Real-Time LuaTeX: Recompiling Large Documents in 1ms

Real-Time LuaTeX: Recompiling Large Documents in 1ms [pdf]

I demonstrate that pixel-perfect LaTeX output and real-time editing are not mutually exclusive. By extracting display lists directly from LuaTeX's node structures, I achieve sub-millisecond recompilation for single paragraphs using vanilla TeX Live. This approach powers texlode, a browser-based tool that offers constant latency regardless of document size, proving that full compilation is unnecessary during the editing loop.

"The question this paper addresses is not how to make LuaTeX faster, but whether full compilation is even necessary during editing."