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A.3.2 Wishlist

  • Documentation lookup for macros

    A parser could gather information about which macros are defined in which LaTeX packages and store the information in a hashtable which can be used in a backend for TeX-doc in order to open the matching documentation for a given macro. The information could also be used to insert an appropriate ‘\usepackage’ statement if the user tries to insert a macro for which the respective package has not been requested yet.

  • Improvements to error reporting

    Fringe indicators for errors in the main text would be nice.

  • A math entry grid

    A separate frame with a table of math character graphics to click on in order to insert the respective sequence into the buffer (cf. the “grid" of x-symbol).

  • Crossreferencing support

    It would be nice if you could index process your favorite collection of ‘.dtx’ files (such as the LaTeX source), just call a command on arbitrary control sequence, and get either the DVI viewer opened right at the definition of that macro (using Source Specials), or the source code of the ‘.dtx’ file.

  • Better plain TeX support

    For starters, LaTeX-math-mode is not very LaTeX-specific in the first place, and similar holds for indentation and formatting.

  • Page count when compiling should (optionally) go to modeline of the window where the compilation command was invoked, instead of the output window. Suggested by Karsten Tinnefeld ﹤tinnefeld\@irb.informatik.uni-dortmund.deï¹¥.

  • Command to insert a macrodefinition in the preamble, without moving point from the current location. Suggested by "Jeffrey C. Ely" ﹤ely\@nwu.eduï¹¥.

  • A database of all commands defined in all stylefiles. When a command or environment gets entered that is provided in one of the styles, insert the appropriate \usepackage in the preamble.

  • A way to add and overwrite math mode entries in style files, and to decide where they should be. Suggested by Remo Badii ﹤Remo.Badii\@psi.chï¹¥.

  • Create template for (first) line of tabular environment.

  • I think prompting for the master is the intended behaviour. It corresponds to a ‘shared’ value for TeX-master.

    There should probably be a ‘none’ value which wouldn’t query for the master, but instead disable all features that relies on TeX-master.

    This default value for TeX-master could then be controled with mapping based on the extension.

  • Use index files (when available) to speed up C-c C-m include <RET>.

  • Option not to calculate very slow completions like for C-c C-m include <RET>.

  • Font menu should be created from TeX-font-list.

  • Installation procedure written purely in emacs lisp.

  • Included PostScript files should also be counted as part of the document.

  • A nice hierarchical by-topic organization of all officially documented LaTeX macros, available from the menu bar.

  • TeX-command-default should be set from the master file, if not set locally. Suggested by Peter Whaite ‘<peta@cim.mcgill.ca>’.

  • Make AUCTeX work with ‘crypt++’. Suggested by Chris Moore ‘<Chris.Moore@src.bae.co.uk>’.

  • Make AUCTeX work with ‘longlines’. This would also apply to preview-latex, though it might make sense to unify error processing before attempting this.

  • The ‘Spell’ command should apply to all files in a document. Maybe it could try to restrict to files that have been modified since last spell check? Suggested by Ravinder Bhumbla ‘<rbhumbla@ucsd.edu>’.

  • Make ﹤.ï¹¥ check for abbreviations and sentences ending with capital letters.

  • Use Emacs 19 minibuffer history to choose between previewers, and other stuff. Suggested by John Interrante ‘<interran@uluru.Stanford.EDU>’.

  • Documentation of variables that can be set in a style hook.

    We need a list of what can safely be done in an ordinary style hook. You can not set a variable that AUCTeX depends on, unless AUCTeX knows that it has to run the style hooks first.

    Here is the start of such a list.

    LaTeX-add-environments​

    TeX-add-symbols​

    LaTeX-add-labels​

    LaTeX-add-bibliographies​

    LaTeX-largest-level​

  • Outline should be (better) supported in TeX mode.

    At least, support headers, trailers, as well as TeX-outline-extra.

  • TeX-header-start and TeX-trailer-end.

    We might want these, just for fun (and outlines)

  • Plain TeX and LaTeX specific header and trailer expressions.

    We should have a way to globally specify the default value of the header and trailer regexps.

  • Get closer to original TeX-mode keybindings.

    A third initialization file (‘tex-mode.el’) containing an emulator of the standard TeX-mode would help convince some people to change to AUCTeX.

  • Use markers in TeX-error-list to remember buffer positions in order to be more robust with regard to line numbers and changed files.

  • Finish the Texinfo mode. For one thing, many Texinfo mode commands do not accept braces around their arguments.

  • Hook up the letter environment with ‘bbdb.el’.