[OS X TeX] iPad?

[Joe Heafner]

> Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2020 02:32:01 -0700
> From: David Craig <dac at panix.com>
> To: TeX on Mac OS X Mailing List <macosx-tex at email.esm.psu.edu>
> Cc: Craig David <dac at panix.com>
> Subject: [OS X TeX] iPad?
> Message-ID: <E0D77343-545F-47FC-A9D9-72211C40FB62 at panix.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> So, I?ve finally caved.
> 
> The need to be able to deliver mathematics and physics remotely has finally persuaded me to purchase a tablet, so an iPad and an Apple pencil are on their way.  
> 
> Last I checked, TeX options for iOS were, well, not great, and code editors even less so.
> 
> What are people doing THESE days, if anything?  What are the best options out there?  
> 
> Ideally, I?d like to set things up so I can edit the same documents on either the iPad or my desktop/laptop without having to fuss with making changes if I move between devices.   That means being able to input my own macros, bibliographies, and such.  So, for example, if I have something in Dropbox or iCloud Drive the same reltaive path will work on either device.  Is that sort of thing possible in iOS these days?  Or is that still a pipe dream?
> 
> Thanks,
> David Craig

David,

If I weren’t doing package development I would ditch my laptop and move exclusively to my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Pickings are slim for TeX/LaTeX environments on iOS and I think we will eventually get something workable but for now, I think the best solution is Overleaf.com, so much so that I introduce my students (I’m a physics prof at a two year college) to it. They currently run TeX Live 2019 for stability reasons, but you can always upload more recent package versions on a project-by-project basis if you need to. The much improved user interface works well on an iPad (iPhone screens are too small for it IMHO). Plus, Overleaf maintains an extensive collection of tutorials and lessons on all aspects of using LaTeX in their environment.

Disclaimer: I am an Overleaf Advisor, but I only became one AFTER I had used the product. 

Joe Heafner
Sent from one of my Macs