Recommended build system for latex?

user_104021 0
Viewed 21887

I'm trying to figure out the best build system for latex.

Currently, I use latex-makefile, editing in vim, and viewing changes in Okular or gv. The major problem is that it sometimes gets hides errors on me, and I have to run latex manually. The major advantages are that it does all the iteration I need, and offers both pdf and ps simply.

If you have experience with

  • latex-mk
  • vim-latex
  • kile
  • lyx
  • miktex
  • latex-makefile
  • the ultimate latex makefile
  • rubber
  • any others I havent come across

Would you recommend them, and why/why not?

latex makefile
15 Answers

I haven't used it myself, but I've heard of Rubber as a good alternative.

From their website:

Rubber is a program whose purpose is to handle all tasks related to the compilation of LaTeX documents. This includes compiling the document itself, of course, enough times so that all references are defined, and running BibTeX to manage bibliographic references. Automatic execution of dvips to produce PostScript documents is also included, as well as usage of pdfLaTeX to produce PDF documents.

user_1051320

I use Eclipse with the TexEcplise add-on for editing my TeX-files. It has syntax highlight for LaTeX. When you ask a preview of a non-altered and already compiled tex file, it open the file in the viewer. When the tex file was altered, then it compiles the tex file prior to viewing it. It does the necessary iterations, but only if needed.

Another advantage is that all errors and warnings are summarised in a box and they are highlighted in the tex file! This is a screenshot from the TexEclipse homepage.

user_1426510

"Better" is a very relative term... what else do you want to do? It seems like this makefile handles quite a bit, and it makes me wish I was running a *nix at work instead of windows... if there are more things you need to handle with the makefile, why not add them in?

To make it "better" you would need to provide more details on what exactly you're doing.

For instance, you could have it parse the .log file with grep, search for errors or warnings, dump them into another file, then open the new file so you can read through the errors.

It all depends on what you want to do...

user_1364070
Related