Documentation

The library

• ConTeXt and LuaTeX documentation is quite extensive. Start with Basics. The other manuals go into detail to understand the foundations, explore advanced features, modify or write features.
• Old manuals are marked with an "deprecated" banner. They can help you find your way between the different versions.
• You can also have a look to the other ConTeXt Community Web resources like magazines.

• Basics
• Fonts
• Color
• Graphics
• Layout
• Tables
• Bibliography
• Sciences
• Interaction
• Languages
• ConTeXtTools
• XML
• Programming-DB
• Development
• TextEditors
• LowLevelTex

• 
  ConTEXt reference manual 2001 – Complete, but never up-to-date, cleaned-up. (2001)
• 
  What is ConTeXt? (2011)
• 
  ConTEXt reference manual 2013 - Complete, but never up-to-date, and not fully cleaned-up. (2013)
• 
  ConTeXt Mark IV an excursion (2017)
• 
  ConTeXt commands reference - short syntax reference of all the commands (2020)
• 
  A not so short introduction to ConTeXt Mark IV (2021)
• 
  Una introducción (no demasiado breve) a ConTeXt Mark IV (2021)
• 
  Une courte introduction à ConTeXt (2021)
• 
  Une courte introduction à ConTeXt v2 (2021)
• 
  Не слишком короткое введениев ConTEXt Mark IV (2021)
• 
  Nepříliš krátký úvod do ConTEXtu Mark IV (2022)
• 
  Не башкратак увод у ConTEXt Mark IV (2022)
• 
  Fonts out of ConTeXt – Almost everything about Fonts, processing and use (2016)
• 
  Colors separation (2002)
• 
  Coloring ConTeXt – explaining luatex and mkiv (2016)
• 
  Charts uncovered (1999)
• 
  Flowcharts (2016)
• 
  Metafun - For graphics, MetaPost is embedded (2017)
• 
  Graphics - integrating graphics in your document (2018)
• 
  Nodes – Diagrams, graphical representations of relations, processes… (2018)
• 
  SVG in ConTeXt and metafun xl (2019)
• 
  LuaMetaFun (or Metafun xl) (2021)
• 
  Rules – rules bounded to the typeset text (2022)
• 
  Typographic Programming - TeX thinking, line-breaking, protrusion,… (2004)
• 
  In the details. Hints: grid typesetting, columns, backgrounds, graphics issues, formula tuning (2015)
• 
  Column sets (2016)
• 
  Pages Columns (2017)
• 
  Spacing in ConTeXt – Line spacing, line correction in grid typesetting (2018)
• 
  Natural Tables in ConTEXt – Examples (2001)
• 
  Simple Spreadsheets in ConTeXt MkIV (2016)
• 
  Extreme Tables in ConTeXt MkIV (2018)
• 
  Bibliographies the ConTeXt way (2017)
• 
  PPCHTeX - macros for typesetting chemical structures (2001)
• 
  PPCHTeX example - Chemical Formulas in ConTeXt (2001)
• 
  OpenMath in ConTeXt – Examples (2006)
• 
  MathML (2015)
• 
  Units - SI units support (2015)
• 
  MathML in ConTeXt – Examples (2016)
• 
  Math rendering (2018)
• 
  Math tweaks (2022)
• 
  Widgets uncovered - Form elements, cross references, JavaScript in PDF (2001)
• 
  Interactivity (2018)
• 
  Languages in ConTEXt – explaining luatex and mkiv (2016)
• 
  L2R R2L – a few tips (2019)
• 
  Modes – Modes are used for conditionnal processing (screen, A4, letter…) (2008)
• 
  TeX iT (2018)
• 
  Tip Trick (mtxrun command) (2018)
• 
  Workflows support in ConTeXt - MkIV and LuaTeX features for efficiency (2019)
• 
  LuaTeX Reference Manual (2020)
• 
  Luatools mtxrun for ContTeXt (2020)
• 
  LuaMetaTeX Reference Manual (2024)
• 
  New Primitives un LuaMetaTeX (2024)
• 
  PDF - merging, embedding, fixing and messing a bit around in context lmtx (2024)
• 
  ChemML – ConTeXt XML (2001)
• 
  Figures – ConTeXt XML (2001)
• 
  MathML – ConTeXt XML (how to invoke mathml, addendum of mathml) (2001)
• 
  PhysML – ConTeXt XML (2001)
• 
  Directory Trees (2004)
• 
  Exporting XML and ePub from Context (2015)
• 
  Dealing with XML in ConTeXt MkIV (2016)
• 
  XML/Lua templates (2016)
• 
  Steps – ConTeXt XML (2017)
• 
  Lua - the ConTeXt libraries (2016)
• 
  SWIGlib – Basics : use external libraries (2016)
• 
  ECMA SCRIPT in context lmtx - using the optional mujs library (2020)
• 
  Libraries – Basics (2020)
• 
  SQL in ConTeXt (2023)
• 
  ConTeXt Lua Documents (2023)
• 
  2- MkIV Hybrid Technology - How LuaTeX combines TeX, MetaPost, Lua and XML (2012)
• 
  3- About LuaTeX and ConTeXt in 2015 (2015)
• 
  1- Context MarkII MarkIV - The history of LuaTeX 2006–2009 (2016)
• 
  4- Still going on (2016)
• 
  Read Me first (2016)
• 
  5.5- Not Now (2018)
• 
  5- Following up (current working report) (2019)
• 
  6- Even More – fun with luametatex and context (2020)
• 
  4.5- On and on (2022)
• 
  7- On target - luametatex & context lmtx (2023)
• 
  ConTeXt Musing (2023)
• 
  Scite in Context MkIV : editor setup (2011)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Expansion (2019)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Grouping (2020)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Security (2020)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Characters (2021)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Conditionals (2021)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Inserts (2021)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Marks (2021)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Scope (2021)
• 
  It can be done – Periods (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Accuracy (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Boxes (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Buffers (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Lines (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Localboxes (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Loops (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Paragraphs (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Registers (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Tokens (2023)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Alignements (2024)
• 
  Low Level Tex – Macros (2024)

Deprecated manuals

• 
  ConTeXt an excursion (1999)
• 
  TexFont explained (2001)
• 
  Font Sampler (MkII) (2005)
• 
  Fonts chapter (2005)
• 
  Fonts in Context (2005)
• 
  Creating MetaPost outlines (2001)
• 
  Labels : Adding Text to Graphics (2002)
• 
  Columns (2003)
• 
  Correspondence (2003)
• 
  Correspondence with ConTEXt (2010)
• 
  ConTeXt rehab for amsmath addicts (2006)
• 
  Chinese in Context (2001)
• 
  How to install Context (2001)
• 
  TeXEXEC explained (2001)
• 
  TeXUTIL (2001)
• 
  TeXwork (2001)
• 
  PRAGMA POD example gui (2002)
• 
  texsync (2003)
• 
  Weaving PS into PDF (2003)
• 
  Hyphenation patterns (2005)
• 
  Preprocessing Source Files & Manipulating Graphic Resources (2005)
• 
  TEXMF Start (2006)
• 
  XML in ConTeXt (MkII) (2001)
• 
  Just an XML FO engine (2004)
• 
  Scite in Context : short manual (2006)

Remarks

• To save time of developers, please, read the manuals before you start asking questions at the mailing list.
• Most of the manuals are available in the ConTeXt distribution, and on the mirrors like bitbucket.org, with their sources,
• An other overview is also available at Pragma-Ade website, with an interactive PDF as the Manuals Gallery,
• Some printed versions can be purchased from H2O-Books:
  • MetaFun manual - 2010
  • MKII – MKIV, the history of LuaTeX - 2010
  • Layouts in ConTeXt - 2011
  • Fonts in ConTeXt - 2011
• Henri Menke also gathers and comments this precious material at The definitive guide to ConTeXt MkIV documentation.