Packages that do not work in Scissor LaTeX

The document still typesets. A package Scissor LaTeX has never heard of gives a note in the Problems tab; well-known packages it does not implement, such as fancyhdr, titlesec or tcolorbox, are accepted silently and have no effect; and unknown commands are skipped with a message while their text is usually kept.

How packages are handled

Scissor LaTeX does not run package code. It converts your document with its own engine, which implements the commands of the packages on these pages. A \usepackage line therefore falls into one of three groups:

Group	Examples	What happens
Implemented, fully or in part	amsmath, graphicx, booktabs, pgfplots, hyperref	Commands work as described on each package page.
Known, but without effect	fancyhdr, titlesec, setspace, microtype, geometry, tcolorbox	Accepted silently. Their settings change nothing, and their commands are either ignored or treated as unknown. Many of them need nothing here at all; see Packages that need no action.
Unknown	chemfig, a `.sty` from a publisher, a misspelled name	A note in the Problems tab: "Package ... is not available here, so its formatting is not applied."

An unknown command, from any package, is skipped and listed in the Problems tab. Its arguments in braces usually stay in the text, so you see the words but not the formatting. For a few commands that is not what you want: the arguments are option lists or names, and they appear as stray text. The tables below name those cases.

If a package or class comes as a .sty or .cls file in your project, Scissor LaTeX reads part of it: its \newcommand definitions, the packages it loads, colours, page margins and paragraph spacing. Any other code in the file is not run, and the Problems tab says so.

Common packages that do not work yet

Page layout and headings

Package	In Scissor LaTeX	Instead
fancyhdr	Accepted, no effect: no running headers or footers.	Nothing to change; the settings apply in a TeX installation.
titlesec	Accepted, no effect: headings keep the class style.
sectsty	Unknown package, with a note; `\sectionfont` and the like are ignored.
setspace	`\onehalfspacing` and `\doublespacing` are ignored. `\begin{spacing}{1.5}` prints "1.5" before the text.	Leave out the `spacing` environment.
lineno	`\linenumbers` is ignored.
geometry	Ignored; see geometry.	Class options such as `a4paper`.

Boxes, notes and highlighting

Package	In Scissor LaTeX	Instead
tcolorbox, mdframed, framed	Accepted; the text is kept without a box, and box titles are lost.	A `quote` environment, or a `tabular` with `\hline` and `\|` for a frame.
todonotes	`\todo{...}` is unknown: the note text appears in the line. `\missingfigure` too.	Comments with `%`.
marginnote	`\marginpar` and `\marginnote` are unknown: the note appears in the line.	A footnote.
soul	`\st` works (strike-through). `\hl` keeps the text without a highlight; `\ul` and `\so` are unknown.	`\underline` for underlining.
ulem	`\uline` and `\sout` work; `\uwave` shows plain text.

Science and diagrams

Package	In Scissor LaTeX	Instead
mhchem	`\ce{H2O}` in text shows "H2O" without subscripts. In a formula it turns the formula red.	Write `H$_2$O` or $\mathrm{CO_2}$ .
chemfig	Unknown package; `\chemfig` is skipped.	An image of the structure.
tikz-cd, circuitikz, forest	The picture is left out, with a message.	TikZ nodes and arrows, or an image.
pgfplotstable	`\pgfplotstabletypeset` is skipped; the file name is printed.	A `tabular`. Plotting from tables works, see pgfplots.
siunitx	See siunitx.	`44\,\mathrm{km}`

Tables, lists and text tools

Package	In Scissor LaTeX	Instead
tabularray	`tblr` is not read: the options and the `&` signs are printed as text.	`tabular`, see array and tabularx.
nicematrix	`pNiceMatrix` and the other matrices turn the formula red.	`pmatrix` from amsmath.
makecell	`\makecell` is reported as unknown, but the `\\` inside it still breaks the line within the cell.	Works as it is; `\thead` is not styled.
tasks	`\task` is unknown; the column count is printed.	`enumerate`.
glossaries, acronym	`\gls`, `\ac` and `\printglossaries` are unknown; the key is printed.	Write the term out.
xspace	Accepted, but a command ending in `\xspace` swallows the space after it.	Write `\name{}` or `\name\` before a space.
ifthen	`\ifthenelse` is unknown; the condition and both branches are printed.
beamer (class)	No slides; frames become text.	See Document classes.

Examples

A package that is not known at all gives a note, and the rest of the document typesets:

An unknown package gives a note

LaTeXPreamble: \usepackage{chemfig}Open in editor

Water is a bent molecule. The drawing below is skipped:
\chemfig{H-O-H}

Problems tab: Skipped 1 unknown command: \chemfig

A box package is accepted, but its box is not drawn:

tcolorbox: the text without the box

LaTeXPreamble: \usepackage{tcolorbox}Open in editor

\begin{tcolorbox}[title=Remember]
Erika Mustermann checks all 44 samples before noon.
\end{tcolorbox}

Chemical formulas from mhchem lose their subscripts. Writing them with math works everywhere:

mhchem \ce and the version by hand

LaTeXPreamble: \usepackage{mhchem}Open in editor

With mhchem: \ce{H2SO4}. By hand: H$_2$SO$_4$, or in a formula
$\mathrm{2\,H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2\,H_2O}$.

Problems tab: Skipped 1 unknown command: \ce

A command defined with \xspace needs {} before a space:

xspace: write {} before a space

LaTeXPreamble: \usepackage{xspace}Open in editor

\newcommand{\tool}{Scissor LaTeX\xspace}
Without braces: \tool runs in the browser.
With braces: \tool{} runs in the browser.

When a package you need is missing

Check the Problems tab: it lists unknown packages and every skipped command.
Look for the package on these pages; the Instead column above and the package pages show what to write.
Keep the \usepackage line if you will also compile the document elsewhere. Scissor LaTeX accepts it, and a TeX installation then applies the package.

See also Differences from a TeX installation and Troubleshooting. Package manuals are on CTAN.

Questions and answers

Will my document typeset if it loads a package Scissor LaTeX does not know?

Yes. The package is reported in the Problems tab and its formatting is missing, but the rest of the document typesets.

Can I add a .sty file to make a package work?

Partly. Scissor LaTeX reads the command definitions, loaded packages, colours, margins and paragraph spacing from a .sty file in the project. Other code in it is not run.

Why do I see stray text such as "1.5" or "colspec=lr" in my document?

The command or environment that should read those arguments is not supported, so the arguments end up in the text. The tables above name the cases and what to write instead.

Every example on this page is typeset by Scissor LaTeX when the site is built. Last updated 2026-11-07.

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