TikZ in Scissor LaTeX
The TikZ package works in Scissor LaTeX for a common subset, which it draws itself: lines, shapes, arcs, curves, grids, nodes with names and anchors, arrows, the positioning library, \foreach, scopes and colours; \matrix, \pic, decorations, patterns, node shapes other than rectangle and circle, and tikz-cd, circuitikz and forest pictures are not supported yet.
What the package does
TikZ is LaTeX's drawing language. Inside a tikzpicture you write paths such as \draw (0,0) -- (2,1);, place text in nodes, connect nodes with arrows, and repeat things with \foreach. Libraries loaded with \usetikzlibrary add features such as relative placement (positioning), arrow tips (arrows.meta) and coordinate arithmetic (calc).
Scissor LaTeX does not run TikZ. The typesetter reads the picture and draws it itself, as vector graphics, with node text in the document's fonts.
What works here
| Feature | In Scissor LaTeX | More |
|---|---|---|
\draw, \fill, \filldraw, \path, the inline \tikz command | Works | TikZ basics |
--, -|, |-, rectangle, circle, ellipse, arc, grid, .. controls .., to[out=,in=] | Works | TikZ basics |
Polar, relative (+, ++) and named coordinates, anchors such as (A.north) | Works | |
calc midpoints such as ($(A)!0.5!(B)$) | Works | Only midpoints and +/-. |
\node, \coordinate, draw, fill, text width, align, minimum size | Works | Nodes and arrows |
Node shapes rectangle and circle | Works | ellipse is drawn as a circle, without a message; other shapes (diamond, star ...) as rectangles, with a message. |
positioning: right=of A, below=1cm of A, node distance | Works | |
Arrows ->, <->, -stealth, -latex, -{Stealth} | Works | Tips are close to TikZ, not identical. |
Colours, mixes (red!50!blue), line widths, dash styles, opacity, rounded corners | Works | See xcolor. |
scope, scale, shift, rotate, every node/.style, \tikzset | Works | |
\foreach with lists, ranges, pairs and count | Works | |
\clip with a rectangle or circle | Works | Other clip paths are ignored with a message. |
Decorations, let paths, name intersections | Not supported | Ignored with a message; the path is drawn plain. |
pattern=... | Partly | Drawn as a light fill, with the message "patterns are drawn as a light fill". |
\matrix, \pic | Not supported | The picture becomes a dashed box with a message. |
tikz-cd, circuitikz, forest pictures | Not supported | Left out, with a message. |
| Plots with axes | Works | Use pgfplots. |
Examples
Named nodes placed with the positioning library and joined by arrows:
Nodes, positioning and arrows
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{positioning, arrows.meta}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[node distance=1.2cm,
box/.style={draw, rounded corners, minimum width=2cm}]
\node[box] (data) {Data};
\node[box, right=of data] (model) {Model};
\node[box, right=of model] (report) {Report};
\draw[-{Stealth}] (data) -- (model);
\draw[-{Stealth}] (model) -- (report);
\node[below=0.3cm of model] {44 runs};
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}A small picture inline, and shapes repeated with \foreach:
\foreach and an inline \tikz
Status: \tikz \fill[green!60!black] (0,0) circle (3pt); online.
\begin{tikzpicture}
\foreach \x/\c in {0/red, 1/orange, 2/yellow, 3/green, 4/blue} {
\fill[\c] (\x, 0) rectangle ++(0.8, 0.8);
\node at (\x + 0.4, -0.3) {\x};
}
\end{tikzpicture}A \matrix of nodes is not supported. The picture is replaced by a dashed box that says so:
\matrix is not drawn
\begin{tikzpicture}
\matrix[draw] {
\node {A}; & \node {B}; \\
\node {C}; & \node {D}; \\
};
\end{tikzpicture}Problems tab: \matrix in a picture is not supported yet
Compatibility
- From a TeX installation to here: pictures within the subset above look as they do there. Unsupported options are named in the Problems tab, and the rest of the picture is still drawn. Commutative diagrams with tikz-cd, circuits and trees are left out.
- From here to a TeX installation: pictures compile there unchanged with TikZ.
The TikZ manual is part of PGF on CTAN: ctan.org/pkg/pgf. Commutative diagrams: tikz-cd.
Questions and answers
Do I need to load TikZ libraries?
Write \usetikzlibrary{...} as in any LaTeX document. Scissor LaTeX accepts the line, so the document also compiles elsewhere; the supported features work whether or not the library is named.
Why is my TikZ picture a dashed box?
The picture uses a feature that is not supported yet, such as \matrix or \pic. The text in the box and the Problems tab name it.
Can I draw commutative diagrams?
Not with tikz-cd yet: those pictures are left out. Simple diagrams can be drawn with nodes and arrows, or written with \begin{array} and arrows in math.
Every example on this page is typeset by Scissor LaTeX when the site is built. Last updated 2026-11-06.