Inverse search (also called "reverse search")
on sourceforge.net is a feature of some non-interactive typesetting programs, such as

LaTeX Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

and

GNU LilyPond LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving. One of LilyPond's major goals is to produce scores that are engraved with traditional layout rules, reflecting the era when scores were engraved by hand. LilyPond is cross-pla ...

. These programs read an abstract, textual, definition of a document as input, and convert this into a graphical format such as

DVI Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a video display interface developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG). The digital interface is used to connect a video source, such as a video display controller, to a display device, such as a comp ...

PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...

. In a

windowing system In computing, a windowing system (or window system) is software that manages separately different parts of display screens. It is a type of graphical user interface (GUI) which implements the WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer) paradigm for ...

, this typically means that the

source code In computing, source code, or simply code, is any collection of code, with or without comments, written using a human-readable programming language, usually as plain text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the wo ...

is entered in one

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

window, and the resulting output is viewed in a different output window. Inverse search means that a graphical object in the output window works as a

hyperlink In computing, a hyperlink, or simply a link, is a digital reference to data that the user can follow or be guided by clicking or tapping. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text wit ...

, which brings you back to the line and column in the editor, where the clicked object was defined. The inverse search feature is particularly useful during

proofreading Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or an electronic copy of a publication to find and correct reproduction errors of text or art. Proofreading is the final step in the editorial cycle before publication. Professional Traditional ...

Implementations

* In

TeX Tex may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tex (nickname), a list of people and fictional characters with the nickname * Joe Tex (1933–1982), stage name of American soul singer Joseph Arrington Jr. Entertainment * ''Tex'', the Italian ...

and

, the packag
srcltx
provides an inverse search feature through DVI output files (e.g., with

yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micro ...

Xdvi xdvi is an open-source computer program written by Paul Vojta for displaying TeX-produced .dvi files under the X Window System on Unix, including Linux. The xdvi interface has a set of GUI controls and a window displaying a single page of the DV ...

), whil
vpepdfsync
an

provide similar functionality for PDF output, among other techniques. The

Comparison of TeX editors The following is a comparison of TeX editors. Table of editors See also * Formula editor * Comparison of word processors * Comparison of text editors * Comparison of desktop publishing software * List of TeX extensions Notes and refere ...

has a column on support of inverse search; most of them provide it nowadays. *

provides an inverse search feature through PDF output files, since version 2.6. The program calls this feature ''Point-and-click'', * Many

integrated development environment An integrated development environment (IDE) is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. An IDE normally consists of at least a source code editor, build automation tools a ...

s for programming use inverse search to display

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

error message An error message is information displayed when an unforeseen occurs, usually on a computer or other device. On modern operating systems with graphical user interfaces, error messages are often displayed using dialog boxes. Error messages are used ...

s, and during

debugging In computer programming and software development, debugging is the process of finding and resolving '' bugs'' (defects or problems that prevent correct operation) within computer programs, software, or systems. Debugging tactics can involve in ...

when a

breakpoint In software development, a breakpoint is an intentional stopping or pausing place in a program, put in place for debugging purposes. It is also sometimes simply referred to as a pause. More generally, a breakpoint is a means of acquiring knowle ...

is hit.

References

Bibliography

* Jérôme Laurens, ”Direct and reverse synchronization with SyncTeX”, in ''TUGboat'' 29(3), 2008, p365–371
PDF (532KB)
— ''including an overview of synchronization techniques with TeX''

External links

{{digital-typography-stub Software development