Improve book class

[ricky...@gmail.com]

Hi! I am new with LaTex and I want to improve the book class.

I want to learn how to design my own class. I am getting frustated
because I am used to get what I want with MS Word with a simple click,
but I will make an effort because I have readed Latex is a good
typesetting program.

Is there any manual to learn how to design your own classes?

Thanks for the help,
Ricardo

[ricky...@gmail.com]

Is there a class file with the minimum programming (essential code)
where I can learn to design my own classes?

I have tried to decode book class but it has a lot of code

Thanks!

[Maurizio Loreti]

ricky...@gmail.com writes:

> I want to learn how to design my own class.

1) LaTeX Companion
2) texdoc clsguide

--
Maurizio Loreti http://www.pd.infn.it/~loreti/mlo.html
Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Padova, Italy ROT13: ybe...@cq.vasa.vg

[Glyn Millington]

ricky...@gmail.com writes:

Hi Ricardo,

Maurizio has pointed out some docs. But I wonder if the total designing
of your own class is the way to go (it's a big job, or it would be for
me!)

It might be worth stating here exactly what it is that you hope to acheive
- perhaps someone has already done it and would share their solution.

And you say you are new to LaTeX - have you discovered CTAN

http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/help/Catalogue/catalogue.html

Is there anything here that would help?

atb

Glyn

[Lars Madsen]

switch to the memoir class or one of the classes in the KOMA bundle.

Then write your own class or package that simply configures onw of those classes.

extending the book class is not worth it for a new LaTeX User.

--

/daleif (remove RTFSIGNATURE from email address)

LaTeX FAQ: http://www.tex.ac.uk/faq
LaTeX book: http://www.imf.au.dk/system/latex/bog/ (in Danish)
Remember to post minimal examples, see URL below
http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=minxampl

[yuri]

The latest issue of the PracTeX Journal (http://www.tug.org/pracjourn)
has some articles on KOMA, Memoir, etc. as well as a good paper on
writing your own macros in LaTeX. This may be a good starting point for
you. You will see how you can change your document's look and feel
relatively eaisly, and if, base don this info, you choose a class, the
paper will have links pointing you towards more detailed manuals etc.

Good luck,
Yuri.

[Marc Cooper]

said...

Switch to the memoir class - I would advise against the KOMA class,
because the documentation is quite poor. Read the docs and experiment
with each feature - it'll take a while, but should be fun. This exercise
will give you a good understanding of how easy, yet powerful, LaTeX is
without resorting to coding.

It is far, far easier to get results in LaTeX once you've overcome the
initial learning bump. And. of course, the results are far, far
superior. There's a reason publishers often use LaTeX and never use
Word.

Good luck, and don't give up too quickly.

--
Best,
Marc

[Stephan Hennig]

Marc Cooper schrieb:

> Switch to the memoir class - I would advise against the KOMA class,
> because the documentation is quite poor.

For a 227 pages manual poor is rather the wrong word, IMHO. The point
is the english KOMA-Script manual isn't written by native speakers. Any
voluntary work in shaping up the manual, even minor contributions, is
hearty welcome. (But I suppose everybody is studying biblatex ATM. :)

Best regards
Stephan Hennig