#437 Fast compilation or similar-to-WYSIWYG feature

[Xiaodong]

Hi,

I was wondering if we can make TeXStudio as powerful as BaKoMa which is a WYSIWYG editor. However, if TeXStudio can do a fast compilation job, that would be great!

Basic idea is that:

1. compile only the last change since the last compilation, and reflect the change in the compiled PDF file. Or,
2. integrate the original preview window into the compiled PDF file, so that the pdf reflects the last change of typing.
3. set up a mode so that users can choose how often the typing can be Pseudo-compiled or fully compiled automatically.

Notice that this request is not asking a WYSIWYG interface, but still to better use the tex typing interface and to think of a way for fast compilation while typing. We already have a good integrated pdf viewer, or cute pdf viewers like Sumatra, and the well developped preview function. I think, my request on fast compilation can be realized easily... Thanks.

[Xiaodong]

http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/33615/why-can-bakoma-process-tex-files-so-fast
http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/633/is-there-any-way-to-get-real-time-compilation-for-latex

[Tim Hoffmann]

Duplicate to https://sourceforge.net/p/texstudio/feature-requests/366/
There's also a script for automatic recompilation (which is something like your 3.).

The main issue is that compilation may take quite a while in large documents. So you'd have to resort to compilation of only part of the document.

So, 1.+2. means to recompile just the current page (which BaKoMa TeX states to do to maintain performance). Compiling smaller parts and overlaying with the PDF will not work in general, because you cannot reliably find out, where smaller parts would end up on the page. Moreover, they might shift subsequent text.

Even when restricting to a full page, I don't really see how that can be done properly. Sure, you can extract the header and part of the text, but you'll have to account for references and floating elements (do they correctly work in BaKoMa?).

Of course, ideas are welcome.

Additionally, BaKoMa TeX works with DVI, which is faster than PDF.

Note also, that there is Gummi, which AFAIK just uses a full PDF compilation (which will slow down on large documents).