TeX Writer - LaTeX On The Go

I use this app a lot to write notes and tutorials for my courses and it has been an invaluable tool for me. For anybody with memories of old implementations of LaTeX on Mac OS (for example OzTeX), the way this app. automatically fetches packages online when needed simply seems magical. The one main weakness for me was the shaky DropBox support. Yes, it worked, but only as long as the DropBox folder was only used to push edits done on the iOS side. Any work done on the macOS side would invariably lead to conflicts that this App was doing a terrible job of solving (pretty much, the only solution was to flush the entire folder). Fortunately, v. 4 seems to have solved virtually all DropBox problems for me. It really works the way it should. Many thanks to the developer. The only remaining minor irritants are that the editor is limited. Yes I know that I can modify the config file to change the presets, but it is somewhat cumbersome. I used to hate the copying mechanism that the developer seems to be very proud of... I just got used to it and it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. Anyway, this is one of a handful of apps that are absolutely essential on my iPad and that I use every day. I Love it!

I use LaTeX on my computer, and it's so convenient to have it on my iPad and iPhone 6 Plus as well. It makes me so productive since I can work and make documents anywhere and any time. I love how it integrates with other apps. I use a combined file browser, file server, FTP client app, Documents 5, and I can move my Tex and PDF files back and forth between the apps. The new text editor is much better than the original and a lot easier to use. The one thing I think would be helpful is have a video tutorial to show us how the app works and explain how to use the features. The app developer is responsive and fixes issues with the app quickly, so if you have problems, don't hesitate to email. I've had some problems before, and they have all been fixed around a week after I reported them.

[Written a few months before Version 5: Although some automatic sync isn’t great, it has much better version control. Incredibly stable and easy to use a wide-variety of packages (I was particularly impressed with how easy it was to make advanced geometric figures with tikz). Very happy I purchased it.] I just recently updated to the Version 5. This was a massive improvement. The automatic sync is still wanting (as in, I need to hit “sync” whenever I think about it in order to sync my documents), but the editor is fantastic. Split view has made this a supremely useable and productive editor for myself. I still prefer TeXStudio on my computer, but on the go this is the best option.

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I can open and compile TeX files, so the app passes the most basic performance test. However, it falls short in a few areas. 1) The sync to Dropbox is clunky. For one, you have to do it manually. That would be fine, except the sync button is hidden under “open” for some reason. Why not have it on the main interface screen? After finding the sync button, I then spent 15 minutes trying to figure out why only the PDF and not the TeX file synced. Clearly the TeX file is the more important of the two. I had to close the PDF and sync again to get the TeX file to sync. 2) The lack of autocomplete is a hassle - and was a surprise. How could this have been overlooked? I am a professional mathematician and use LaTeX daily. At this point in my life, I know (or can look up) most commands. But autocomplete should be standard and for beginners it is essential. Some positives: 1) There were no issues downloading the needed packages on the fly! (I haven’t tried Tikz yet, though.) 2) I love the split screen; using an iPad Pro 12.9 here and neither page is too small for my taste. Even with the flaws, I’m going to keep using the app when I travel as it is good enough. If/when the sync is fixed to be more user friendly, I’ll update my rating to 3 or 4 stars. If autocomplete is added, I’ll give it 5+.

This app has allowed me to use my iPad as my primary work gadget. I like the stability of the app, and the fact that it even allows me to customize the editor to my needs. The text selection method may take a little getting used to, and I sometimes have trouble selecting text properly using the Apple Pencil. Also, scrolling on the editor seems to be a little choppy. With the new iPad's Pro Motion technology, I hope the app releases an update to fix this. Two improvements would be great: 1) The ability to see the pdf output side by side with the editor (another TeX app does this, but the other app has stability issues). 2) Being able to access any folder in my dropbox, and not just those in the TeX Writer folder. This makes it easier for me to switch between using my iPad when I am on the move, and my desktop when I am at home. I think with these two updates Tex Writer will be very close to Tex experience on a laptop or a desktop. All in all I highly recommend giving this app a shot!