All Questions
53,796
questions
726
votes
18
answers
249k
views
How to look up a symbol or identify a letter from a math alphabet or other character?
I know what my symbol or character looks like, but I don't know what the command is or which math alphabet it came from. How do I go about finding this out?
- 10.1k
720
votes
2
answers
463k
views
How to influence the position of float environments like figure and table in LaTeX?
How to influence the position of float environments like figure and table in LaTeX?
This is a general question and should collect useful answers for all users. I hope we can use this as a reference
- 95k
186
votes
3
answers
269k
views
Question mark or bold citation key instead of citation number
I've browsed the forums and found a number of posts that have addressed this issue, but none of the solutions seem to work for me. I have the following script that I just copied from the bibtex home ...
- 2,005
162
votes
16
answers
167k
views
Biblatex with Biber: Configuring my editor to avoid undefined citations
Running the minimal example
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{filecontents}
\begin{filecontents*}{\jobname.bib}
@ARTICLE{example,
author = {Other, Anthony Norman},
title = {Some things I did},...
740
votes
8
answers
238k
views
Why is \[ ... \] preferable to $$ ... $$?
I've heard that you should use \[ ... \] for displayed equations instead of $$ ... $$, but why is that?
I'd assumed that it's so that you can more easily tell which are starting and which are ending ...
- 15.2k
390
votes
6
answers
41k
views
What is the use of percent signs (%) at the end of lines? (Why is my macro creating extra space?)
I see that the code in many packages and examples contains percent signs % at the end of (many) lines. What are they used for? Do they affect the parsing of those lines?
- 10.2k
328
votes
11
answers
196k
views
How to install "vanilla" TeXLive on Debian or Ubuntu?
Debian and Ubuntu have very good texlive packaging. But I'd like to use tlmgr to have a more fine-grained control about upgrades and which packages I want to be installed.
So how do I install "...
- 12.3k
107
votes
2
answers
29k
views
My table doesn't fit; what are my options?
I have a table that I want to insert on a page, but at least one (perhaps both) of the following conditions are met:
The table is too wide to fit within the text block or page. That is, I'm exceeding ...
- 595k
387
votes
8
answers
484k
views
Keeping tables/figures close to where they are mentioned
Is there any package or a method to force LaTeX to keep floating environments like table and figure closer to where they are declared?
- 4,241
131
votes
7
answers
212k
views
How do I find out what fonts are used in a document/picture?
Is it possible to identify the font used in a specific document/picture?
Answers to this question should identify:
Possible methods to do this (perhaps one answer per method) and adequately describe ...
- 595k
383
votes
34
answers
163k
views
What are good learning resources for a LaTeX beginner?
Which book (free or otherwise) was the most useful to you when you started learning LaTeX?
I am frequently asked this question by friends who want to learn LaTeX, and I recommend the book which got ...
629
votes
13
answers
618k
views
Where do I place my own .sty or .cls files, to make them available to all my .tex files?
I know how to define a package or a class, but how do I make it available (to myself) at all times?
Say I have the package file commonstuff.sty (or myprettyclass.cls), that I want to be able to ...
- 15.3k
921
votes
56
answers
697k
views
LaTeX Editors/IDEs
What editors/IDEs are available for easing the process of writing TeX/LaTeX documents?
Please state some useful features like code completion, spell checking, building final DVI or PDF files, etc.
...
371
votes
7
answers
387k
views
How do I update my TeX distribution?
I'm trying to compile a document that only works with an up-to-date distribution, so I'd like to know: how do I update my distribution? Please provide screenshots where appropriate.
List of answers
...
934
votes
1
answer
240k
views
What do \makeatletter and \makeatother do?
Many LaTeX “hacks” begin with \makeatletter and end with \makeatother. What do these commands do?
- 88k
513
votes
8
answers
170k
views
Drawing on an image with TikZ
Recently I have learned how to draw simple stuff with TikZ. I really like it. Now I wonder if it is possible to draw with TikZ on a image. Instead of pasting a image in Illustrator and adding some ...
- 11k
142
votes
2
answers
27k
views
Why does an environment's label have to appear after the caption?
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{algorithm}
\begin{document}
\setcounter{section}{54}
\section{A section with no label}
\begin{algorithm}
\label{myalg}
\caption{An algorithm with the label `myalg'....
- 12.1k
499
votes
1
answer
160k
views
Guidelines for customizing biblatex styles
Suppose I've just made the switch to biblatex. I have chosen one of the built-in styles (numeric, alphabetic, authoryear, authortitle, verbose) or of the custom styles available at CTAN, and I've ...
- 248k
132
votes
6
answers
30k
views
Importing a Single Symbol From a Different Font
Is there a general way to change the font of a particular symbol without switching packages?
For example, suppose I'm using Computer Modern for my entire document, but I want the "subset" operator to ...
- 1,547
240
votes
2
answers
116k
views
Should \tikzset or \tikzstyle be used to define TikZ styles?
The PGF/TikZ manual states in section 12.4 Using Graphic Options, page 120 (v2.10), that TikZ styles can be set using:
\tikzset{my style/.style={<tikz options>},...}
However, in several places ...
- 260k
1462
votes
7
answers
889k
views
When should I use \input vs. \include?
There are two different commands to incorporate another file into the source of some document, \input and \include. When should I use one or the other? What are the differences between them? Are there ...
- 19.9k
645
votes
7
answers
252k
views
bibtex vs. biber and biblatex vs. natbib
I've heard of many different bibliography-related packages/platforms/?. What's the difference between the following, which is good for what tasks, advantages/disadvantages, which one is the most ...
- 54k
241
votes
5
answers
594k
views
eqnarray vs align
Motivation
I want to include a list of related equations, say, for a proof, in my LaTeX document. As far as I know, I have two good options, eqnarray and align.
Question
What is the difference ...
- 3,445
659
votes
6
answers
2.0m
views
Force figure placement in text
I have a problem when a lot of figures are in question. Some figures tend to "fly around", that is, be a paragraph below, although I placed them before that paragraph. I use code:
\begin{figure}[ht]
\...
- 8,029
453
votes
13
answers
745k
views
Column and row padding in tables
How do you guys go about controlling column padding in tables?
Update
To clarify, I'm looking for a way to control both vertical and horizontal padding. So, if I had a simple table like in the ...
- 4,907
238
votes
4
answers
197k
views
Continuous v. per-chapter/section numbering of figures, tables, and other document elements
Some document elements (e.g., figures in the book class) are numbered per chapter (figure 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, ...). How can I achieve continuous numbering (figure 1, 2, 3, ...)?
And vice versa: Some ...
- 248k
51
votes
2
answers
98k
views
How to customize my titlepage?
The standard titlepage is quite simple. I am looking for a very complex titlepage and need help customizing my title page.
It should match the classicthesis doctoral thesis template
Below a minimal ...
- 1,483
409
votes
6
answers
177k
views
What to do to switch to biblatex?
Because of the great answers posted around in the site, I'm finally considering to do the switch and move to biblatex. So, the question is what do I have to do?
To give the question some focus, ...
- 61.3k
249
votes
14
answers
40k
views
Which packages should be loaded after hyperref instead of before?
The hyperref documentation says: "Make sure it comes last of your loaded packages". The reason is that it redefines many LaTeX commands. It's a rule of thumb that helps to avoid errors.
However, ...
- 229k
977
votes
99
answers
360k
views
Showcase of beautiful typography done in TeX & friends
If you were asked to show examples of beautifully typeset documents in TeX & friends, what would you suggest? Preferably documents available online (I'm aware I could go to a bookstore and find ...
389
votes
13
answers
379k
views
biblatex in a nutshell (for beginners)
Is there a 'biblatex in a nutshell' guide out there?
I'd like if someone explained to me the essentials on how to use biblatex (what lines I have to write in my document, which files I have to have, ...
- 4,870
199
votes
5
answers
119k
views
How to change the name of document elements like "Figure", "Contents", "Bibliography", "Appendix", etc.?
I'd like to modify the names used to typeset some of my document elements. For example, the caption of figure floats should change from "Figure" to "Fig.", and my \tableofcontents sectioning heading ...
- 248k
250
votes
8
answers
778k
views
How can I manually install a package on MiKTeX (Windows)
I'm new to LaTeX, investigating using it for some work projects. I'm using MiKTeX on Windows. My employer's locked-down network blocks the application's automatic installation function. I can take ...
- 2,743
613
votes
12
answers
207k
views
Space after LaTeX commands
I have a definition:
\newcommand{\arnold}{Arnold Schwarzenegger}
When I refer to it by:
\arnold is a
it is rendered as:
Arnold Schwarzeneggeris a
In order to have a space in front of "is" I ...
- 6,231
106
votes
2
answers
14k
views
Why should the minimal class be avoided?
In a comment to my answer to Drawing a rectangle along the border of a circle, Peter Grill said that he read that the minimal class should not be used for a Minimal Working Example. I wonder why, and ...
- 55.5k
563
votes
5
answers
347k
views
How do I use a particular font for a small section of text in my document?
The standard font packages make global changes to the fonts in my document. What if I want to use a particular font for just a portion of my text?
How do I find the right name of the font?
How do I ...
342
votes
5
answers
39k
views
What is the difference between Fragile and Robust commands? When and why do we need \protect?
So I've read a few times about this, the “moving arguments” and all that. But what does it really mean? Could someone explain in a few words what is going on at the TeX level, what is the difference ...
- 61.3k
60
votes
1
answer
63k
views
How should one maintain and update a MiKTeX installation?
Every once in a while after updating MiKTeX, the installation gets into an inconsistent state. This might be a problem with the packages (an example is described in this question), but sometimes ...
- 21.9k
179
votes
8
answers
264k
views
How do I install an individual package on a Linux system?
I need to install a new TeX/LaTeX/ConTeXt package on my computer. I'm running Ubuntu/Fedora/Slackware/Some-Version-Of Linux. What are the possible ways to do this?
Note: We get a number ...
345
votes
6
answers
385k
views
BibTeX loses capitals when creating .bbl file
Titles of articles I'm about to cite contain upper case letters and when using BibTeX it converts them to lower case ones. This happens only in the title and only the first letter conserves its case. ...
- 4,189
275
votes
4
answers
214k
views
Center figure that is wider than \textwidth
I have a figure that is wider than the \textwidth of my document. (I don't want to change the \textwidth.) As a result, the leftmost part of the figure is flush with the left margin, while the ...
- 8,817
137
votes
1
answer
41k
views
Difference between "right of=" and "right=of" in PGF/TikZ
In the PGF/TikZ manual, sometimes I see the option right of=somenode instead of right=of somenode. They look very similar, but the effects are different. The distance between nodes positioned with ...
- 1,775
85
votes
1
answer
75k
views
Using a 'corporate author' in the "author" field of a bibliographic entry (spelling out the name in full)
I want to list a company name in the author field of a bibliographic entry:
@book{CUDA,
author = {NVIDIA Corporation},
title = {NVIDIA CUDA Compute Unified Device Architecture Programming ...
- 953
303
votes
4
answers
561k
views
How to create fixed width table columns with text raggedright/centered/raggedleft?
I would like to create a table with some columns' width specified, while the text in those columns should be centered both horizontally and vertically. I found out that
\usepackage{array}
\begin{...
- 6,865
126
votes
5
answers
52k
views
Does it matter if I use \textit or \it, \bfseries or \bf, etc
I typically use
\textit{Some italicized text}
while some of my colleagues use
{\it Some other text}
Should I bother changing one or the other, or does it matter?
Related:
Is there any reason ...
- 3,348
68
votes
3
answers
15k
views
What is Metapost/Metafont and how can I get started using it?
Inspired by Why Metapost discrimination?, I'd like to come to know Metapost far better than I do now. All I really know is that Metapost is a language for describing graphics, and Metafont is used ...
- 27.3k
332
votes
3
answers
356k
views
Should I use center or centering for figures and tables?
What is the correct way to center figures and tables (figure, table)?
\begin{center}
...
\end{center}
or
\begin{centering}
...
\end{centering}
- 116k
119
votes
4
answers
358k
views
What can I use to typeset MATLAB code in my document?
This question led to a new package:
matlab-prettifier
Does anybody have a quick and easy way to typeset some relatively long MATLAB code in the appendix? I looked up a few methods, and the mcode ...
- 1,917
216
votes
6
answers
42k
views
Where do I start LaTeX programming?
I'm interested in writing packages for TeX/LaTeX/XeLaTeX. I googled around, but all I found was guides or tutorials about how to prepare documents using LaTeX. I want to know how LaTeX works and how ...
- 2,697
111
votes
1
answer
185k
views
Create a local texmf tree in MiKTeX
In TeX Live there are TEXMFLOCAL for admin and TEXMFHOME for user pre-defined, but in MiKTeX there’s by default no local texmf tree installed, though it is useful, cf. Purpose of local texmf trees. ...
- 19.3k