############################################################ Overview of LaTeX and Local Guide ############################################################ The LaTeX command typesets a file of text using the TeX program and the LaTeX Macro package for TeX. To be more specific, it processes an input file containing the text of a document with interspersed commands that describe how the text should be formatted. It produces at least three files as output: 1. A "Device Independent", or `.dvi' file. This contains commands that can be translated into commands for a variety of output devices. You can view the output of LaTeX by using a program such as xdvi, which actually uses the `.dvi' file. 2. A "transcript" or `.log' file that contains summary information and diagnostic messages for any errors discovered in the input file. 3. An "auxiliary" or `.aux' file. This is used by LaTeX itself, for things such as sectioning. For a description of what goes on inside TeX, you should consult The TeXbook by Donald E. Knuth, ISBN 0-201-13448-9, published jointly by the American Mathematical Society and Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. For a description of LaTeX, you should consult: LaTeX: A Document Preparation System, by Leslie Lamport, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 2nd edition, 1994. The LaTeX Companion, by Michel Goossens, Frank Mittelbach, and Alexander Samarin, Addison-Wesley, 1994. ############################################################ Commands ############################################################ A LaTeX command begins with the command name, which consists of a \ followed by either (a) a string of letters or (b) a single non-letter. Arguments contained in square brackets, [], are optional while arguments contained in braces, {}, are required. NOTE: LaTeX is case sensitive. Enter all commands in lower case unless explicitly directed to do otherwise. Counters: Internal counters used by LaTeX. Cross References: Automatic referencing. Definitions: Define your own commands etc. Document Classes: Some of the various classes available. Environments: Such as enumerate & itemize. Footnotes: How to produce footnotes. Layout: Controlling the page layout. Lengths: The length commands. Letters: The letter class. Line & Page Breaking: How to insert pagebreaks etc. Making Paragraphs: Paragraph commands. Margin Notes: Putting remarks in the margin. Math Formulae: How to create mathematical formulae. Modes: Paragraph, Math or LR modes. Page Styles: Various styles of page layout. Sectioning: How to section properly. Spaces & Boxes: All the associated commands. Special Characters: Special reserved characters. Splitting the Input: Dealing with big files by splitting. Starting & Ending: The formal start & end layouts. Table of Contents: How to create a table of contents. Terminal Input/Output: User interaction. Typefaces: Such as bold, italics etc.