Startup for PDF Viewer sometimes hangs

[GersiD]

Description

Hello! I just got everything setup (or so I think) for using VimTex on Windows 11, neovim v0.8.0, SumatraPDF viewer. I use the following command for inverse search which also sometimes hangs.

cmd /c start /min "" nvim --headless -c "VimtexInverseSearch %l '%f'"

The command which VimTex runs to startup the SumatraPDF view is as follows.

cmd /s /c "SumatraPDF -reuse-instance -forward-search "TEX_DOC_NAME" 1 "PDF_DOC_NAME"

Please note the importance of the double quotation marks (") due to the /s operator.

This command sometimes starts SumatraPDF and sometimes hangs there and does nothing. Similarly, the inverse search via double clicking on SumatraPDF sometimes navigates to the proper line in the file I have open, and sometimes hangs. I am not sure why they hang and I dont know how I would go about fixing it.

Please note that on occurrences where the startup command hangs the inverse search command isn't even allowed to run, meaning I dont even see a terminal popup. I think I would like to try getting the terminal to not pop up at all if this is a possibility.

Thank you to anyone who reads this! Especially the developers and maintainers of this wonderful project.

Steps to reproduce

The following is my Neovim lua Config for VimTex.

        ['lervag/vimtex'] = {
          config = {
            ['vimtex_view_general_viewer'] = 'SumatraPDF',
            ['vimtex_view_method'] = 'SumatraPDF',
            ['vimtex_view_general_options'] = '-reuse-instance -forward-search @tex @line @pdf',
            ['vimtex_view_general_options_latexmk'] = '-reuse-instance',
          }

The following is the minimal tex file required to make the startup SumatraPDF command hang.

\documentclass{minimal}
\begin{document}
Hello world!
\end{document}

Steps to reproduce

1. open the minimal.tex file in vim
2. run :VimtexCompile (no quotation marks)
3. Observe the following command window popup

4. Observe SumatraPDF open 5. Try and double click to jump to the hello world line, and observe that if it completes it takes a very long time unless you force close the first command window in step 3.

Expected behavior

When following the above steps, I expect the following behaviours.

1. Primary command window in step 3 to popup and then disappear.
2. Double click to inverse search to work.

Actual behavior

Please refer to the steps to reproduce where I detail what I actually observe.

Do you use a latexmkrc file?

No

VimtexInfo

System info:
  OS: BLACK-BETTY (Microsoft Windows 11 Home)
  Vim version: NVIM v0.8.0-1210-gd367ed9b2
  Has clientserver: true
  Servername: \\.\pipe\nvim.29096.0

VimTeX project: minimal
  base: minimal.tex
  root: C:\Users\gersi\Desktop\rust\dummyRust
  tex: C:\Users\gersi\Desktop\rust\dummyRust\minimal.tex
  main parser: fallback current file
  document class: 
  compiler: latexmk
    engine: -pdf
    options:
      -verbose
      -file-line-error
      -synctex=1
      -interaction=nonstopmode
    callback: 1
    continuous: 1
    executable: latexmk
    job: 
      jobid: 7
      output: C:\Users\gersi\AppData\Local\Temp\nvim.0\hhP8VV\0
      cmd: set max_print_line=2000 & latexmk -verbose -file-line-error -synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode -pdf -pvc -view=none -e "$compiling_cmd = ($compiling_cmd ? $compiling_cmd . ' ^& ' : '') . 'echo vimtex_compiler_callback_compiling'" -e "$success_cmd = ($success_cmd ? $success_cmd . ' ^& ' : '') . 'echo vimtex_compiler_callback_success'" -e "$failure_cmd = ($failure_cmd ? $failure_cmd . ' ^& ' : '') . 'echo vimtex_compiler_callback_failure'" "minimal.tex"
      pid: 164
  viewer: General
    job: 
      pid: 8940
      cmd: SumatraPDF -reuse-instance -forward-search "C:\Users\gersi\Desktop\rust\dummyRust\minimal.tex" 4 "C:\Users\gersi\Desktop\rust\dummyRust/minimal.pdf"
  qf method: LaTeX logfile

[GersiD]

Please note the popup window in step 3 appears as non-responsive to windows when you attempt to close it.

[GersiD]

After restarting I would like to note that the following command no longer hangs.

cmd /c start /min "" nvim --headless -c "VimtexInverseSearch %l '%f'"

However, the original command executed by :VimtexComiple does still hang. Maybe this has to do with with the /min operator or the start operator. I am unsure.

[GersiD]

New update, if I run pwsh 7.3.1 as administrator, the command prompt for starting SumatraPDF still stays open, but it does not block the double click from working. Very interesting behavior.

[GersiD]

I guess that's the fix, just run vim as administrator, and it's magically fixed! Wow.

If possible, I would like to know how to accomplish the following.

1. How to re-focus vim after compilation.
2. How to stop a successful compilation from showing the window which shows the warnings, I really don't need to see that normally.

I hope anyone else who is having this issue sees this thread! Thanks!

[ejmastnak]

Hi!

How to stop a successful compilation from showing the window which shows the warnings, I really don't need to see that normally.

It sounds like you want to stop the QuickFix window from showing warnings---I do the same! VimTeX supports this natively, just place the following variable with the rest of your VimTeX configuration:

" Don't open quickfix for warning messages if no errors are present
let g:vimtex_quickfix_open_on_warning = 0

Or in your case (I haven't seen this config format before, so I'm guessing)

['vimtex_quickfix_open_on_warning'] = 0,

You'll probably find it useful to read :help g:vimtex_quickfix_open_on_warning and the rest of the related quickfix settings, e.g. :help g:vimtex_quickfix_mode

How to re-focus vim after compilation.

Oof, I think this one is tricky. Probably lervag will confirm, but I think this depends on your OS, PDF reader, and window system. I've figured it out on Linux using xdotool but that's probably not too helpful for you.

[GersiD]

Thank you so much! That is awesome, I really wasn't expecting anyone to reply. This is my first time ever posting on a GitHub issue page of a tool I actually use. So thank you for the helpful feedback. Also, that format is used for a prebuild Nvim config (I use AstroVim). Which compiles a user's config file using tables which specify what values to set in the config stage of loading a package (like VimTex in this case).

[lervag]

First, thanks @ejmastnak for pitching in. I'll comment and help on remaining things.

First, I'll confirm that focussing windows is hard. On Linux (with Xorg), we can use xdotool, but everywhere else I don't really have a good solution. But I don't think VimTeX should loose focus after compilation except if SumatraPDF was not already opened? Thus this should not be a big problem?

Now, @GersiD, you are raising several questions in a single thread, so please open a new issue or remind me if I'm not answering everything. It can be hard to keep track... :)

The following is my Neovim lua Config for VimTex.

        ['lervag/vimtex'] = {
          config = {
            ['vimtex_view_general_viewer'] = 'SumatraPDF',
            ['vimtex_view_method'] = 'SumatraPDF',
            ['vimtex_view_general_options'] = '-reuse-instance -forward-search @tex @line @pdf',
            ['vimtex_view_general_options_latexmk'] = '-reuse-instance',
          }

You should not set vimtex_view_method to 'SumatraPDF' - it should be kept at the default value 'general'. In fact, I believe you don't need to configure SumatraPDF because it should automatically use and configure SumatraPDF on Windows if SumatraPDF is detected, see:

vimtex/autoload/vimtex/options.vim

Lines 446 to 450 in 7a88702

	if l:os ==# 'win'
	if executable('SumatraPDF')
	call s:init_option('vimtex_view_general_viewer', 'SumatraPDF')
	call s:init_option('vimtex_view_general_options',
	\ '-reuse-instance -forward-search @tex @line @pdf')

Notice also that vimtex_view_general_options_latexmk is deprecated and not relevant.

This command sometimes starts SumatraPDF and sometimes hangs there and does nothing. Similarly, the inverse search via double clicking on SumatraPDF sometimes navigates to the proper line in the file I have open, and sometimes hangs. I am not sure why they hang and I dont know how I would go about fixing it.

I'm also not sure why you experience these hangs. Can you fix/update your configuration according to my previous comment and try again?

Please note that on occurrences where the startup command hangs the inverse search command isn't even allowed to run, meaning I dont even see a terminal popup. I think I would like to try getting the terminal to not pop up at all if this is a possibility.

I'm not sure if it is possible to avoid the terminal either. Sorry! I don't use Windows, so all Windows support and features are based on and rely on help from the community.

[GersiD]

Thank you so much for replying, Lervag! Honestly, I did not expect this much help!

1. Honestly, it took me quite a bit to get everything working so I am not going to change anything until something breaks.
2. Refocusing is not that big an issue but I am happy that I got the warning window to stop bothering me :).
3. Writing latex was the only reason that I still used vscode and now with it working in nvim (wayyyy faster than vscode in about every way) I am incredibly pleased with the effort and support provided by the VimTex team!

This can be closed.
Thank you again

[lervag]

Thank you so much for replying, Lervag! Honestly, I did not expect this much help!

Glad to hear it!

2. Refocusing is not that big an issue but I am happy that I got the warning window to stop bothering me :).

I'm curious; do you know exactly what you did that fixed this part?

3. Writing latex was the only reason that I still used vscode and now with it working in nvim (wayyyy faster than vscode in about every way) I am incredibly pleased with the effort and support provided by the VimTex team!

That's very good to hear!

This can be closed. Thank you again

My pleasure :)

[GersiD]

The warning window was fixed by ejmastnak's helpful suggestion.

" Don't open quickfix for warning messages if no errors are present
let g:vimtex_quickfix_open_on_warning = 0

[GersiD]

I thought I would update this thread with some good notes for future people that come here.

1. Please use the portable version of sumatra PDF with the cmd line inverse search that I included at the top of this. It no longer hangs. (The portable version is currently the only version that does not randomly throw the error "Synctex file unavailable")
2. The command from vimtex to Sumatra normally hangs because it is waiting for Sumatra PDF to exit, who knows why but I am just happy to have vimtex working so if anyone wants to tackle that horse later on they would need to ask the Vimtex plugin author (who is wicked nice) how to change the command that spawns SumatraPDF
3. If you use lazy.nvim (its awesome btw you should) please make sure that you do not lazy load Vimtex, the reason why is because the inverse search command wont work because if you only load vimtex when a tex file is open the command that does the Inverse search will throw an error "VimtexInverseSearch" failed.
4. Use AutoHotkey to setup keybindings for when the SumatraPDF viewer has focus so you can easily "auto-switch" back to your terminal.
   Good luck windows users!

[GersiD]

Actually @lervag how would a user go about trying out different commands to spawn the PDF viewer? Can a user change that?

[lervag]

2. The command from vimtex to Sumatra normally hangs because it is waiting for Sumatra PDF to exit, who knows why but I am just happy to have vimtex working so if anyone wants to tackle that horse later on they would need to ask the Vimtex plugin author (who is wicked nice) how to change the command that spawns SumatraPDF

Actually @lervag how would a user go about trying out different commands to spawn the PDF viewer? Can a user change that?

I assume these comments are related and about the same thing.

The default SumatraPDF command from VimTeX should not wait for SumatraPDF to exit. I'm not even sure I understand what you mean. By default: Compiling or pressing \lv should open SumatraPDF. If it is already open, then \lv will only do forward search. There should definitely not be any hangs here.

Please, if you still have issues with SumatraPDF, and especially with \lv and opening it, open a new issue and describe it properly. I really think this should work flawlessly!

3. If you use lazy.nvim (its awesome btw you should) please make sure that you do not lazy load Vimtex, the reason why is because the inverse search command wont work because if you only load vimtex when a tex file is open the command that does the Inverse search will throw an error "VimtexInverseSearch" failed.

Exactly! Lazy loading is built-in to Vim and neovim through both the autoload feature and the filetype mechanisms. VimTeX fully relies on this, and so no extra laziness is needed - and in fact, extra laziness will most likely break things.