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10.5: Use Preview to instantly see changes to PDFs
Authored by: synosure on Nov 14, '07 04:33:05PM
A very good tip to know, and I will use it in the future for short, 1-page docs. However, for large documents, might I recommend a two-step process. I use vi to write all my LaTeX documents. However, first I create a base document that holds nothing but the formatting, the header includes, and a bunch of: \input{...}. This way, the basic doc looks like:

{insert header detail here}
\begin{document}
\input{FrontMatter}
\input{Piddle}
\input{Diddle}
\input{Appendix}
\end{document}

This document never really changes, so I can open it in TeXShop. When creating my LaTeX docs, I merely edit a file in vi (such as FrontMatter.tex), quick-save it with :w, then hit Apple-T in the TeXShop window. TeXShop handles the compilation and instant display of the PDF, but I still get all the power and functionality inherent in vi. (Okay, really vim with syntax highlighting turned on, but who's counting?) It's practically a 1 and a half-step process, just save file then hit Apple-T. Done.

This method also encourages you to organize your documents better.

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