BookML: to html, made easy(ish).
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Vincenzo Mantova

6th January 2026

Abstract

BookML is a fully automated solution for the production of accessible html content straight from , based on for the widest compatibility and bookdown for a modern and accessible look. Integration with Overleaf is provided via a GitHub action. Outputs are also packaged as SCORM for ease of use in higher education. Created by and maintained for maths lecturers at the University of Leeds.

Downloads and sources available on GitHub.
Latest release Download stats Stargazers on GitHub

Formats: GitBook (html), plain with Latin Modern (html), PDF, source.

For Leeds-specific instructions see the Leeds BookML guide.

BookML is a small package to help you convert documents into accessible html very similar to the one produced by bookdown. The conversion is done by , which understands a wide collection of packages and can deal with all sorts weird constructs. To see plain(ish) in action, just open any arXiv html preprint. For examples of BookML documents, see:

BookML key features are:

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    simple installation: BookML is just a zip file you unpack in the folder containing your .tex files (admittedly a lie: you must install first, see Getting started on your device);

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    accessible and mobile friendly output based on the popular bookdown project, including font selection and dark mode, tweaked to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 level AA;

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    fully automated (re-)compilation based on which files have changed on disk, powered by GNU Make: running a single make will recompile the files which need updating;

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    high quality conversion of external EPS and PDF figures to SVG via dvisvgm, rather than ImageMagick used by LaTeXML;

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    transparent generation of SVG images from TikZ pictures, animate animations, XY-matrices, and virtually any other picture-like environment, for when struggles with them;

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    easy insertion of alternative text for images;

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    arbitrary html content in , for instance to create foldable paragraphs;

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    declare and include alternative PDF versions, which are also recompiled automatically (for instance sans serif, large print);

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    outputs are automatically packaged into zip files and SCORM packages, which are supported natively by most Learning Management Systems.