---
title: transform.ToMath
description: Renders mathematical equations and expressions written in the LaTeX markup language.
categories: []
keywords: []
params:
  functions_and_methods:
    aliases: []
    returnType: template.HTML
    signatures: ['transform.ToMath INPUT [OPTIONS]']
aliases: [/functions/tomath]
---

Hugo uses an embedded instance of the [KaTeX][] display engine to render mathematical markup to HTML. You do not need to install the KaTeX display engine.

```go-html-template
{{ transform.ToMath "c = \\pm\\sqrt{a^2 + b^2}" }}
```

> [!NOTE]
> By default, Hugo renders mathematical markup to [MathML][], and does not require any CSS to display the result.
>
> To optimize rendering quality and accessibility, use the `htmlAndMathml` output option as described below. This approach requires an external stylesheet.

```go-html-template
{{ $opts := dict "output" "htmlAndMathml" }}
{{ transform.ToMath "c = \\pm\\sqrt{a^2 + b^2}" $opts }}
```

## Options

The `transform.ToMath` function accepts an options map. These options are a subset of the KaTeX [rendering options][].

`displayMode`
: (`bool`) Whether to render in display mode instead of inline mode. Default is `false`.

`errorColor`
: (`string`) The color of the error messages expressed as an RGB [hexadecimal color][]. Default is `#cc0000`.

`fleqn`
: (`bool`) Whether to render flush left with a 2em left margin. Default is `false`.

`macros`
: (`map`) A map of macros to be used in the math expression. Default is `{}`.

  ```go-html-template
  {{ $macros := dict
    "\\addBar" "\\bar{#1}"
    "\\bold" "\\mathbf{#1}"
  }}
  {{ $opts := dict "macros" $macros }}
  {{ transform.ToMath "\\addBar{y} + \\bold{H}" $opts }}
  ```

`minRuleThickness`
: (`float`) The minimum thickness of the fraction lines in `em`. Default is `0.04`.

`output`
: (`string`) Determines the markup language of the output, one of `html`, `mathml`, or `htmlAndMathml`. Default is `mathml`.

  With `html` and `htmlAndMathml` you must include the KaTeX style sheet within the `head` element of your base template.

  ```html
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/katex@0.17.0/dist/katex.min.css" integrity="sha384-vlBdW0r3AcZO/HboRPznQNowvexd3fY8qHOWkBi5q7KGgqJ+F48+DceybYmrVbmB" crossorigin="anonymous">
  ```

`strict`
: {{< new-in 0.147.6 />}}
: (`string`) Controls how KaTeX handles LaTeX features that offer convenience but aren't officially supported, one of `error`, `ignore`, or `warn`. Default is `error`.

  - `error`: Throws an error when convenient, unsupported LaTeX features are encountered.
  - `ignore`: Allows convenient, unsupported LaTeX features without any feedback.
  - `warn`: {{< new-in 0.147.7 />}} Emits a warning when convenient, unsupported LaTeX features are encountered.

  The `newLineInDisplayMode` error code, which flags the use of `\\` or `\newline` in display mode outside an array or tabular environment, is intentionally designed not to throw an error, despite this behavior being questionable.

`throwOnError`
: (`bool`) Whether to throw a `ParseError` when KaTeX encounters an unsupported command or invalid LaTeX. Default is `true`.

## Error handling

There are three ways to handle errors:

1. Let KaTeX throw an error and fail the build. This is the default behavior.
1. Set the `throwOnError` option to `false` to make KaTeX render the expression as an error instead of throwing an error. See [options](#options).
1. Handle the error in your template.

The example below demonstrates error handing within a template.

## Example

Instead of client-side JavaScript rendering of mathematical markup using MathJax or KaTeX, create a passthrough render hook which calls the `transform.ToMath` function.

Step 1
: Enable and configure the Goldmark [passthrough extension][] in your project configuration. The passthrough extension preserves raw Markdown within delimited snippets of text, including the delimiters themselves.

  {{< code-toggle file=hugo copy=true >}}
  [markup.goldmark.extensions.passthrough]
  enable = true
  [markup.goldmark.extensions.passthrough.delimiters]
  block = [['\[', '\]'], ['$$', '$$']]
  inline = [['\(', '\)']]
  {{< /code-toggle >}}

  > [!NOTE]
  > The configuration above precludes the use of the `$...$` delimiter pair for inline equations. Although you can add this delimiter pair to the configuration, you must double-escape the `$` symbol when used outside of math contexts to avoid unintended formatting.

Step 2
: Create a [passthrough render hook][] to capture and render the LaTeX markup.4

  ```go-html-template {file="layouts/_markup/render-passthrough.html" copy=true}
  {{- $opts := dict "output" "htmlAndMathml" "displayMode" (eq .Type "block") }}
  {{- with try (transform.ToMath .Inner $opts) }}
    {{- with .Err }}
      {{- errorf "Unable to render mathematical markup to HTML using the transform.ToMath function. The KaTeX display engine threw the following error: %s: see %s." . $.Position }}
    {{- else }}
      {{- .Value }}
      {{- $.Page.Store.Set "hasMath" true }}
    {{- end }}
  {{- end -}}
  ```
  
Step 3
: In your base template, conditionally include the KaTeX CSS within the head element.

  ```go-html-template {file="layouts/baseof.html" copy=true}
  <head>
    {{ $noop := .WordCount }}
    {{ if .Page.Store.Get "hasMath" }}
      <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/katex@0.17.0/dist/katex.min.css" integrity="sha384-vlBdW0r3AcZO/HboRPznQNowvexd3fY8qHOWkBi5q7KGgqJ+F48+DceybYmrVbmB" crossorigin="anonymous">
    {{ end }}
  </head>
  ```

  In the above, note the use of a [noop](g) statement to force content rendering before we check the value of `hasMath` with the `Store.Get` method.

  > [!NOTE]
  > This conditional approach only identifies math on the current page. Mathematical expressions will not display correctly when one page's content is embedded within another. For example, if a [list page](g) calls the [`Content`][] or [`Summary`][] methods while ranging through its page collection, the list page will not load the KaTeX CSS.
  >
  > If this affects your site, use this conditional logic instead:
  >
  > ```go-html-template {file="layouts/baseof.html" copy=true}
  > {{ $noop := .WordCount }}
  > {{ if or (.Page.Store.Get "hasMath") .IsNode }}
  >   <link rel="stylesheet" href="...">
  > {{ end }}
  > ```

Step 4
: Add some mathematical markup to your content, then test.

  ```md {file="content/example.md"}
  This is an inline \(a^*=x-b^*\) equation.

  These are block equations:

  \[a^*=x-b^*\]

  $$a^*=x-b^*$$
  ```

## Chemistry

{{< new-in 0.144.0 />}}

You can also use the `transform.ToMath` function to render chemical equations, leveraging the `\ce` and `\pu` functions from the [`mhchem`][] package.

```md
$$C_p[\ce{H2O(l)}] = \pu{75.3 J // mol K}$$
```

$$C_p[\ce{H2O(l)}] = \pu{75.3 J // mol K}$$

[KaTeX]: https://katex.org/
[MathML]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/MathML
[`Content`]: /methods/page/content/
[`Summary`]: /methods/page/summary/
[`mhchem`]: https://mhchem.github.io/MathJax-mhchem/
[hexadecimal color]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/hex-color
[passthrough extension]: /configuration/markup/#passthrough
[passthrough render hook]: /render-hooks/passthrough/
[rendering options]: https://katex.org/docs/options.html
