CFD Online Logo CFD Online URL
www.cfd-online.com
[Sponsors]
Home > Forums > General Forums > Main CFD Forum

help with tex

Register Blogs Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old   September 13, 2006, 01:14
Default help with tex
  #1
prapanj
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
hi could someone please give me some info about latex software. i am behind this for days. as i find a lot of tex rtelated softwares, i am baffled. i recently installed miktex and latex. is miktex just a directory like stuff? also thro latex i am unable to use integration with limits. it seems we have to learn a lot to type using latex. then why does someone prefer it when the same stuff can be done using ms word? please reply as this would help me get into scientific communications faster.. thank u
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 13, 2006, 09:59
Default Re: help with tex
  #2
Jonas Holdeman
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I have used the book "A Guide to LaTeX2e" by Kopka & Daly for the past ten years, but there may be something better now.

For integrals with limits, type: \int_a^b f(x) dx. The limits are treated like sub- and superscripts.

Equations in MS Word can be pretty crude without an add-on like MathType, though obviously many people using MS Word don't know how to use the capability that is available.

Most journals now accept, or even require, electronic manuscripts in LaTeX or AMSTeX. They provide journal-specific templates that typeset your documents just as they would appear in print. And, of course, you can't run MS Word on a Linux system.

The downside for me is that I don't know how to incorporate TeX/LaTeX/AMSTeX documents in Power Point, other than to create PDFs. If someone knows how to do this easily, I would like to know how.
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 13, 2006, 13:08
Default Re: help with tex
  #3
Mani
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
you should really get a book, like the one Jonas recommended, and probably the user guide(s) by Donald Knuth (the father of LaTEX).

comparisons are often made between MS Word and LaTEX, although they are really two different things: MS Word is a wysiwigiylion (what-you-see-is-what-you-get-if-you-like-it-or-not) word processing software, whereas LaTEX is really a typesetting tool. Writing LaTEX documents is a little like writing code, which I think is the reason why people are hesitant to use it, but there are also some user interfaces available to make its usage look more like MS Word. You can get a lot out of either software, but text created by LaTEX always looks more professional and aesthetic than Word (it's kind of like comparing eye-pleasing calligraphy with a first-graders handwriting), especially when it comes to equations. My primary reasons for using LaTEX, though, is that once you master it, you'll be much more efficient in creating scientific articles or presentations than with Word or Powerpoint. My primary reason for using MS Office, on the other hand, is that everyone else is expecting it because they don't know any better (except for conference or journal papers). That's pretty sad, but it's the reality. Considering that, should you take the time to learn LaTEX? If you have the time, yes, of course, it's for your own benefit. Unfortunately "the same stuff" cannot be done using MS Word.
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 13, 2006, 13:12
Default Re: help with tex
  #4
Mani
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
also check out the TEX archive on the web:

http://www.ctan.org
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 14, 2006, 01:52
Default Re: help with tex
  #5
prapanj
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
thank u very much i have installed mik tex(the minimal version ) and latex. wel is it necessary to download fonts? if the coding is what produces the document, what is the necessity of downloading fonts? and there are repositries of files which support miktex. what is their use? are they meant for user friendliness? i would find time to learn this as i find it is a cute software to learn. kindly help me out with my above questions. thank u
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 14, 2006, 09:00
Default Re: help with tex
  #6
Jonas Holdeman
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I am not familiar with MikTex that you describe as I have always used PCTeX with Windows. The basic TeX system can be found for free in a number of distributions, and these work quite well. The commercial version I use provides additional support for the user interface to make the typesetting of documents such as articles, books, etc. easier. It is rather like the situation with Linux, where the basic software is free, but many companies offer the code with additional goodies and support for a fee.

To understand the basics of the TeX/LaTeX/AMSTeX systems, refer to the original book, "The TeXbook" by Donald Knuth. The system is modeled after early typsetting, which used cast pieces of movable type.

The letters and symbols are represented by little boxes that are put together to form words, lines, formulas, tables, etc. Without the shape of the symbols that go into the boxes, a document would look like a page of little empty boxes. Different fonts provide different shapes to go into the boxes, not limited to standard, bold, italics, small characters for subscripts and superscripts, math symbols.

The fonts referred to are electronic descriptions of the shapes that go into the boxes. You must have fonts, but a complete set is provided by all TeX distributions. However, if you want all the different shapes you find in books, you need to get additional fonts, many copyrighted fonts for a fee, but but there are often similar copies for free.

If you expect to publish in reports, journals, books, etc., as Mani said, it is well worth the time to get familiar with the TeX systems.
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 14, 2006, 09:45
Default Re: help with tex
  #7
No Name
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Instead of using powerpoint - use:

\documentclass{beamer}

http://latex-beamer.sourceforge.net/

In this way you can merely include your Tex files into the presentation
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 14, 2006, 09:49
Default Re: help with tex
  #8
No Name
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Another good maual is: The Not so Short Introduction to Latex 2E, by Tobias Oetiker, Hubert Partl, Irene Hynaand Elisabeth Schlegl. It's an excellent manual and is available online and can be downloaded.
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 14, 2006, 10:13
Default Re: help with tex
  #9
prapanj
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
thank u jonas and no name. that was really edifying. and with people likeu i am sure going to present papers and publish in journals. and the book "not so short.. " was a very nice one. Well see u guys in some serious cfd related threads. once again thanking u. bye
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 14, 2006, 12:05
Default Re: help with tex
  #10
Harish
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
If you want to use tex without learning latex you should try Lyx ( www.lyx.org).I have used it to write pretty much all kinds of documents.

-H
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 15, 2006, 08:30
Default Re: help with tex
  #11
jeff
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
There is also "powerdot" for latex which has worked well for me

http://stuwww.uvt.nl/~hendri/index.h...ml&mainframeha
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 15, 2006, 09:44
Default Re: help with tex
  #12
prapanj
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
hey but i find that lyx is a primitive word processor. i dont think we get organized text using that software. anyways thanks forthe info. and with u guy's support i documented a paper using tex. it was fun. i understand its a no way out. thanku. meet u in more serious threads.bye
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 16, 2006, 00:21
Default Re: help with tex
  #13
harish
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Lyx is a frontend.It uses latex for its backend.The final document is printed in pdf or ps format.

-H
  Reply With Quote

Old   September 23, 2006, 18:43
Default Re: help with tex
  #14
Sergei Chernyshenko
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Hi, Jonas,

Latex to powerpoint converter, or, rather, an add-on to powerpoint,

http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~srg/soft...ation/TeX4PPT/

worked fine for me.

Sergei
  Reply With Quote

Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
MapFields Luiz Eduardo Bittencourt Sampaio (Sampaio) OpenFOAM Pre-Processing 18 September 28, 2017 12:06
Text Donation jedi CFD-Wiki 8 June 23, 2008 05:50
Where can I get the tex source for user_guidepdf silent_missile OpenFOAM 0 June 10, 2006 05:33
what is LaTeX ?? yfyap Main CFD Forum 28 September 6, 2002 13:01


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:31.