using AutoHotKey to streamline LaTeX document authoring

Question

Is it possible to use AutoHotKey to facilitate LaTeX document authoring? In which ways? Is there any off the shelf AutoHotKey script for this purpose?

Answer 1

In general, I'm very inaccurate when typing things like "\", "{", "$" etc. It's especially cumbersome to navigate text with the Left, Right, Up and Down keys and you do all of these things constantly when typing tex.

I haven't spent much time learning how to write scripts with AHK, but I did write a few things to make a few shortcuts and to save the amount of which my wrists have to bend while typing tex.

For example, these I wrote for my preference.

^space:: Send {{}{}}{Left}
CapsLock:: Send {$}{$}{Left}
^9:: Send {(}{)}{Left}
^l:: Send {Right}
^j:: Send {Left}
^i:: Send {Up}
^m:: Send {Down}
^k:: Send {Down}
+^l:: Send +{Right}
+^j:: Send +{Left}
+^i:: Send +{Up}
+^m:: Send +{Down}
+^k:: Send +{Down}
^f:: Send {^}
^p:: Send \pause{Enter}{Enter}
^h:: Send \
^n:: Send \{{}\{}}{Left}{Left}
^;:: Send {End}
^Backspace:: Send {Delete}
^=:: Send {&}={&}

I came here because I too was wondering if someone with professional knowledge of AHK had written something useful for writing tex.

Answer 2

Here is a script I created over time and improve occasionally for my personal use.

Features:

• Instant completion for single brackets (,[,{. You can also delete surrounding characters with [Shift] + [Backspace]

  

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• Create \left* \right* environments for any two characters with [Ctrl] + 7

  

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• Single letter Tab autocompletion to greek letters (case sensitive)

  

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• Insert brackets (,[,{ around a selection with [Ctrl] + 8,9,0

  

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• As requested by Mr.Robot, you can now jump between bullets, which are included in some of the autocompletion commands. This can be done via [Ctrl] + Space

  

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• Environment Tab completion assistant

  

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• A lot of autocompletions, I will not list here. Feel free to have a look at the code. It is mostly commented.

---

Code (new version):

#NoEnv  ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.

#a::Suspend, Toggle ; pause script
#Hotstring EndChars `t ; [Tab] triggers Hotstrings

; Reset Hotstring for CTRL+Backspace and CTRL+A (otherwise hostrings won't trigger)
Ctrl & Backspace::
    SendInput ^`b
    Hotstring("Reset")
    Return

Ctrl & a::
    SendInput ^a
    Hotstring("Reset")
    Return

; :o:   omit ending character
; :?:   triggers hotstring even between characters
; :c:   case sensitive
; :*:   no trigger
; ^     ctrl
; +     shift
; <!    left alt



; /// 1. BRACKETS //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; instant complete (), [], {}
:o*?:(::(){Left}
:o*?:[::[]{Left}
:o*?:{::{{}{}}{Left}

:o:abs::\left|  \right| {Left 9} ; Absolut Value: \left| \right|
:o:abs2::\left|  \right|{^}2 {Left 11} ; Absolut Value: \left| \right|
^4:: Send $${Left} ; $$

; \left* \right*
; (instruction: place the cursor between the opening and the closing symbol, then hit ctrl+7)
^7::
    SendInput, {Left}\left{Right}  \right{Left 7}
    Return

; put brackets around selection
; (warning: this might not work in some applications!)
^8::
    ClipBackup := ClipboardAll
    clipboard := ""
    SendInput, ^x
    SendInput, (){Left}
    SendInput, ^v
    SendInput, {Right}
    Sleep 1000
    Clipboard := ClipBackup
    Return

^9::
    ClipBackup := ClipboardAll
    clipboard := ""
    SendInput, ^x
    SendInput, []{Left}
    SendInput, ^v
    SendInput, {Right}
    Sleep 1000
    Clipboard := ClipBackup
    Return

^0::
    ClipBackup := ClipboardAll
    clipboard := ""
    SendInput, ^x
    SendInput, {{}{}}{Left}
    SendInput, ^v
    SendInput, {Right}
    Sleep 1000
    Clipboard := ClipBackup
    Return




; /// 2. OTHER /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; Jump to first occurance of • in the current line. (Continues search in the next line.)
^Space::
    ClipBackup := ClipboardAll
    clipboard := ""
    SendInput, {Home}+{End}
    SendInput, ^c
    Sleep 50 ; increase this number, if it doesn't work
    SearchedText := clipboard
    ; MsgBox, %SearchedText%    
    StringGetPos, pos, SearchedText, •
    if (pos >= 0)
        ; MsgBox, %Target% was found at %pos%.
        SendInput, {Home}{Right %pos%}+{Right}
    else
        SendInput, {Down}
        SendInput, {Home}+{End}
        SendInput, ^c
        Sleep 50 ; increase this number, if it doesn't work
        SearchedText := clipboard
        ; MsgBox, %SearchedText%    
        StringGetPos, pos, SearchedText, •
        if (pos >= 0)
            ; MsgBox, %Target% was found at %pos%.
            SendInput, {Home}{Right %pos%}+{Right}
        else
            SendInput, {End}
    Clipboard := ClipBackup
    Return

; Comfort
+Backspace:: Send,{BackSpace}{Delete} ; delete surrounding characters
^Enter:: Send,{End}{Enter} ; instant create new line, even from within words.

; Shift+Space: escape to the right and insert a space
+Space::
    SendInput, {Right}{Space}
    Return

; Whitespaces
:o:qd::\quad
:o:qq::\qquad
:o?: ::\{Space}{Space}
:o?:,::\,
:o:clp::\clearpage

; Environments
:o:bg::
    InputBox, OutputVar, Environment,,, 200, 120,,,,, align
    SendInput, \begin{{}%OutputVar%{}}`r`r\end{{}%OutputVar%{}}{Up}`t
    Return

:o:bga::\begin{{}align{}}`r`r\end{{}align{}}{Up}`t ; align
:o:bgas::\begin{{}align{}}\begin{{}split{}}`r`r\end{{}split{}}\end{{}align{}}{Up}`t ; align with split

:o:itmz::\begin{{}itemize{}}`r{Home}`r\end{{}itemize{}}{Up}`t\item{Space} ; align
:o:itm::\item{Space}



; /// 3. TEXT FORMATTING ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; Sections
:o:sc::\section{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \section
:o:ss::\subsection{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \subsection
:o:sss::\subsubsection*{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \subsubsection*

; Text
:o:tx::\text{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \text
:o:tbf::\textbf{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \textbf
:o:tit::\textit{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \textit
:o:em::\emph{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \emph
:o:sf::\textsf{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; sans serif
:o:sc::\textsc{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; small caps

:o:bf::\mathbf{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathbf
:o:cal::\mathcal{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathcal
:o:scr::\mathscr{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathscr
:o:bb::\mathbb{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathbb
:o:bbm::\mathbbm{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathbbm



; /// 4. MATH STUFF ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; Common Operations
:o:fr::\frac{Space} ; \frac
:o:fra::\frac{{}•{}}{{}•{}}{Left 4}+{Left} ; \frac{•}{•}
:o:tfr::\tfrac{Space} ; \tfrac
:o:su::\sum{Space} ; \sum
:o:sum::\sum_{{}•{}}{^}{{}•{}}{Left 5}+{Left} ; \sum_{•}^{•}
:o:pro::\prod_{{}•{}}{^}{{}•{}}{Left 5}+{Left} ; \prod_{•}^{•}
:o:in::\int{Space} ; \int
:o:oin::\oint{Space} ; \oint
:o:int::\int_{{}•{}}{^}{{}•{}}{Left 5}+{Left} ; \int_{•}^{•}
:o:sq::\sqrt{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \sqrt{ } \sqrt{}

; alt+^ instantly yields ^{•}
<!^::
    SendInput, {^}{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left}
    Return

; Relations
:o:<=>::\Leftrightarrow ; <=>
:o:=>::\Rightarrow ; =>
:o:<=::\Leftarrow ; <=
:o?:-->::\longrightarrow ; -->
:o:->::\rightarrow ; ->
:o:!=::\overset{{}{!}{}}{{}={}}{Space} ; ! over =
:o?:=::\ =\{Space}
:o:eq::\ \equiv\{Space}
:o:~::\sim

; Other / Symbols
:o:cnc::\cancel{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \cancel{}
:o:del::\partial
:o:dell::\frac{{}\partial{}}{{}\partial •{}}{Left}+{Left}
:o:ovs::\overset{{}•{}}{{}•{}}{Left 4}+{Left}
:o:inf::\infty
:o:°::{^}\circ 
:o:cd::\cdot{Space}
:o:dg::{^}\dagger
:o:dd::\text{{}d{}}•+{Left} ; used for differentials e.g. dx



; /// 5. MATRICES //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; Matrices
:o:pm2::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r• & • \\`r• & • \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}
:o:bm2::\begin{{}bmatrix{}}`r• & • \\`r• & • \\`r\end{{}bmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}
:o:pm3::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r• & • & • \\`r• & • & • \\`r• & • & • \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}
:o:bm3::\begin{{}bmatrix{}}`r• & • & • \\`r• & • & • \\`r• & • & • \\`r\end{{}bmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}
:o:pm4::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r• & • & • & • \\`r• & • & • & • \\`r• & • & • & • \\`r• & • & • & • \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}
:o:bm4::\begin{{}bmatrix{}}`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r\end{{}bmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}

; LGS
:o:lgs::\begin{{}matrix{}}`r• &=& • \\`r• &=& • \\`r\end{{}matrix{}}{Left 12}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}

; Vectors
:o:v2::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r• \\`r• \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}
:o:v3::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r• \\`r• \\`r• \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}
:o:v4::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r• \\`r• \\`r• \\`r• \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t+{Right}



; /// 6. GREEK /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

:o:a::\alpha  
:o:b::\beta
:o:c::\chi
:oc:d::\delta
:oc:D::\Delta
:o:e::\epsilon
:o:ve::\varepsilon
:oc:f::\phi
:oc:F::\Phi
:o:vf::\varphi
:oc:g::\gamma
:oc:G::\Gamma
:o:h::\eta
:o:i::\iota
:o:k::\kappa
:oc:l::\lambda
:oc:L::\Lambda
:o:m::\mu
:o:n::\nu
:oc:p::\pi
:oc:P::\Pi
:oc:q::\theta
:oc:Q::\Theta
:o:vq::\vartheta
:o:r::\rho
:oc:s::\sigma
:oc:S::\Sigma
:o:t::\tau
:oc:u::\upsilon
:oc:U::\Upsilon
:o:v::\digamma
:oc:w::\omega
:oc:W::\Omega
:oc:x::\xi
:oc:X::\Xi
:oc:y::\psi
:oc:Y::\Psi
:o:z::\zeta

---

Old version from my original answer:

; /// HEAD /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; :o:   omit ending character
; :?:   triggers hotstring even between characters
; :c:   case sensitive
; ^     CTRL

#NoEnv  ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.

#a::Suspend, Toggle ; toggle suspend script
#Hotstring EndChars `t ; [Tab] triggers Hotstrings

; Reset Hotstring for CTRL+Backspace and CTRL+A (otherwise hostrings won't trigger)
Ctrl & Backspace::
    SendInput ^`b
    Hotstring("Reset")
Return

Ctrl & a::
    SendInput ^a
    Hotstring("Reset")
Return


; /// COMFORT //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

+Backspace:: Send,{BackSpace}{Delete} ; delete surrounding characters
^Enter:: Send,{End}{Enter} ; instant jump to new line, even from between characters


; /// BRACKETS /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; instant complete std brackets
:o*?:(::(){Left}
:o*?:[::[]{Left}
:o*?:{::{{}{}}{Left}

; left right brackets
^8:: Send \left(  \right) {Left 9} ; \left( \right)
^9:: Send \left[  \right] {Left 9} ; \left[ \right]
^<:: Send \left<  \right> {Left 9} ; \left< \right>
^7:: Send \left\{{}  \right\{}} {Left 10} ; \left{ \right}

^4:: Send $${Left} ; $$
:o:abs::\left|  \right| {Left 9} ; Absolut Value: \left| \right|


; /// GENERAL SHORTS ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

:o:baln::\begin{{}align{}}`r`r\end{{}align{}}{Up}`t ; align
:o:bgas::\begin{{}align{}}\begin{{}split{}}`r`r\end{{}split{}}\end{{}align{}}{Up}`t ; align with split
:o:sc::\section{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \section
:o:ss::\subsection{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \subsection
:o:clp::\clearpage

; Text
:o:tx::\text{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \text
:o:tbf::\textbf{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \textbf
:o:tit::\textit{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \textit
:o:em::\emph{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \emph
:o:bf::\mathbf{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathbf
:o:cal::\mathcal{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathcal
:o:scr::\mathscr{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathscr
:o:bb::\mathbb{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathbb
:o:bbm::\mathbbm{{}•{}}{Left}+{Left} ; \mathbbm

; Operations, Symbols, Relations
:o:fra::\frac{Space} ; frac
:o:sum::\sum_{{}•{}}{^}{{}•{}}{Left 5}+{Left} ; \sum
:o:pro::\prod_{{}•{}}{^}{{}•{}}{Left 5}+{Left} ; \prod
:o:int::\int_{{}•{}}{^}{{}•{}}{Left 5}+{Left} ; \int

:o:del::\partial
:o:ovs::\overset 
:o:inf::\infty
:o:°::{^}\circ 
:o:cd::\cdot
:o:dg::{^}\dagger
:o:dd::\text{{}d{}}
:o:qd::\quad
:o:qq::\qquad

:o:<=>::\Leftrightarrow
:o:=>::\Rightarrow
:o:->::\rightarrow
:o:!=::\overset{{}{!}{}}{{}={}}
:o?:=::\ =\{Space}
:o:eq::\ \equiv\{Space}
:o:~::\sim


; /// MATRICES & VECTORS ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

; Matrices
:o:pm2::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t
:o:bm2::\begin{{}bmatrix{}}`r0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 \\`r\end{{}bmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t
:o:pm3::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t
:o:bm3::\begin{{}bmatrix{}}`r0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 \\`r\end{{}bmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t
:o:pm4::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t
:o:bm4::\begin{{}bmatrix{}}`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\`r\end{{}bmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t

; LGS
:o:lgs::\begin{{}cases{}}\;`r\begin{{}matrix{}}`rf  & = & a & b \\`rf  & = & c & d \\`r\end{{}matrix{}}`r\end{{}cases{}}{Left 11}{Up 2}`t{Left}{Up}`t

; Vectors
:o:v2::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r0 \\`r0 \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t
:o:v3::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r0 \\`r0 \\`r0 \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t
:o:v4::\begin{{}pmatrix{}}`r0 \\`r0 \\`r0 \\`r0 \\`r\end{{}pmatrix{}}{Left 13}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t{Left}{Up}`t


; /// GREEK ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

:o:a::\alpha  
:o:b::\beta
:o:c::\chi
:oc:d::\delta
:oc:D::\Delta
:o:e::\epsilon
:o:ve::\varepsilon
:oc:f::\phi
:oc:F::\Phi
:o:vf::\varphi
:oc:g::\gamma
:oc:G::\Gamma
:o:h::\eta
:o:i::\iota
:o:k::\kappa
:oc:l::\lambda
:oc:L::\Lambda
:o:m::\mu
:o:n::\nu
:oc:p::\pi
:oc:P::\Pi
:oc:q::\theta
:oc:Q::\Theta
:o:vq::\vartheta
:o:r::\rho
:oc:s::\sigma
:oc:S::\Sigma
:o:t::\tau
:oc:u::\upsilon
:oc:U::\Upsilon
:o:v::\digamma
:oc:w::\omega
:oc:W::\Omega
:oc:x::\xi
:oc:X::\Xi
:oc:y::\psi
:oc:Y::\Psi
:o:z::\zeta

Answer 3

By accident I found this question and also by accident I found an answer a long time ago:

http://uweziegenhagen.de/?tag=autohotkey

The guy there, Mr. Ziegenhagen, blogs some useful scripts in order to make the LaTeX life easier. Some examples:

!e::
InputBox, UserEnv, Environment, Please enter an environment!, , 240, 120
If ErrorLevel
    return
Else 
if( RegExMatch(UserEnv, "(.*?)(\d+)$", splitted) ) {
    Send \begin{{}%splitted1%{}}{Enter}
        Loop %splitted2% {
            Send \item {Enter}
        }
    Send \end{{}%splitted1%{}}{Up}
    count2 := splitted2 - 1 
    Loop %count2% {
        Send {Up}
    }           
} 
Else 
    Send \begin{{}%UserEnv%{}}{Enter 2}\end{{}%UserEnv%{}}{Up}
return

If you press Alt+e and enter e. g. itemize3 then the script will insert

\begin{itemize}
\item
\item 
\item 
\end{itemize} 

I think that's great! Here are some more examples:

:*:ch#::\chapter{{}{}}{LEFT}
:*:s#::\section{{}{}}{LEFT}
:*:ss#::\subsection{{}{}}{LEFT}
:*:sss#::\subsubsection{{}{}}{LEFT}

:*:b#::\begin{{}{}}{LEFT}
:*:e#::\end{{}{}}{LEFT}

:*:bf#::\textbf{{}{}}{LEFT}
:*:tt#::\texttt{{}{}}{LEFT}
:*:it#::\textit{{}{}}{LEFT}

:*:desc#::\begin{{}description{}}`r\item[]`r\item[]`r\item[]`r\end{{}description{}}{UP 3}{LEFT}
:*:enum#::\begin{{}enumerate{}}`r\item `r\item `r\item `r\end{{}enumerate{}}{UP 3}
:*:item#::\begin{{}itemize{}}`r\item `r\item `r\item `r\end{{}itemize{}}{UP 3}

See also this question. Here are more examples from Mr. Ziegenhagen's blog:

http://uweziegenhagen.de/?s=Autohotkey

Answer 4

You can use AutoHotKeys to define a bunch of keyboard shortcuts for the most often used LaTeX commands:

\begin{<input your environment name>}
\end{<AutoHotKeys automatically closes it with the same environment name>}

\begin{itemize}
\item <cursor is put here>
\item
\end{itemize}

\section{foo}

\alpha,\beta,...

etc.

But if you're willing to invest time in learning a tool to ease LaTeX document authoring, I suggest emacs and the good AUCTeX extension. It has many well-thought keyboard shortcuts, syntax highlighting (including bold for \section), jump to the point of compilation error, table of content navigation, etc. http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/features.html

Works under Linux, Windows and Mac.

Answer 5

Script for converting LaTeX-like input to unicode characters

"Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U" toggles it on and off (look at the bottom right icon to see it's in suspense mode (icon S) of active mode (icon H).

Test: αβΓ∞¹₂ℝ∫