Vimtex: Window swallowing during compilation

[paniash]

Hello!
I've been recently been trying out the window swallowing feature in my window-manager. As a result, when I hit <localleader>ll to compile, my vim buffer gets hidden by the pdf document. However, on opening the compiled document using <localleader>lv, my pdf viewer opens in another window and thus doesn't hamper the visibility of my vim buffer.

I understand that this is not an issue of vimtex but I was wondering if you could help me figure out if there is a way to compile documents without hiding the vim buffer (basically I wish <localleader>ll behaved as <localleader>lv in terms of the spawning of the pdf viewer. Thanks!

[lervag]

The difference here is that with <localleader>ll, the viewer is opened by the subprocess latexmk, while with <localleader>lv, vimtex will open the window. So, there is probably a difference in how the viewer is opened (e.g. args, etc).

To help more, I would need to see your exact vim config. Do you have any .latexmkrc config? Which system/OS? Which viewer? When you open the tex file, then do <localleader>ll - after the viewer is opened, can you also copy the output of :VimtexInfo from Vim in herE?

[paniash]

I don't have a .latexmk config. I use Artix Linux with zathura as my pdf viewer. Here is my init.vim:

call plug#begin('~/.config/nvim/plugged')
Plug 'lervag/vimtex'
call plug#end()

let g:tex_flavor = "latex"
let g:vimtex_view_method = "zathura"
let g:vimtex_quickfix_open_on_warning = 0
let g:vimtex_quickfix_mode = 2
let g:vimtex_compiler_method = "latexmk"
let g:vimtex_compiler_progname = 'nvr'

edit by @lervag: Simplified vimrc; removed unrelated and irrelevant stuff.

[paniash]

The output for :VimtexInfo:

System info
  OS: Linux 5.4.54-1-lts
  Vim version: NVIM v0.4.4
  Has clientserver: true
  Servername: /tmp/nvimQft1R3/0

vimtex project: dlf
  base: dlf.tex
  root: /home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4
  tex: /home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4/dlf.tex
  out: /home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4/dlf.pdf
  log: /home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4/dlf.log
  aux: /home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4/dlf.aux
  fls: /home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4/dlf.fls
  main parser: current file verified
  compiler: latexmk
    configuration: 
      continuous: 1
      callback: 1
      latexmk options:
        -verbose
        -file-line-error
        -synctex=1
        -interaction=nonstopmode
      latexmk engine: -pdf
    job: 3
    pid: 3525
    cmd: max_print_line=2000 latexmk -verbose -file-line-error -synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode -pdf -pvc -e '$new_viewer_always = "0"' -e '$pdf_previewer = "zathura  -x \"nvr --servername /tmp/nvimQft1R3/0 --remote +\%{line} \%{input}\" \%S"' -e '$success_cmd = "echo vimtex_compiler_callback_success"' -e '$failure_cmd = "echo vimtex_compiler_callback_failure"' 'dlf.tex'
  viewer: Zathura
    xwin id: 0
    process: 
      pid: -
      cmd: zathura -x "nvr --servername /tmp/nvimQft1R3/0 --remote-expr \"vimtex#view#reverse_goto(%{line}, '%{input}')\"" --synctex-forward 3:1:'/home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4/dlf.tex'  '/home/ashish/documents/reports/semester-4/dlf.pdf' >/dev/null 2>&1 &
  qf: LaTeX logfile
    config: 
      packages: 
        default: 1
      default: 1
  document class: 
  packages:
    adjcalc
    adjustbox
    amsbsy
    amsgen
    amsmath
    amsopn
    amstext
    collectbox
    epstopdf-base
    float
    graphics
    graphicx
    grfext
    hyphenat
    ifoddpage
    iftex
    infwarerr
    keyval
    kvdefinekeys
    kvoptions
    kvsetkeys
    longtable
    ltxcmds
    natbib
    pdftexcmds
    revsymb4-1
    textcase
    trig
    trimclip
    url
    varwidth
    xkeyval

[lervag]

First, a couple of comments to your config:

1. When you use vim-plug, you don't need these lines:

   filetype plugin on
   syntax on
   filetype plugin on
   filetype indent on
   

2. You don't need set nocompatible in your vimrc file.

3. You don't need to set vimtex options to their default values, i.e. you can simplify the vimtex options to this:

   let g:tex_flavor = "latex"
   let g:vimtex_view_method = "zathura"
   let g:vimtex_quickfix_open_on_warning = 0
   

Note, this should all be unrelated to your issue. So, back to topic. I have to admit I simply have no idea what is causing the difference here. Essentially, both latexmk and vim/vimtex will call zathura with similar options. However, with <localleader>ll, the latexmk process (which is a Perl script) will start zathura in the background. Perhaps there is something special that is happening here. You can inspect the output of <localleader>lo after you've started compilation to see the exact command issued by latexmk. But again, I don't understand what would be the essential difference here, as I'm not familiar with this "swallowing" feature.

Perhaps a sort of solution could be to prevent latexmk from opening the viewer at all:

let g:vimtex_view_automatic = 0

This does mean the document is not opened until you do <localleader>lv. But I have to admit I like that myself (and so I use this option).

[paniash]

Thanks for the suggestions on my init.vim. I used to use plain vim earlier and simply ported my .vimrc to neovim.

About the issue, I couldn't pinpoint what latexmk was exactly doing to invoke zathura. I am aware that if any shell script uses setsid -f for spawning a window, that it is not swallowed but am not clear with the behaviour of latexmk. I guess, I'll simply go with your suggestion of using

let g:vimtex_view_automatic = 0

Thanks for the help as always @lervag. I just want to say what a great plugin that vimtex is!

[lervag]

Thanks, happy to hear it :)