The default document compiler is a Windows GUI program. For people who prefer the command line interface VTeX also includes a command-line (or console) version of the compiler, VTEX3H.EXE. Both programs are almost identical in terms of what they can do, with the following exceptions:
Beginning with version 5.0, the VTeX Typesetter includes HTML-output generating mode. HTML generation is supported for all LaTeX-based formats. An HTML-enabled version of the VTeX typesetter is also available as a separate product, the TeXpider. HTML mode supports many VTeX features and enhancements, including
Beginning with version 6.0, the VTeX Typesetter supports
PDF-output generating mode.
Beginning with version 6.0, the VTeX Typesetter supports
PDF-output generating mode.
Since PDF has become de-facto standard for publishing scientific documents
online, this advance feature should prove of great benifit to users.
PDF support is fully intergrated into VTeX IDE and creation of PDF
files from existing documents in TeX and LaTeX is transparent.
Graphics in many formats, hyperlinks and outlines are fully supported.
Versions 7.0 and 8.0 added direct PS and PDF generations; all within
the same intuitive and convenient environment.
Unlike other TeX systems, supporting PDF outputs, we build the PDF
directly from TeX/LaTeX source by typesetter. No need for
indirect conversion procedures (like TeX->DVI->PostScript->PDF or
TeX->DVI->PDF). We incorporate Type1 and IF4 fonts
directly; this generally results in more compact and better PDF outputs.
To ensure high quality of produced PDF files, VTeX includes about 1000
Type1 fonts, many not available anywhere else.
All the documentation, that we provide in PDF format (more than
50 Mbytes in standard distribution) was built by VTeX.
Version 6.2 of VTeX introduces another major enhancement to TeX:
an integrated PostScript processor/PDF translator.
This allows easy one-pass handling of
VTeX uses by default a HugeTeX version of the typesetter, which does away
with many of traditional TeX limits. String, pool, and hypenations space, for example,
are now limited only by the physical available memory. Perhaps the most
irritating of TeX limits is the 256-font limit, which is no longer present:
You can easily produce documents with thousands of fonts. For example, the
font sample reference supplied in the distribution (fsample.pdf)
includes several thousands of fonts.
In a conventional TeX the limit of 256 registers often causes difficulties
in macro programming. VTeX automatically allocates more registers if needed,
up to 65536 in each category. If you need 1000 boxes or 500 counters, it is
not a problem.
Background typesetting is indispensable when you are correcting a document. Here is how it works:
You open the previewer in split screen mode: one window shows the previewed image while the other
is the source of the document. The windows are synchronizes with our exclusive debugging facility
so you can see both the image and the source at the same time. Whenever you make corrections to
the source, you can recompile the document in the background: this does not slow you down and
background recompilation will automatically update the previewer window. Background recompilation
is very fast; but even when it is slow (say, document contains many hundreds of pages) you can
continue your work unhampered while recompilation goes.
Background typesetting is supported in all three modes:
.dvi,
.pdf, and
.html
VTeX typesetter and drivers support text rotation. Here are a couple
of examples of what you can do:
Besides many other improvements, VTeX enriches the syntax of the \parshape command
to allow hollow paragraphs like the one below:
Direct PDF-generating mode
GeX: Direct PostScript Graphics
The most important feature of GeX is that in most cases there is nothing
new to learn: GeX will take graphicx, PSfig,
PStricks, or PSFrag code without any changes.
But there is even more to GeX: with PostScript feedback, entirely
new macro packages become possible.
For preliminary GeX documentation (for TeX-nically minded),
click here
Huge TeX
Unlimited registers
Background Typesetting
Text Rotation
Hollow Paragraphs