Code listings in LaTeX

Put the code in a verbatim, lstlisting or minted environment, or use \verb|...| inline; Scissor LaTeX sets it in a monospaced font exactly as typed and colours the syntax when you name the language.

verbatim

Inside verbatim, nothing is interpreted: backslashes, braces, $ and % print as they are, and line breaks and spaces are kept. It is the simplest way to show code or terminal output.

\begin{verbatim}
for i in range(44):
    print(i)   # $ and \textbf stay as typed
\end{verbatim}

Inline code: \verb

\verb shows a short piece of code inside a sentence. The character right after \verb is the delimiter; pick one that is not in the code, such as | or +.

Inline code with \verb and \texttt

LaTeXCopyOpen in editor (opens in a new tab)

Call \verb|total(xs)| to add the list, or type \verb+x_1 = 44+.
For plain words in a monospaced font, \texttt{main.tex} is enough.

\texttt{...} only changes the font: special characters such as _ and % still need escaping there, while \verb takes them as they are.

listings: lstlisting with a language

The listings package gives you lstlisting. With language=... the code gets syntax colours.

lstlisting with language=Python

LaTeXPreamble: \usepackage{listings}CopyOpen in editor (opens in a new tab)

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Python]
def total(xs):
    """Add up the numbers in xs."""
    return sum(xs)

print(total([40, 4]))  # 44
\end{lstlisting}

\lstinline|code| is the inline form, like \verb.

minted

minted takes the language as an argument. In a TeX installation it needs Python and the -shell-escape option; in Scissor LaTeX it works without either.

minted with a language

LaTeXPreamble: \usepackage{minted}CopyOpen in editor (opens in a new tab)

\begin{minted}{rust}
fn main() {
    let answer = 40 + 4;
    println!("{}", answer);
}
\end{minted}
Inline: \mintinline{rust}{let x = 44;}

What is read

Syntax colours are available for common languages, among them Python, C, C++, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Rust, Go, Ruby, R, Julia, MATLAB, SQL, Bash, HTML, CSS, JSON, YAML, TeX and LaTeX. Language names are not case-sensitive, so Python and python are the same. A name that is not recognised gives plain monospaced code.

Code from a file

\lstinputlisting and \inputminted read code from another file in a TeX installation. Scissor LaTeX skips them and says so in the Problems tab:

The script below is not shown:
\lstinputlisting[language=Python]{scripts/total.py}
Paste the code into an lstlisting environment instead.

What differs from a TeX installation

See listings and minted for the package pages. The full manuals are on CTAN: listings, minted and fancyvrb.

Every example on this page is typeset by Scissor LaTeX when the site is built. Last updated 2026-11-06.