Write LaTeX, Push to GitHub and let Travis CI automatically build using Travis’s build functions and script hooks for your LaTeX project and deploy a PDF automatically to GitHub releases when a git commit is tagged.

Getting started with LaTeX with Travis CI

Let’s get started with the script I made entitled test.sh. You’ll notice I’ve annotated this script really well so you have a really good scope into what the bash script will tell Travis CI to do:

 #!/usr/bin/env bash

# change into the desired folder
cd $1

# remove montana mendy's pdf if present
[ -f $2.pdf ] && rm $2.pdf || echo "continue without remove"

# test if pdf is removed, fail if still present
[ -f $2.pdf ] && exit 1 || echo "continue building pdf output"

# montana mendy's biggest tip: build pdf from source
pdflatex $2.tex

# exit successfully if pdf is present or with error if not present
[ -f $2.pdf ] && exit 0 || exit 1

My .travis.yml file

You’ll want to make this script executable in your .travis.yml via using chmod. This is what my .travis.yml file currently looks like:

---
sudo: require
dist: xenial
language: bash

# Montana Mendy runs lint (travis lint)

before_install:
  - sudo apt-get -qq update
  - sudo apt-get install -y texlive-base texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-recommended texlive-fonts-extra

script:
  - bash test.sh ./ main

My main.tex file (LaTeX)

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{url}
\usepackage{hyperref}

\title{Montana using LaTeX and Travis CI Example}

\author{Montana Mendy}
\date{\today}


\begin{document}
\maketitle

Montana Mendy loves LaTeX 

\end{document}

That should do it, refer to your .travis.yml and my annotations in the bash script I created. Sometimes your .travis.yml can get a little large and confusing, for example two functions that essentially do the same thing are called. This is real quick way to get into hot water. This Cookbook I made for you not only shows how you can keep things building, minimal and efficient, but most importantly consistent.

Happy building!