[OS X TeX] On the "Typeset" menu

[Josep Maria Font]

El 16/12/2008, a las 18:40, cfrees at imapmail.org escribió:

> My menu is divided into three sections:
> - "Typeset" (run)
> - format/tool selection
> - engine selection
> I assume yours doesn't appear this way?

Yes, it does. But formats and tools are together, and selection of one  
of them changes the others.

> Which version of TeXShop do you have?

2.18.

> Older versions behaved as you describe but the current one doesn't  
> for me. If I run BibTeX and then
> command-T it switches back to (pdf)LaTeX.

For me, this only happens when I run BibTeX by hitting a button in the  
toolbar. If I run it by selecting it in the Typeset menu or by  
pressing command-shift-B, then my previous selection of LaTeX changes  
to BibTeX and the next "Typeset" (either through the menu or by  
command-T, not button) runs BibTeX.

> Personally, I would dislike any proliferation of menus. Some of us  
> have
> 12" screens - I already end up with hidden stuff on the menu bar
> underneath the TeXShop menus. An addition would just exacerbate the
> problem.

I agree (I have a 13.3" one). Perhaps the Typeset (why not "Run" ?)  
menu should have only four items: The "Typeset" command and three  
submenus, called Format, Engine, and Tools. The first two should only  
*select* the format and the engine, but run nothing, while the fourth  
one would allow you to run an additional tool. There may be buttons  
and key equivalents, as now, which the user can configure to his liking.

> Also, it isn't clear to me why some should be called "Typeset" and  
> some
> "Tools". If the menu was split, I think this would need to be thought
> through a little more. ("Format" - plain tex,  latex, context - vs.
> "Typeset" - everything else? Certainly "Typeset" seems the obvious
> place to look for the engines including tools such as BibTeX etc.)

I agree, this should be given careful thought. Note that running  
either BibTeX or MakeIndex does not produce any typeset result, unless  
one runs (La/Con/...)TeX again, so it would be more logical to look  
for them under "Run" than under "Typeset".

Best,

JMaF