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Overview of LaTeX and Local Guide
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The LaTeX command typesets a file of text using the TeX program
and the LaTeX Macro package for TeX. To be more specific, it
processes an input file containing the text of a document with
interspersed commands that describe how the text should be
formatted. It produces at least three files as output:
1. A "Device Independent", or `.dvi' file. This contains
commands that can be translated into commands for a variety
of output devices. You can view the output of LaTeX by using
a program such as xdvi, which actually uses the `.dvi' file.
2. A "transcript" or `.log' file that contains summary
information and diagnostic messages for any errors discovered
in the input file.
3. An "auxiliary" or `.aux' file. This is used by LaTeX
itself, for things such as sectioning.
For a description of what goes on inside TeX, you should
consult The TeXbook by Donald E. Knuth, ISBN 0-201-13448-9,
published jointly by the American Mathematical Society
and Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
For a description of LaTeX, you should consult:
LaTeX: A Document Preparation System, by Leslie Lamport,
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 2nd edition, 1994.
The LaTeX Companion, by Michel Goossens, Frank Mittelbach,
and Alexander Samarin, Addison-Wesley, 1994.
A LaTeX command begins with the command name, which consists
of a \ followed by either (a) a string of letters or
(b) a single non-letter. Arguments contained in square brackets,
[], are optional while arguments contained in braces, {},
are required.
NOTE: LaTeX is case sensitive. Enter all commands in lower
case unless explicitly directed to do otherwise.
Counters: Internal counters used by LaTeX.
Cross References: Automatic referencing.
Definitions: Define your own commands etc.
Document Classes: Some of the various classes available.
Environments: Such as enumerate & itemize.
Footnotes: How to produce footnotes.
Layout: Controlling the page layout.
Lengths: The length commands.
Letters: The letter class.
Line & Page Breaking: How to insert pagebreaks etc.
Making Paragraphs: Paragraph commands.
Margin Notes: Putting remarks in the margin.
Math Formulae: How to create mathematical formulae.
Modes: Paragraph, Math or LR modes.
Page Styles: Various styles of page layout.
Sectioning: How to section properly.
Spaces & Boxes: All the associated commands.
Special Characters: Special reserved characters.
Splitting the Input: Dealing with big files by splitting.
Starting & Ending: The formal start & end layouts.
Table of Contents: How to create a table of contents.
Terminal Input/Output: User interaction.
Typefaces: Such as bold, italics etc.
