how can make an automation script for pdf?

Question

I have article from 10chapters. How I can make automation for pdf compiling? I need to make several different pdfs without one or two chapters. I can everytime just create another maintex and add /ifalse and /fi near \include {chapter} , but i want to do it without touching code everytime. Any ideas?

Answer 1

You can use the package excludeonly to easily set which chapters are not processed (cf. \includeonly for the reverse). Just \include all chapters, the ones listed in \excludeonly will be ignored. MWE:

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage{excludeonly}
\excludeonly{ch2}

\begin{document}
\include{ch1}
\include{ch2}
\include{ch3}
\end{document}

If you like, you can specify the excluded files at compile time on the command line (adapted from Alex Barnett's (hu)thesis template):

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage{excludeonly}

\typein [\files]{Enter file names to exclude, separated by comma, or `none' to process all files:} 
\def\none{none} 
\ifx\files\none
\typeout{Including all files.} \else \typeout{Excluding \files.}
\excludeonly{\files} 
\fi 

\begin{document}
\include{ch1}
\include{ch2}
\include{ch3}
\end{document}