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FormaTeX for VS Code v0.2: Cloud Projects, Right in Your Editor
The FormaTeX VS Code extension now syncs cloud projects directly into your editor — turn any local .tex file into a synced project with one click, pick your compile engine, and preview PDFs without leaving your code.
The FormaTeX VS Code extension started as a way to compile a .tex file without leaving your editor. v0.2 turns it into a full front-end for FormaTeX cloud projects — browse, edit, and sync a project from the Activity Bar, with the same virtual file system model VS Code uses for remote workspaces.
What's New
- Add as Cloud Project — turn any local
.texfile into a new FormaTeX cloud project with one right-click, no manual zipping or uploading - Compile engine picker — choose Auto, pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex, or latexmk from a quick command instead of editing settings
- Conflict-safe sync — edit a project from VS Code and the dashboard without one side silently overwriting the other
- Instant PDF preview — compiled output opens automatically beside your source as a live-updating preview
- Cleaner Projects panel — project actions are one click away instead of six crammed icons
Add as Cloud Project
If you already have a LaTeX project sitting in a folder somewhere — no FormaTeX account involved yet — you can now turn it into a synced cloud project directly from the editor. Right-click the main .tex file and choose FormaTeX: Add as Cloud Project.
The extension walks the file's \input, \include, \bibliography, and \includegraphics references to figure out exactly which files belong to the project, and detects the project root automatically from the common folder those references share. That matters if your .tex file lives a few folders deep inside a larger repository — only the relevant subfolder gets uploaded, not your entire codebase.
You'll see a confirmation showing the detected root and file count before anything is created, then a progress bar while files upload. From there, the project behaves like any other FormaTeX cloud project: open it as a virtual workspace, compile it, or open it in the browser.
Choose Your Compile Engine
Run FormaTeX: Select Compile Engine from the command palette (or right-click a .tex file) to pick between:
| Engine | Best for |
|---|---|
| Auto | FormaTeX's smart compiler — detects Unicode/font requirements and retries with fallback engines automatically |
pdflatex | Standard documents, fastest |
xelatex | Unicode text and modern/system fonts |
lualatex | Unicode plus Lua-based scripting and advanced typography |
latexmk | Multi-pass documents with bibliographies |
The current engine shows right in the status bar, so you always know what you're compiling with.
Conflict-Safe Sync
Cloud projects opened as a virtual workspace (formatex://) sync edits to the server automatically as you type. Previously, if a file changed on the FormaTeX dashboard while you had it open in VS Code, the next local save would silently overwrite the remote change.
Now, before every write, the extension checks the file's current state on the server. If it's changed since you last synced, you get a prompt to overwrite the remote version or reload it — instead of either side quietly losing edits.
This applies to files opened in "virtual workspace" mode (the default openMode). Projects opened via "Open Locally" are downloaded as plain files and don't sync automatically.
Instant PDF Preview
Compiling used to mean clicking "Open PDF" on a notification. Now the compiled PDF opens automatically in a preview tab beside your editor — and stays in the same tab across recompiles instead of piling up a new one every time, so it behaves like a live-updating split view of your document.
Get Started
- Install or update the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
- Run FormaTeX: Set API Key with a key from your FormaTeX dashboard
- Open the FormaTeX panel in the Activity Bar to browse existing cloud projects, or right-click a local
.texfile and choose FormaTeX: Add as Cloud Project to create your first one
Related Articles
- Getting Started with FormaTeX — Create your first API key and run your first compilation
- The Complete Guide to LaTeX Engines — When to use pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex, or latexmk
- Overleaf vs. FormaTeX — How FormaTeX's Cloud Editor and now VS Code integration compare to Overleaf's collaborative editor
- Multi-File LaTeX Documents via API — The same dependency model the extension uses to detect project files
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