LaTeX Vim Tutorial

Use plugin `vimtex`

Vim build-in support of LaTeX files is just OK. When we need more excellent exprience, good plugins is very recommended.

vimtex is a nice and modern vim plugin for LaTeX files.

Useful Futures of vimtex IMO

<leader>ll Complier. By default, it will auto-complier when you type :w.
<leader>lt Open content tree as a sidebar.
<leader>lv View PDF with configured PDF viewer.
<leader>li File information.
cse Change surrounding \begin \end environment.
tse Exchange between \begin{env} and \begin{env*}.
tsc Exchange between \command{} and \command*{}.

Add Support of Simplified Chinese

Install `xetex`

I use xetex to add supports for Chinese fonts in LaTex files. Actually the magician is amacro package of xetex named xeCJK.

And xetex is included intexlive. so we install it from source:

sudo apt install texlive-xetex

Install Chinese Font

If there is no Chinese font in your system, you must install one. I choose WinQingYuan microhei as a instance.

sudo apt install ttf-wqy

Excute fc-list to check if install successfully, here is excepted output:

fc-list  | grep wqy

/usr/share/fonts/truetype/wqy/wqy-microhei.ttc: WenQuanYi Micro Hei,文泉驛微米黑,文泉驿微米黑:style=Regular
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/wqy/wqy-microhei.ttc: WenQuanYi Micro Hei Mono,文泉驛等寬微米黑,文泉驿等宽微米黑:style=Regular

Configure your tex file

\documentclass {article}
\usepackage{xeCJK}
\setCJKmainfont{WenQuanYi Micro Hei}

\begin{document}
Hello, LaTeX!

你好, LaTex!

\end{document}

Complier it and see, the Chinese font is displayed!

Confusing Tools

Difference between {pdf,lua,xe}Tex and {pdf,lua,xe}LaTeX

If a .texfile starts with \documentclass, it’s a LaTex format file rather than the Plain Tex format file.

The LaTeX format file has some specific macro like \documentclass that cannot be compliered by [pdf]Tex, so that’s the job of [pdf]LaTeX. Same goes for other engines.

What is `xetex/xelatex`?

xetex/xelatex is one of the TeX/LaTeX engines. Others are pdfTex, LuaTex, etc. Wiki

xetex/xelatex add fonts and character sets support for TeX/LaTeX file.

Treat input as Unicode
Allow us to use many system fonts in LaTeX file easily

What is `latexmk`?

LaTeXmk 是一个集成化的命令行工具, it must work with one LaTeX engine.

The fundamental issue that latexmk solves is that the number of runs of [pdf]latex is highly dynamically dependent on the document and the class file used. latex just need to be run once a time.

Different between `CTeX`/`MiKTeX`/`TeXlive` ?

They are all 包含与.tex文件关联的各种编辑、查看工具、常用宏包及文档.

CTex packages add complete Chinese support based on MiKTeX.

CTex is only avilable in windows.

Use plugin vimtex