# Visual Typst Editor

Start a Typst project directly in a split writing and preview layout.

Visual Typst Editor removes the blank-project setup step. It creates a Typst document and opens the source beside its live PDF preview, so the effect of each edit is visible from the first line.

## Choose this tool when

Use it when you are learning Typst, translating a small idea into a formatted document, or want source and output in view together.

Choose [Typst Editor](/docs/tools/typst-editor/) when screen space is tight or you prefer to begin in an editor-only layout. Both tools create the same kind of project; only the opening layout differs.

:::note[What “Visual” means here]
This tool opens a split source-and-preview workspace. It is not a rich-text editor that hides Typst markup.
:::

## Start the document

1. Turn on **Settings → Experimentation → LaTeX tools**.
2. Open **Visual Typst Editor**, or run `/visual-typst-editor`.
3. Oleafly creates **Untitled Typst document** and opens it in Split view.
4. Rename the project and write in the `.typ` source file.
5. Export the compiled PDF when the preview is ready.

Try this small start:

```typst
= Results

The treatment group improved by *12%*.

$ integral_0^1 x^2 dif x = 1/3 $
```

The preview updates as the bundled Typst engine compiles the project. Your source remains an ordinary `.typ` file that you can edit outside Oleafly.

## Good to know

- Typst compilation and PDF export run locally.
- Typst does not use LaTeX packages or `tlmgr`.
- LaTeX commands do not translate directly into Typst syntax. Use [LaTeX to Typst](/docs/tools/latex-to-typst/) for a converted starting point.
- SyncTeX-style source-to-PDF navigation is not currently available for Typst projects.

For project editing, files, and exports after creation, continue with [Writing in Typst](/docs/writing/typst/).