{preamble} is everything before \begin{document} in a LaTeX document. It contains commands loading packages, definitions, and usually most style settings for a document.
77
votes
5answers
3k views
Best practice on organising your preamble
I am putting together a large document and my preamble is unwieldly and disorganised. What order does it make sense to load packages. Obviously, hyperref goes last, apart from things that have to go ...
30
votes
7answers
863 views
Should I place \title, \author, \date in the preamble or after \begin{document}?
The motivation for this question
Forgive me if this looks very basic to you but nobody has pointed out to me yet until now in a comment to a question that the \title command (and thus the other two ...
25
votes
5answers
1k views
How to make a standard preamble into a package
I have a preamble that I copy and paste into nearly all of my documents. Is there a nice way to turn this into a package than I can use? I would prefer to do this in a way that doesn't depend on my ...
17
votes
2answers
234 views
Load package after other package with \AfterPackage
I want to group packages together (in the real document, I load many more packages) and want to solve the sorting of the packages with commands like \AfterPackage from KOMA-Script.
I am using this ...
16
votes
1answer
641 views
ultrafast pdflatex with precompiling
I try to improve the time pdflatex needs to compile my book.
Really working example
book.tex
%&preamble
\begin{document}
Hi
\end{document}
and
preamble.tex
\documentclass{article}
I run ...
13
votes
4answers
679 views
meta packages and typesetting
Background(just ignore):
Is there an exhaustive list of packages that you should load and of things you should do to improve your document? Here I mean packages and things that have to do with the ...
13
votes
2answers
280 views
Is it possible to define a `multicols{2}` preamble switch that works for \chapter?
With standard LaTeX, issuing \twocolumn in the preambe causes the document to be typeset in two columns -- except that \chapter will produce separate one-column chapter headings.
\documentclass{book}
...
13
votes
5answers
2k views
where to put .sty and .cls file for project
I want to use my own .sty and .cls file in a project. I know of the following two possibilities of placing them:
in my local tex tree (or the general tex tree, which is worse)
in the same directory ...
13
votes
2answers
3k views
Create new paragraph style in LyX
Background
In OpenOffice and Microsoft Word it takes seconds to create a new paragraph style. Here is how I currently use LyX with the KOMA Script document class to mark text as a quotation:
Type ...
13
votes
1answer
292 views
Sorting preamble packages thematically while accounting for compulsory load orders
Within a document's preamble (or a custom "preamble" package), at times there's the need to take compulsory load orders for certain packages into account. Most packages must be loaded before the ...
11
votes
4answers
360 views
Make align* number the last equation
I am using the align* environment to write equations expanding several lines. I would like to define a command sequence in the preamble, such that the last equation of this block will always be ...
11
votes
2answers
271 views
How does one detect whether one is in the preamble or not?
In LaTeX, I'd like to know whether a documentclass has been loaded and whether code is inside a \begin{document}. In other words, is there a \ifpreamble similar to \ifvmode and friends?
...
11
votes
2answers
244 views
Using breakable hyphen "= in \newcommand
I want to use a breakable hyphen "= in a command:
\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage[ngerman]{babel}
\newcommand{\TT}{Test"=Text }
\begin{document}
This is a test whether the hyphen in \TT ...
10
votes
2answers
822 views
Placing items before \documentclass
When looking in books or at sample code, I always see \documentclass appearing first. Is that absolutely necessary?
I have created some test code which seems to compile fine:
\def\SetClass{article}
...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Precompiled preamble with TikZ/Externalize
I'm using the externalize capability of TikZ (external library) to speed up compilation of my TikZ pictures (as explained in Script to automate externalizing tikz graphics).
In addition, I would like ...
9
votes
2answers
259 views
Are there any situtations where it is better to load a package after other code?
I always place all my packages immediately following the document class, followed by setting information (\hypersetup for example) and customization to my documents (header and footer customization ...
9
votes
2answers
311 views
Precompile header with xelatex
I read about precompiling the preamble in http://tex.stackexchange.com/a/15606/4918 and it worked fine with pdflatex but how can I do this for xelatex?
I tried
xelatex -ini -shell-escape ...
9
votes
1answer
96 views
Different styles for the same document
Suppose I am writing a paper, which I plan to submit to a journal/conference, but also put on a preprint server like the arXiv. Each publisher has its own style files required for typesetting the ...
7
votes
3answers
923 views
Good LaTeX preambles for math thesis
Can someone provide me an example of a nice preamble to write a math thesis?
I am currently using
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\topmargin -15mm
\textheight 24truecm
\textwidth 16truecm
...
7
votes
3answers
321 views
Disable babel's shorthands
I want to disable babel's shorthands in my own sty file.
But since I can use \shorthands{off} only inside the document environment, I struggle with this.
Is there a way to disable babel's shorthands ...
7
votes
1answer
470 views
Compiling partial documents (without document tags)
I am getting some colleagues to migrate from Word to LaTeX for technical documents, but old habits die hard.
I am looking for a way to compile each LaTeX document partially without document tags, so ...
7
votes
1answer
85 views
TikZ compiles in body, but not as command [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Problem with defining shortcuts for TikZ matrices.
When I use the code below to draw a tikzpicture in the body of my document, it works just fine. However, when I define ...
7
votes
1answer
170 views
Can I amend the preamble from outside the preamble?
I am writing a document (mydoc.tex) that will include a section as a separate document (mysection.tex) using \input{mysection.tex}.
If I want to include something in the preamble (specifically ...
7
votes
0answers
69 views
Speeding up compilation using precompiled preamble with LuaTeX
Compiling my documents with lualatex takes quite long. I have a complex preamble, and noticed it takes long to process this part of the file.
Today I came across this website, which proposes a trick ...
6
votes
2answers
196 views
\dimexpr gives 0pt
Why on earth does the following expression give me 0.0pt?
\edef\x{\the\dimexpr 3ex-1ex\relax}
I assume ex is a LaTeX unit, as it isn't in the TeXbook. Please where is it defined in the kernel?
...
6
votes
2answers
333 views
“Double use” of a4paper (geometry/KOMA)?
In my preamble, should I give the a4paper option just once or twice, i. e. once for the KOMA-script document class (scrartcl) and once for geometry? Is this redundant or does scrartcl need the option ...
6
votes
4answers
558 views
TeX daemon for Windows
A simple question (in theory): is there any (La)TeX distribution for Windows that is capable of running as a daemon? I am not aware that either MiKTeX or TeX Live are capable as running as daemons on ...
6
votes
2answers
812 views
Automatically define macros in LyX documents
I'm using LyX all the time and over the last 2 years I've accumulated some very handy macros for my lecture notes. As it is today, every time I start a new document, I copy and paste the macros from ...
6
votes
1answer
273 views
Bibliography preamble \bibpreamble natbib
I am trying to produce some text after the "References" heading, but before the numbered references themselves. I had read that using the natbib package and the command \bibpreamble{...insert preamble ...
6
votes
2answers
803 views
Hide all images, listings and equations?
is there any way to hide all images, equations and all listings (embedded by using lstlisting package) manually by setting a certain command in the preamble? It would just be interesting to see how ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Chapters and Formatting Headers
When I am composing a large document in LaTeX, I often compose the chapters in separate documents. When I do this I have to copy and paste a large block of header text to the chapter I am editing so I ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
How does \include work in terms of preamble? And is \input better?
When you have different files; say different chapters of a book, that are written in separate Tex files, all having their own preamble packages and document class options, how does it work when you ...
5
votes
3answers
330 views
Is there a \foreach function that works in the preamble?
Tikz/PGF has an extremely useful implementation of \foreach, which allows for instance the construction
\foreach \x / \y in {1/a,2/b,3/c,4/d} {\x is a lot like \y}
in which you can iterate over a ...
5
votes
1answer
265 views
Similar header format for my company
I need to reproduce the following header format:
Please help; I'm a completely starter at LaTeX or TeX. I work with LyX and this is included in the document's preamble:
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
...
5
votes
1answer
216 views
Why doesn't latexmk handle errors in the preamble?
Today I discovered that if I have an error in the preamble of my tex file then Latexmk produce an error only once.
Precisely, for example if my file looks like this
\documentclass{article}
...
5
votes
1answer
131 views
Tool to handle “precompiling the preamble” automatically
On Windows there is a nice little tool called latexdaemon that can handle "precompiling the preamble" (and thus speeding up compilation) automatically. It doesn't require any additional setup: one ...
5
votes
0answers
109 views
Need commands for creating manual “pre-compile” of preamble in Windows, perhaps by pressing a button
I would like to manually create a separate file with preamble "pre-compiled". I found a very simple example at:
ultrafast pdflatex with precompiling
where Jonas Stein describes their example:
...
4
votes
3answers
352 views
Problem Set template - explain this preamble to me?
Can someone explain the following preamble to me? This is copied and pasted from a problem set template my T.A. made to help us typeset our homework... I'd really like to understand how it works. The ...
4
votes
3answers
207 views
Creating complex documents from separate files
I have multiple documents (file1.tex, file2.tex, etc.) and one main file (let's call it main.tex).
I would like to build a complex document that contains all file_i.tex files. I tried this (according ...
4
votes
1answer
103 views
Should I load packages (for instance, all AMS packages) separately or all together?
I was reading some post here at SE and I noticed that many people load packages one by one. For example,
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amsthm}
and so on. Usually, I load ...
4
votes
2answers
219 views
expand macro in single byte encoded code
In this minimal (not) working example, I try to use single-byte latin10-encoded source file, and expand a command-macro containing a character with \catcode254:
% -*- mode: latex; unibyte: t; ...
4
votes
1answer
167 views
How to set two backgrounds?
background package defines a background with absolute position in preamble, but how to set two independent backgrounds at different positions? Consider we have two backgrounds as
\SetBgColor{red}
...
4
votes
2answers
119 views
Recreate the conditions of the document preamble while loading a file in the document body
While in the document body I like to temporary switch back to the mode active in the LaTeX preamble, i.e. spaces between macros should be ignored. I don't mind whether I get the ! LaTeX Error: Missing ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Where to put a custom macros file?
I have a bunch of common commands I put in document preambles. I don't always use them all, but it makes the preamble too long for my tastes.
I want to put them all in an external file (preferably in ...
4
votes
1answer
334 views
Using Palatino and Euler Math
I'm using Palatino font for my thesis calling in the preamble
\usepackage[sc]{mathpazo}
\linespread{1.05}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[english,italian]{babel}
...
4
votes
2answers
208 views
How to write the preamble into a file
Can one define a bunch of macros, include them in a LaTeX source file
main.tex and after issuing
$ latex main.tex
find the preamble of main.tex in a file, say main.nem ?
It is a requirement, that ...
4
votes
1answer
176 views
Why does LaTeX make \DeclareMathSymbol and \DeclareSymbolFont preamble-only?
Is there any good and convincing reason to explain why LaTeX restricts usage of \DeclareSymbolFont and \DeclareMathSymbol to the preamble? and I could also ask the question for many other macros.
...
4
votes
1answer
265 views
Strange “There's no line here to end” error
I am starting my adventure with LaTeX.
I have following code on my preamble:
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{setspace}
\onehalfspacing
\usepackage{indentfirst}
\usepackage{titlesec}
On third and ...
4
votes
1answer
112 views
\settowidth in preamble wrong with fontspec+lualatex w/ MWE
I am getting some strange behaviour using luaLaTeX and a rather simple command definition. I am using TeXLive 2012, Linux x86_64.
When \settowidth is used in the preamble to compute the width of some ...
4
votes
1answer
362 views
How do I call microtype's \SetProtrusion in the preamble?
In this answer about full justification for italic text, I used microtype's \SetProtrusion to get better-looking margin kerning for italics. It works fine, but I had to call \SetProtrusion after ...
