zed-texpresso for Windows Zed

[mathlab08]

Install Arch Linux on WSL2 in Windows.Install TeXpresso on Arch Linux in WSL2 (/home/archlinux/texpresso/build). Install Node.js, SumatraPDF, and Zed on Windows. Create a batch file StartZed.bat to launch Zed, install the TeXpresso v0.0.3 extension., exit Zed. Create settings.json and tasks.json, modify process-manager.js and server.js. Following the README instructions, you can now launch Zed in Windows and invoke TeXpresso.

/Portable_Zed/
├──  Appdata/
│       └── conversations/
│       └── db/
│       └── debug_adapters/
│       └── extensions/
│                └── installed/
│                └── work/
│                    └── texpresso/
│                         └── node_modules/
│                             └── texpresso-lsp/
│                                  └── dist/
│                                       └── process-manager.js
│                                       └── server.js
│                                       └── types.js
│                └── index.json
│       └── external_agents/
│       └── hang_traces/
│       └── languages/
│       └── logs/
│       └── Microsoft/
│       └── node/
│       └── prettier/
│       └── prompts/
│       └── themes/
│       └── threads/
│       └── agent-navigation-history.json
│       └── keymap.json
│       └── settings.json
│       └── tasks.json
│       └── tsconfig.json
│       └── process-manager.tmp
│       └── server.tmp
│       └── settings.tmp
│       └── tasks.tmp
├──  nodejs/
│       └── node_cache/
│       └── node_global/
│       └── node_modules/
│       └── node.exe
├──  example/
│       └── main.tex
│       └── main.pdf
├── SumatraPDF/
│       └── sumatrapdfcache/
│       └── SumatraPDF.exe
│       └── SumatraPDF-settings.txt
├── Zed/
│       └── arm64/
│       └── bin/
│       └── tools/
│       └── updates/
│       └── x64/
│       └── amd_ags_x64.dll
│       └── conpty.dll
│       └── Zed.exe
├── readme.txt
├── StartZed.bat

startZed.bat

@echo off
color 3e

setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
:: Get the directory where the batch file is located
set "BatchDir=%~dp0"
set "BatchDir=%BatchDir:~0,-1%"

:: Extract drive letters (e.g. C:)
set "drive_letter=!BatchDir:~0,2!"

:: Extract the drive letter portion (remove the colon)
set "drive=!drive_letter:~0,1!"
set "lower_drive=!drive!"

:: Convert drive letters to lowercase (via string replacement)
for %%i in (A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) do (
    if "!drive!"=="%%i" set "lower_drive=%%i"
)
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:a=a!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:b=b!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:c=c!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:d=d!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:e=e!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:f=f!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:g=g!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:h=h!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:i=i!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:j=j!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:k=k!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:l=l!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:m=m!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:n=n!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:o=o!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:p=p!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:q=q!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:r=r!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:s=s!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:t=t!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:u=u!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:v=v!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:w=w!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:x=x!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:y=y!"
set "lower_drive=!lower_drive:z=z!"

:: Extract the remaining path after removing the drive
set "remaining_path=!BatchDir:~2!"

:: Replace backslashes with forward slashes in the remaining paths
set "remaining_slash=!remaining_path:\=/!"
:: Replace backslashes with double backslashes in the remaining paths
set "remaining_path=!remaining_path:~1!"
set "remaining_double=!remaining_path:\=\\\!"


>nul 2>&1 copy /Y "%~dp0Appdata\settings.tmp" "%~dp0Appdata\settings.json"
>nul 2>&1 copy /Y "%~dp0Appdata\tasks.tmp" "%~dp0Appdata\tasks.json"
>nul 2>&1 copy /Y "%~dp0Appdata\server.tmp" "%~dp0Appdata\extensions\work\texpresso\node_modules\texpresso-lsp\dist\server.js"
>nul 2>&1 copy /Y "%~dp0Appdata\process-manager.tmp" "%~dp0Appdata\extensions\work\texpresso\node_modules\texpresso-lsp\dist\process-manager.js"

set "target_file1=%~dp0Appdata\settings.json"
set "target_file2=%~dp0Appdata\tasks.json"
set "target_file3=%~dp0Appdata\\extensions\work\texpresso\node_modules\texpresso-lsp\dist\server.js"
set "target_file4=%~dp0Appdata\\extensions\work\texpresso\node_modules\texpresso-lsp\dist\process-manager.js"

set "searchA=ZedDirA\\"
set "replaceA=!lower_drive!:\\!remaining_double!\"
set "searchB=ZedDirB/"
set "replaceB=!lower_drive!!remaining_slash!/"

powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file1%') -replace '%searchA%', '%replaceA%' | Set-Content '%target_file1%'"  >nul 2>nul
powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file1%') -replace '%searchB%', '%replaceB%' | Set-Content '%target_file1%'"  >nul 2>nul
powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file2%') -replace '%searchA%', '%replaceA%' | Set-Content '%target_file2%'"  >nul 2>nul
powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file2%') -replace '%searchB%', '%replaceB%' | Set-Content '%target_file2%'"  >nul 2>nul
powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file3%') -replace '%searchA%', '%replaceA%' | Set-Content '%target_file3%'"  >nul 2>nul
powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file3%') -replace '%searchB%', '%replaceB%' | Set-Content '%target_file3%'"  >nul 2>nul
powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file4%') -replace '%searchA%', '%replaceA%' | Set-Content '%target_file4%'"  >nul 2>nul
powershell -Command "(Get-Content '%target_file4%') -replace '%searchB%', '%replaceB%' | Set-Content '%target_file4%'"  >nul 2>nul

pause

:: Set Zed related paths
set "OriginalLocalDir=%LOCALAPPDATA%\Zed"
set "OriginalRoamingDir=%APPDATA%\Zed"
set "TargetLocalDir=%BatchDir%\Appdata"
set "TargetRoamingDir=%BatchDir%\Appdata"

echo Configuring Zed directory redirection...

:: Check and create target directories
if not exist "%TargetLocalDir%" (
    mkdir "%TargetLocalDir%"
    echo Local directory created: %TargetLocalDir%
)

if not exist "%TargetRoamingDir%" (
    mkdir "%TargetRoamingDir%"
    echo Roaming directory created: %TargetRoamingDir%
)

:: Close the Zed editor (if running)
taskkill /f /im zed.exe >nul 2>&1
timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul

:: Handling Local Directories
echo Processing the Local directory...
set "localLinked="
for /f "tokens=3" %%a in ('dir /al "%OriginalLocalDir%" 2^>nul ^| find "<JUNCTION>"') do set "localLinked=%%a"

if not "!localLinked!"=="%TargetLocalDir%" (
    if exist "%OriginalLocalDir%" (
        echo Delete the original Local directory...
        rmdir /s /q "%OriginalLocalDir%" 2>nul
    )
    
    echo Create a symbolic link to a local directory...
    mklink /j "%OriginalLocalDir%" "%TargetLocalDir%" >nul 2>&1
    if errorlevel 1 (
        echo ERROR: You need to run this script with administrator privileges
        pause
        exit /b 1
    )
    echo Local directory has been redirected
)

:: Handling Roaming Directories
echo Processing the Roaming directory...
set "roamingLinked="
for /f "tokens=3" %%a in ('dir /al "%OriginalRoamingDir%" 2^>nul ^| find "<JUNCTION>"') do set "roamingLinked=%%a"

if not "!roamingLinked!"=="%TargetRoamingDir%" (
    if exist "%OriginalRoamingDir%" (
        echo Delete the original Roaming directory...
        rmdir /s /q "%OriginalRoamingDir%" 2>nul
    )
    
    echo Create a symbolic link to the Roaming directory...
    mklink /j "%OriginalRoamingDir%" "%TargetRoamingDir%" >nul 2>&1
    if errorlevel 1 (
        echo ERROR: You need to run this script with administrator privileges
        pause
        exit /b 1
    )
    echo Roaming directory has been redirected
)

set "WSL=C:\Program Files\WSL\"
set TECTONIC_CACHE_DIR=%~dp0TectonicProject\Tectonic
set PATH=%~dp0Zed;%WSL%;%~dp0Appdata\extensions\work\latex\texlab-v5.25.1;%~dp0nodejs;%~dp0SumatraPDF;%PATH%

start "" "%~dp0Zed\Zed.exe"
endlocal

readme.txt

1. Extract Portable_Zed.7z to a directory, such as c:\Portable_Zed;
2. Launch StartZed.bat, select File->Open Folder, navigate to c:\Portable_Zed\example, and select main.tex;
3. Wait briefly while Zed invokes TeXpresso's browser window;
4. Enter or edit main.tex; changes will be synchronized in the Mupdf window;
5. Optionally select Run->Spawn Task->texpresso-compile to compile main.tex into a PDF file;
6. Optionally select Run->Spawn Task->SumatraPDF to preview the final main.pdf file.

Attachment.zip

(process-manager.tmp, server.tmp, settings.tmp, tasks.tmp)

[lnay]

I cannot check things for a few weeks, but last time I checked (at the time I wrote this comment) this extension along with TeXpresso worked fine in WSL and Zed in windows, apart from inverse search (sync from preview to editor):

• Cannot Open any File on a Specific Line zed-industries/zed#46943

Keep in mind that the latex document project would need to be inside WSL, not in a windows folder as you have shown in your directory structure above.

There is no benefit to run TeXpresso on Windows files, only performance costs and unnecessary complexity. Modern Windows allows you to easily navigate WSL directories just like any other folder seamlessly anyway.

Other comments:

• SumatraPDF is not necessary for TeXpresso
• Zed already sorts out nodeJS
• Other things aside, this could not be merged because it is not portable