Typeset submenu

If you use Textures, OzTeX, CMacTeX, or DirectTeX, you'll be happy to know that Alpha and LaTeX work well together. To typeset the file you're currently editing in Alpha, simply choose Typeset from the Typeset submenu or press <CMD T>. Alpha first checks to make sure that any changes to the file have been saved; if not, the user is prompted for the appropriate action. Note that it is not necessary to save the document to process the window. Just click the ``No'' button when asked to save the current window, whereupon Alpha will pass the contents of the window to the LaTeX application and typeset the file automatically. If the flag runTeXInBack is set to true, typesetting will occur in the background.

The inverse operation, switching from LaTeX to Alpha, depends on which LaTeX application you're using. OzTeX users, for example, simply choose the Edit command from OzTeX's Edit menu or press <CMD E> to return to Alpha. (By the way, typing `e' in response to a LaTeX error message in the OzTeX window throws you back into Alpha at the offending line. The same trick works in CMacTeX and DirectTeX, too.)

To typeset the contents of the Clipboard, choose the Typeset Clipboard command from the Typeset submenu or press <SHF CMD T>. This command is handy for typesetting and viewing TeX or LaTeX code copied to the Clipboard from other applications such as terminal emulators or e-mail clients.

It's also possible to typeset a portion of a document. Simply select (i.e., highlight) the LaTeX code you'd like to typeset and choose Typeset Selection from the Typeset submenu. Alpha will construct a temporary document from the current document's preamble and the highlighted text, and pass this virtual document to the TeX application to be typeset automatically.

To convert a .dvi file to a .ps file, choose the dvips command on the Typeset submenu. Assuming you have the necessary applications installed on your Macintosh, choose View file.ps or Print file.ps to view or print the resulting .ps file.

Tip: To see what applications are currently supported for viewing or printing .ps files, type

  array names viewPSAppSig

  array names printPSAppSig

Once a .ps file has been created, you may open a window containing the raw PostScript code by choosing Open file.ps on the Typeset submenu. To see this command, press the <OPT> key while the Typeset submenu is down.

To run BIBTEX or MakeIndex, choose the corresponding command from the Typeset submenu. While the Typeset submenu is down, press the <OPT> key and choose Open file.bbl or Open file.ind to open the file created by BIBTEX or MakeIndex, respectively.

The Other Files submenu on the Typeset submenu provides convenient access to other LaTeX auxiliary files. Choose Open Any TeX File on the Other Files submenu to open any file in the current directory.

The utility Remove Auxiliary Files interactively removes all auxiliary files (.aux .bbl .dvi .glo .idx .ind .lof .log .lot .toc .blg .clg .ilg .ps) in the current directory. Two additional buttons have been added to the dialog: the button labeled ``rm ext'' removes all files with the same extension as the file displayed in the dialog, and ``rm all'' removes all auxiliary files from the current directory without prompting.

Alpha writes all temporary files to $PREFS:tmp:, which makes them easier to remove. All temporary files are removed once, at launch; however, the command Remove Temporary Files on the Typeset submenu removes all temporary files immediately.