Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2022 February 2

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February 2

wysiwyg latex in ms word

Hi, I have a latex file that I'm editing in MS Word. Is there a way to change the view, so that I can look alternately at equations, then at the codes, at the click of a button? Thanks in advance, IBE (talk) 15:03, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

I'm not sure about writing LaTeX in word but does LyX give you what you want? As it's WYSIWYG and able to produce the LaTeX code.Dja1979 (talk) 16:01, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

I don't want to write LaTeX - I already have the latex file, I just need to view the equations in WYSIWYG form, when the code is given. I am editing these files for grammar etc (online editing job) so the code doesn't really concern me, but I need to view it to check the flow, even as an overview for a general understanding. IBE (talk) 16:25, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

One possibility is to keep a separate window open for viewing a pdf of the typeset latex source, and switching between windows. The running text in the pdf window is not updated, but as you only want to see the typeset equations, which do not change, this should not be an issue.  --Lambiam 18:29, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

I would assume "WYSIWYG" is short form for "what you see is what you get"? ― Blaze Wolf^Talk_{Blaze Wolf#6545} 18:34, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

yes, @Blaze Wolf:, also @Lambiam:, I was in fact starting to think like that. Can you or anyone tell me the best free app for turning a Latex file into a pdf? IBE (talk) 19:32, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

Not to repeat myself but LyX is free.Dja1979 (talk) 19:38, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

Most TeX distributions have pdflatex; free distributions include TeX Live and MiKTeX.  --Lambiam 20:40, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

You can use www.overleaf.com. If you enable the auto-recompiling, you will see the result as you are typing. Ruslik_Zero 19:47, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

Thanks to all. I'll look into those options, IBE (talk) 03:28, 3 February 2022 (UTC)