[OS X TeX] FlashMode, Up Close and Personal, TeX plug-in

[Bruno Voisin]

Le 13 sept. 08 à 08:26, Bruno Voisin a écrit :

> As Herb Schulz pointed out, that's Textures' Synchronicity, of which  
> a workalike is now provided for all TeXs in TeXLive 2008 as SyncTeX.
>
> TeXShop (as of MacTeX 2008) is preset to use it in pdfTeX mode.  
> There are tips for making TeXShop use it too in TeX + dvips +  
> distiller mode, and in XeTeX mode, at <http://mactex-wiki.tug.org/wiki/index.php?title=TeXShop_Synchronization 
> >.
>
> TeXworks is also preset to use SyncTeX with the processing tools  
> that it knows (namely pdfTeX and XeTeX). There are tips on how to  
> define an additional TeX + dvips + distiller tool, and make it use  
> SyncTeX, in two former messages:
>
> http://tug.org/pipermail/texworks/2008q3/000044.html
> http://tug.org/pipermail/macostex-archives/2008-September/036438.html

Something I forgot to mention is the precision of the synchronization.

SyncTeX, as such, seems to mark lines in source and preview, not  
specific points inside these lines. (Jérôme, if you're listening,  
please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm only guessing based on information  
I found here and there.) Hence TeXworks, which uses SyncTeX in this  
way, only identifies lines in source and preview.

TeXShop goes further, by adding Apple's PDF search to find a more  
precise spot within the line returned by SyncTeX. Hence, instead of  
just highlighting lines, TeXShop highlights pieces of words. (Again,  
Dick if you're listening and I'm wrong, please correct me.)

Textures's Synchronicity is more precise, by providing synchronization  
to the individual character.

That's all for text only. Maths are more tricky, especially displayed  
equations. I've done very limited testing, but what seems to happen is:

- With SyncTex, and either TeXworks or TeXShop, a few times symbols  
are found within equations, but most of the time only the final  
\end{equation} in source, and the whole equation in preview, are  
highlighted. I seem to remember a few rare occasions when  
synchronization was just plain wrong, pointing out to the wrong  
equation, though I can't remember exactly what the circumstances were.

- With Synchronicity in Textures, the result is generally good  
(synchronization to the individual symbol) in equations, except within  
groups (for example between matching parentheses or in a \frac, which  
admittedly are rather frequent in equations): then only the end-of- 
group symbol is pointed out, not a specific point within the group.  
Similarly, it seems only first-level groups are taken into account,  
not groups within groups (such as several imbricated levels of braces,  
brackets and parentheses).

Bruno Voisin