	LaTeX Equivalent	Description
Basic Text Formatting
**bold text**	\textbf{bold text}	Bold formatting for emphasis
*italic text*	\textit{italic text}	Italic formatting for emphasis
~subscript~	\textsubscript{subscript}	Subscript formatting (H2O, CO2)
^superscript^	\textsuperscript{superscript}	Superscript formatting (E=mc^2^, x^n^)
Document Structure
# Header 1	\section{Header 1}	Top-level section heading
## Header 2	\subsection{Header 2}	Second-level section heading
### Header 3	\subsubsection{Header 3}	Third-level section heading
Lists
- list item	\begin{itemize}\item...\end{itemize}	Unordered list
1. list item	\begin{enumerate}\item...\end{enumerate}	Ordered list
Links and URLs
[link text](url)	\href{url}{link text}	Hyperlink with custom text
https://example.com	\url{https://example.com}	Bare URL
Citations
@citation	\cite{citation}	Single citation reference
[@cite1;@cite2]	\cite{cite1,cite2}	Multiple citation references
Cross-References
@fig:label	\ref{fig:label}	Figure cross-reference
@sfig:label	\ref{sfig:label}	Supplementary figure cross-reference
@table:label	\ref{table:label}	Table cross-reference
@stable:label	\ref{stable:label}	Supplementary table cross-reference
@eq:label	\eqref{eq:label}	Equation cross-reference
@snote:label	\ref{snote:label}	Supplement note cross-reference
Tables and Figures
Markdown table	\begin{table}...\end{table}	Table with automatic formatting
Image with caption	\begin{figure}...\end{figure}	Figure with separate caption
Document Control
<!-- comment -->	% comment	Comments (converted to LaTeX style)
<newpage>	\newpage	Manual page break control
<clearpage>	\clearpage	Page break with float clearing
Custom Commands
{{blindtext}}	\blindtext	Short placeholder text for document testing
{{Blindtext}}	\Blindtext	Paragraph placeholder text for document testing
{{py: code}}	Executed Python code	Multi-line Python code execution with output
{py: expression}	Executed expression	Inline Python expression evaluation

Installation

From Extension Marketplaces

1. VS Code Marketplace: Search for "Rxiv-Maker" or visit VS Code Marketplace
2. Open VSX Registry (for VSCodium, Code-OSS, etc.): Visit Open VSX

Manual Installation

Download the latest .vsix file from GitHub Releases and install manually

Usage

1. Open a workspace containing rxiv-maker files
2. Create or open .rxm files, 01_MAIN.md, or 02_SUPPLEMENTARY_INFO.md
3. Use Ctrl+Space for autocompletion of citations and references
4. Access commands via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)

File Recognition

The extension automatically activates when it detects:

• Files with .rxm extension
• 01_MAIN.md (main manuscript)
• 02_SUPPLEMENTARY_INFO.md (supplementary information)
• 00_CONFIG.yml (configuration file)

Advanced Features

• Figure metadata: {#fig:label width="50%" tex_position="t"}
• Math expressions: $inline$, $$block$$, $$equation$$ {#eq:label}
• Scientific notation: ~subscript~, ^superscript^
• Document control: <newpage>, <clearpage>

Available Commands

Access these commands through the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

Content Insertion

• Rxiv-Maker: Insert Citation - Insert bibliography citation
• Rxiv-Maker: Insert Figure Reference - Insert figure reference
• Rxiv-Maker: Insert Table Reference - Insert table reference
• Rxiv-Maker: Insert Equation Reference - Insert equation reference
• Rxiv-Maker: Insert blindtext placeholder - Insert short placeholder text
• Rxiv-Maker: Insert blindtext paragraph - Insert paragraph placeholder text
• Rxiv-Maker: Insert Python code block - Insert {{py: code}} template with syntax highlighting
• Rxiv-Maker: Insert inline Python expression - Insert {py: expression} template

Project Management

• Rxiv-Maker: Add Bibliography Entry by DOI - Add new bibliography entry
• Rxiv-Maker: Validate - Check project structure and files
• Rxiv-Maker: Build PDF - Generate PDF from manuscript
• Rxiv-Maker: Clean - Clean build artifacts
• Rxiv-Maker: Install rxiv-maker framework - Automated installation with dependency checking
• Rxiv-Maker: Upgrade rxiv-maker - Upgrade rxiv-maker Python package to latest version (auto-detects install method)
• Rxiv-Maker: Show rxiv-maker Status - Display rxiv-maker version and installation details

Project Structure

This extension works with the standard rxiv-maker project structure:

your-manuscript/
├── 00_CONFIG.yml           # Project configuration (validated)
├── 01_MAIN.md             # Main manuscript (syntax highlighted)
├── 02_SUPPLEMENTARY_INFO.md # Supplementary information (optional)
├── 03_REFERENCES.bib      # Bibliography (autocompletion source)
├── FIGURES/               # Figure generation scripts
│   ├── fig_01.py         # Python figure script
│   ├── fig_02.R          # R figure script
│   └── fig_03.mmd        # Mermaid diagram
└── output/                # Generated PDFs and artifacts

Requirements

• VS Code: Version 1.101.0 or higher
• Rxiv-Maker: Install the main rxiv-maker system for full functionality
• Project Files: Standard rxiv-maker project structure

For full manuscript generation capabilities, see the Rxiv-Maker documentation.

Configuration

The extension can be configured through VS Code settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+,):

• rxiv-maker.showStatusBarButton (boolean, default: true): Show PDF build button in status bar
• rxiv-maker.checkForUpdates (boolean, default: true): Check for rxiv-maker Python package updates automatically
• rxiv-maker.updateCheckInterval (number, default: 24): Hours between update checks

The extension automatically detects how rxiv-maker is installed (Homebrew, pipx, uv, pip, etc.) and shows the appropriate upgrade command when updates are available.

Getting Started with Rxiv-Maker

🌐 Documentation Hub

📖 Website Documentation - Start here for complete tutorials and guides

Quick Setup Options

Setup Type	Best For	Requirements	Time
Website Tutorial	New users	Basic setup	5-10 min
Google Colab	No installation	Google account	2 min
GitHub Actions	Team collaboration	GitHub account	5 min
Docker Setup	Containerized	Docker installed	5 min

🚀 Essential Links

• First Manuscript Tutorial - 5-minute walkthrough
• User Guide - Complete documentation
• VS Code Features - This extension

How to Cite

If you use Rxiv-Maker or this VS Code extension in your research, please cite our work:

BibTeX:

@misc{saraiva2025rxivmakerautomatedtemplateengine,
      title={Rxiv-Maker: An Automated Template Engine for Streamlined Scientific Publications}, 
      author={Bruno M. Saraiva and António D. Brito and Guillaume Jaquemet and Ricardo Henriques},
      year={2025},
      eprint={2508.00836},
      archivePrefix={arXiv},
      primaryClass={cs.DL},
      url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.00836}, 
}

APA Style: Saraiva, B. M., Jacquemet, G., & Henriques, R. (2025). Rxiv-Maker: an automated template engine for streamlined scientific publications. Arxiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.00836

Related Projects

• Rxiv-Maker - Main automated LaTeX article generation system
• Rxiv-Maker Documentation - Complete usage guide
• GitHub Actions Guide - Cloud-based PDF generation

Contributing

We welcome contributions to both the extension and the main rxiv-maker project!

• Extension Issues: Report here
• Main Project: Contributing Guide

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details. Use it, modify it, share it freely.

---

© 2025 Jacquemet and Henriques Labs | Rxiv-Maker
"Because science is hard enough without fighting with LaTeX."