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I downloaded the classicthesis from its site and I was analysing the contents of the class, the manual, examples and all that. But I have few doubts yet about how to customize well the classic thesis class for my needs.

First of all I need to use the options spanish and mexico for babel. I read about the es-lcroman option necessary for write in Spanish, but I'm not sure if it works fine with the option mexicoor there is not a problem.

Well, reading the classic-thesisconfig.tex document I found a lot of option, and a very interesting way to create a preamble. I use to divide my documents and use \include commands for add them, but the options of the preamble in another document looks nice.

However, I don't know how to fix few problems, the first of all is that I don't use the natbibpackage for my references, instead I prefer to use biblatex. Now, I see in classicthesis we can use a command \PassOptionsToPackage{arg1}{arg2} and I understand that arg1 are the options of the package, and arg2 the name of the own package. But I'm not sure why it uses this instead the old \usepackage command. I also don't know if I need to use the \PassOptionsToPackage for load each package?

I'm using the KOMA script class scrbook,using letterpaper size and I want to know if with classic thesis I can still use the options of the class such as the \dictum environment or \lowertittleback or \dedication because for me there are very useful.

In fact I need to create a document in Spanish, with few margin notes in polythonic Greek, English, German, Dutch and French. And the packages I'm using are:

\usepackage[intlimits]{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsthm,amssymb,empheq,bm} % My doubt is how to add the other packages in addition of amsmath?
\usepackage{siunitx}

Instead of acronym I want to use the package glossaries for create the acronym list, a glossary and a list of symbols.

For graphics in addition to the graphicx package I need also this:

\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{arrows}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\usetikzlibrary{through}
\usetikzlibrary{backgrounds}
\usetikzlibrary{fit}
\usetikzlibrary{fadings}

Where and how put it?

And for the revisions before finish the thesis I need to use

\usepackage[colorinlistoftodos,spanish,textsize=footnotesize]{todonotes}

I know about the problems with biblatex and Greek but I'll find a way to solve it, (surely with xelatex) meanwhile I want to know how to add these package for work using the classicthesis style.

I have another final doubt, inside the classicthesis-config.tex document there is a part about autoreferences, I don't understand for what this can be useful but I see there is a redefinition of commands for English and German. So if I need to write in Spanish should I translate this commands into Spanish also or simply comment them?

An attempt of MWE for illustrate better my question, starting from the classicthesis.tex file would be:

\documentclass[ twoside,openright,titlepage,numbers=noenddot,headinclude,%1headlines,% letterpaper a4paper
            footinclude=true,cleardoublepage=empty,abstractoff, % <--- obsolete, remove (todo)
            BCOR=5mm,paper=letter,fontsize=10pt,%11pt,a4paper,%
            spanish,mexico,%
            ]{scrbook}
\input{classicthesis-config} % where are part of my troubles
\begin{document}
\frenchspacing
\raggedbottom
\selectlanguage{spanish} % <--- this isn't redundant?
%\renewcommand*{\bibname}{new name}
%\setbibpreamble{}
\frontmatter %All the following files previously customized
\include{FrontBackmatter/DirtyTitlepage}
\include{FrontBackmatter/Titlepage}
\include{FrontBackmatter/Titleback}
\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Dedication}
%\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Foreword}
\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Abstract}
\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Publication}
\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Acknowledgments}
\pagestyle{scrheadings}
\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Contents}

\mainmatter
\cleardoublepage
%\part{Some stuff}
\include{Chapters/Chapter01}
\cleardoublepage
%\part{The Showcase}
\include{Chapters/Chapter02}
\include{Chapters/Chapter03}

%etc.

\appendix
\cleardoublepage
\part{Appendix}
\include{Chapters/Chapter0A}

\backmatter

\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Bibliography}
\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Colophon}
\cleardoublepage\include{FrontBackmatter/Declaration}
\end{document}

I think that's all. Regards.

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  • I had to do this decision as well. In the end I decided against classicthesis, although it looks nice, because I needed to customize my template in a way, which would have been difficult to do with classicthesis and build it according to my needs using komascript.
    – Chris
    Dec 9, 2013 at 9:14
  • Word of advice, pick out the pieces you like and don't look at the coding. It is just horrible. No matter what academic degree the author has.
    – Johannes_B
    Oct 27, 2014 at 16:43

2 Answers 2

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I'm afraid we have different ideas about the organization of ClassicThesis.

It's disputable recommending to say

\include{FrontBackmatter/Titlepage}

Reason 1: why putting together frontmatter and backmatter material? Just because Miede likes doing that?

Reason 2: why \include, where \input would be the command of choice?

Of course, reason 2 is the main objection: \include adds reading one more auxiliary file for nothing, as it's quite unlikely you have cross references in your title page.

About \PassOptionsToPackage I can only say one thing: don't use it. In the config file we find

\PassOptionsToPackage{latin9}{inputenc} % latin9 (ISO-8859-9) = latin1+"Euro sign"
 \usepackage{inputenc}                          

%\PassOptionsToPackage{ngerman,american}{babel}   % change this to your language(s)
% Spanish languages need extra options in order to work with this template
%\PassOptionsToPackage{spanish,es-lcroman}{babel}
 \usepackage{babel}                                     

\PassOptionsToPackage{square,numbers}{natbib}
 \usepackage{natbib}                            

\PassOptionsToPackage{fleqn}{amsmath}           % math environments and more by the AMS 
 \usepackage{amsmath}

that's simply doing complicated things instead of easy ones. Here's a simplified version.

\usepackage[latin9]{inputenc} % latin9 (ISO-8859-9) = latin1+"Euro sign"               

\usepackage[
  %ngerman,
  american,
  %spanish,es-lcroman,% es-lcroman is needed for this template
]{babel}                                     

\usepackage[square,numbers]{natbib}                            

\usepackage[fleqn]{amsmath}

Isn't this version simpler? I bet so.


If you don't want natbib just leave it out. You're not compelled to use that classicthesis-config* file. The same for acronym.

The config file is used by way of example. Just say

\usepackage[
  eulerchapternumbers,
  listings,
  %drafting,
  pdfspacing,
  %floatperchapter,
  %linedheaders,
  %subfig,
  beramono,
  eulermath,
  parts
]{classicthesis}                

and add after this the packages you need. Of course you can choose different options for ClassicThesis.

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  • Thanks @egreg four your suggestions. Well, in fact my own way of organize a LaTeX document is different from the Miede's one. But I found an question where praising how Miede divided parts of the text in all those files you see in his examples. In my opinion the FrontBackMatter directory is where everything extra to main content (main matter) goes. I use with book and scrbook classes the commands \frontmatter, \mainmatter and \backmatter they ease few tasks.
    – Aradnix
    Dec 9, 2013 at 9:04
  • Well, I follow your suggestions and I changed all the \PassOptionsToPackage in the classicthesis-config.texfile and now nothing works \m/.
    – Aradnix
    Dec 18, 2013 at 5:46
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The reason why \PassOptionsToPackage is used is compatibility with LyX: if a package is loaded with options both in LyX and -config.tex a clash occurs and the document is not compilable. It seemed better to have the template compilable as-is by using \PassOptionsToPackage, even though it would lead to some options not being evaluated.

As reference, see the TeX FAQ Option clash for package.

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  • 3
    Hi and welcome, this doesn't andwer the question and is more like a comment on @egregs answer. I guess a moderator will convert this answer soon.
    – Johannes_B
    Oct 27, 2014 at 16:44
  • 4
    Maybe this is the reason; but it confirms me that LyX does things in the wrong way.
    – egreg
    Oct 27, 2014 at 16:50

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