Getting started
LaTeX ["LAH-tek"] is a high-quality typesetting system; it includes features designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation. LaTeX is the de facto standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents.
You use LaTeX to create documents for others to read. In that respect it is similar to Microsoft Word. But the similarities end there. 😄
Document preparation with LaTeX typically consists of using a text editor to edit a LaTeX source file, which has the extension .tex, and then running the LaTeX program to convert the source file to a document interchange format such as Postscript or PDF. Once the document is in a document interchange format, it can be previewed on the screen, sent to others, printed, etc.
This program
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\title{\LaTeX}
\date{}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\LaTeX{} is a document preparation system for the \TeX{}
typesetting program. It offers programmable desktop
publishing features and extensive facilities for
automating most aspects of typesetting and desktop
publishing, including numbering and cross-referencing,
tables and figures, page layout, bibliographies, and
much more. \LaTeX{} was originally written in 1984 by
Leslie Lamport and has become the dominant method for
using \TeX; few people write in plain \TeX{} anymore.
The current version is \LaTeXe.
% This is a comment, not shown in final output.
% The following shows typesetting power of LaTeX:
\begin{align}
E_0 &= mc^2 \\
E &= \frac{mc^2}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}
\end{align}
\end{document}renders as
Neat, right??? 😄
To create beautiful, high-quality documents, you need to have installed in your machine a LaTeX distribution. This is what will 'convert' your .tex files into beautiful documents. You may install and run LaTeX in your personal computer/laptop and/or remotely in the web.
You may choose between:
- Overleaf: Overleaf is an easy to use cloud-based collaborative LaTeX editor. It allows you to view the document history. You can insert images, equations, bibliographies, and more… I strongly recommend Overleaf.
- Authorea: Authorea is online LaTeX editor. It allows you to write and publish data with ease. This application supports commenting to discuss the changes in real time.
- Papeeria: Papeeria is a LaTeX environment. This application offers real-time collaboration with other people.
First download LaTeX for your OS:
- Windows: you may choose between MiKTeX and TeXLive.
- macOS: use MacTeX, which is a macOS version of TeXLive.
- Linux: use TeXLive
Now that you're set, you'll need an editor. Some people prefer to type their documents using simple (rather basic) editors. But there are several editors that seek to boost productivity, or simply reduce amount of effort for newcomers to be able to succesfully create documents. Among some of the most used, you have TeXstudio, TeXmaker and TeXworks. They are similiar, so I think it's more a matter of taste. For other advanced users, Sublime Text and Vim are usually preferred over graphic editors.
Google is your friend. Ask google about the current trends on latex editors… but if you're lazy, check Wikipedia list of TeX editors.
This is fairly simple. Again you may choose to run it locally in your own computer, or remotely as a web/cloud service.
This instructions are for Overleaf. You'll have to adapt to other services…
- Create an account in Overleaf if you don't have one yet.
- Open the NoVathesis template page at https://pt.overleaf.com/latex/templates/new-university-of-lisbon-universidade-nova-de-lisboa-slash-unl-thesis-template/fwbztcrptjmg
- Select the Open as Template button and start working. PLEASE NOTE that currently (Jan 2021) the Overleaf version of the template (v4.x) is deprecated in favor of the version in GitHub (v5.x).
Having a LaTeX distribution installed in your system, you just have to open and build the main text file (template.tex by default). If you are using some kind of editor with a GUI, such as TeXstudio, you may need to set the file as master or root. Usually this type of editors list the files within the folder of the project. This option usually presents itself when right-clicking in a given file.
For MacOSX and Linux users, running latexmk -pdf template.tex in the terminal will do the trick. This command will compile your file several times so that you don't have to compile the Biblatex file on your own.
You can start by reading the Chapter 2 and 3 of the template, which provides a great headstart to begin using LaTeX and this template.
No problem. Visit the FAQ page. If you don't find the answer you're looking for there, try the page of your operating system (Windows, Linux or Mac OS X) for further help.