A small, no-frills Markdown → LaTeX/PDF converter written in Python. One command takes a .md file and produces .tex and .pdf with sensible defaults.

• One-step pipeline: .md → .tex → .pdf (runs a LaTeX engine for you)
• Cross‑platform engine detection: pdflatex, xelatex, or lualatex (Windows/Linux/macOS)
• Engine‑flexible LaTeX preamble (via iftex) so the same .tex compiles on Overleaf and locally with pdfLaTeX/LaTeX or XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX
• Unicode‑safe behavior:
  • Preserves raw Unicode exactly inside fenced code blocks (```/~~~)
  • Uses a Unicode‑capable engine automatically when needed
• Emoji/sticker removal by Unicode ranges (no per‑emoji lists)
• Inline formatting: **bold**, [links](url), and `inline code`
• Math: inline $...$, display $$...$$, and bracketed display blocks using lines with [ and ]
• Auto‑wraps common math used in text (e.g., \alpha, \int, \vec{x}, x_1, x^2) into $...$
• Tables: GitHub‑style pipe tables scaled to page width
• Lists: ordered/unordered, nested by indentation (2 spaces per level)
• Headings: # → \section, ## → \subsection, ### → \subsubsection, #### → \paragraph
  • Leading numeric prefixes like 1. Title are stripped from heading text
  • Subsubsections numbered as 1, 2, 3 (no 0.0.1)
• Horizontal rules: ---, ***, or ___
• Newlines: a single newline in Markdown becomes a visible line break in LaTeX (\newline)
• Cleanup: removes LaTeX aux files after a successful build (keeps only .md, .tex, .pdf, .py)

• Python 3.8+
• A LaTeX distribution:
  • Windows: MiKTeX or TeX Live
  • Linux/macOS: TeX Live

The script auto‑detects engines via PATH and known install locations and prefers xelatex/lualatex when it detects non‑ASCII inside fenced code blocks; otherwise it uses pdflatex. The generated .tex includes an engine‑aware preamble: pdfTeX uses inputenc + T1 + lmodern, while Xe/LuaLaTeX use fontspec.

• Windows (PowerShell):

python md2tex.py your_file.md

• Linux/macOS:

python3 md2tex.py your_file.md

Outputs:

• your_file.tex — generated LaTeX
• your_file.pdf — compiled PDF (if a LaTeX engine is installed)

Tip: If you run the script without a file, or pass "/" or ".", it defaults to README.md in the current directory. For example:

• Windows (PowerShell):

python md2tex.py
python md2tex.py /

• Linux/macOS:

python3 md2tex.py
python3 md2tex.py /

• Paragraphs/newlines
  • Single newline → \\newline (forced line break)
  • Blank line → paragraph break
• Code
  • Fenced code blocks (```/~~~) are emitted as verbatim with Unicode preserved
  • Inline code uses \texttt{...} with safe escaping
• Math
  • Inline: $...$
  • Display: $$...$$ or bracketed block between lines [ and ]
  • Literal $$...$$ text is preserved (escaped) in regular paragraphs
  • Auto‑math wrapping: if you accidentally use math commands in text (e.g., \alpha, \int, x_1, x^2, \vec{x}), they are wrapped into $...$ automatically
• Tables
  • Pipe tables with a header and a separator line are supported and auto‑scaled to \textwidth
• Lists
  • -, * unordered; 1. ordered
  • Nesting by 2‑space indentation per level
• Headings
  • #, ##, ###, #### → LaTeX sectioning commands
  • Leading numbering like 1. Title in source is removed from the title text
• Emojis/stickers
  • Removed globally by Unicode ranges (flags, pictographs, emoticons, dingbats, skin tones, VS‑16/ZWJ)

• “No LaTeX engine found”
  • Install MiKTeX (Windows) or TeX Live (Linux/macOS) and ensure binaries are on PATH
• “PDF compilation failed”
  • Check the generated .tex next to your .md
  • Make sure packages like amsmath, hyperref, adjustbox are available in your LaTeX install
• “fontspec only works with Xe/LuaLaTeX”
  • The output .tex avoids loading fontspec on pdfLaTeX/LaTeX via iftex. If you manually edit the preamble, keep fontspec under the Xe/Lua branch only.
• “Unicode in code block breaks with pdflatex”
  • The script prefers xelatex/lualatex when it detects non‑ASCII in code fences; install one of them if missing
• Overleaf notes
  • You can compile the same .tex with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, or LuaLaTeX. If you hit Unicode issues, switch the Overleaf compiler to XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX.

• Images, blockquotes, and task lists are not implemented (kept intentionally simple)
• This is not a full Markdown parser; it covers the most common patterns used in notes/technical docs

This README doubles as the end-to-end test document. You can run the converter directly on it to produce a PDF:

• Windows (PowerShell):

python md2tex.py README.md

• Linux/macOS:

python3 md2tex.py README.md

Below is the full “hard cases” sample previously in test.md.

This document tests all markdown features including special characters, equations, tables, and more.

The quadratic formula is $x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}$ and Euler's identity is $e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$.

The area of a circle: $A = \pi r^2$ where $r$ is the radius.

Partial Differential Equation (Heat Equation):

$$ \frac{\partial u}{\partial t} = \alpha \frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2} $$

Navier-Stokes Equation:

$$ \rho \left( \frac{\partial \mathbf{v}}{\partial t} + \mathbf{v} \cdot \nabla \mathbf{v} \right) = -\nabla p + \mu \nabla^2 \mathbf{v} + \mathbf{f} $$

Integral Example:

$$ \int_{0}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2} $$

Double Integral:

$$ \iint_D f(x,y) , dA = \int_a^b \int_c^d f(x,y) , dy , dx $$

Matrix Example:

$$ \mathbf{A} = \begin{bmatrix} a_{11} & a_{12} & a_{13} \\ a_{21} & a_{22} & a_{23} \\ a_{31} & a_{32} & a_{33} \end{bmatrix} $$

Matrix Multiplication:

$$ \mathbf{C} = \mathbf{A} \times \mathbf{B} = \begin{pmatrix} c_{11} & c_{12} \\ c_{21} & c_{22} \end{pmatrix} $$

Square Root and Fractions:

$$ \sqrt{x^2 + y^2} = \sqrt{\frac{a}{b} + \frac{c}{d}} $$

Summation and Product:

$$ \sum_{i=1}^{n} i^2 = \frac{n(n+1)(2n+1)}{6} \quad \text{and} \quad \prod_{i=1}^{n} i = n! $$

Limit Example:

$$ \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{1}{x} = 0 $$

Taylor Series:

$$ f(x) = f(a) + f'(a)(x-a) + \frac{f''(a)}{2!}(x-a)^2 + \frac{f'''(a)}{3!}(x-a)^3 + \cdots $$

α (alpha), β (beta), γ (gamma), δ (delta), ε (epsilon), ζ (zeta), η (eta), θ (theta), λ (lambda), μ (mu), π (pi), σ (sigma), τ (tau), φ (phi), ω (omega)

Uppercase: Γ (Gamma), Δ (Delta), Θ (Theta), Λ (Lambda), Ξ (Xi), Π (Pi), Σ (Sigma), Φ (Phi), Ψ (Psi), Ω (Omega)

± ∓ × ÷ ∙ √ ∛ ∜ ∞ ∝ ≈ ≠ ≡ ≤ ≥ ⊂ ⊃ ⊆ ⊇ ∩ ∪ ∫ ∮ ∂ ∇ ∆ ∏ ∑

© ® ™ € £ ¥ ¢ § ¶ † ‡ • ‰ ′ ″ ‴ → ← ↑ ↓ ↔ ⇒ ⇐ ⇔

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Calculate π using Monte Carlo method
def estimate_pi(n_samples=1000000):
    """Estimate π using random points in a square"""
    x = np.random.uniform(-1, 1, n_samples)
    y = np.random.uniform(-1, 1, n_samples)
    inside_circle = (x**2 + y**2) <= 1
    pi_estimate = 4 * np.sum(inside_circle) / n_samples
    return pi_estimate

# Test with special operators: +, -, *, /, %, **, //, &, |, ^, ~, <<, >>
result = (2 ** 3) * (10 // 3) + (15 % 4) - (100 / 7)
print(f"Result: {result:.4f}")

# Unicode in strings
symbols = "α β γ δ ε ζ η θ λ μ π σ τ φ ω"
operators = "± × ÷ √ ∞ ≈ ≠ ≤ ≥ ∫ ∑"

\begin{equation}
\nabla \times \mathbf{E} = -\frac{\partial \mathbf{B}}{\partial t}
\end{equation}

\begin{align}
\nabla \cdot \mathbf{E} &= \frac{\rho}{\epsilon_0} \\
\nabla \cdot \mathbf{B} &= 0 \\
\nabla \times \mathbf{E} &= -\frac{\partial \mathbf{B}}{\partial t} \\
\nabla \times \mathbf{B} &= \mu_0 \mathbf{J} + \mu_0 \epsilon_0 \frac{\partial \mathbf{E}}{\partial t}
\end{align}

• Item with α (alpha) and β (beta)
• Mathematical operators: ∫ ∑ ∏ √
• Comparison: ≈ ≠ ≤ ≥ ∞
• Arrows: → ← ↑ ↓ ↔
• Symbols: © ® ™ € £ ¥

1. First: Calculate $\int_0^1 x^2 dx = \frac{1}{3}$
2. Second: Evaluate $\sum_{i=1}^{10} i = 55$
3. Third: Solve $\frac{dy}{dx} = 2x$ to get $y = x^2 + C$
4. Fourth: Matrix multiplication $\mathbf{A} \times \mathbf{B}$
5. Fifth: Compute $\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\sin x}{x} = 1$

• Top level with π ≈ 3.14159
  • Nested with $e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$
  • Another nested: $\sqrt{-1} = i$
• Another top: ∞ (infinity)
  • Sub-item: $\lim_{n \to \infty}$

Bold text with italic text and inline code with special chars: α_β^γ

Regular text with bold, italic, and bold italic combined.

Text with special characters: @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + = { } [ ] | \ : ; " ' < > , . ? /

Escaped characters test: _underscore_ *asterisk* #hash# $dollar$ %percent%

Visit Python Official for documentation.

Check out NumPy for numerical computing.

Mathematical reference: Wolfram MathWorld

$$ i\hbar\frac{\partial}{\partial t}\Psi(\mathbf{r},t) = \left[-\frac{\hbar^2}{2m}\nabla^2 + V(\mathbf{r},t)\right]\Psi(\mathbf{r},t) $$

$$ \begin{aligned} \nabla \cdot \mathbf{E} &= \frac{\rho}{\epsilon_0} \\ \nabla \cdot \mathbf{B} &= 0 \\ \nabla \times \mathbf{E} &= -\frac{\partial \mathbf{B}}{\partial t} \\ \nabla \times \mathbf{B} &= \mu_0\mathbf{J} + \mu_0\epsilon_0\frac{\partial \mathbf{E}}{\partial t} \end{aligned} $$

$$ R_{\mu\nu} - \frac{1}{2}Rg_{\mu\nu} + \Lambda g_{\mu\nu} = \frac{8\pi G}{c^4}T_{\mu\nu} $$

$$ \hat{f}(\xi) = \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} f(x) e^{-2\pi i x \xi} dx $$

This document contains:

• Multiple heading levels (# ## ### ####)
• Tables with special characters (α β γ π ∑ ∫)
• Mathematical equations ($inline$ and $$block$$)
• Code blocks with various languages
• Lists (ordered, unordered, nested)
• Special symbols (©®™€£¥)
• Links and references
• Text formatting (bold, italic, code)
• Greek letters (α β γ δ ε ζ η θ λ μ π σ τ φ ω Γ Δ Θ Λ Ξ Π Σ Φ Ψ Ω)
• Mathematical operators (± × ÷ √ ∞ ≈ ≠ ≤ ≥ ∫ ∑ ∏ ∂ ∇)
• Complex LaTeX equations with matrices, integrals, partial derivatives

• Author: SDNT8810