Local RevealJS/MathJax3 setup for pandoc

Requirements

• pandoc is installed

Installation and configuration:

1. Download and extract https://github.com/hakimel/reveal.js/archive/master.zip

   wget https://github.com/hakimel/reveal.js/archive/master.zip
   unzip master.zip
   

   (Will unzip revealjs to folder reveal.js-master.)
2. Install mathjax:

npm install mathjax@3

3. Configure pandoc revealjs template for MathJax3:

   • Step by step:

     • download https://github.com/jgm/pandoc-templates/blob/master/default.revealjs

     • add in $if(mathjax)$ ... $endif$ enclosing:

       mathjax3: {
         mathjax: '$mathjaxurl$',
         tex: {
           inlineMath: [[ '$$', '$$' ], [ '\\(', '\\)' ]]
         },
         options: {
           skipHtmlTags: [ 'script', 'noscript', 'style', 'textarea', 'pre' ]
         },
       },

       (note the double $ signs in contrast to the revealjs documentation) and replace RevealMath plugin by RevealMath.MathJax3 in plugins: [...] list.

       (As of 2024-01-22, the default.revealjs file seems to be set up for MathJax2.)

   • Automatic via patch (works with https://github.com/jgm/pandoc-templates/blob/bc7a16b590122a2dc99d1f17f222b72152acc1e7/default.revealjs):

     wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jgm/pandoc-templates/master/default.revealjs
     patch -p0 < mathjax3.patch
     mv default.revealjs template.md

   • Example: see template.md file of this repository

4. Set mathjaxurl in the header of the presentation markdown file:

• mathjaxurl: node_modules/mathjax/es5/tex-mml-chtml.js for the local installation
• mathjaxurl: /usr/share/mathjax/tex-mml-chtml.js or similar for a (possible) system package
• mathjaxurl: https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mathjax@3/es5/tex-mml-chtml.js for the CDN package (works only with an internet connection; default when mathjaxurl is not specified)

Compilation with pandoc

Assuming, the revealjs and node_modules folders, pandoc template (modified default.revealjs, renamed template.md) and presentation markdown file (pres.md) are all located in the current path:

pandoc -s --mathjax -i -t revealjs pres.md --template=template.md -V center=false -V history=false -V revealjs-url=reveal.js-master -o pres.html

Alternatively, the Makefile can be used to invoke the pandoc command, via

make

It detects automatically, if a template.md file is present.