How to use the latex text objects in markdown

[physicophilic]

Issue
I love your text objects, but I tend to work with markdown more often than LaTeX. I would like to use them in markdown.

One option for me would be to create them myself using something like vim-textobj plugin. But, if there's a convenient way to port them from vimtex that would be great. (I suppose some copy pasting might help?)

[lervag]

But, if there's a convenient way to port them from vimtex that would be great.

Unfortunately, there is no straightforward way right now. I can see how that would be useful, though.

This could work, I've not tested: In your after/ftplugin/markdown.vim file (or similar), add:

call vimtex#text_obj#init_buffer()

omap <silent><buffer> id <plug>(vimtex-id)
omap <silent><buffer> ad <plug>(vimtex-ad)
xmap <silent><buffer> id <plug>(vimtex-id)
xmap <silent><buffer> ad <plug>(vimtex-ad)
" ...

Let me know if you test this whether it works or not. If it does, then I might add some convenience functionality for easily activate some "Vimtex layers".

[physicophilic]

I can't get it to work. Each time it says

Error detected while processing function vimtex#text_obj#init_buffer:

with further errors like

E121: Undefined variable: g:vimtex_text_obj_enabled
E121: Undefined variable: g:vimtex_text_obj_enabled
E121: Undefined variable: g:vimtex_text_obj_enabled

What I did

I added these commands to after/ftplugin/markdown.vim and also to after/ftplugin/pandoc.vim since I use vim-pandoc. I also sourced this file after opening a markdown file.

I am using vim 8.1, and here are my vimrc settings for vimtex:

Plug 'lervag/vimtex'
    let g:tex_flavor='latex'
    let g:vimtex_view_method='general' 
    let g:vimtex_quickfix_mode=0   "For Linux
    let g:vimtex_view_method = 'zathura' 
    let g:vimtex_view_general_options = '--unique file:@pdf\#src:@line@tex'
    let g:vimtex_view_general_options_latexmk = '--unique'
    let g:vimtex_compiler_progname = 'nvr'
    let g:vimtex_fold_enabled=1
    let g:vimtex_fold_manual=1

I feel like I am missing something basic to get it work?

[lervag]

I'll look more into it myself later, but in the meantime, try to add call vimtex#options#init(). It might solve your issues.

[physicophilic]

I gues you meant call vimtex#init_options(); using it the delimiter text objects are working. Thanks a lot!

I see these mappings are documented so I can carry forward from here, but yes, please do add info about what other vimtex layers can be made available!

[physicophilic]

I am SO HAPPY to see that your text-objects work well with vim-operator-surrond! Today seems like a good day!

[lervag]

Yes, sorry about the "typo". I'll keep this issue open for now, as I think it seems sensible to allow loading parts of Vimtex at will!

[lervag]

I am SO HAPPY to see that your text-objects work well with vim-operator-surrond! Today seems like a good day!

Thanks, I try to implement things in a standard way so it should work with other plugins. Glad to hear you find it useful!

[physicophilic]

Hi again.

I recently updated to latest vimtex.. and I am facing an issue.

I use context feature of ultisnips and primarily write in markdown.. Earlier I used the following python functions for checking the context.

Click to expand

import vim
texMathZones = ['texMathZone'+x for x in ['A', 'AS', 'B', 'BS', 'C', 'CS', 'D', 'DS', 'E', 'ES', 'F', 'FS', 'G', 'GS', 'H', 'HS', 'I', 'IS', 'J', 'JS', 'K', 'KS', 'L', 'LS', 'DS', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z']]

texIgnoreMathZones = ['texMathText']

texMathZoneIds = vim.eval('map('+str(texMathZones)+", 'hlID(v:val)')")
texIgnoreMathZoneIds = vim.eval('map('+str(texIgnoreMathZones)+", 'hlID(v:val)')")

ignore = texIgnoreMathZoneIds[0]

def math():
	synstackids = vim.eval("synstack(line('.'), col('.') - (col('.')>=2 ? 1 : 0))")
	try:
		first = next(i for i in reversed(synstackids) if i in texIgnoreMathZoneIds or i in texMathZoneIds)
		return first != ignore
	except StopIteration:
		return False


def notmath():
	synstackids = vim.eval("synstack(line('.'), col('.') - (col('.')>=2 ? 1 : 0))")
	try:
		first = next(i for i in reversed(synstackids) if i in texIgnoreMathZoneIds or i in texMathZoneIds)
		return first == ignore
	except StopIteration:
		return True

After getting the latest version, I see that

def math():
	return vim.eval('vimtex#syntax#in_mathzone()') == '1'

is a replacement which works perfectly for latex... but in markdown, neither this works.. nor does the original. So what can I do?

Like above should I do

call vimtex#syntax#in_marthzone() in the after/markdown.vim?

I also want to know how to add other features of vimtex in markdown....

• I noticed the conceal has become awesome (or was it always that way?) .... referring to how if a concealling glyph is available the latex objects get concealed, but if not then the full code is visible..

• With treesitter whenever I make a syntax error all lines get underlined in my theme.. but this doesn't happen in markdown... so I guess you did something to make this happen?

I tried going back to v. 1.6 which partly did the job, but I think there might be a better fix!

Thanks a lot!

[lervag]

I recently updated to latest vimtex.. and I am facing an issue.

After getting the latest version, I see that

def math():
	return vim.eval('vimtex#syntax#in_mathzone()') == '1'

is a replacement which works perfectly for latex... but in markdown, neither this works.. nor does the original. So what can I do?

It would be convenient with a simple, but explicit example for me to test. Perhaps it is simply a bug? At least, on my end, it seems to work. I do this:

1. Create the UltiSnips/markdown.snippets file and add the following code:

   global !p
   def math():
   	return vim.eval('vimtex#syntax#in_mathzone()') == '1'
   endglobal
   
   context "math()"
   snippet ,ff "Fraction" iA
   \frac{${1:numer}}{${2:denom}}${0}
   endsnippet
   

2. Open a Markdown document, type i$,ff. It expands as expected into \frac{numer}{denom}.

I noticed the conceal has become awesome (or was it always that way?) .... referring to how if a concealling glyph is available the latex objects get concealed, but if not then the full code is visible..

If you like conceals, then yes, I think the updates after VimTeX v2.0 brings some improvements. It is, though, unclear what you find lacking in Markdown here. I think most of it should work well also for LaTeX syntax within Markdown.

Perhaps you simply do not have set conceallevel=2?

With treesitter whenever I make a syntax error all lines get underlined in my theme.. but this doesn't happen in markdown... so I guess you did something to make this happen?

I have no idea. VimTeX does not utilize treesitter, so I think this must be from e.g. your language server or something similar.

[physicophilic]

It appears I was mistaken. I can't reproduce what I claimed now.

While the original python functions do not work now, (I don't mind)

global !p
def math():
	return vim.eval('vimtex#syntax#in_mathzone()') == '1'
endglobal

does work for both markdown and latex.

It may be because yesterday I simplified my config file and switched to using packer from using git submodules. I should have checked again thoroughly before asking you. If I see some problem with this later I will let you know. Sorry about it.

Conceal

It is as you say. Now that vimtex#syntax#in_mathzone() is being loaded, conceallevel=2 also makes behaviour of latex conceal in .tex and .md identical.

Syntax error

I see, thank you. Although I don't use LSP for tex, some other plugin must be responsible.

Here's a snapshot just in case you want to look at it:

Click

where I've disabled conceal to show the code. Works only inside \begin{env} \end{env}

[lervag]

It appears I was mistaken. I can't reproduce what I claimed now.
...
It may be because yesterday I simplified my config file and switched to using packer from using git submodules. I should have checked again thoroughly before asking you. If I see some problem with this later I will let you know. Sorry about it.

No problem. :)

I see, thank you. Although I don't use LSP for tex, some other plugin must be responsible.

I'm sorry to say I don't know what causes this. If not an LSP, then perhaps it is ALE? Or Syntastic?

---

I'm still keeping the issue open as indicated earlier. Note to self: It should be possible to allow loading parts of VimTeX manually.

[clason]

You might be seeing nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter@efbb1c6

Can you update nvim-treesitter (and neovim) and try again?

Also, I should point out that using nvim-treesitter's latex parser will disable VimTeX's syntax-based highlighting. So any errors with highlighting are tree-sitter issues and not at all related to vimtex.

[hermanmakhm]

I seem to be having the same problem with getting context "math()" snippets on markdown. Firstly, I'm not entirely sure what to put in vimtex/after/ftplugin/markdown.vim to make this work. It seems that adding call vimtex#init_options() even after the line call vimtex#init() gives E117: Unknown function: vimtex#init_options and none of the text object lines seem to change anything (I don't know what they are, I just tried adding them).

More importantly, when I try load the following into .vim/UltiSnips/markdown.snippets

global !p
def math():
	return vim.eval('vimtex#syntax#in_mathzone()') == '1'
endglobal

context "math()"
snippet ,ff "Fraction" iA
\frac{${1:numer}}{${2:denom}}${0}
endsnippet

snippet ,fp "Fraction" iA
\frac{\partial ${1:numer}}{\partial ${2:denom}}${0}
endsnippet

typing i,fp or i$,fp works for the second snippet but typing i$,ff or even closing the $ signs before typing ,ff don't seem to work for it to recognise the math context. I'm trying to get this to work with https://github.com/gillescastel/latex-snippets and working with .md files for Obsidian, if you want a more solid example of what I'm trying to do.

Below is my .vimrc for vimtex and ultisnips

Plug 'lervag/vimtex'
	let g:vimtex_view_general_viewer = 'okular'
	let g:vimtex_view_general_options
		\ = ' -forward-search @tex @line @pdf'
		\ . ' -inverse-search "gvim --servername ' . v:servername
		\ . ' --remote-send \"^<C-\^>^<C-n^>'
		\ . ':drop \%f^<CR^>:\%l^<CR^>:normal\! zzzv^<CR^>'
		\ . ':execute ''drop '' . fnameescape(''\%f'')^<CR^>'
		\ . ':\%l^<CR^>:normal\! zzzv^<CR^>'
		\ . ':call remote_foreground('''.v:servername.''')^<CR^>^<CR^>\""'
	let g:tex_flavor='latex'
	let g:vimtex_quickfix_mode=1
	set conceallevel=1
	let g:tex_conceal='abdmg'
	let g:vimtex_compiler_latexmk = {
            \ 'build_dir' : 'build',
            \}
"
" " Make sure you use single quotes
"
" " Shorthand notation; fetches https://github.com/junegunn/vim-easy-align
" Plug 'junegunn/vim-easy-align'
"
" " Any valid git URL is allowed
" Plug 'https://github.com/junegunn/vim-github-dashboard.git'
"
" " Multiple Plug commands can be written in a single line using | separators
Plug 'SirVer/ultisnips' | Plug 'honza/vim-snippets'
    let g:UltiSnipsExpandTrigger = '<tab>'
    let g:UltiSnipsJumpForwardTrigger = '<tab>'
    let g:UltiSnipsJumpBackwardTrigger = '<s-tab>'

I apologise if I take a while to respond/test as it is Christmas and I will not have access to my work computer to test anything.