A simple Typst package for creating and managing abbreviations. While more complex packages exist, this one prioritizes ease of use and adapts to any language (English, French, German, etc.) by allowing you to customize elements such as the abbreviation-list heading.

Installation

Import from Typst Universe

To import the library from Typst Universe, add this to your document:

#import "@preview/abbrev:0.1.6": *

Local use

To use the library locally, download lib.typ and place it in your document’s directory (or any location of your choice). Then, into your document, import all (i.e. *) from lib.typ.

Usage

Step 1: Define abbreviations

Start by defining all your abbreviations in a dictionary with the #define-abbreviations() function. You can call this function multiple times to add new abbreviations, passing a dictionary each time. Each abbreviation must be defined earlier in the document’s source code than the point where it is used. Here is an example with two calls:

#define-abbreviations((
  "GPU": "Graphics Processing Unit",
  "XML": "Extensible Markup Language",
))
#define-abbreviations(("CPU": "Central Processing Unit"))

Step 2: Use abbreviations in your document

• Short form (shows the abbreviation):

  #abbr("GPU")
  

  Output:

  GPU

• Long form (show the definition):

  #abbr("GPU", form: "long")
  

  Output:

  Graphics Processing Unit

• Full form (shows the complete text, long and short forms):

  #abbr("GPU", form: "full")
  

  Output:

  Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

• With a suffix (e.g., plural):

  #abbr("GPU", suffix: "s")
  

  Output:

  GPUs

  #abbr("GPU", form: "full", suffix: "s")
  

  Output:

  Graphics Processing Units (GPUs)

• Alternatively, you can specify a different long form with the parameter alt-long, for example, when translating into another language or using a different plural form:

  #abbr("GPU", form: "full", alt-long: "Unité de traitement graphique")
  

  Output:

  Unité de traitement graphique (GPU)

Step 3: Display the abbreviation list

Generate an abbreviation list anywhere in your document, even before defining the abbreviations or using them:

#abbreviation-outline(
  title: [Abbreviations],
)

Output:

Customizing the abbreviation outline

The default heading is [List of abbreviations]. Customize it as needed. For example, in French you might use:

#abbreviation-outline(title: [Liste des abréviations])

When no abbreviations are used in the document, the outline displays [No abbreviations used.] by default. You can customize this message with the parameter empty (which accept a content):

#abbreviation-outline(
  title: [Abbreviations],
  empty: [Nothing to show.],
)

Output:

Customizing items in the abbreviation outline

You can also customize how your abbreviation definitions are displayed using these parameters:

• separator: Add a content separator immediately after the abbreviation’s short form. The default is [] . For example, in French, you might use [~:] to include a colon with a non-breaking space before it.
• fill: Controls the filler characters displayed between the abbreviation definition and page number. The default is repeat([.], gap: 0.15em), which creates dots with 0.15em spacing between them.
• row-gutter, column-gutter: The gaps between rows and columns; gutter is a shorthand for setting both to the same value, but does not take precedence over either property. They all default to auto, which resolves to 0.65em.

Here is an example using the parameters listed below:

#abbreviation-outline(
  title: [Abbreviations],
  separator: [:],
  fill: line(length: 100%, start: (0%, 0.65em)),
  gutter: 1em,
)
#define-abbreviations((
  "ABBA": "a Swedish pop music group formed by Agnetha, Björn, Benny Anni-Frid",
))
= Some title
I like #abbr("ABBA"). Do you?

Output:

Customizing the heading

The #abbreviation-outline() function creates an abbreviation list with a level-1 heading by default that is not numbered and does not appear in the chapter outline. Customize this behavior with the following parameters:

Example

See example.typ in the Abbrev GitHub repository for a complete, working example. To view the compiled output, choose one of the following:

• Compile with the package: Run typst compile example.typ and ensure the import statement is #import "@preview/abbrev:0.1.6": *.
• Compile locally: Run typst compile example.typ after placing lib.typ in the same directory as example.typ and updating the import statement to import lib.typ.
• Use GitHub Actions: Select the latest passed workflow run and download the pdf-output artifact (a ZIP file containing the PDF).