Tulip help

Begin with a blank project, your own source ZIP, or a saved template.

1. Open Projects and choose New project. Give it a name.
2. A blank project starts with main.tex. Write your text between \begin{document} and \end{document}.
3. Select the main TeX file and press Compile. Open Preview to see the PDF.

A chapter that is included by another file usually is not a standalone document.

The two file commands have different jobs.

1. Use File → New TeX File for a LaTeX source with a .tex extension.
2. Use File → New File… for a bibliography, style file, Markdown document, or any other filename.
3. Enter a path relative to the workspace root, such as chapters/introduction.tex. Project IDs are not part of your file path.

Upload the actual files your source refers to.

1. In File, choose Upload Files… or Upload Folder….
2. Check the file tree after uploading. Match the path and capitalization in your TeX source exactly.
3. Compile the root document again after adding its dependencies.

Import the source ZIP, not just the compiled PDF.

1. In Overleaf, open the project menu and download the source ZIP.
2. In Tulip Projects, choose Import ZIP and select that archive.
3. For several projects, use From Overleaf and the collection-import option. Check available project slots before importing.
4. Open the imported project, select its main document, and compile.

A downloaded PDF alone cannot recover the editable TeX source.

The Free plan allows three projects you own.

1. Check your membership and project count in Your account → Profile.
2. Projects shared with you do not use your owned-project allowance. Archived projects you own still count.
3. Download sources before deleting a project you no longer need. Deletion asks for confirmation.

Existing projects remain accessible when your account is above its allowance.

Project actions live beside each project in the list.

1. Open a project’s action menu to rename, copy, download source ZIP, archive, or delete it.
2. Create a category in the workspace sidebar. Select projects to assign them together.
3. Use Archive to find archived projects. For a project shared with you, leave the project rather than deleting the owner’s work.

Categories organize your workspace; they do not move source files.

Some catalog entries contain source downloads; others guide you to an official source.

1. Browse Templates by format and subject, or search for the journal or institution.
2. Open the template page to check its description, official source, and available preview.
3. Use Download when source files are available. Start writing in Tulip creates a project from an available template.
4. Save a downloadable template while signed in to select it when creating a new project.

An official source guide does not imply that a source ZIP or compiled preview is hosted in Tulip.

Use the search that matches what you need.

1. Use Search in the editor sidebar to find text across project files.
2. Use Ctrl/Cmd+P to find and open a file by name.
3. Use Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P to open the command palette, including Tulip: Project Settings.
4. Use Search everything in Projects for workspace projects and templates.

Command and environment suggestions help build a structure without interrupting prose.

1. Type a LaTeX command, or begin, to see matching commands and environments.
2. Choose a figure, equation, table, or other environment snippet.
3. Press Tab to move through its fields, and Shift+Tab to go back. Replace the placeholders with your own content.

Ordinary prose words should not appear as word-completion suggestions.

Useful writing preferences are grouped in your account.

1. Return to Projects and open Go to your account below your name.
2. Open Editor to adjust the available font, indentation, wrapping, cursor, and navigation preferences.
3. In the editor, the bottom-left gear opens both Editor settings and Project settings. On a phone, use Editor options.

Editor preferences are saved on this device. Project compilation settings belong to the project.

Change the appearance without changing the document.

1. On a desktop, use Light or Dark on the bottom-right editor bar. On a phone, start this guide and use its Switch theme button; tap again to switch back.
2. Open Your account for workspace appearance preferences.
3. The editor uses Tulip’s accent color, with distinct warning and error colors.

Autosave and compile-on-save are separate options.

1. Leave Auto Save enabled to preserve your edits as you work.
2. Enable Compile on save in Run when you want explicit saves to build the PDF.
3. Use Ctrl/Cmd+S, Save, or Save All to request a build. Collaborative updates and automatic saves do not trigger it.

Repeated explicit saves of unchanged sources do not need separate compilations. A changed document can queue the latest build while one is running.

The Run menu selects where a document is compiled.

1. Open Run and choose browser compilation or server compilation when available.
2. Free projects use browser compilation. Server availability follows the project owner’s plan.
3. Choose the appropriate TeX engine in Project Settings, then press Compile.

Browser compilation downloads its runtime and packages on first use. Cached resources make subsequent starts faster.

Unicode math needs LuaLaTeX or XeLaTeX rather than pdfLaTeX.

1. Use the unicode-math package for Unicode mathematics. Tulip automatically selects LuaLaTeX for a detected Unicode-math requirement, or XeLaTeX for fontspec-only sources.
2. You can explicitly choose LuaLaTeX or XeLaTeX in Project Settings → Typesetting. An explicit incompatible TeX program directive in the source must be corrected.
3. Use a named TeX Live font, or upload your own .otf or .ttf files and reference their project-relative path. Fonts installed only on your computer are not automatically available to the browser compiler.
4. Compile again and check Problems for missing fonts or unsupported commands.

Keep the current runtime or choose a verified compatibility archive.

1. Open Project Settings → Typesetting → TeX distribution while a browser compilation is not running.
2. Choose Current to use the newest supported archive, or Compatibility archive when testing a previous prepared runtime. Your choice is saved for your account on this device.
3. The previous PDF remains visible and is marked stale. Compile to rebuild it using the chosen distribution.
4. Each distribution downloads its own verified resources when first needed. Cached resources can be reused offline after they have been prepared.

Both available archives use TeX Live 2026. The compatibility archive does not add newer style files; a newer style can require a newer engine and format.

Included chapters should update their root document’s preview.

1. Find the TeX document that contains the document class and document environment.
2. Set it as the main or entry document in Project Settings if automatic selection picks the wrong file.
3. Compile that root. Editing and explicitly saving its included chapter can compile the same root when Compile on save is enabled.

A genuinely standalone subdocument may have its own build and preview.

Start with the first error, not the last one.

1. Click the red compilation status at the bottom of the editor to open Problems and the build details.
2. Open the first error and check its file and line. Fix unmatched braces, missing files, or an unknown command before later errors.
3. Read the compile log when the shorter diagnostic needs more context. Compile again after the fix.

The bottom panel does not need to open automatically. Compile remains available to retry.

Paths in the source must match real project files.

1. Read the missing filename in Problems or the compile log.
2. Upload the image or included TeX file to the expected folder, or correct the path in the source.
3. Check uppercase and lowercase letters, the filename extension, and any image package required by your template.
4. Compile again. If the engine produced a partial PDF, Preview can still show its readable pages.

A partial PDF does not mean the source is error-free. Some missing inputs stop an engine before any PDF can be produced.

An amber badge means the output needs a check.

1. Click the amber compilation status to inspect warnings.
2. For unresolved references or citations, check labels and bibliography keys and allow another compilation pass.
3. For overfull boxes, inspect the reported line and the PDF before changing the layout.

Warnings and errors are separate from the compile button. An output PDF can exist with either.

Generated files are available in compilation details.

1. Click the bottom compilation status.
2. Use Output files to find generated artifacts, including the .bbl file when the build produced one.
3. Open or download the available file. Use Problems for source diagnostics and the compile log for the engine’s complete messages.

Only files produced and retained by that build are listed; a failed bibliography step may not produce a .bbl.

Check both the source data and the template’s bibliography tool.

1. Upload the .bib file and check the path used by your document.
2. Check that each citation key exists and that the publisher’s bibliography commands are preserved.
3. Inspect the compile log for a missing .bib file, style, or failed bibliography step.
4. Recompile after fixing the input. Cross-references may require more than one pass.

A PDF generated before a bibliography failure may still contain unresolved citations.

Match the engine to the original template before changing its source.

1. Check the template instructions: some fonts require XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX rather than pdfLaTeX.
2. Choose that engine in Project Settings and compile again.
3. If a required custom class or style belongs to the publisher, upload the original .cls or .sty file.
4. If the log reports an unsupported external tool, export its result as an image or vector PDF and include that file.

Browser compilation does not grant arbitrary operating-system commands or unrestricted shell access.

Distinguish downloading packages from compiling your document.

1. Check the compile spinner and status to see whether the engine is running.
2. Wait for the first runtime and package downloads to finish; subsequent builds reuse cached resources.
3. Inspect Problems and the log if the build fails. Repeatedly pressing Save on identical source does not make a build faster.
4. For a cancelled build, use Stop in Run when available, correct the source, and compile again.

Keep your source saved before clearing caches or reloading. A browser job has a ten-minute safety budget across initialization, conversions, and TeX passes. You can stop it immediately; there is no monthly compilation allowance.

Check whether the build produced an output before troubleshooting the viewer.

1. Click the compilation status and check whether the build produced a PDF.
2. For compiled output, use Preview. For an uploaded PDF, open the file from Files.
3. If a previous preview appears stale, compile the current source again. If the viewer reports an error, note that message.
4. Try reopening the file. If it still fails, report the browser, file size, and whether it is uploaded or compiled.

A compile failure can produce no PDF at all. Clearing caches may help a stale cached file but will require downloading it again.

Preview is separate from opening a standalone PDF file.

1. Press Preview in the top editor controls to show the compiled document.
2. If you closed its tab or pane, press Preview again.
3. On a phone, select the Preview tab. A standalone PDF opened from Files is a file viewer in Editor; the compiled document remains in Preview.

Use the compiled preview to locate the corresponding TeX passage.

1. Compile the project, then open Preview.
2. Double-click the passage in the PDF, or use Ctrl/Cmd-click.
3. Tulip opens the source file and highlights the mapped location.

Source navigation uses that build’s mapping. It cannot jump from an unrelated uploaded PDF without source mapping, and generated text or changed source may not map to an exact word.

Forward navigation starts in the TeX editor.

1. Place the cursor in the passage, or select its text.
2. Right-click and choose Show in PDF.
3. The compiled preview opens at the mapped passage. Compile first if your latest edits are not reflected in the PDF.

Use the same root document and build for source and preview. A chapter may map through its compiled root.

A stale build or generated text can make navigation ambiguous.

1. Compile the current sources again and retry in the compiled preview, not a standalone PDF tab.
2. Check that the entry document is the one you expect.
3. Try a nearby ordinary word instead of a generated heading, citation, or mathematical symbol.
4. If the jump is still wrong, send the project name, engine, compile location, page, and failing passage through Contact.

Do not send passwords, tokens, or private project content in feedback.

The PDF toolbar keeps page navigation and viewing controls together.

1. Use the page controls to move to a page.
2. On desktop, use zoom out, zoom in, the percentage, and fit-to-width controls.
3. Pinch to zoom on a touch screen or trackpad. Scroll normally to move through pages.
4. Use Download for the PDF. On a narrow screen, additional actions can live in the three-dot menu.

An incomplete build can still produce useful pages.

1. Open Preview if the build produced a PDF.
2. Read the red Problems status separately; a displayed PDF does not clear those errors.
3. Return to the project to reopen its cached compiled preview. Fix the source and compile again to replace it.

If the latest build produced no renderable PDF, the previous available output can remain visible. Check the build status before treating it as current.

Project files do not all need to open as plain text.

1. Open a PDF or image from Files to view it.
2. For Markdown, choose its rendered preview or edit the source as text.
3. Malformed LaTeX in Markdown should remain readable rather than interrupting the preview with a large error.

PDF-to-source navigation belongs to compiled PDFs with source mapping.

The project owner controls access.

1. On a desktop, open Share beside the collaborator photos in the top bar. On a phone, use Share in the editor header. Sharing and Access is also in the File menu.
2. Enter one or more email addresses, choose an access role, and send the invitation.
3. The recipient opens the invitation link and signs in to join.
4. Click outside the share popover to close it.

Only the owner can add collaborators or manage sharing. Check the invitation state if an email has not arrived.

Access determines whether a person can change the shared source.

1. Editors can edit source files.
2. Reviewers can comment and propose changes; their draft edits do not directly modify the shared source.
3. Viewers can read files, previews, comments, and available history, but cannot edit or post comments.
4. Ask the owner to change your role if you need different access.

A collaborator cannot invite others just because they can edit.

Anchor a discussion to selected text.

1. Select the relevant passage in an editable text file and right-click.
2. Choose Comment, write your message, and post it.
3. Open Comments in the left sidebar to read the discussion.
4. Click the comment’s location to open and highlight the source passage.

The short quote is a reminder of the selection; open the location to see the full passage.

Visual comments can mark a specific page or point.

1. Open the PDF or image.
2. Right-click the point you want to discuss and choose the comment action.
3. Write and post your comment.
4. Open its location from Comments to return to the marked page or point.

You need reviewer, editor, or owner access to post a comment.

Reviewers work with a private draft.

1. Open the source with reviewer access and make the proposed edit in your private draft.
2. Open Changes and submit the proposal.
3. The owner or an editor can compare the proposed source with the current file and accept or reject it.
4. Submit or discard the current draft before moving to another file.

A proposal is not applied to the shared document until it is accepted.

Your projects and shared projects have separate workspace views.

1. Use Shared with me in Projects to find work owned by someone else.
2. Look for the owner and collaborator names or photos in the project list.
3. Open the project to see your access role. Use its action menu to leave when you no longer need access.

Ownership transfer needs the other person’s acceptance.

1. As the owner, open Sharing and Access and choose the ownership-transfer option.
2. Select the intended recipient and send the transfer request.
3. The recipient accepts the request before ownership changes. Check their available project allowance first.

Ownership grants access-management privileges. Connections may need to be authorized again after ownership changes.

History keeps saved revisions separate from current editing.

1. Open History in the editor’s left sidebar.
2. Choose a file and a revision to see its author and time.
3. Open that saved version to read it, or compare it with the current version.
4. The comparison starts inline. Switch to side by side when useful.

Opening a saved version does not overwrite the current file.

Inspect the earlier source before changing the current file.

1. Open History and select the relevant saved version.
2. Compare it with the current source to find the lost passage.
3. Copy the passage from the saved version into the current editable file, then save.
4. Compile again if that recovered passage affects the PDF.

History is for saved revisions. For a recent local editing mistake, try the editor’s Undo command first.

Choose tools in project settings rather than crowding the sidebar.

1. Open the bottom-left gear and choose Project settings. Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P → Tulip: Project Settings also works.
2. Open Connections, then Manage connections to authorize an available provider.
3. Use Show in your sidebar to display the tools you need.
4. On a phone, open Editor options → Project settings → Connections.

Only the owner manages connection credentials. Availability depends on the provider and the server’s registered application configuration.

A connection and a usable bibliography are different steps.

1. Open the reference integration in Connections and use its available authorization or import flow.
2. Select the library or bibliography data you need and import it into the project.
3. Check the resulting bibliography filename and citation keys in your TeX source.
4. If an account connection is unavailable, export BibTeX from your reference manager and upload the .bib file.

Do not paste access tokens into source files or comments. Provider support differs; an import-only provider is not a live account connection.

Git and GitHub workflows use the familiar branching icon.

1. Enable Git/GitHub in Project Settings → Connections and configure an available repository connection.
2. Open Source Control from the editor sidebar.
3. Inspect changed files and diffs, stage the intended files, and commit with a meaningful message.
4. Use the connection’s supported repository actions to synchronize changes.

The file editor is not a general terminal. Repository permissions and the configured connection determine which actions are available.

Your account is a page within the workspace.

1. Use Go to your account below your name in Projects.
2. In Profile, choose Edit profile to update the fields Tulip allows you to change.
3. Review your membership, affiliation, email, and member-since information.
4. Use Editor, Compilation, Storage, and Sessions for their respective preferences. Sign out is at the end.

Your verified sign-in email belongs to your Google account; changing a display name does not change that email.

See collaborators across your own and shared projects.

1. Open Go to your account in the workspace, then choose Collaborators in the settings navigation.
2. Open a person to see the projects you share. Choose a project name to return to its editor.
3. Use Load more to view the next group, or Refresh to check recent access changes.

Pending invitations and email addresses are shown through projects you own. Shared-project collaborators can appear by name and photo without exposing their private email.

Clear caches when troubleshooting, not as a routine speed-up.

1. Open the Storage settings in your account or the available cache controls in Project Settings.
2. Choose the specific cache to clear: compiled previews or downloaded TeX resources.
3. Reopen the preview or compile again to rebuild those cached resources.

Clearing a runtime cache makes the next build download resources again. Saved project sources are separate from these caches.

Send enough context to reproduce the issue.

1. Open Contact & feedback. Enter your name, email, and message.
2. For an editor issue, include your device, browser, project name, and the exact control you used.
3. For a compile issue, include the engine, browser or server compilation, and the first error message.
4. Submit the form. Feedback is saved privately in the backend; it does not open an email draft.

Do not include passwords, authentication tokens, or private manuscript content.

One main panel at a time gives each task enough room.

1. Choose Files to browse the project. Open a TeX file, then use Editor to write.
2. Use the green play button to compile and select Preview to read the compiled document.
3. Use the top back control to return to Projects.
4. Use Editor options for project settings and generated output files; Share stays available for collaboration.

Tap the text editor, not the preview or a read-only version.

1. Open a TeX file and select Editor. Tap inside the source text.
2. Check your project role: viewer access and saved history versions are read-only.
3. If you use a hardware keyboard, check iPad’s keyboard control to show the onscreen keyboard.
4. If editable source still does not focus, reopen the file and report the iPadOS version, browser, and steps through Contact.

Scrolling a file does not put the cursor into editing mode.

You can return to the tour whenever you need it.

1. In Projects, open Help. Choose Show me Projects for an introduction, or open a Help article and choose Show me in a project for that task.
2. In the editor, open Project Settings → Editor → Take a guided tour.
3. Use Next and Back to follow the tour. Skip or Escape dismisses it without changing your files.

Help articles with Show me in the editor open a separate step-by-step task guide in your current project. Guides open the relevant controls. Creating a file, compiling, posting a comment, or sending an invitation still requires your explicit action.