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How can I find out (in AUCTeX) if \frac{}{} and \bm{} have predefined keyboard shortcuts? I couldn't find these two.

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4 Answers 4

Reset to default
6

I can't find anything like that in the auctex documentation, but if you'd like to have shortcuts for them, add the following lines to your .xemacs/init.el file (if you use xemacs) or your .emacs file (if you use emacs):

(defun insert-frac ()
  "We insert  \\frac{}{} and position point before the first right brace."
  (interactive)
  (progn
    (insert "\\frac{}{}")
    (backward-char)
    (backward-char)
    (backward-char)))
;;--------------------------------------------------------------------
(defun insert-bm ()
  "We insert  \\bm{} and position point before the right brace."
  (interactive)
  (progn
    (insert "\\bm{}")
    (backward-char)))
;--------------------------------------------------------------------
(global-set-key "\C-cf"   'insert-frac)
(global-set-key "\C-cb"   'insert-bm)

You can then insert \frac{}{} and put point inside the first pair of braces by typing Control-c f and you can insert \bm{} and put point inside the braces by typing Control-c b.

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3
  • Dear Phil, thanks. I couldn't find anything in the manual, too. An alternative approach to yours is to define a snippet with yasnippet. Cheers, Marius
    – Marius Hofert
    Sep 24, 2011 at 6:28
  • @Marius: Yes, I've recently heard of yasnippet, and it looks interesting. I've had all sorts of things like this set up for years, though, so I haven't felt pressed to learn a new way. If I were starting now, I might use yasnippet instead. Best regards,
    – Phil Hirschhorn
    Sep 24, 2011 at 20:22
  • 2
    FWIW you can use (backward-char 3), and you probably want (define-key LaTeX-mode-map ...) unless you want the binding in all modes (not just LaTeX).
    – Ivan Andrus
    Oct 12, 2011 at 11:47
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I suggest a snippet. You need less keys and do not block expensive hotkey sequences. After installing yasnippet create this snippet via menu

# -*- mode: snippet -*-
# name: frac
# key: /
# --
\frac{$1}{$2}

and save it in the snippet folder. The filename is just for your eyes. Now you type / TAB and get \frac{|}{} with cursor at |

You can find my complete configuration on github if you get stuck. emacs-config

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1
  • That's exactly what I use, very useful!
    – sebastian
    Nov 22, 2012 at 13:22
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In Auctex, you can just use C-c RET frac RET and it will do just what you requested (with the cursor in the proper place.

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2
  • Is that any faster than \frac, though? To me, it seems not to be a shortcut.
    – dustin
    Sep 15, 2014 at 22:32
  • C-c RET frac RET is seven keystrokes. \frac{}{} C-b C-b C-b is twelve keystrokes. Even if you wait until after typing the numerator to close the first brace and after the denominator to close the second, it is nine keystrokes. So, yes.
    – Sam Grondahl
    Sep 16, 2014 at 2:35
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You can customize LaTeX-math-list. It takes a key and a string or function as well as some menu definitions. In LaTeX-math-mode (a minor mode), pressing LaTeX-math-abbrev-prefix (default "`") and the key you defined either inserts the string or runs the function. Thus adding (with Phil's definition of insert-frac)

(?f 'insert-frac "frac" "Constructs")

will make it so that `` fwill insert\frac{}{}with the cursor properly positioned. Of course you will no longer be able to insert\phithis way, but you can choose a better key thanf`.

Looking at LaTeX-math-default shows you all the defaults. By default there is an entry for frac, but no key is assigned to it. There is no default for \bm.

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