GitHub - typst/typst: A markup-based typesetting system that is powerful and easy to learn.
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A markup-based typesetting system that is powerful and easy to learn. - typst/typst

Typst is a new markup-based typesetting system that is designed to be as powerful as LaTeX while being much easier to learn and use. [1.1]

References
  1. Type: Webpage. Title: “typst/typst”. Publisher: “GitHub”. Published (Modified): 2026-03-16T09:39:55.000Z. Accessed: 2025-03-18T08:55Z. URI: https://github.com/typst/typst.
    1. Type: File. Title: “README.md”.
      • Type: Text. Location: ¶1.
  • Meron35@lemmy.world
    14·
    1 day ago

    Maths feels like a first class citizen in latex. The syntax is ugly, but there is some logic through the legacy jank.

    Typst makes fundamental design decisions that render it unsuitable beyond extremely simply equations. In LaTeX, curly braces are nearly always reserved for enclosing arguments, to avoid confusion with actual brackets.

    Typst uses normal brackets for both its scripting and actual maths.

    For example, \frac{n(n+1)}{2} in latex turns into (n(n + 1)) / 2 in typst. The typst code is incredibly unclear - the first set of brackets with the slash together actually form the fraction operator, so neither end up visible.

    You can see how this would start to struggle even with high school level maths, with bracketed terms and possibly fractional terms in exponents, integrals, etc.

    For example, it is very difficult for me to work out the difference between the following three in typst. That is specifically not what you want from a typesetting language.

    1/2(x + y)
1/x(x + y)
1/2^x(x + y)

    LaTeX ignores whitespace, so you can just use a formatter to space out your code and ensure the curly braces. This is not even an option in typst, which uses the space as an escape character.

    • Kalcifer@sh.itjust.worksOP
      2·
      51 minutes ago

      Update (2026-03-20T00:37Z): @Meron35@lemmy.world, it has since been found that Typst is aware of this inconsistency [7].

      […] You can see how this would start to struggle even with high school level maths, with bracketed terms and possibly fractional terms in exponents, integrals, etc.

      For example, it is very difficult for me to work out the difference between the following three in typst. That is specifically not what you want from a typesetting language.

      1/2(x + y)
1/x(x + y)
1/2^x(x + y)

      […]

      I think these are valid complaints. For clarity, this is the output that I found for each:

      1. [1]
      2. [2]
      3. [3]

      I was surprised by the second; I expected it to produce [6]. I didn’t know what to expect for the third.

      I tried searching through the documentation [4], but I was unable to find any information that exactly defined expressions [5], and how they are grouped within the fraction when juxtaposed like in your examples.

      References
      1. Type: Anecdote. Published: 2026-03-19T07:20Z. 
        • echo "#set page(width: auto, height: auto, margin: 0pt); $ 1/2(x + y) $" | typst compile - o.png
      2. Type: Anecdote. Published: 2026-03-19T07:20Z. 
        • echo "#set page(width: auto, height: auto, margin: 0pt); $ 1/x(x + y) $" | typst compile - o.png
      3. Type: Anecdote. Published: 2026-03-19T07:20Z. 
        • echo "#set page(width: auto, height: auto, margin: 0pt); $ 1/2^x(x + y) $" | typst compile - o.png
      4. Type: Webpage. Title: “typst Documentation”. Publisher: “Typst”. Accessed: 2026-03-19T07:25Z. URI: https://typst.app/docs/.
      5. Type: Text. Publisher: [Type: Webpage. Publisher: “Typst”. Title: “frac”. URI: https://typst.app/docs/reference/math/frac/.]. Accessed: 2026-03-19T07:26Z. Location: §“Syntax”.

        • […] Use a slash to turn neighbouring expressions into a fraction. […]

          • The quote mentions that the components within the fraction are called expressions.
      6. Type: Anecdote. Published: 2026-03-19T07:39Z. 
        • echo "#set page(width: auto, height: auto, margin: 0pt); $ 1/x (x + y) $" | typst compile - o.png
      7. Type: Comment. Author: “laurmaedje”. Publisher: [Type: Post. Title: “Inconsistencies/ambiguities with expression grouping with fractions.” (“#8002”). Author: “K4LCIFER”. Publisher: [“Github”>“typst/typst”]. Published: 2026-03-19T07:07:44.000Z. Location (URI): https://github.com/typst/typst/issues/8002#issue-4099792220.]. Published: 2026-03-19T14:41:47.000Z. Accessed: 2026-03-29T00:45Z. Location (URI): https://github.com/typst/typst/issues/8002#issuecomment-4090630691.
    • Kalcifer@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      18 hours ago

      […] LaTeX ignores whitespace, so you can just use a formatter to space out your code and ensure the curly braces. This is not even an option in typst, which uses the space as an escape character.

      I’m not sure I exactly follow what you mean. Could you elaborate?

    • Kalcifer@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      18 hours ago

      […] \frac{n(n+1)}{2} in latex turns into (n(n + 1)) / 2 in typst […]

      Note that one can also write that as frac(n(n+1), 2) [1][4].

      References
      1. Type: Webpage. Title: “frac”. Publisher: “Typst”. Location: “Documentation”>“Reference”>“Math”>“Fraction”. Location (URI): https://typst.app/docs/reference/math/frac/. Accessed: 2026-03-18T05:34Z.
      2. Type: Anecdote. Published: 2026-03-19T07:51Z. 
        • echo "#set page(width: auto, height: auto, margin: 0pt); $ (n(n + 1)) / 2 $" | typst compile - o.png
      3. Type: Anecdote. Published: 2026-03-19T07:51Z. 
        • echo "#set page(width: auto, height: auto, margin: 0pt); $ frac(n(n+1), 2) $" | typst compile - o.png
      4. Type: Meta. Published: 2026-03-19T07:53Z.
        • Both (n(n + 1)) / 2, and frac(n(n+1), 2) result in in Typst [2][3]
    • Kalcifer@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      20 hours ago

      […] For example, \frac{n(n+1)}{2} in latex turns into (n(n + 1)) / 2 in typst. The typst code is incredibly unclear - the first set of brackets with the slash together actually form the fraction operator, so neither end up visible. […]

      IMO, it’s only unclear if one isn’t familiar with the syntax — I think the documentation states the behaviour clearly:

      […] Multiple atoms can be grouped into a single expression using round grouping parentheses. Such parentheses are removed from the output, but you can nest multiple to force them. [1]

      This isn’t in defense of Typist’s syntax, but I challenge you to show the uninitiated your example LaTeX expression, \frac{n(n+1)}{2}, and see if they are able to accurately parse it.

      References
      1. Type: Text. Publisher: [Type: Webpage. Title: “frac”. Publisher: “Typst”. Location: “Documentation”>“Reference”>“Math”>“Fraction”. Location (URI): https://typst.app/docs/reference/math/frac/.]. Accessed: 2026-03-18T05:34Z. Location: §“Syntax”.
    • Oinks@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      2·
      1 day ago

      The infix syntax is not great, but you can at least write frac(n (n + 1), 2) and it renders the way you would expect.

      Edit:

      This is not even an option in typst, which uses the space as an escape character.

      Technically LaTeX does this too with omitted curly braces:

      \sum_{n=1}^9   % works
\sum_{n=1}^10  % doesn't work

      Everyone just quickly learns to not do that.