Building a braille output in PreTeXt codespace

[Alexei Kolesnikov]

This is a question about PreTeXt CLI and codespace.

Short version. I am trying to build a braille output from a PreTeXt article in codespace.

$ pretext build braille

leads to an error that braille target is not found. 

Adding <target name="braille" format="braille" />

to the publication file fixes that, but leads to 

critical: cannot import name 'braille_format' from 'pretext.core' (/opt/venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/pretext/core/__init__.py)

because the lines with braille are commented out in the __init__.py file.

Does the capability to build a braille output exist in the codespace?

Longer version (why).

Recently, two students working with Al Maneki managed to build a GPT that produces PreTeXt markup from either spoken mathematical text or from a PDF file. Not perfect, but pretty good: if a blind student is trying to get homework solutions to her professor or the professor trying to get the handout into an accessible form, this would go a long way.

The hope is to use GPT (or some other AI tool) to generate a PreTeXt file from either spoken input or from a PDF, and then pass the PreTeXt file to codespace to get either braille or HTML (for the student) or PDF (with student's homework solutions).

Maybe codespace is not the way to do it? 

Any information would be appreciated.

Best regards,

--Alexei

[Oscar Levin]

I haven't figured out how to get braille to work with the CLI yet; recently we changed how core pretext imports the braille_format.py file, so now this should be possible, I just haven't had a chance to implement it on the CLI side.  I can try to tackle that soon.

[David Austin]

For Alexei:  Once Oscar has this working, I think the pretext format you want is "braille-emboss" or "braille-electronic" rather than just "braille", which is for math elements only.  At least, that's the case with the pretext/pretext script, and I assume that the CLI just passes the format on to the pretext core.

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[Rob Beezer]

Late to the party, and it is a party, since I am very excited with what
transpired at the last meeting of the braille group.

Seems AI, when fed the PreTeXt Guide, can churn out pretty nice PreTeXt source,
and then that could be made into braille (or anything else!). Sure to be some
bumps in the road, but very promising. Alexei - I hope you can keep us posted
on progress from the students and your own experiments.

While Oscar tackles the problem of making this easier, you can make braille
today, if

1. You use the pretext/pretext script

2. Install MathJax to run offline via node

3. Install liblouis with its Python bindings

Rob

On 8/9/25 13:04, David Austin wrote:
> For Alexei:  Once Oscar has this working, I think the pretext format you want is
> "braille-emboss" or "braille-electronic" rather than just "braille", which is
> for math elements only.  At least, that's the case with the pretext/pretext
> script, and I assume that the CLI just passes the format on to the pretext core.
>
> On Sat, Aug 9, 2025 at 9:48 AM Oscar Levin <oscar...@gmail.com
> <mailto:oscar...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> I haven't figured out how to get braille to work with the CLI yet; recently
> we changed how core pretext imports the braille_format.py file, so now this
> should be possible, I just haven't had a chance to implement it on the CLI
> side.  I can try to tackle that soon.
>
> On Friday, August 8, 2025 at 9:58:35 PM UTC-6 alexei.s....@gmail.com

> <mailto:alexei.s....@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This is a question about PreTeXt CLI and codespace.
>

> *Short version.* I am trying to build a braille output from a PreTeXt

> article in codespace.
>
> $ pretext build braille
> leads to an error that braille target is not found.
>

> Adding <targetname="braille"format="braille"/>

> to the publication file fixes that, but leads to
>
> critical: cannot import name 'braille_format' from 'pretext.core' (/opt/
> venv/lib/python3.11/site-packages/pretext/core/__init__.py)
>
> because the lines with braille are commented out in the __init__.py file.
>
> Does the capability to build a braille output exist in the codespace?
>

> *Longer version (why).*

> Recently, two students working with Al Maneki managed to build a GPT
> that produces PreTeXt markup from either spoken mathematical text or
> from a PDF file. Not perfect, but pretty good: if a blind student is
> trying to get homework solutions to her professor or the professor
> trying to get the handout into an accessible form, this would go a long way.
>
> The hope is to use GPT (or some other AI tool) to generate a PreTeXt
> file from either spoken input or from a PDF, and then pass the PreTeXt
> file to codespace to get either braille or HTML (for the student) or PDF
> (with student's homework solutions).
>
> Maybe codespace is not the way to do it?
>
> Any information would be appreciated.
>
> Best regards,
>
> --Alexei
>
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[David Austin]

I made a PDF of the prefigure documentation at the request of one of the students.  Sorry I missed that meeting.

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[Oscar Levin]

I found the issue (I forgot to add the braille_format.py file as an "include" in my pyproject.toml file).  The good news is if you got to that error, then the codespace is already doing the right thing to make liblouis available.  So once I release the next version of the CLI (probably Monday), you will be able to build braille targets in a codespace.

And to clarify, the target in project.ptx should be <target name="braille" format="braille" braille-mode="emboss"/> (or braille-mode="electronic"; emboss is the default if you leave the braille-mode out). 

[Alexei Kolesnikov]

Thank you, Oscar!

I verified that 

$ pretext build braille

works in CLI after updating to pretext version 2.26.0 (and adding the braille target to project.ptx, as you and David described).

This command does not work in the Codespace somehow; I am getting

"

successful application of /root/.ptx/2.26.0/core/xsl/pretext-braille-preprint.xsl
critical: name '_is_py3' is not defined

"

and then it dies.

Best regards,

--Alexei

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[Oscar Levin]

It looks like the version that of the python bindings that the container is installing from the deb repository is broken.  I'm going to try to upgrade the docker image to use the just-released debian trixie-slim as it's base image, otherwise I'll try to build from source, which might be better anyway?  Stay tuned.