mk_tex_table.sh - Convert standalone LaTeX table files to PDF documents#
Description#
This script processes standalone LaTeX table files (.tex) and converts them to complete PDF documents. It wraps each table with a full LaTeX document structure including necessary packages for table formatting and compiles them to PDF using pdflatex.
Usage#
./mk_tex_table.sh
Input#
All .tex files in the current directory (excluding those prefixed with “pdf_”)
Files should contain LaTeX table code (tabular, table, etc.)
Output#
pdf_{original_filename}.tex
- Complete LaTeX documents with headerspdf_{original_filename}.pdf
- Compiled PDF filesAdditional LaTeX compilation files (.aux, .log, etc.)
Behavior#
Scans current directory for .tex files
Excludes files already prefixed with “pdf_” to avoid reprocessing
Creates complete LaTeX documents with comprehensive package imports
Compiles each document to PDF using pdflatex
Packages Included#
The script automatically includes these LaTeX packages for comprehensive table support:
inputenc: UTF-8 encoding support
eurosym: Euro symbol support
graphicx: Graphics inclusion
geometry: Page layout (landscape, 0.5in margins)
hyperref: Hyperlink support
xcolor: Color support
subfig: Subfigure support
caption: Enhanced captions
booktabs: Professional table formatting
threeparttable: Three-part table support
float: Float positioning
adjustbox: Box adjustments
supertabular: Multi-page tables
Dependencies#
pdflatex (TeX Live or similar LaTeX distribution)
Standard Unix utilities (ls, grep, cat, echo)
Example#
If directory contains results.tex
and summary.tex
:
Creates
pdf_results.tex
andpdf_summary.tex
with full document structureCompiles to
pdf_results.pdf
andpdf_summary.pdf
How It Works#
File Discovery: Scans for
.tex
files, excluding those already prefixed withpdf_
Document Creation: For each table file:
Creates a complete LaTeX document with document class and package imports
Includes the original table content
Adds proper document structure (
\begin{document}
and\end{document}
)
Compilation: Runs
pdflatex
on each complete document to generate PDF
Page Layout#
The generated documents use:
Landscape orientation for better table viewing
0.5-inch margins on all sides
Article document class
Example Workflow#
# Directory contains: table1.tex, table2.tex, summary.tex
./mk_tex_table.sh
# Results:
# - pdf_table1.tex, pdf_table1.pdf
# - pdf_table2.tex, pdf_table2.pdf
# - pdf_summary.tex, pdf_summary.pdf
This tool is particularly useful for converting standalone LaTeX table fragments into viewable PDF documents for review or presentation purposes.