Supercharged LaTeX utilizing Vim/Neovim, VimTeX, and snippets

It is a tutorial collection that will help you arrange the Vim or Neovim textual content editors for effectively writing math in LaTeX.
Right here is an instance of what I keep in mind:

The blue bar with white textual content reveals the keys I’m typing, the underside reveals the ensuing LaTeX supply code, and the highest is the compiled output.
Extra on how this works under.

Aim of this information: make writing LaTeX as straightforward (quick, environment friendly, pleasing…) as writing math by hand.
Tech stack: the Vim textual content editor utilizing the UltiSnips or LuaSnip snippet plugin and the VimTeX plugin’s LaTeX enhancing options.
The collection ought to assist in the event you…

• are all for taking real-time lecture notes utilizing LaTeX, à la Gilles Castel,
• need a LaTeX expertise decidedly extra nice and environment friendly than no matter you have been in all probability first taught, whether or not your motivation is real-time college lecture pace or not,
• hope to modify to Vim from a unique LaTeX editor, however are uncertain the right way to proceed, or
• simply need to browse another person’s workflow and configuration out of curiosity.

What it prices you: every part within the information is free, however it is going to value you effort and time.
You possibly can skim by means of the information in about 15-Half-hour; a more in-depth read-through may take a couple of hours;
and also you’ll realistically want a couple of weekends (or maybe a couple of weeks in the event you’re new to Vim) of devoted focus and energy to develop into absolutely useful.
From that time reaching the pace on this web page’s GIFs would in all probability take months of apply.

Contents

1. Prerequisites
   
   
   Covers stipulations for getting probably the most out of the collection, together with references that ought to get you in control if wanted.
   

2. UltiSnips or LuaSnip
   
   
   Explains snippets, the important thing to real-time LaTeX.
   Each articles cowl the identical content material—as soon as utilizing the UltiSnips plugin and as soon as utilizing the LuaSnip plugin.
   

3. Vim’s ftplugin system
   
   
   Introduces Vim’s filetype plugin system, which can enable you perceive the VimTeX plugin.
   

4. The VimTeX plugin
   
   
   The superb VimTeX plugin is the rationale to make use of Vim over one other LaTeX editor.
   

5. Compilation
   
   
   Find out how to compile LaTeX paperwork from inside Vim.
   

6. PDF reader
   
   
   Find out how to combine Vim and a PDF reader for viewing LaTeX paperwork.
   

7. Vim configuration
   
   
   A Vim configuration information explaining the important thing mappings and Vimscript features used on this tutorial.
   

Extra in regards to the collection

Shut up and present me outcomes

As concrete proof that the strategies on this tutorial work, listed here are 1500+ pages of typeset physics notes from my undergraduate research, most of them written throughout college lecture in actual time (though grammar and magnificence have been improved later).
Listed below are some examples of what these notes seem like:

And listed here are extra GIFs exhibiting that LaTeX will be written at handwriting pace:

That is truly somewhat quicker than I can write by hand—attempt taking out a pencil and paper and see in the event you can sustain!
(Sure, I do know I’m dishonest by throwing in a bunch of hard-to-handwrite integrals.)
In case you like, you possibly can see more examples on YouTube.

Credit score the place credit score is due: the above GIFs are impressed by Gilles Castel’s video Fast LaTeX editing with Vim and UltiSnips—it’s superbly accomplished and I encourage you to observe it.

The unique Vim-LaTeX article

By the way in which: the seminal work as regards to Vim and LaTeX, and my inspiration for trying and finally succeeding in writing real-time LaTeX utilizing Vim, is Gilles Castel’s How I’m able to take notes in mathematics lectures using LaTeX and Vim.
You’ve in all probability seen it on the Web in the event you dabble in Vim or LaTeX circles, and you need to undoubtedly learn it in the event you haven’t but.

This collection builds on Castel’s article by extra totally strolling you thru the technical implementation particulars (e.g. the main points of establishing a PDF reader with ahead and inverse search, the right way to use the VimTeX plugin, the right way to write Vimscript features and key mappings, how Vim’s ftplugin system works, the right way to compile LaTeX paperwork, and so forth).

Config

Right here is an outline of the setup used on this collection:

Suggestions, options, and so on.

When you’ve got concepts for bettering the collection, I’ll fairly probably implement them, recognize your enter, and provide you with a shoutout in your contributions.
Suggestions is welcome and appreciated.

Shoutouts to earlier readers: many due to Carl von Randow, Ehud Gordon, Andrey Rukhin, Merlin Büge, Albert Gu, Pano Otis, Jason Yao, @Glirastes, Daniele Avitabile, Kai Breucker, Maxwell Jiang, @lodisy, and @subnut for catching errors and providing good concepts on the right way to enhance this collection.

You possibly can attain me by e mail at elijan@ejmastnak.com or by opening a problem or pull request at github.com/ejmastnak/ejmastnak.com.

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