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Rxiv-Maker

Rxiv-Maker

HenriquesLab

|
5 installs
| (0) | Free
Toolkit for scientific manuscript authoring with rxiv-maker
Installation
Launch VS Code Quick Open (Ctrl+P), paste the following command, and press enter.
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Enhanced Markdown (rxiv-markdown) VS Code Integration IntelliSense Schema Validation Project Commands

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)
  • 💡 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
  • ⚡ Project Commands: Insert citations, figure references, and validate project structure
  • 🏗️ Integrated Workflow: Direct access to rxiv-maker build, validate, and clean commands

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 (H~2~O, CO~2~)
^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](https://github.com/HenriquesLab/vscode-rxiv-maker/blob/HEAD/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

Installation

  1. Install from VS Code Marketplace: Search for "Rxiv-Maker"
  2. Or install from VSIX: Download the latest release 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):

  • Rxiv-Maker: Insert Citation - Insert bibliography citation
  • Rxiv-Maker: Insert Figure Reference - Insert figure reference
  • 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

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.

Getting Started with Rxiv-Maker

New to Rxiv-Maker? Choose your preferred setup:

Setup Type Best For Requirements Time
Google Colab Beginners Google account 2 min
GitHub Actions Team collaboration GitHub account 5 min
Local Install Full control Python 3.11+, LaTeX 10-30 min

How to Cite

Rxiv-Maker Preprint

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

BibTeX:

@article{saraiva_2025_rxivmaker,
  author       = {Saraiva, Bruno M. and Jacquemet, Guillaume and Henriques, Ricardo},
  title        = {Rxiv-Maker: an automated template engine for streamlined scientific publications},
  journal      = {Zenodo},
  publisher    = {Zenodo},
  year         = 2025,
  month        = jul,
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.15753534},
  url          = {https://zenodo.org/records/15753534},
  eprint       = {https://zenodo.org/records/15753534/files/2025__saraiva_et_al__rxiv.pdf}
}

APA Style: Saraiva, B. M., Jacquemet, G., & Henriques, R. (2025). Rxiv-Maker: an automated template engine for streamlined scientific publications. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15753534

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."

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