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Currently, I have to use the F1 key to get PDF output.

I want to set up Texmaker so that it automatically shows me an in-IDE preview of the PDF file that my .tex file compiles to...as I type. How would I go about doing this?

Phil Hobrla
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sam
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    Thats a function that you probably do not want: it needs some time to render an average pdf document, so it makes perfect sense to do this only if the user wants it. Rendering the pdf on every keystroke or every n Seconds would result in quite heavy disk activity and CPU load.

    The solution is to get used to editing the source code. A good formatting of the .tex file can help (newlines, indentation, comments...). This question has some other suggestions: http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/21746/live-tex-compilation

     – 0x6d64 Aug 30 '11 at 10:01
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    @0x6d64: Please turn your comment into an answer. – lockstep Dec 04 '11 at 14:23
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    To me this is a comment, not an answer. – Franck Dernoncourt Nov 05 '13 at 19:04

3 Answers3

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Try Gummi, the lightweight and very efficient alternative to Texmaker. It can do the automatic compilation as described. If you are on Ubuntu, Gummi is included in the official repository, so just do apt-get install gummi.

Another option is to use the online (and collaborative) editor Overleaf, which can also do auto compilation but it's a bit slower.

Yixing Lao
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switching a comment to an answer

Thats a function that you probably do not want: it needs some time to render an average pdf document, so it makes perfect sense to do this only if the user wants it. Rendering the pdf on every keystroke or every n Seconds would result in quite heavy disk activity and CPU load. The solution is to get used to editing the source code. A good formatting of the .tex file can help (newlines, indentation, comments...). This question has some other suggestions: Live tex compilation

Community
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Marco Daniel
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    It could be an option. Many Windows users would like to have live preview. TexMaker only takes less than 2 seconds on one core to compile a standard 10-page PDF (put aside the first compilation), it could be done in the background. Latexian on Mac has a live preview feature and it works very well. – Franck Dernoncourt Nov 05 '13 at 19:10
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    This is not an answer for the question – fishbone Feb 28 '15 at 14:22
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    When I do this, my average CPU usage climbs by 1% to 3% -- I wouldn't call that heavy CPU load. – frabjous Jan 16 '19 at 18:11
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My current favourite is VSCode + LaTeX Workshop plugin + a separate PDF viewer.

  1. Write some TeX, save.
  2. By default, the LaTeX Workshop will compile the PDF automatically.
  3. Open the PDF file in a viewer. Make sure your viewer supports automatic refresh.

I am on Ubuntu and I use the default Evince PDF viewer, which works great in the scenario.

Yixing Lao
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