Re: [Vim-latex-devel] Re: Review of vim-latex status

[Carl M. <cm...@ma...>]

Dear Srinath,

On Tue, Dec 31, 2002 at 12:09:22AM -0800, Srinath Avadhanula wrote:
> Should we have two variables
> 
> g:Tex_HotKeyMappings_amslatex = 'equation,equation*,align,align*'
> g:Tex_HotKeyMappings_latex = 'equation,\[,eqnarray,eqnarray*'
> 
> and then use one or the other? But I am thinking that since we want to
> encourage the user to customize latex-suite anyway, is there a reason to
> have this intelligence at all? Most users will I think either use
> amsmath all the time or never... So they could just tailor the setting
> once and forget about it...

Actually, I prefer the solution that you give above, with
the hotkey maps.  If users don't like this, they could just
map the keys as they wish.  Probably, you are right, and
people just use latex or amslatex exclusively.  Of course,
some people have multiple collaborators, so they have to use
both.  

Emacs auctex scans the file to determine which kind of latex
is being used, and customizes itself accordingly.  It seems
to me that \usepackage{...amsmath...} is an umambiguous way
to check whether amslatex is being used (except when the
file is first created).  At least this would allow the use
of the package on all kinds of files.  Otherwise, there
might be a need for a different configuration files for each
paper.  Could it be an option?  

> 
> Also, is there any reason, why you always don't use the multiline
> versions. If you want to do just one equation, you could just choose not
> to insert another \\ and an equation. This way, we could two of those
> keys for something else...

This sounds reasonable, but no one does it.  In fact, the
multiline versions weren't designed to be used this way,
and journal typesetters would probably complain.  You are
trying to do something equivalent to fixing the illogical
spelling of English -- it sounds good, but people don't want
to be forced to switch to someone else's system.

> 
> > who like it.  Also, in ultratex, typing $$ results in
> > $$
> >
> > $$
> > Typing more dollar signs will make the environment cycle
> > through \begin{equation}...\end{equation}, and so on.  I
> 
> Thats an interesting idea... 

I personally don't like this feature of ultratex, and I
prefer auctex to ultratex.  I just wanted to point out what
other people have done.  But it does have the advantage that
you only have to remember one thing -- typing dollar signs.  

Best wishes,
Carl