[blackshoe]

I have not used Microsoft Office products in years - nor will I. OpenOffice works just fine, thank you.

I have a Windows laptop - but only because I'm a bridge director, and TPTB in North America require me to use a program that only runs on Windows. It's running XP, and I'm not going to "upgrade" to Vista.

[Rossoneri]

y66, on Feb 12 2008, 09:34 PM, said:

Jeff Goldsmith has used LaTeX and HTML for typesetting bridge stuff. Has some macros on his site.

http://www.gg.caltech.edu/~jeff/

Yup, used the macros there for my first set of bridge notes.

Seems like TeXnicCentre is popular for Windows users...I downloaded the proTeXt package which came with it, so I'm using it as well.

Sorry to those who felt disappointed!

[Foxx]

I used it to write my thesis and my two papers.

[slothy]

Foxx, on Feb 19 2008, 12:40 AM, said:

I used it to write my thesis and my two papers.

My wife, then fiancee, used latex to convince me to marry her

[cherdano]

Foxx, on Feb 18 2008, 11:40 PM, said:

I used it to write my thesis and my two papers.

I have 465 latex files on my laptop that I have written myself...
(Admittedly, some of them might be older versions of the same file etc., but the count isn't far off.)

[Gerben42]

Quote

My wife, then fiancee, used latex to convince me to marry her

I can picture it:

\begin{document}
\marryme[now]
\end{document}

[matmat]

slothy, on Feb 19 2008, 07:54 AM, said:

Foxx, on Feb 19 2008, 12:40 AM, said:

I used it to write my thesis and my two papers.

My wife, then fiancee, used latex to convince me to marry her

my pet fish used LaTeX to remind me to change the water in its fishbowl.

[Cascade]

Gerben42, on Feb 12 2008, 09:38 PM, said:

Why would you need a new LaTeX? The old one was fine as it is.

BTW why did we need a new version of Windows? I'd prefer the old one without the bugs rather than a new one with new bugs. I guess that's marketing.

To increase the usefulness of the thread:

http://www.trsteiner.../en/latex.shtml

Any hints for a LaTeX novice on how to install these packages.

I have downloaded TeXnicCenter and MikTex and have started writing some system notes in there and that is the limit of my LaTeX experience.

[Cascade]

Cascade, on Feb 26 2008, 07:12 PM, said:

Gerben42, on Feb 12 2008, 09:38 PM, said:

Why would you need a new LaTeX? The old one was fine as it is.

BTW why did we need a new version of Windows? I'd prefer the old one without the bugs rather than a new one with new bugs. I guess that's marketing.

To increase the usefulness of the thread:

http://www.trsteiner.../en/latex.shtml

Any hints for a LaTeX novice on how to install these packages.

I have downloaded TeXnicCenter and MikTex and have started writing some system notes in there and that is the limit of my LaTeX experience.

Sort of got there the long way i think by creating a new blank project and copying the test tex file and putting the packages in the same directory.

Only two problems now:

1. How do I learn German

2. It gives an error on build "Missing \begin {document}" but this line is clearly in the document.

[P_Marlowe]

Cascade, on Feb 26 2008, 01:49 AM, said:

Cascade, on Feb 26 2008, 07:12 PM, said:

Gerben42, on Feb 12 2008, 09:38 PM, said:

Why would you need a new LaTeX? The old one was fine as it is.

BTW why did we need a new version of Windows? I'd prefer the old one without the bugs rather than a new one with new bugs. I guess that's marketing.

To increase the usefulness of the thread:

http://www.trsteiner.../en/latex.shtml

Any hints for a LaTeX novice on how to install these packages.

I have downloaded TeXnicCenter and MikTex and have started writing some system notes in there and that is the limit of my LaTeX experience.

Sort of got there the long way i think by creating a new blank project and copying the test tex file and putting the packages in the same directory.

Only two problems now:

1. How do I learn German

2. It gives an error on build "Missing \begin {document}" but this line is clearly in the document.

Hi Cascade,

After I have finished work (just starting the long day)
and if I will be back home, I will upload a small snippet.



But I am certain you did already download all 3 *.sty files
found under
http://www.trsteiner.../en/latex.shtml

One dirty but simple way to install those files is to copy those
files in a directory containing standard packages, just search
the MikTex directory for *.sty files.
Not clean, but it works, I did it the first time as well.

Than create a new project with TeXnicCenter, and
just copy the content of BTEST.TEX in your project.
You dont need to understand German, the macro names
are English, if I recall it correctly.

After a quick internet search I found the following side
http://www-h.eng.cam.ac.uk/help/tpl/textpr...html/ltx-2.html

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: If you have question about LaTex just post them here,
most Germans, who have studied Math or Physics know
how to write LaTex, e.g. Cerdano, Gerben (although no
German, pity him .-)), ... and there are certainly others.
I did not include myself in the list, because my LaTex
experience is limited.

I did only have look shortly at Jeff Goldsmiths Macro, but it
seems the origin is similar than those at Rene Steiners page.
The Makros you find at Rene Steiners Page are pretty good,
I use them to create teaching material for my B/I course.

[Gerben42]

Quote

1. How do I learn German

It's really just Dutch with lots of spelling errors.

What is the TeXnixCenter? Is that some alternative way to type "dvips" or something?

[P_Marlowe]

Gerben42, on Feb 26 2008, 07:23 AM, said:

<snip>
What is the TeXnixCenter? Is that some alternative way to type "dvips" or something?

A nice Freeware Editor for LaTex, ... easy to configure,
and the proof for this last statement is, that even I was able
to get this thing running.

http://www.texniccenter.org/

With kind regards
Marlowe

[kenberg]

A couple of quick comments, perhaps of use to the relatively new user.

TeX complains about not having \begin{document} when it is there. Almost certainly this is because before the \begin{document} there is a command that can only be processed after it. Error messages in LaTeX take some interpreting (like error messages everywhere). No doubt it would be better if it said Hey buddy, I found the command \noindent or whatever, and this command cannot occur before a \begin{document} but it doesn't. It just says that there is no \begin{document}

Installing packages: This will vary with the way you got TeX, and there are two separate issues. If the package resides within the TeX folder somewhere, then almost certainly there will be something in the help to tell you how to install it. I have PC Tex (not freware but the University has it) and it is particularly easy. I put \usepackage{whatever} into my TeX document. When I typeset it, LateX tells me that the package whatever is not installed and asks me if I wish to install it. A more complicated situation arises if the package is not already sitting on your computer somewhere. Then you need to download it from somewhere (CTAN usually). This can get tricky.


I would advise going easy on packages early on. One of the great strengths of LaTeX is it's portability and if you start using packages then obviously it can only be moved to someone else who has the package. This may not be 100% true but it's true enough.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

as promised a short snippet of a LaTex document
which loads the macros found on Rene Steiners Page,
unsure, if helpful, but I promised to upload, so here
we go. The chapters are contained in sub directories

\documentclass{report}

\usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

\usepackage{kibitzer}

\def\pik{\Sp}
\def\coe{\He}
\def\kar{\Di}
\def\tre{\Cl}

\newcommand{\mi}{$\clubsuit /\diamondsuit$}
\newcommand{\ma}{$\heartsuit /\spadesuit$}
\newcommand{\pl}{$^+$}
\newcommand{\ra}{$\rightarrow$}

\title{Bridge Kurs}
%\date{\today}
\author{Uwe Gebhardt}
\begin{document}
%\maketitle
%\input{ack/ack.tex}
\pagenumbering{arabic}
\tableofcontents
\input{chap1/chap1.tex}

% *************** Bibliography ***************
%\bibliographystyle{plain}
%{\small\bibliography{BridgeCourse}}

%\backmatter

\end{document}

[Elianna]

kenberg, on Feb 26 2008, 11:26 AM, said:

TeX complains about not having \begin{document} when it is there. Almost certainly this is because before the \begin{document} there is a command that can only be processed after it. Error messages in LaTeX take some interpreting (like error messages everywhere). No doubt it would be better if it said Hey buddy, I found the command \noindent or whatever, and this command cannot occur before a \begin{document} but it doesn't. It just says that there is no \begin{document}

If you can get your compiler to tell you the line that causes the error, that can give you a hint of why it is sayin no \begin{document} when it is there.

Of course, you have to be able to figure out where to look. In TeXnic center, when an error occurs, you can find a "!" button lit up at the top, and if you press it, it tells you were it found the error. This will appear in the bottom of the screen, and you'll need to scroll through the information to find the errors. I highly recommend always starting with the first error.

Also, if you are unsure what is causing an error, you can comment out portions without erasing them, by using the percent sign (%)

Note: In the above comments, "you" applies to Cascade, whom Ken is replying to, not to Ken.

[kenberg]

Mucho Gracias, Marlowe.

I realize this thread is not for everyone (typesetting mathematics, whee!) but I think it's great. I'll try ot later, but my guess is that it will be useful

[Cascade]

Thanks everyone. Much helpful advice here and one helpful private message too.

I found the error myself the package had this as the first three lines

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
btest.tex
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The second line isn't a comment.

[Gerben42]

Quote

I realize this thread is not for everyone

LaTeX is for typesetting everything, not just mathematics. It is especially for those who are fed up with Word "intelligently" trying to figure out that the user really wanted to mess up his whole layout EVERY TIME!

[kenberg]

Gerben42, on Feb 27 2008, 03:09 AM, said:

Quote

I realize this thread is not for everyone

LaTeX is for typesetting everything, not just mathematics. It is especially for those who are fed up with Word "intelligently" trying to figure out that the user really wanted to mess up his whole layout EVERY TIME!

Oh yes, I agree both about the delights of TeX and the atrociousness of Word. . I'm not expecting your basic sales rep to be picking up TeX anytime soon though.

[matmat]

Gerben42, on Feb 27 2008, 03:09 AM, said:

Quote

I realize this thread is not for everyone

LaTeX is for typesetting everything, not just mathematics. It is especially for those who are fed up with Word "intelligently" trying to figure out that the user really wanted to mess up his whole layout EVERY TIME!

DAMMIT... I REALLY DO WANT THIS WORD TO START WITH A LOWERCASE LETTER.

F#@$#@$ PAPERCLIP.

done now.