# ElegantNote is a LaTeX class for notes that was abandoned and then revived > ElegantNote is a LaTeX document class written for taking and reading notes, distributed on CTAN and built from a class file with separate Chinese and English entry points. Its history is unusual: the template was discontinued on 2023-01-01, and only since 2026 has it been re-released, with the documentation deliberately kept as it was. **ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote** — Elegant LaTeX Template for Notes - Repository: https://github.com/ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote - Stars: 1,072 · Forks: 205 - Language: TeX - License: LPPL-1.3c - Published: 2026-10-19 · Updated: 2026-10-19 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/elegantlatex-elegantnote ## A class file with a Chinese and an English front end The repository is a LaTeX template rather than a package with a build toolchain, and the layout shows it plainly. The top level holds `elegantnote.cls`, which is the document class itself, alongside two entry files, `elegantnote-cn.tex` and `elegantnote-en.tex`, one for each language variant, plus an `image/` directory for the assets the class pulls in, a `build.lua` script, a `License` file and the project README. The naming convention is the usual one for a LaTeX class, where the `.cls` file is what your document loads and the `.tex` files are preambles that use it. A `build.lua` script sits at the top level next to the class file. The topic tags on the project are `latex-class`, `latex-template` and `note`, which matches what the file structure says. ## The project is published on CTAN as well as GitHub Distribution is the part that makes this more than a personal style. The project links to a CTAN package, and CTAN carries its own version and licence badges in the README, which is the convention for a LaTeX package that wants to be installable with a TeX Live manager rather than cloned from GitHub. There is a Download link pointing at the GitHub releases, and a wiki for longer documentation. The release list shows tagged versions with names that carry the version inside the tag itself, such as `ElegantNote v2.70`. The most recent of those is v2.70 from 2026-09-02, which is also the date of the last push to the master branch, and the release before it is v2.60 from 2026-02-27. That is a recent release cadence for a template, and it is recent for a specific reason described below. ## A four year gap sits between v2.50 and v2.60 The release history has a visible hole in it. v2.50 is dated 2022-12-31, and the next tag is v2.60 on 2026-02-27. The documentation explains the gap in plain terms in both Chinese and English: the template was discontinued as of 2023-01-01 and its use was not recommended, but because of its large user base it has been re-released since 2026. The documentation also states the reason the file still looks the way it does. To ensure that users of previous versions can still access the documentation, the documentation retains past information. In other words, what you are reading is partly a historical record, deliberately preserved rather than rewritten, so a 2022 user looking for the instructions they remember will still find them in the same place. That is a considerate choice for readers, and it also means the current state of the template is not fully described in one place. ## The licence is LPPL 1.3c or later, which has conditions The project is released under the LaTeX Project Public License, version 1.3c or later, and the `License` file at the root of the repository is the document to read. The LPPL is a copyleft licence written specifically for LaTeX packages, and it has conditions that differ from a permissive licence. The practical point for a user is that modifying a file covered by the licence and distributing the result carries obligations, and distributing a modified version of a LaTeX package under a different name is restricted in ways that a casual reading of the header would miss. This is not legal advice and the details are in the file, but the reason to look is structural rather than decorative: a LaTeX class is exactly the kind of file people copy, edit, rename and redistribute, so the licence terms apply to a lot of ordinary usage patterns. The `License` file in the repository root, and the CTAN licence badge, are where the actual terms live. ## Who writes this kind of template The authorship is credited in a comment at the top of the README, to Dongsheng Deng and Ran Wang, with a contact address and an invitation to open issues, pull requests or send email. The same README carries the Chinese version of that invitation, including a QQ group number for user discussion, which is a useful signal about the audience and the working language of the project. That combination of a Chinese and an English entry file in the same class is the clearest statement of intent in the repository: this is a notes template for a Chinese-speaking user base that also wants an English variant, rather than a global academic class. The documentation is bilingual throughout, and the wording in the two languages is not identical, with the Chinese version carrying the group invitation that the English one does not repeat in the same place. ## What a revived template means for your document The practical question for anyone picking this up is what changed between 2022 and 2026, and the release notes do not answer it. What can be said is structural. The class file and the two entry preambles are the same three files a user of the 2022 version would have worked with, so a document written against the old version has a good chance of still compiling, but the four years in between will have brought changes to fonts, to package dependencies and to the LaTeX ecosystem the class relies on, and the documentation was kept as it was rather than rewritten, so it will not tell you which of those changed. A new user has the opposite problem, in that the current state is the one that is least documented. Given that, the sensible approach is to install from CTAN or from the current release rather than from an old tag, and to expect to fix compile errors yourself. ## Conclusion Adopt ElegantNote if you want a ready-made LaTeX notes class with both Chinese and English entry points and you are comfortable with a template whose current release is a revival rather than a steady stream of updates. Do not adopt it if you need a maintained academic class with an active issue tracker, because the project itself states that the template was discontinued on 2023-01-01 and that its use was not recommended. Verify first which version you install: the v2.50 tag from 2022 predates the discontinuation, while v2.60 and v2.70 come from the 2026 re-release, and check the LPPL 1.3c terms in the License file before you modify the class and redistribute it. ## FAQ ### What is ElegantNote? It is a LaTeX template for notes, described as designed for recording notes and reading notes. The repository contains a document class, `elegantnote.cls`, together with separate Chinese and English entry files, `elegantnote-cn.tex` and `elegantnote-en.tex`. ### Is ElegantNote still maintained? The documentation states that the template was discontinued as of 2023-01-01 and that its use was not recommended, and that due to its large user base it has been re-released since 2026. The last push to the master branch was on 2026-09-02 and the v2.70 release is from the same day. ### How do I get ElegantNote? It is published on CTAN as the package `elegantnote`, and the project also links a Download page pointing at the GitHub releases. The repository links a wiki for longer documentation. ### What licence does ElegantNote use? It is released under the LaTeX Project Public License, version 1.3c or later, with the licence text in the License file at the root of the repository. The terms carry conditions on modification and redistribution that are worth reading before you edit the class. ### What is the difference between the release versions of ElegantNote? v2.50 is dated 2022-12-31, v2.60 is dated 2026-02-27 and v2.70 is dated 2026-09-02. The gap between v2.50 and v2.60 corresponds to the period when the template was discontinued, and the documentation says it deliberately retains past information so earlier users can still find what they need. ## Sources - [ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote on GitHub](https://github.com/ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote) - [Issues](https://github.com/ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote/issues) - [License: LPPL-1.3c](https://github.com/ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote/blob/master/LICENSE) - [README](https://github.com/ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote/blob/master/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/ElegantLaTeX/ElegantNote/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/elegantlatex-elegantnote