How to preview LaTeX in Emacs?

Question

I want a similar layout as in SO, I use it currently as my editor but I would like to find such tool under my fingers. I am more vi-prone so having hard time to get preview-latex working with emacs. I don't know whether it is the right tool but I want to see things shortly after typing some long latex equations without compiling cycle. How can I preview LaTeX?

Ps. I am using obsd and ubuntu.

Answer 1

The most common package to preview text in Emacs is Preview TeX, a package now build into AUCTeX

http://gnu.org/software/auctex

It works with both latex and pdflatex. Within a LaTeX buffer, just type C-c C-p C-b, or within the menu do Preview->for buffer.

A simpler, but less effective alternative is to use the X-Symbol package:

http://x-symbol.sourceforge.net/

This one only shows special symbols (such as math operators or greek letters), but not much more than that. This package also does not seem to be developed anymore.

Answer 2

Sorry, I don't know what SO is, but have you ever heard of latexmk? It re-runs pdftex or whatever every time you save your *.tex-file. Instead of preview I do:

1. Open Emacs, C-x C-f => new file, type some skeleton of the LaTeX-file including \end{document}, save it (C-x C-s), compile it the first time (C-c C-c RET) and open it in the viewer (again C-c C-c RET).
2. I open a command window (if you use Linux, you know what I mean, if you use windows, its cmd.exe), navigate into the folder containing my LaTeX-file and type latexmk -pvc -pdf filename.tex Then latexmk compiles my document and repeats that each time I save a new version inside Emacs.

If you employ a pdf-viewer which is able to reload the pdf from harddisk every time it changes (okular, evince, sumatra for windows . . .), you are very close to an instant preview.

Alexander