Backward search doesn't work on neovim + Skim

[AlexFreik]

Description

My ~/.latexmkrc':

$pdflatex = 'pdflatex -synctex=1';

My ~/.config/nvim/init.vim (checked that the shortened version below still reproduces the problem):

call plug#begin('~/vim/plugged')
Plug 'lervag/vimtex'
    let g:vimtex_view_method='skim'
    let g:vimtex_view_skim_activate=1
    let g:vimtex_view_skim_reading_bar=1
call plug#end()

function! SetServerName()
  if has('win32')
    let nvim_server_file = $TEMP . "/curnvimserver.txt"
  else
    let nvim_server_file = "/tmp/curnvimserver.txt"
  endif
  let cmd = printf("echo %s > %s", v:servername, nvim_server_file)
  call system(cmd)
endfunction

augroup vimtex_common
    autocmd!
    autocmd FileType tex call SetServerName()
augroup END

How I fixed the problem

However, backward search works when using the solution from this article.

TL;DR:

1. Add the following setting to nvim config.

   function! SetServerName()
     if has('win32')
       let nvim_server_file = $TEMP . "/curnvimserver.txt"
     else
       let nvim_server_file = "/tmp/curnvimserver.txt"
     endif
     let cmd = printf("echo %s > %s", v:servername, nvim_server_file)
     call system(cmd)
   endfunction
   
   augroup vimtex_common
       autocmd!
       autocmd FileType tex call SetServerName()
   augroup END

2. In the Skim Preferences menu, select "Sync > Custom" and set

   Args: --servername `cat /tmp/curnvimserver.txt` +"%line" "%file"

   (instead of Args: --remote +"%line" "%file")

Steps to reproduce

1. Follow the instructions from :help vimtex-faq-skimviewer
2. Try to use Backward search (with Shift-Cmd-Click)

Expected behavior

Backward search

Actual behavior

nothing

Do you use a latexmkrc file?

Yes

VimtexInfo

System info
  OS: macOS 11.4 (20F71)
  Vim version: NVIM v0.6.0-dev+170-gdb1b0ee3b
  Has clientserver: true
  Servername: /var/folders/b6/2r1sc5kn7rz3mb9kqv9439gr0000gn/T/nvim79CnEo/0

VimTeX project: homework1_answersheet
  base: homework1_answersheet.tex
  root: /Users/alexfreik/Documents/GitHub/TUD-CSE/hw1
  tex: /Users/alexfreik/Documents/GitHub/TUD-CSE/hw1/homework1_answersheet.tex
  out: /Users/alexfreik/Documents/GitHub/TUD-CSE/hw1/homework1_answersheet.pdf
  log: /Users/alexfreik/Documents/GitHub/TUD-CSE/hw1/homework1_answersheet.log
  aux: /Users/alexfreik/Documents/GitHub/TUD-CSE/hw1/homework1_answersheet.aux
  fls: /Users/alexfreik/Documents/GitHub/TUD-CSE/hw1/homework1_answersheet.fls
  main parser: current file verified
  source files:
    homework1_answersheet.tex
    header.tex
  compiler: latexmk
    configuration: 
      continuous: 1
      callback: 1
      latexmk options:
        -verbose
        -file-line-error
        -synctex=1
        -interaction=nonstopmode
      latexmk engine: -pdf
    job: 3
    pid: 26882
    cmd: max_print_line=2000 latexmk -verbose -file-line-error -synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode -pdf -pvc -view=none -e '$success_cmd = ($success_cmd ? $success_cmd . " ; " : "") . "echo vimtex_compiler_callback_success"' -e '$failure_cmd = ($failure_cmd ? $failure_cmd . " ; " : "") . "echo vimtex_compiler_callback_failure"' 'homework1_answersheet.tex'
  viewer: Skim
    process: 
      pid: -
      cmd: osascript -e 'set theFile to POSIX file "/Users/alexfreik/Documents/GitHub/TUD-CSE/hw1/homework1_answersheet.pdf"' -e 'set thePath to POSIX path of (theFile as alias)' -e 'tell application "Skim"' -e 'try' -e 'set theDocs to get documents whose path is thePath' -e 'if (count of theDocs) > 0 then revert theDocs' -e 'end try' -e 'open theFile' -e 'end tell' >/dev/null 2>&1 &
  qf: LaTeX logfile
  document class: exam
  packages: amsbsy amsfonts amsgen amsmath amsopn amssymb amstext amsthm array atbegshi atbegshi-ltx atveryend atveryend-ltx auxhook babel bigintcalc bitset booktabs color datetime datetime-defaults enumerate epstopdf-base etexcmds etoolbox fcnumparser fcprefix fmtcount gettitlestring graphics graphicx hycolor hyperref iftex ifthen infwarerr intcalc keyval kvdefinekeys kvoptions kvsetkeys letltxmacro ltxcmds mathabx mathdots mathrsfs nameref pdfescape pdftexcmds pgf pgfcomp-version-0-65 pgfcomp-version-1-18 pgfcore pgffor pgfkeys pgfmath pgfplots pgfrcs pgfsys refcount rerunfilecheck tabularx tikz trig uniquecounter url xcolor xkeyval

[clason]

Your config is not minimal ;) What happens when you remove the autocommand (and the SetServerName function)?

[AlexFreik]

Your config is not minimal ;) What happens when you remove the autocommand (and the SetServerName function)?

It is still not working (and my current workaround also stops working, of course)

[clason]

Weird. How did you install neovim?

[AlexFreik]

Weird. How did you install neovim (and what version)?

brew install neovim --HEAD

[lervag]

Notice that you are not on the latest VimTeX. It may not be crucial here, but it's best practise to ensure you're on the latest commits.

[AlexFreik]

Notice that you are not on the latest VimTeX. It may not be crucial here, but it's best practise to ensure you're on the latest commits.

Thanks for advice! Updated VimTex, but still the same problem)

[lervag]

Can you simplify even more, that is, use the following minimal test.vim:

set nocompatible
let &rtp = '~/.vim/plugged/vimtex,' . &rtp
let &rtp .= ',~/.vim/plugged/vimtex/after'
filetype plugin indent on
syntax enable

let g:vimtex_view_method = 'skim'

Also, could you for now remove the .latexmkrc file (I'm 99.9% sure it's not relevant, but still).

With that, you can open your TeX file with nvim -u test.vim main.tex and again reproduce your issue.

Also, please: Can you be very specific/verbose in exactly the steps you use to reproduce? Your current description is not specific. This would be an example (but it may not be exactly what you are doing):

1. nvim -u test.vim main.tex
2. Start compilation: \ll
3. Observe that Skim is opened after successful compilation
4. Now do "Shift-Cmd-Click" within Skim

Expect: Backward search

Observe: Nothing

[AlexFreik]

Can you simplify even more, that is, use the following minimal test.vim:

set nocompatible
let &rtp = '~/.vim/plugged/vimtex,' . &rtp
let &rtp .= ',~/.vim/plugged/vimtex/after'
filetype plugin indent on
syntax enable

let g:vimtex_view_method = 'skim'

Also, could you for now remove the .latexmkrc file (I'm 99.9% sure it's not relevant, but still).

With that, you can open your TeX file with nvim -u test.vim main.tex and again reproduce your issue.

Also, please: Can you be very specific/verbose in exactly the steps you use to reproduce? Your current description is not specific. This would be an example (but it may not be exactly what you are doing):

1. nvim -u test.vim main.tex
2. Start compilation: \ll
3. Observe that Skim is opened after successful compilation
4. Now do "Shift-Cmd-Click" within Skim

Expect: Backward search

Observe: Nothing

I have done exactly the same you have written. (created test.vim, deleted .latexmkrc, and reproduce the steps you wrote) And still the same. Mystery.....

[clason]

Now that we are grasping at straws (and since you didn't specify it): you did set the Command in the Skim Custom settings to nvr?

[AlexFreik]

Now that we are grasping at straws (and since you didn't specify it): you did set the Command in the Skim Custom settings to nvr?

[AlexFreik]

Now that we are grasping at straws (and since you didn't specify it): you did set the Command in the Skim Custom settings to nvr?

I think we can wait if anyone else have this problem. If I am the only one it wouldn't matter) Thanks for your time!)

[lervag]

Well, this is all very strange. As I don't use and don't know MacOS in any depth, it is hard to be of any more help; sorry. Of course, if you have a method for getting around this issue (as indicated in the original post), then that's very good. If it turns out that this is a problem for more people, then it might be useful/necessary to update the docs here.

[ThSGM]

@AlexFreik I can confirm that the method posted by jdhao and posted here works while the one that I tried via the vimtex documentation does not.

@lervag What is the best way to test the nvr command without using Skim?

I don't really understand how

nvr --remote ...

is supposed to find the server name initiated by the nvim host?

Does it matter which terminal we use or how we launch nvim? In any case I have tested jdhao's solution using iTerm and Alacritty.