TeXample.net is a website dedicated to the wonderful world of TeX and friends, focusing on TikZ graphics today.
Why the silly name?
Mainly because the best names were already taken, but the website’s name can be interpreted in multiple ways:
The TeX part (a) should be obvious. Ample (b) means of large or great size, amount, extent, or capacity. TeX is all that and more. The example part (c) is important because learning by example is very effective, and the original intention of this site was to host the TikZ and PGF examples gallery. The final .net (d) part is there because it sounds good.
Who is behind this site
The site was built and designed by Kjell Magne Fauske in 2008. Since 2011, it’s been maintained by Stefan Kottwitz. It is supported by DANTE e.V., the German-speaking TeX community.
What is the technology behind this site?
This site was originally powered by the fantastic Django web framework together with PostgreSQL and self-developed Python scripting. It moved to WordPress with MariaDB and PHP for maintenance scripts to make maintenance easier in 2024.
Which similar sites exist?
Before the move wo WordPress, Stefan already authored further graphics examples websites. They have a similar design which makes maintenance such as updating easier. These are the following:
- TikZ.net with far more than a thousand science-focused TikZ examples
- pgfplots.net specifically for plots made with pfgplots
- asymp.net for demonstrating the power of the Asymptote graphics programming language
- feynm.net for showing how to create Feynman diagrams
A serious thought after moving away from Django is, to merge TikZ.net and TeXample.net, but for now we keep them both.