Glossary
Short definitions of the words Luzbase uses, in alphabetical order. Most entries link to the page that explains them in full.
Approval: An owner or editor’s sign-off on a pull request. A project can require a number of approvals before a pull request can be merged. See Pull requests.
Archived project: A project its owner has made read-only. Nobody can edit, save versions or compile it until the owner unarchives it. See Archive and delete.
Auto render / Manual render: The two compile modes in the editor. Manual render (the default) compiles when you click Compile. Auto render compiles as you type. See Compiling.
BibTeX / biber: The programs that turn your .bib file into a bibliography. Luzbase runs the right one for you. See Bibliographies and citations.
Branch: A separate copy of a project to work on without changing the main version. Every project starts with one branch, main. See Branches.
Code mode: The editor view that shows the LaTeX source as plain text with syntax highlighting. Switch with the Code / Visual toggle. See Editor tour.
Collaborator: Anyone other than the owner who is a member of a project, as an editor or a viewer. See Roles and permissions.
Compile: Turning your LaTeX source into a PDF. See Compiling.
Conflict: When two branches change the same lines of a file, Luzbase cannot merge them on its own and asks you to choose. See Resolve merge conflicts.
Default branch (main): The branch every project starts with. It is always called main and cannot be renamed or deleted.
Discussion: A conversation thread about a project, open to every member including viewers. Discussions are about the project as a whole, not attached to lines of text. See Discussions.
Editor (role): A member who can edit files, save versions, create branches, and open, approve and merge pull requests. See Roles and permissions.
Engine (compiler): The LaTeX program that builds your PDF: pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX. Luzbase uses pdfLaTeX unless your main file asks for another. See Compilers and TeX Live.
History: The list of saved versions of a branch, on the project’s History tab. See History.
History window: How far back you can see and restore versions. It depends on the project owner’s plan. On the Free plan, the stored files of versions older than the window are deleted after an email notice. See History.
Invitation: An email that asks someone to join a project. It expires after 7 days. See Invite collaborators.
latexmk: The tool Luzbase uses to run every compile. It runs LaTeX, BibTeX or biber, and the index tool as many times as needed.
Linked library: A Zotero or Mendeley library or collection connected to a .bib file in a project, so you can sync references into it. See Zotero.
Live copy: The shared, autosaved state of a branch that everyone on it edits. It becomes part of the history when someone saves a version. See How saving works.
Live error checking (language server): On the Pro plan, a service that checks your LaTeX while you type and underlines problems before you compile.
Magic comment: A special comment near the top of the main file that tells Luzbase which engine to use, for example % !TEX program = xelatex. See Compilers and TeX Live.
Main file: The .tex file a compile starts from. Luzbase finds it automatically; naming it main.tex at the top level of the project is the most reliable choice. See The main file.
Member: A person with access to a project: its owner, an editor or a viewer.
OCR (photo capture): Turning a photo or screenshot of text and formulas into LaTeX, from the editor toolbar. See OCR.
Out of date: A label on the PDF preview when the PDF was compiled before your latest changes. The next compile refreshes it. See PDF preview.
Output panel: The panel below the editor that shows the compile log, errors and warnings. See Compile logs and errors.
Owner: The one person with full control of a project: members, settings, archiving, transfer and deletion. The owner’s plan sets the project’s limits.
Preamble: The part of a LaTeX file between \documentclass and \begin{document}, where packages and settings go.
Protect main: A project setting that lets only the owner change the main branch directly. Everyone else works on a branch and merges it through a pull request. See Merge settings.
Pull request: A proposal to merge the changes of one branch into another, with a place to review, comment and approve. See Pull requests.
Restore: Bringing back an earlier version by adding it as a new version. Nothing in the history is deleted. See History.
Revert to last version: Throwing away every unsaved change on a branch, for everyone on it, and going back to the last saved version. See Save a version.
Snippet: A single formula with a name, rendered in the browser and shareable by link. Snippets are separate from projects. See Snippets.
SyncTeX: The link between your source and the PDF. It lets you jump from a line of source to the same spot in the PDF, and back. See PDF preview.
Template: A reusable starting point for new projects. Templates marked By Luzbase are official; others are made by the community. See Use a template.
TeX Live: The LaTeX distribution, with its packages and fonts, that Luzbase compiles with.
Unsaved changes: Edits made since the last saved version. They are stored in the branch’s live copy and shared as you type, but are not yet a named version. Not to be confused with the Unsaved changes in … dialog, which offers back edits that never reached the server.
Version: A named snapshot of a branch that you can return to, compare and export. You create one with Save version. See Save a version.
Viewer: A member who can read the project, follow live edits, compile, download the PDF and take part in discussions, but cannot edit. See Roles and permissions.
Visual mode: The editor view that shows formatted text, math and figures while you edit the same LaTeX source. Switch with the Code / Visual toggle. See Editor tour.