Convert TEX to INI

Why Convert LaTeX to INI?

Converting LaTeX documents to INI format extracts structured metadata and settings into a simple, machine-readable format. This is particularly useful for document management systems, automated workflows, and applications that need to process document information without parsing complex LaTeX markup.

The conversion captures document metadata such as title, author, date, document class, font settings, and loaded packages. This information becomes easily accessible to scripts, configuration management tools, and other software that reads INI files natively.

For research institutions and publishers managing large document collections, INI extraction enables building catalogs, generating reports, and automating document processing pipelines. The simple key-value format integrates seamlessly with most programming languages and automation tools.

The INI format's human-readability also makes it useful for quick document inspection - you can see at a glance what packages a document uses, its metadata, and basic structure without opening a LaTeX editor.

Practical Examples

Example 1: Document Metadata Extraction

Extract article metadata for cataloging:

\documentclass{article}
\title{Quantum Computing}
\author{Dr. Jane Smith}
\date{\today}

[metadata]
title = Quantum Computing
author = Dr. Jane Smith
date = 2024-12-31
class = article

Example 2: Package Inventory

Create a list of all packages used in a document:

[packages]
amsmath = true
amssymb = true
graphicx = true
hyperref = true
geometry = margin=1in
babel = english
fontenc = T1

[package_count]
total = 7

Example 3: Build Configuration Script

Use extracted INI in automated build scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# Read document settings from INI
source <(grep = document.ini | sed 's/ *= */=/')

echo "Building: $title by $author"
echo "Document class: $class"

# Conditional compilation based on packages
if [ "$bibtex" = "true" ]; then
    pdflatex document.tex
    bibtex document
    pdflatex document.tex
fi

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What information gets extracted to INI?

A: The converter extracts document metadata (title, author, date), document class and options, loaded packages with their options, and basic document structure. Complex content like equations and figures are summarized or omitted as INI is designed for configuration data, not document content.

Q: Is the main document content preserved?

A: INI format is designed for configuration, not document content. The converter focuses on metadata and settings. If you need the full content in a simple format, consider converting to TXT or Markdown instead.

Q: Can I convert INI back to LaTeX?

A: The INI output contains extracted metadata, not the full document, so reverse conversion would only recreate a template with the metadata filled in. It cannot recreate the original document content, equations, or formatting.

Q: How are LaTeX packages represented in INI?

A: Packages are listed in a [packages] section with the package name as the key. Simple packages use "true" as the value; packages with options include the options as the value (e.g., geometry = margin=1in).

Q: What INI section structure is used?

A: The output typically includes [metadata] for title/author/date, [document] for class and options, [packages] for loaded packages, and [structure] for section headings. The exact sections depend on what's present in the source document.

Q: Is this useful for document management systems?

A: Yes, this is one of the primary use cases. The INI output can be ingested by document management systems, search indexers, and catalogs without needing LaTeX parsing capabilities. It enables building searchable databases of document metadata.

Q: How are custom LaTeX commands handled?

A: Custom commands defined with \newcommand or \def are listed in a [commands] section if present. The command name and definition are captured, though complex macro definitions may be simplified.

Q: Can I use this for automated LaTeX processing?

A: Yes, the INI output integrates well with build scripts and automation tools. You can read the INI file in shell scripts, Python (configparser), PHP, or any language to make decisions about how to compile or process the LaTeX document.