feat: latex converter can now be a list, prefer utftex converter, fallback to latex2text

## Details

The `latex.converter` option can now be a `string[]`, in addition to
`string`. When it is a list the first available executable on the
system is used. The default value has been updated to:
`{ 'utftex', 'latex2text' }`. This means `utftex` will be used if it is
available on the system with a fallback to `latex2text`. In this way we
should avoid breaking anyone who continues to use `latex2text`. The only
edge case is someone with both executables available but who prefers the
output of `latex2text`, in which case they will need to set
`converter = 'latex2text'` in their config to continue using it.

Minor updates to various tests to take this into account as well as
added a helper function to provide the first available executable from a
list of input, as it's also logic needed in the health check. Updated
relevant demo in README as well.

Author: MeanderingProgrammer

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 ### Bug Fixes
 
 - use display width of concealed ranges [b4885a9](https://github.com/MeanderingProgrammer/render-markdown.nvim/commit/b4885a95e5082a6ed164830c581aac257a74f355)
+- top & bottom padding for latex [5b01324](https://github.com/MeanderingProgrammer/render-markdown.nvim/commit/5b01324a5fce277183098eac0a2cdb9c1b446b73)
 
 ## 8.8.0 (2025-09-09)
 

README.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Plugin to improve viewing Markdown files in Neovim
 | ![Table](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7d021918-e89c-4b7d-b33a-869390f9a826)   | ![Table](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fdbcfbfa-5f9e-49b7-8c19-f7e837979a7a)   |
 | ![Quote](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/822ae62c-bc0f-40a7-b8bb-fb3a885a95f9)   | ![Quote](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/aa002ac7-b30f-4079-bba9-505160a4ad78)   |
 | ![Callout](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e468a463-bc8d-420c-bb4c-da1263795092) | ![Callout](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d56cc5c7-43cd-4ce7-ad33-6164c2e23875) |
-| ![Latex](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7b859c0a-1bf6-4398-88b5-7bcde12f2390)   | ![Latex](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9ef14030-f688-47fd-95ff-befab1253322)   |
+| ![Latex](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/68f27ff3-49c8-42b5-bb7a-3b89c1e98401)   | ![Latex](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/41e657a6-bcc2-464d-ab8c-a23bfcb80b0f)   |
 
 <!-- panvimdoc-ignore-end -->
 
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ Plugin to improve viewing Markdown files in Neovim
   - [mini.icons](https://github.com/nvim-mini/mini.nvim/blob/main/readmes/mini-icons.md)
   - [nvim-web-devicons](https://github.com/nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons)
 - System dependencies:
+  - [libtexprintf](https://github.com/bartp5/libtexprintf) (Optional):
+    Used to transform `latex` strings to appropriate unicode using `utftex`
   - [pylatexenc](https://pypi.org/project/pylatexenc/) (Optional):
     Used to transform `latex` strings to appropriate unicode using `latex2text`
 
@@ -272,7 +274,8 @@ require('render-markdown').setup({
         -- Additional modes to render latex.
         render_modes = false,
         -- Executable used to convert latex formula to rendered unicode.
-        converter = 'latex2text',
+        -- If a list is provided the first command available on the system is used.
+        converter = { 'utftex', 'latex2text' },
         -- Highlight for latex blocks.
         highlight = 'RenderMarkdownMath',
         -- Determines where latex formula is rendered relative to block.

demo/latex.md

@@ -3,6 +3,5 @@
 $\sqrt{3x-1}+(1+x)^2$
 
 $$
-f(x,y) = x + \sqrt{y}
-f(x,y) = \sqrt{y} + \frac{x^2}{4y}
+\lim_{n\to\infty} \left(1 + \frac{1}{n}\right)^n
 $$

demo/minit.lua

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ require('lazy').setup({
         },
         {
             'nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim',
-            dependencies = { 'nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons' },
+            dependencies = { 'nvim-mini/mini.nvim' },
             config = function()
                 require('lualine').setup({
                     sections = {
@@ -64,7 +64,9 @@ require('lazy').setup({
         {
             'nvim-mini/mini.nvim',
             config = function()
-                require('mini.icons').setup({})
+                local icons = require('mini.icons')
+                icons.setup({})
+                icons.mock_nvim_web_devicons()
             end,
         },
         {

doc/render-markdown.txt

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-*render-markdown.txt*      For NVIM v0.11.4     Last change: 2025 September 15
+*render-markdown.txt*      For NVIM v0.11.4     Last change: 2025 September 16
 
 ==============================================================================
 Table of Contents                          *render-markdown-table-of-contents*
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ Plugin to improve viewing Markdown files in Neovim
     - mini.icons <https://github.com/nvim-mini/mini.nvim/blob/main/readmes/mini-icons.md>
     - nvim-web-devicons <https://github.com/nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons>
 - System dependencies:
+    - libtexprintf <https://github.com/bartp5/libtexprintf> (Optional):
+        Used to transform `latex` strings to appropriate unicode using `utftex`
     - pylatexenc <https://pypi.org/project/pylatexenc/> (Optional):
         Used to transform `latex` strings to appropriate unicode using `latex2text`
 
@@ -334,7 +336,8 @@ Default Configuration ~
             -- Additional modes to render latex.
             render_modes = false,
             -- Executable used to convert latex formula to rendered unicode.
-            converter = 'latex2text',
+            -- If a list is provided the first command available on the system is used.
+            converter = { 'utftex', 'latex2text' },
             -- Highlight for latex blocks.
             highlight = 'RenderMarkdownMath',
             -- Determines where latex formula is rendered relative to block.

justfile

@@ -32,19 +32,19 @@ health:
 log:
   cat ~/.local/state/nvim/render-markdown.log
 
-demo: heading table box latex callout
+demo: heading table quote callout latex
 
 heading:
   python demo/run.py --name "heading_code"
 
 table:
   python demo/run.py --name "list_table"
 
-box:
+quote:
   python demo/run.py --name "box_dash_quote"
 
-latex:
-  python demo/run.py --name "latex"
-
 callout:
   python demo/run.py --name "callout"
+
+latex:
+  python demo/run.py --name "latex"

lua/render-markdown/config/latex.lua

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---@class (exact) render.md.latex.Config: render.md.base.Config
----@field converter string
+---@field converter string|string[]
 ---@field highlight string
 ---@field position render.md.latex.Position
 ---@field top_pad integer
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ M.default = {
     -- Additional modes to render latex.
     render_modes = false,
     -- Executable used to convert latex formula to rendered unicode.
-    converter = 'latex2text',
+    -- If a list is provided the first command available on the system is used.
+    converter = { 'utftex', 'latex2text' },
     -- Highlight for latex blocks.
     highlight = 'RenderMarkdownMath',
     -- Determines where latex formula is rendered relative to block.
@@ -39,7 +40,9 @@ M.default = {
 ---@return render.md.Schema
 function M.schema()
     return require('render-markdown.config.base').schema({
-        converter = { type = 'string' },
+        converter = {
+            union = { { list = { type = 'string' } }, { type = 'string' } },
+        },
         highlight = { type = 'string' },
         position = { enum = Position },
         top_pad = { type = 'number' },

lua/render-markdown/handler/latex.lua

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ local Context = require('render-markdown.request.context')
 local Indent = require('render-markdown.lib.indent')
 local Marks = require('render-markdown.lib.marks')
 local Node = require('render-markdown.lib.node')
+local env = require('render-markdown.lib.env')
 local iter = require('render-markdown.lib.iter')
 local log = require('render-markdown.core.log')
 local str = require('render-markdown.lib.str')
@@ -34,7 +35,8 @@ function Handler:run(root, last)
     if not self.config.enabled then
         return {}
     end
-    if vim.fn.executable(self.config.converter) ~= 1 then
+    local cmd = env.command(self.config.converter)
+    if not cmd then
         log.add('debug', 'ConverterNotFound', self.config.converter)
         return {}
     end
@@ -43,7 +45,7 @@ function Handler:run(root, last)
     self.context.latex:add(node)
     if last then
         local nodes = self.context.latex:get()
-        self:convert(nodes)
+        Handler.convert(cmd, nodes)
         local rows = self:rows(nodes)
         for row, row_nodes in pairs(rows) do
             self:render(row, row_nodes)
@@ -53,9 +55,9 @@ function Handler:run(root, last)
 end
 
 ---@private
+---@param cmd string
 ---@param nodes render.md.Node[]
-function Handler:convert(nodes)
-    local cmd = self.config.converter
+function Handler.convert(cmd, nodes)
     local inputs = {} ---@type string[]
     for _, node in ipairs(nodes) do
         local text = Handler.text(node)
@@ -89,6 +91,14 @@ function Handler:convert(nodes)
     end
 end
 
+---@private
+---@param node render.md.Node
+---@return string
+function Handler.text(node)
+    local s = node.text
+    return vim.trim(s:match('^%$*(.-)%$*$') or s)
+end
+
 ---@private
 ---@param nodes render.md.Node[]
 ---@return table<integer, render.md.Node[]>
@@ -260,14 +270,6 @@ function Handler:indent(node)
     end
 end
 
----@private
----@param node render.md.Node
----@return string
-function Handler.text(node)
-    local s = node.text
-    return vim.trim(s:match('^%$*(.-)%$*$') or s)
-end
-
 ---@class render.md.handler.Latex: render.md.Handler
 local M = {}
 

lua/render-markdown/health.lua

@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
+local env = require('render-markdown.lib.env')
 local icons = require('render-markdown.lib.icons')
 local state = require('render-markdown.state')
 
 ---@class render.md.Health
 local M = {}
 
 ---@private
-M.version = '8.8.7'
+M.version = '8.8.8'
 
 function M.check()
     M.start('versions')
@@ -17,9 +18,10 @@ function M.check()
     local errors = state.validate()
     if #errors == 0 then
         vim.health.ok('valid')
-    end
-    for _, message in ipairs(errors) do
-        vim.health.error(message)
+    else
+        for _, message in ipairs(errors) do
+            vim.health.error(message)
+        end
     end
 
     local config = state.get(0)
@@ -47,9 +49,15 @@ function M.check()
         vim.health.warn('none installed')
     end
 
-    M.start('executables')
     if latex.enabled then
-        M.executable(latex.converter, M.disable('latex'))
+        M.start('latex')
+        local cmd = env.command(latex.converter)
+        if cmd then
+            vim.health.ok('using: ' .. cmd)
+        else
+            local message = 'none installed: ' .. vim.inspect(latex.converter)
+            vim.health.warn(message, M.disable('latex'))
+        end
     end
 
     M.start('conflicts')
@@ -145,22 +153,6 @@ function M.ts_info(language, required, active)
     end
 end
 
----@private
----@param name string
----@param advice? string[]
-function M.executable(name, advice)
-    if vim.fn.executable(name) == 1 then
-        vim.health.ok(name .. ': installed')
-    else
-        local message = name .. ': not installed'
-        if advice then
-            vim.health.warn(message, advice)
-        else
-            vim.health.error(message)
-        end
-    end
-end
-
 ---@private
 ---@param name string
 ---@param validate? fun(plugin: any): string[]?

lua/render-markdown/lib/env.lua

@@ -68,6 +68,20 @@ function M.range(buf, win, offset)
     return { top, bottom }
 end
 
+---@param options string|string[]
+---@return string?
+function M.command(options)
+    if type(options) == 'string' then
+        options = { options }
+    end
+    for _, option in ipairs(options) do
+        if vim.fn.executable(option) == 1 then
+            return option
+        end
+    end
+    return nil
+end
+
 ---@class render.md.env.Row
 M.row = {}