[OS X TeX] TeXnicle

[Herbert Schulz]

On Jun 24, 2010, at 11:28 PM, Berend Hasselman wrote:

> 
> On 23-06-2010, at 13:37, Herbert Schulz wrote:
> 
>> 
>> On Jun 23, 2010, at 12:01 AM, Ramón Figueroa-Centeno wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> Aloha,
>>> 
>>> I just stumbled upon this new editor for TeX on OS X:
>>> 
>>> http://web.me.com/martinhewitson/BOBsoft/TeXnicle.html
>>> 
>>> Enjoy!
>>> 
>>> Ramón
>> 
>> Howdy,
>> 
>> This looks interesting. Especially for folks that work on multi-file projects. Would some folks try it out and see if it works for them? Is it extensible (i.e., can you construct ``engines'' or ``tools'') does it do command completions (also can you add your own)?
> 
> I have had a quick look at TeXnicle.
> You add your files one by one manually to a project.
> For typesetting it uses latex or pdflatex directly; it will use bibtex and gives you the option of specifying how many times it should run pdflatex after running bibtex.  You specify this in the preferences.
> It doesn't do makeindex out of the box.
> I suppose you could use your own engine but TeXshop (and TextMate) to me at least are a lot nicer.
> 
> Don't know about command completions.
> It does have  huds for symbols and snippets/clippings (you can add your own) and more: white lettering on a black background and quite transparent.
> When called up, these are scattered rather haphazardly  across your desktop.
> 
> It has syntax colouring that struck me as slightly weird. Macros and arguments were red but in slightly different shades. Can be changed.
> 
> It can't compare with TextMate for editing. I couldn't find split window as in TeXshop.
> 
> I see no reason for abandoning TeXshop and/or Textmate.
> Besides I need makeindex and always use latexmk.
> 
> It seems as if it always uses pdflatex. It uses Preview to view the pdf.
> 
> It doesn't do synctex which is a show stopper for me.
> 
> Bug: when I open an existing project and immediately quit, it seems to thing that something changed and asks me to save the project.
> 
> Needs a lot of work before it can serve as an alternative to TeXshop  and TextMate.
> 
> Berend

Howdy,

Thanks for the quick review. Useful information and I'll keep my eye on it to see how/if it develops as time goes on. 

Oh... in TeXShop use Window->Split Window (Ctl-2) two split/un-split a window into two panes above each other. It has a few glitches; e.g., if the lower pane is active when you un-split the window you have to click inside the window to get a cursor/selection point.

I actually find some keyboard bindings to unused framework commands more useful. Download KeyBindings.zip from <http://homepage.mac.com/herbs2> for more information. The commands generated there are used in all applications that use Apple's TextView framework; e.g., Mail and TextEdit.

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)