LaTeX is a document preparation system for typesetting documents. It separates the content from the formatting to allow the author to focus on the content. LaTeX is commonly used in scientific and technical fields for publishing research papers and theses. It provides features for formatting text, creating lists, inserting images and tables, writing mathematical equations, and generating bibliographies. The LaTeX code is compiled to PDF output for high quality typesetting and layout.

1. LaTeX Basics
Aubry Verret
October 22, 2013

2. A
What is LTEX?
Definition
La-tex [lah-tek or lay-tek]
-noun
A powerful document markup system that uses the
TeX typesetting program. The current version is
LaTeX2e.

3. A
LTEXPhilosophy
Content and Styling should remain separate.
The author writes the content. LaTeX takes care of
formatting details like margins, indentation, and
layout.

4. A
Who uses LTEX?
Users include:
Journals and conferences primarily in scientific
and technical disciplines
Researchers publishing in a scientific, technical
field(mathematics, physics, computer science,
engineering), or humanities field
Students studying in a scientific, technical, or
humanities discipline

5. How does it work?

6. A
Why use LTEX?
A
LTEXis:
Free and easy to get
Platform independent
Flexible
Capable of superior typographical output
Well suited to typesetting mathematics

7. A
When should you use LTEX?

8. Getting LaTeX
Windows - Miktex
(http://www.miktex.org/ or ProTeX
http://www.tug.org/protext/)

9. Getting LaTeX
Windows - Miktex
(http://www.miktex.org/ or ProTeX
http://www.tug.org/protext/)
Mac - MacTeX
(http://www.tug.org/mactex/2009/)

10. Getting LaTeX
Windows - Miktex
(http://www.miktex.org/ or ProTeX
http://www.tug.org/protext/)
Mac - MacTeX
(http://www.tug.org/mactex/2009/)
Linux - TeX Live
(http://www.tug.org/texlive/)

11. Specialized Editors
Many free editors are available:
LED (http://www.latexeditor.org/)
TeXnicCenter (http://www.texniccenter.org/)
TeXWorks (http://www.tug.org/texworks/)
TeXMaker (http://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/)
Winedt (http://www.winedt.com/)
TeXlipse-Eclipse plug-in
(http://texlipse.sourceforge.net/)

12. LED

13. TeXWorks

14. Lyx
The Lyx document processor:
Utilizes the TeX language
Offers a graphical user interface
Offers full support for document features such as equations,
bibliographies, indexes, etc.
Is designed for those who prefer to use LaTeX like a word
processor
www.lyx.org

15. Lyx

16. Getting Started
To open the TeXnic Center program go to:
Start → Programs → TeXnic Center
Open a new document and save it.

17. TeX files
Download tex files here:
http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/brown/
rescomp/latex/practice.zip

18. TeXnicCenter

19. A
LTEXCommands

20. A
LTEXCommands
Example: documentclass[10pt]{article}

21. A
LTEXCommands
Example: documentclass[10pt]{article}
Example: begin{document}

22. Preamble - particle.tex

23. Building the project

24. Preamble Output

25. Document Classes
article - shorter works such as papers for class,
conference submissions, and journal articles
report - longer works such as dissertations,
theses, or short books
book - long works with many sections or
chapters
letter - provides special structure for various
aspects of a letter

26. Adding Text - particle2.tex

27. Output

28. Sectioning Commands
section{}
subsection{}
subsubsection{}
paragraph{}
subparagraph{}
subsubparagraph{}
chapter{}
part{}

29. Sectioning Commands Example - particle3.tex

30. Output

31. Itemized Lists
begin{itemize}
item One
item Two
item Three
end{itemize}
One
Two
Three

32. Enumerated Lists
begin{enumerate}
item One
item Two
item Three
end{enumerate}
1. One
2. Two
3. Three

33. List Example - particle4.tex

34. Output

35. Footnotes
footnote[number]{text}
Automatically numbered
Provides an optional argument for overriding
automatic numbering

36. Footnote Example - particle5.tex

37. Output

38. Table of Contents
tableofcontents
Requires no input
Is placed where you want the ToC to appear
Utilizes sectioning commands

39. ToC Example - particle6.tex

40. ToC Output

41. Bibliographies
A
BibTeX is used with LTEXto generate bibliographies.
1. Place bib entries in a separate .bib file
2. Reference the entries in the .tex file
3. Compile both files to generate the bibliography and references

42. Bib Entries
Bib file entry
@Book{ B r o o k s 0 3 ,
a u t h o r = {Max B r o o k s } ,
t i t l e = {The Zombie S u r v i v a l G u i d e } ,
p u b l i s h e r = { Three R i v e r s P r e s s } ,
y e a r = {2003} ,
i s b n = {1400049628} ,
n o t e = { Complete p r o t e c t i o n from t h e l i v i n g dead . }
}

43. Citations
Tex file citation
For more information on attack methods, please consult The
Zombie Survival Guidecite{Brooks03}.
Include these commands at the end of the tex file:
bibliography{bib file name}
bibliographystyle{style name}

44. Building the Bibliography

45. Output

46. Bibliography Example - particle7.tex

47. Bibliography Example - particle.bib

48. Running BibTeX in TeXnicCenter

49. Output

50. Bibliography Assistance
External bibliography software:
Jabref - free, easy to use with BibTeX
RefWorks
Endnote

51. Jabref

52. Mathematics
A
LTEXmust be put into math mode before using
mathematical symbols
Math environments:

53. Mathematics
A
LTEXmust be put into math mode before using
mathematical symbols
Math environments:
Math - short in-line equations

54. Mathematics
A
LTEXmust be put into math mode before using
mathematical symbols
Math environments:
Math - short in-line equations
Displaymath - equations set apart in text

55. Mathematics
A
LTEXmust be put into math mode before using
mathematical symbols
Math environments:
Math - short in-line equations
Displaymath - equations set apart in text
Equation - numbered and centered equations

56. Math Environments
Math
begin{math}...end{math}
$...$
Displaymath
begin{displaymath}...end{displaymath}
$$...$$
Equation
begin{equation}...end{equation}

57. Mathematical Notation
Example:
B· dl = µo IS + µo
∂S
o
∂ΦE ,S
∂t
$$ o i n t { p a r t i a l S}B cdotp d l = mu o I S + mu o
e p s i l o n o f r a c { p a r t i a l Phi { E , S }}{ p a r t i a l t }

58. More Examples
Example:
∞
n=0
f n (a)
(x − a)n
n!
$$sum^{infty}_{n=0} frac{f^{n}(a)}{n!}(x - a)^n$$
¬(p ∨ q) ⇐⇒ (¬p) ∧ (¬q)
$$neg (p vee q) Longleftrightarrow (neg p)
wedge (neg q) $$

59. More Examples
Example (Matrices)


a11 a12 · · · a1n
 a21 a22 · · · a2n  


 .
. ..
. 
.
. 
 .
. .
.
.
an1 an2 · · · ann
x1
x2
.
.
.
xn


 
 
=
 
0
0
.
.
.





0
$$left[ begin{array}{cccc}
a_{11} & a_{12} & cdots & a_{1n}
a_{21} & a_{22} & cdots & a_{2n}
vdots & vdots & ddots & vdots
a_{n1} & a_{n2} & cdots & a_{nn} end{array} right]
left[ begin{array}{c}
x_1 x_2 vdots
x_n end{array} right] = left[ begin{array}{c}
0 0 vdots 0 end{array} right]$$

60. Math Assistance
You can find:
Binary operators
Trig functions
Set notation
Greek Symbols
Delimeters
and more here : http://web.ift.uib.no/
Fysisk/Teori/KURS/WRK/TeX/symALL.html

61. Math Example - particle8.tex

62. Output

63. Amsmath Package
If you use mathematics heavily in your documents,
you might consider using the amsmath package. It
provides some enhancements to the normal LaTeX
math capabilities which make typesetting formulas
easier and more attractive.
Go here for more info:
http://www.ams.org/tex/amslatex.html

64. Packages
A
LTEXpackages are add-ons that provide added or
modified styling features to your document
color- enables you to typeset in color
babel- offers support for other languages
hyperref- provides support for url’s in a
document
Include the following command in the preamble:
usepackage{package name}

65. Graphics
A
LTEXuses the package graphicx to manage graphics
include{graphicx}
This package allows you to:
Use several file formats
Scale images
Crop images
Rotate images

66. Image formats
Using the latex command:
EPS format
Using the pdflatex command:
JPG
PNG
PDF

67. Inserting Graphics
Insert graphics using:
includegraphics[options]{image file}
Options include:
width and height
scale
rotation angle
trim

68. Example Graphic:
includegraphics[scale = .5]{science cat}

69. Example Graphic:
includegraphics[scale = .5, angle = 90]{science cat}

70. Figures
Include figures using the figure environment:
begin{figure}...end{figure}
Placement options:
h - here
t - top of page
b - bottom of page
p - separate page

71. Example Figure
begin{figure}
centering
includegraphics{graphics/participants-pie}
caption{Registrants for this class}
end{figure}

72. Output
Figure: Registrants for this class

73. Example Figure - particle9.tex

74. Output

75. Referencing Figures
Inside the figure environment include:
label{fig:Figure name}

76. Referencing Figures
Inside the figure environment include:
label{fig:Figure name}
begin{figure}
centering
includegraphics{figure}
caption{Place caption here}
label{fig:figure}
end{figure}

77. Referencing Figures
Inside the figure environment include:
label{fig:Figure name}
begin{figure}
centering
includegraphics{figure}
caption{Place caption here}
label{fig:figure}
end{figure}
Reference the figure in text with:
ref{fig:Figure name}

78. How to Make A Table
A
To make a table in LTEX use the tabular environment:
begin{tabular}...end{tabular}

79. How to Make A Table
A
To make a table in LTEX use the tabular environment:
begin{tabular}...end{tabular}
Separate columns with the ”&” symbol
Separate rows with the double backslash ””

80. Tabular Layout
Specify the column layout when you call tabular:
begin{tabular}{l|l|l}
Vertical bars produce vertical lines between columns.
Alignment Symbols
l - align left
r - align right
c - centered

81. Tables
begin{tabular}{ l | l | l }
Class
& Species & Lays eggs?
mammal & lion
& XSolidBrush
mammal & tiger
& XSolidBrush
mammal & platypus
& Checkmark
reptile & iguana & Checkmark
reptile & snake
& Checkmark
aves & flamingo & Checkmark
end{tabular}
Class
mammal
mammal
mammal
reptile
reptile
aves
Species
lion
tiger
platypus
iguana
snake
flamingo
Lays eggs?
%
%
!
!
!
!

82. Tables
Change alignments:
begin{tabular}{| l | r | c | }
Class
& Species & Lays eggs?
mammal & lion
& XSolidBrush
mammal & tiger
& XSolidBrush
mammal & platypus
& Checkmark
reptile & iguana & Checkmark
reptile & snake
& Checkmark
aves & flamingo & Checkmark
end{tabular}
Class
mammal
mammal
mammal
reptile
reptile
aves
Species
lion
tiger
platypus
iguana
snake
flamingo
Lays eggs?
%
%
!
!
!
!

83. Tables
Add horizontal lines:
begin{tabular}{| l | r | c | } hline
Class
& Species & Lays eggs?
hlinehline
mammal & lion
& XSolidBrush hline
mammal & tiger
& XSolidBrush hline
mammal & platypus
& Checkmark hline
reptile & iguana & Checkmark
hline
reptile & snake
& Checkmark
hline
aves & flamingo & Checkmark
hline
end{tabular}
Class
mammal
mammal
mammal
reptile
reptile
aves
Species
lion
tiger
platypus
iguana
snake
flamingo
Lays eggs?
%
%
!
!
!
!

84. Tables
Not so many:
begin{tabular}{| l | r | c | } hline
Class
& Species & Lays eggs?
hlinehline
mammal & lion
& XSolidBrush
& tiger
& XSolidBrush
& platypus
& Checkmark hline
reptile & iguana & Checkmark
& snake
& Checkmark
hline
aves & flamingo & Checkmark
hline
end{tabular}
Class
mammal
reptile
aves
Species
lion
tiger
platypus
iguana
snake
flamingo
Lays eggs?
%
%
!
!
!
!

85. Tables
Partial hlines
begin{tabular}{| l | r | c | } hline
Class
& Species & Lays eggs?
hlinehline
mammal & lion
& XSolidBrush cline{2-3}
& tiger
& XSolidBrush cline{2-3}
& platypus
& Checkmark hline
reptile & iguana & Checkmark
cline{2-3}
& snake
& Checkmark
hline
aves & flamingo & Checkmark
hline
end{tabular}
Class
mammal
reptile
aves
Species
lion
tiger
platypus
iguana
snake
flamingo
Lays eggs?
%
%
!
!
!
!

86. Tables
The table enviroment:
begin{table} ... end{table}
allows you to:
Turn a table into a float
Add a caption
Number the table for referencing

87. Tables
table environment
Table: Who lays eggs?
Class
Species
lion
mammal
tiger
platypus
reptile
iguana
snake
aves
flamingo
Lays eggs?
%
%
!
!
!
!

88. Example Table - particle10.tex

89. Table Output

90. Decoding Error Messages
Steps to decode error messages:
Begin with the first error message
Look for line numbers (l.43 for example)
Line number indicates where error was first
detected
Check spelling!

91. Common Errors
Undefined control sequence - you used a
command that doesn’t exist
Runaway argument - you left off a ”}”
Missing $ inserted - some of your text needs to
be in math mode
Paragraph ended before end was complete missing ”}”
A
LTEXWarning: Reference ... undefined on A
recompile so LTEXcan get all of your references

92. Where To Get Help
A
Books - LTEXConcisely by Adrian Johnstone
Online - numerous manuals available
Research Computing Lab www2.lib.virginia.edu/brown/rescomp/
help/index.html

93. Most Commonly Used Commands
Figure: Top 10 Commands Out of 37,400 .tex Files

94. Special Characters
A
Some characters have a special significance in LTEX
#
$
%
&
ˆ
{
}
They must be preceded by the escape character ””

95. Special Characters
A
Some characters have a special significance in LTEX
#
$
%
&
ˆ
{
}
They must be preceded by the escape character ””
For example:
$

96. Fonts
Default Font: Computer modern
Default font size: 10pt
How to change the default font:
Additional fonts are available for installation
(http://www.tug.dk/FontCatalogue/)

97. Fonts
Default Font: Computer modern
Default font size: 10pt
How to change the default font:
Additional fonts are available for installation
(http://www.tug.dk/FontCatalogue/)
How to change the default font size:
documentclass command accepts [11pt] and [12pt] as options
fix-cm package overrides font size defaults
special commands

98. Font Size Commands
tiny(5pt)
scriptsize(7pt)
footnotesize(8pt)
small(9pt)
normalsize(10pt)
large(12pt)
Large(14pt)
LARGE(18pt)
huge(20pt)
Huge(24pt)