What is RTeX?
RTeX is a Ruby library (and web framework plugin) used to generate PDF documents on-the-fly using the LaTeX typesetting system.
Is this a Rails plugin?
Yes. No. Well, kinda.
RTeX is a general-purpose Ruby library that just happens to also act as Rails plugin. In the future it’s intended to be used out-of-the-box with other frameworks as well. You can see the Development Roadmap for some details on planned support.
For details on how to install this kinda Rails plugin into your app, see the associated Manual page.
Why isn’t this just a Rails plugin?
Because there’s more to Ruby than Rails, and dependency resolution is a Good Thing. Rails 2.1 is set to support gem plugins by default, so installation should be even easier in the future.
Why not use PDF::Writer, or Some Other Library
PDF::Writer is a great library, and in many cases may be exactly what you need.
Where RTeX really shines is when you have to do more advanced layout or typesetting that would be too tedious or error-prone to do manually in PDF::Writer.
RTeX is simple Ruby wrapper on top of the very robust LaTeX project, which has been in development for over 20 years and is used for professional publishing the world-over. This is a complex wheel that has been long [and well] implemented; all RTeX does is allow you to use it more easily from Ruby and as a filter (in standalone-mode).
Isn’t LaTeX hard to learn?
Not really; just think of it as a markup language. While there are certainly some specialized areas (mathematical formulas, references, graphics layout, etc), the basic set of commands is easy to learn in a sitting.
I’d recommend reading the single-page introduction by Mike Unwalla first, and then moving on to the other guides that the LaTeX project provides. You’ll pick it up!
What are RTeX’s dependencies?
Ruby 1.8, Rubygems, and a LaTeX distribution including the pdflatex executable. Rails is obviously a dependency if attempting to use it as a plugin.
What if the documents I want to generate are too large to generate on-demand?
Built-in support for this is being looked at as possibility for a future release. In the meantime, the rtex standalone executable can be happily used outside of Rails to process a backlog of documents… but at the moment you’ll need to handle the queue processing yourself.
Keep in mind LaTeX processes fairly lengthy documents well within the limits of a normal request (certainly faster than PDF::Writer). YMMV.
How do I request a feature or submit a bug?
Feel free to contact the maintainers.
I’ve fixed a bug or added an enhancement, how do I submit it?
Please contribute through normal channels if possible.
What if I have a different question?
See the contact page and pass it along!