LaTeX Guide ​

Welcome to the LaTeX Guide! This guide will provide you with an introduction to LaTeX and help you get started with creating professional-looking documents. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, you'll find useful tips and tricks to make the most of LaTeX.

Introduction to LaTeX ​

LaTeX is a typesetting system that allows you to create professional-quality documents with precise control over the formatting. It is widely used in academia for writing articles, reports, books, and presentations, especially in fields with complex mathematical equations and symbols. LaTeX uses a markup language to define the structure and formatting of the document, which is then compiled into a final output such as a PDF file.

Getting Started with LaTeX ​

To get started with LaTeX, you'll need to have a LaTeX distribution and an editor. Some popular LaTeX distributions include:

• TeX Live (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• MiKTeX (Windows)
• MacTeX (macOS)

There are many editors available for writing LaTeX documents. Some popular choices include:

• TeXstudio
• TeXmaker
• Visual Studio Code with the LaTeX Workshop extension

After installing a LaTeX distribution and editor, you're ready to start writing your first document!

Basic LaTeX Syntax ​

LaTeX uses a combination of plain text and commands to define the structure and formatting of the document. Commands are introduced with a backslash (\) followed by the command name and its arguments enclosed in curly braces ({}). For example:

\textbf{This text will be bold.}

Some commands can have optional arguments, which are enclosed in square brackets ([]). For example:

\documentclass[12pt]{article}

Comments in LaTeX can be added using the percentage symbol (%). Anything following the % on a line will be ignored by the compiler.

Document Structure ​

A typical LaTeX document has the following structure:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{packagename}

\title{Document Title}
\author{Author Name}
\date{Document Date}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\section{Section Title}
Content goes here.

\subsection{Subsection Title}
More content goes here.

\end{document}

The \documentclass command defines the type of document being created (article, report, book, etc.), and the \usepackage command allows you to load additional packages to extend LaTeX's functionality. The \title, \author, and \date commands define the document's metadata, which is displayed by the \maketitle command.

Text Formatting ​

Here are some common text formatting commands:

• Bold: \textbf{bold text}
• Italic: \textit{italic text}
• Underline: \underline{underlined text}
• Small caps: \textsc{small caps text}

Math Mode ​

LaTeX provides excellent support for typesetting mathematical equations. To enter math mode, use the dollar sign ($) or the double dollar sign ($$) for inline and display equations, respectively. Alternatively, you can use the \( ... \) and \[ ... \] delimiters for inline and display equations. For example:

• Inline equation: \(E=mc^2\)
• Display equation: \[E=mc^2\]

You can also use the align environment for multiline equations:

\begin{align}
a &= b + c \\
c &= d - e
\end{align}

There are numerous commands for mathematical symbols and operators, such as:

• Greek letters: \alpha, \beta, \gamma, etc.
• Fractions: \frac{numerator}{denominator}
• Roots: \sqrt[n]{expression}
• Summation: \sum_{i=1}^{n} expression
• Integrals: \int_{a}^{b} expression \, dx

Tables and Figures ​

LaTeX provides the table and figure environments to create tables and figures, respectively. For tables, use the tabular environment:

\begin{table}
\centering
\caption{Example table}
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|}
\hline
Column 1 & Column 2 \\
\hline
Data 1   & Data 2   \\
Data 3   & Data 4   \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

For figures, use the graphicx package and the \includegraphics command:

\usepackage{graphicx}

\begin{figure}
\centering
\caption{Example figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{example-image}
\end{figure}

Bibliography and Citations ​

LaTeX supports the creation of bibliographies and citations using the bibtex or biblatex packages. To create a bibliography, follow these steps:

1. Create a .bib file containing your references in the BibTeX format.
2. Include the appropriate package in your document preamble: \usepackage{biblatex} or \usepackage{natbib}.
3. Add the .bib file to your document using the \addbibresource{filename.bib} or \bibliography{filename} command.
4. Use the \cite{key} command to add citations in your document, where key corresponds to the reference's key in the .bib file.
5. Add the \printbibliography or \bibliography{filename} command at the end of your document to generate the bibliography.

Tips and Tricks ​

• To create custom commands, use the \newcommand command in the preamble: \newcommand{\commandname}[numargs]{definition}.
• To create a table of contents, simply add the \tableofcontents command after the \maketitle command.
• To add footnotes, use the \footnote{footnote text} command.
• To reference figures, tables, and sections, use the \label{labelname} and \ref{labelname} commands.

Further Resources ​

• The TeX Stack Exchange community is an excellent resource for LaTeX questions and troubleshooting.
• The LaTeX Project provides documentation, FAQs, and additional resources for learning LaTeX.