Nix configuration for building LaTeX documents

This repository contains instructions and a nix setup needed for building LaTeX documents in a reproducible manner.

Getting started

In the directory where the LaTeX document can be found run:

niv init

After that copy default.nix and Makefile, and adapt it to your liking. You will probably want to change DOCNAME in the Makefile, and name and description in default.nix.

Building LaTeX documents

To build the latex document run:

nix-shell --run make

The document can be built using nix-build. After running this command look inside the result directory.

For a continuous compilation of the LaTeX file run:

nix-shell --run "make watch"

Adding packages

Most likely you will need other LaTeX packages. These can be added in the default.nix file.

Note that when adding a new package, it might be necessary to run:

nix-shell --run "make clean"

Managing versions using niv

The first step towards reproducible builds is specifying which package versions we need. This process is greatly simplified by niv. Make sure you install it using nix to manage the nixpkgs versions as well as other sources you need to pin.

Improve your workflow further by using lorri

If you install and configure lorri then it is not necessary to use the nix-shell command, and one can use make directly. See the project documentation for details on how to use it.