# Setting MathJax with Hugo

May 2017 · 4 minute read

## The classical approach

MathJax is a javascript library which allows the user to integrate math expressions in a website or a blog. However, its configuration can be quite complex for beginners. In my previous website powered by Jekyll, I easily managed to install MathJax, whereas I encountered some problems with Hugo.

### 1. Installing MathJax via Hugo’s documentation

Everything you need can be found here. You have to insert the code below in the /layout/partials folder of your website: it is even better to create a file named mathjax_support.html, for example.

<script type="text/javascript"
src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/mathjax/2.7.1/MathJax.js?config=TeX-AMS-MML_HTMLorMML">
</script>

<script type="text/x-mathjax-config">
MathJax.Hub.Config({
tex2jax: {
inlineMath: [['$','$'], ['\$$','\$$']],
displayMath: [['$$','$$'], ['$','$']],
processEscapes: true,
processEnvironments: true,
skipTags: ['script', 'noscript', 'style', 'textarea', 'pre'],
TeX: { equationNumbers: { autoNumber: "AMS" },
extensions: ["AMSmath.js", "AMSsymbols.js"] }
}
});
</script>

<script type="text/x-mathjax-config">
MathJax.Hub.Queue(function() {
// Fix <code> tags after MathJax finishes running. This is a
// hack to overcome a shortcoming of Markdown. Discussion at
// https://github.com/mojombo/jekyll/issues/199
var all = MathJax.Hub.getAllJax(), i;
for(i = 0; i < all.length; i += 1) {
all[i].SourceElement().parentNode.className += ' has-jax';
}
});
</script>


Then, you will have to include mathjax_support.html in footer.html or header.html. In my case, I chose to put it in header.html just before the closing </head> as follows:

{{ partial "mathjax_support.html" . }}


If you are as lucky as me, it should not work at all :).

### 2. A second method

I found a solution after some google research and I warmly thanks its author! The idea is to slightly modify the previous code by including everything in the same <script> and adding async:

<script type="text/javascript" async
src="https://cdn.mathjax.org/mathjax/latest/MathJax.js?config=TeX-AMS-MML_HTMLorMML">
MathJax.Hub.Config({
tex2jax: {
inlineMath: [['$','$'], ['\$$','\$$']],
displayMath: [['$$','$$']],
processEscapes: true,
processEnvironments: true,
skipTags: ['script', 'noscript', 'style', 'textarea', 'pre'],
TeX: { equationNumbers: { autoNumber: "AMS" },
extensions: ["AMSmath.js", "AMSsymbols.js"] }
}
});
MathJax.Hub.Queue(function() {
// Fix <code> tags after MathJax finishes running. This is a
// hack to overcome a shortcoming of Markdown. Discussion at
// https://github.com/mojombo/jekyll/issues/199
var all = MathJax.Hub.getAllJax(), i;
for(i = 0; i < all.length; i += 1) {
all[i].SourceElement().parentNode.className += ' has-jax';
}
});

MathJax.Hub.Config({
// Autonumbering by mathjax
TeX: { equationNumbers: { autoNumber: "AMS" } }
});
</script>


Now, your mathjax_support.html should look like the above code and you should be able to play with latex!

According to MathJax, their CDN is being discontinued, you are not concerned if you use the previous code.

## Latex rendering errors

There are some differences with classical Latex expressions and the syntax to use in a markdown document. For example, \sum_ does not render with Hugo and you should use \sum\_ instead (notice the second backslash before the underscore). I noticed that it is the same thing for \int_ (so \int\_). Of course, this will tighly depend on the configuration you chose for MathJax. Moreover, the following system of equations does not render properly:

\left{ \begin{align} \dot{x} & = \sigma(y-x) \newline \dot{y} & = \rho x - y - xz \newline \dot{z} & = -\beta z + xy \end{align} \right.

What follows is better:

\left\{ \begin{align} \dot{x} & = \sigma(y-x) \newline \dot{y} & = \rho x - y - xz \newline \dot{z} & = -\beta z + xy \end{align} \right.

by simply changing \left\{ to \left\\{. Yet, { should be displayed in the center and not in the left, a problem that I did not have with Jekyll. Thus, I replaced \begin{align} by \begin{cases}:

$$\begin{cases} \dot{x} & = \sigma(y-x) \newline \dot{y} & = \rho x - y - xz \newline \dot{z} & = -\beta z + xy \end{cases}$$

which works, except that we lost equations numbering.

## Latex Showcase

$$\left( \sum_{k=1}^n a_k b_k \right)^{2} \leq \left( \sum_{k=1}^n a_k^2 \right) \left( \sum_{k=1}^n b_k^2 \right)$$

$$\mathbf{V}_1 \times \mathbf{V}_2 = \begin{vmatrix} \mathbf{i} & \mathbf{j} & \mathbf{k} \newline \frac{\partial X}{\partial u} & \frac{\partial Y}{\partial u} & 0 \newline \frac{\partial X}{\partial v} & \frac{\partial Y}{\partial v} & 0 \newline \end{vmatrix}$$

$$\frac{1}{(\sqrt{\phi \sqrt{5}}-\phi) e^{\frac25 \pi}} = 1+\frac{e^{-2\pi}} {1+\frac{e^{-4\pi}} {1+\frac{e^{-6\pi}} {1+\frac{e^{-8\pi}} {1+\ldots} } } }$$

$$1 + \frac{q^2}{(1-q)}+\frac{q^6}{(1-q)(1-q^2)}+\cdots = \prod_{j=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(1-q^{5j+2})(1-q^{5j+3})}, \quad\quad \text{for |q|<1}.$$

\begin{align} \nabla \times \vec{\mathbf{B}} -\, \frac1c\, \frac{\partial\vec{\mathbf{E}}}{\partial t} & = \frac{4\pi}{c}\vec{\mathbf{j}} \newline \nabla \cdot \vec{\mathbf{E}} & = 4 \pi \rho \newline \nabla \times \vec{\mathbf{E}}\, +\, \frac1c\, \frac{\partial\vec{\mathbf{B}}}{\partial t} & = \vec{\mathbf{0}} \newline \nabla \cdot \vec{\mathbf{B}} & = 0 \end{align}

$$$$x(t) = e^{\int_{t_0}^tp(s)ds}\Bigg(\int_{t_0}^t\Big(q(s)e^{-\int_{t_0}^sp(\tau)d\tau}\Big)ds + x_0\Bigg).$$$$

Here is inline math: $\sqrt{3x-1}+(1+x)^2$.

I will update this part as frequently as possible…