[OS X TeX] Adding menu item and shortcut to TeXShop

[Alan Munn]

At 11:03 AM -0500 2/15/09, Kirk Lowery wrote:
>On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 10:57 AM, Jonathan Kew 
><jonathan at jfkew.plus.com> wrote:
>
>  > I don't know of an easy way to achieve this, but do you really need it? If
>>  you use a suitable "%%!TEX TS-program = xelatex" line in your source, to
>>  ensure that this engine is used, then you can simply use the Typeset
>>  shortcut. I wouldn't have thought there are many situations where you'd want
>>  to be continually switching back and forth between using xelatex and another
>>  engine, so using the TeXShop comment to choose the engine is usually the
>>  simplest and most reliable approach.
>>
>>  JK
>
>Well, when I have a document with bibtex or biblatex citations, I have
>to run bibtex a lot. The key shortcut is nice, cmd-shift-B. But then I
>have to move from the keyboard to the mouse or touchpad to click on
>the dropdown box, select XeLaTeX, and then either click "Typeset" or
>cmd-t. I write documents with lots of citations, so it would speed
>matters up and allow my hands to remain on the keyboard.
>
>Well, this is the situation I was afraid was the case. Okay, feature
>request! ;-)

Actually you don't need to use Command-Shift-T  I regularly use both 
XeLaTeX, LaTeX, and pdfLaTeX, and I only use one command 
(Command-Shift-L) to compile my documents.

(I've actually never understood the use of the Command-Shift-T, since 
it behaves as you say: if the last engine you used was bibtex, then 
command-shift-T repeats the bibtex command.)

By putting the correct engine comment line (%%!TEX TS-program = 
xelatex (or latex)) you can always use Command-Shift-L to compile 
your documents, and the correct engine is chosen automatically.

So no matter what engine I use, my key sequence for 
latex-bibtex-latex is the same:  Command-shift-L, then 
command-shift-B, then command-shift-L etc.  No mousing required.

(Or if you use Herb's {xe,pdf}latexmk engine, it does all that for you.)

Alan

-- 
Alan Munn						amunn at msu.edu
Department of Linguistics
and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages		Tel. 
	517-355-7491
Michigan State University, East Lansing MI 48824 USA	Fax	517-432-2736