Auctex+emacs is the editor I've seen to maximize LaTeX editing efficiency.
The degree of efficiency improvement depends on your familiarity with EMACS/LISP, but it can be said to be substantially more than you can imagine. Here I will introduce some of its features in terms of efficiency, not only in contrast to WinEdt, but also with some of the other OSX editors, and install and configure a lot of online, such as this small document [1], here is not introduced.
- Powerful shortcut Key System (Cdlatex)
In terms of improving the efficiency of editing, shortcut keys are the most important, the same content other editors to press 10 down the keyboard to achieve you just press 5 to achieve, if the proficiency of the words will obviously be much faster. Here you need to add a powerful booster to the Auctex+emacs: Cdlatex [2]. With this plug-in, plus Emacs's own shortcut keys, it has been able to meet the needs of most people for the shortcut key.
What is Cdlatex for? One of the main functions is the fast input of the environment. such as \begin{equation} ... \end{equation}, \begin{itemize} ... \end{itemize}. Each time you want to enter these environments, if one letter a letter, often catch the urgency, WINEDT and other editor processing method is (1) pure shortcut keys, such as you can define Shift+ctrl+e shortcut input equation environment; (2) or you have entered \begin {XXX} can help you complete \end{xxx} automatically. But these are not fast enough. The Cdlatex scheme is to enter the first three letters of the environment name, such as Equ, then point <tab>, automatically complete the entire environment, the cursor is placed behind the \begin{equation} and give you a good line, further can also automatically add smart tags to help you enter such content:
\begin{equation}\label{eq:1}[光标]\end{equation}
Note that \label{eq:1} is automatically generated and will automatically be numbered for you. Of course you can change it to something else. Most conveniently, key (such as the equ above), auto-complete content, and automatically after completion of the cursor position can be customized. You can completely customize the letters that are best for your memory, as long as you don't confuse them. So since then, enter an environment, up to the need to press 3-4 times the keyboard, do not need to deliberately remember the shortcut key (WinEdt that way difficult to remember and after all, the definition of shortcut keys is very limited), I have not seen can be more convenient than this.
In addition, this scheme is also used in the input mathematical formula, it is very fluid, input fr<tab> complement \frac{[cursor]}{},LR (<tab> full \left ([cursor] \right). These keys are hardly to be remembered, Because it is an abbreviation, feel bad remember can also be customized. Also want to enter \tilde{a}, just enter a ' ~ can, because tilde is ~, input \bar{a}, is a '-. Let's say I want to enter $\tilde{a} \left (\frac{\beta^{\gamma}}{x\times y} \right) $ So long expression (53 characters), I just type, $a ' ~LR (<tab>fr< Tab> ' b^ ' g<tab>x ' *y can (21 characters), less than half.
In general, almost all of the input to the environment and math modules needs to be pressed 4 times within the keyboard. This will greatly improve editing efficiency. Most editors, such as Tex Works, Tex Shop, Sublime, Vim,tex Studio, do not have such fast input methods. This is its biggest advantage.
Finally, do not mention a Cdlatex function (because it is useful), is the completion of the pattern recognition, such as in mathematical mode, input "_"/"^" Auto-complete "_{}"/"^{}", if the text mode is complete "$_{}$"/"$^{}$" ( Mathematical mode inside the text mode can be, plus a pair of symbols $ {[Auto-completion, basically avoids a lot of careless mistakes (be spoiled to use another editor is more likely to make a mistake). You can also customize which symbols are complete.
- Convenient auto-completion (auto-complete)
In fact, Cdlatex is also a sense of automatic completion, but here is the keyword (keyword) automatic completion, what is the meaning of this, the meaning is that many of the LaTeX command is difficult to remember, even your own definition of command (hehe). This time the automatic completion of Emacs comes in handy, he will be like Visuo Studio to give a drop-down menu (for example, although very ugly), note that the menu is not just LaTeX command Oh, all your history input will be recorded into the thesaurus, and automatically change the sorting according to the frequency of use.
Originally this is to write code for the service, write code auto-completion is very common, but if you write the article also according to write code to entertain, this function embodies a new advantage, you write the paper, the input Word can be automatically complete! And the longer you use it, the more mature The thesaurus is, and I'm now writing a paper that loses two or three letters per word and then returns. (cause a lot of words have forgotten how to spell ...).
Of course, this feature is not very special, because many other editors also have, such as the fee of Texpad, sublime text 2/3 or free vim, texworks. However, this auto-complete with the Yasnippet function of the back said the combination of powerful combined, with more than a multiplier [3].
(Supplemental: But unfortunately, auto-completion is actually less than vim and Sublime Text, because the latter support fuzzy completion, and Emacs Auto-complete plug-in support for fuzzy complement is very bad)
- Perfect Reference System (Reftex)
Reference functionality is also critical for the Latex editor, Includes cross-references and reference citations. Reftex is also an Emacs plugin, auxiliary Auctex. This feature is especially useful when the document is large. Enter ref and <TAB>, and then enter E, you can search all formulas (equation) for the label, search directly to select it, and then change E to F for the image. Classification management, clear level. For references, enter the CTE and then <tab>, and enter the keyword to search for the corresponding document, the carriage return inserts the reference. Similar to Cdlatex, insert a reference to a project by pressing the keyboard plus the keywords 5-6 times.
Reference function is comparable to WINEDT, WINEDT inside is the input \cite, \ref automatically pop-up dialog box, and then enter the keyword to find the label or document key.
(add: Actually sublime text 3 does quite well, but also support the literature of fuzzy search, this angle is actually better than Emacs do.) )
- Quick and customizable templates and environments (Yasnippet)
Snippet function like Sublime, Vim is also some, but here is introduced Yasnippet with automatic completion for LaTeX users is very useful. We use LaTeX when the most headache is often want to use a template (such as input a table with some characteristics, or picture environment), that pile of code each time the same but do not bother to remember, and the code there are a lot of repeating part also do not want to input multiple times, no problem, Yasnippet help you fix, You can completely customize a snippet and bind a key. For example, I'm bound to a snippet of input side-by sub-graphs as follows:
The binding key is subfig, note that I define the label of each sub-graph is fig:xxx, where xxx is the file name of the graph, so when I enter FIG:AAAAA, the following file name automatically becomes {./figures/aaaaa} without entering two times. Then every time you press the TAB cursor, you go to the next place you want to enter. In addition, we have to know that we have automatic completion, to let me count the input of such a large template to press a few times the key, input sub (fill fully automatic light out), enter (complete subfig), and then <tab>,done! only Press 5 times the keyboard, the two can be seen how to improve efficiency! Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg, see [1] and [3] specifically.
These points are basically auctex+emacs on the improvement of editing efficiency of a few more obvious advantages, you can see that auctex+emacs basically integrated the advantages of many editors. Also, like partial previews, syntax highlighting is good, but it's not helpful to improve input efficiency. Speaking of syntax highlighting, according toWater Wood Community Herethe argument that
only the syntax highlighting of Emacs+auctex and WINEDT support LaTeX completely, and some editors do not recognize "environment level" content, such as SciTE can only recognize the environment label.
Auctex+emacs is the editor I've seen to maximize LaTeX editing efficiency (RPM)
