pictex

library2.3.0pypypi✓ verified 91d ago

PicTex is a Python library for generating images via CSS Flexbox layout. It uses a declarative API to compose elements, supports text shaping via HarfBuzz, Unicode bidirectional text, gradients, and inline spans. Current version 2.3.0 requires Python >=3.9. Releases occur irregularly, with breaking changes in v2.0.0 that renamed many methods.

web-framework serialization

pip install pictex

github ↗package ↗changelog ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PICTEX

pictex

web-frameworkpythonv2.3.0

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

Canvas

✓ from pictex import Canvas

✗ from pictex.canvas import Canvas

Canvas is a top-level export; no submodule needed.

Span

✓ from pictex import Span

✗ from pictex.text import Span

Span is exported from the main package.

RadialGradient

✓ from pictex import RadialGradient

✗ from pictex.gradients import RadialGradient

Gradient classes are top-level exports.

Creates a 200x100 canvas with a blue rectangle and text, renders to PNG.

from pictex import Canvas, Text, Rect canvas = Canvas(200, 100, background_color="white") canvas.add(Rect(width=50, height=50, background_color="blue")) canvas.add(Text("Hello, PicTex!")) image = canvas.render() image.save("output.png")

Debug

Known issues

breakingv2.0.0 introduced breaking changes: many methods were renamed to match CSS terminology (e.g., add_static was removed, layout changed). Existing code from v1.x will not work without migration.

fix

Follow the migration guide at https://github.com/francozanardi/pictex/blob/main/docs/MIGRATION.md

affects: <2.0.0

deprecatedThe v2.0.0 release replaced Skia with HarfBuzz for text shaping. If you were using skia-specific features or relying on Skia fonts, you may need to adjust.

fix

Use standard font paths; HarfBuzz handles shaping automatically.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaText wrapping can behave unexpectedly when no width constraint is set. Floating-point precision may cause false word-wrapping. In v2.1.1 this was fixed, but it's still a good practice to set a width for text elements.

fix

Always specify a width on text-containing elements, e.g., Text("...", width=200).

affects: >=2.1.0

gotchaInline spans (Span) are new in v2.3.0. They are deeply nestable but properties cascade; forgetting to override a property may lead to unintended inheritance. The note says 'properties cascade down and inherit naturally unless explicitly overridden'.

fix

Explicitly set properties on each Span to avoid inheritance surprises.

affects: >=2.3.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ImportError: cannot import name 'Canvas' from 'pictex'

Installed version is too old (<2.0.0) or PicTex not installed correctly.

fix

Upgrade to latest: pip install --upgrade pictex

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pictex'

PicTex is not installed.

fix

Install: pip install pictex

AttributeError: 'Canvas' object has no attribute 'add_static'

Method renamed in v2.0.0 breakage.

fix

Use canvas.add() or the new positioning methods. See migration guide.

Upgrade

Version history

2.3.0latest on PyPI · released Apr 3, 2026

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

11 hits · last 30 days

node

Anthropic

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/francozanardi/pictex ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/pictex/ ↗

changeloghttps://github.com/francozanardi/pictex/releases ↗