TeX for the Impatient/Using this book

This book is a do-it-yourself guide and handbook for T_EX. Here in this section we tell you how to use the book to maximum advantage.

Intro

We recommend that you first either read or skim in sequence Sections 1 through 3, which tell you what you need to know in order to get started using T_EX. If you’ve already had experience using T_EX, it will still be helpful to know what kinds of information are in these sections of the book.

Sections 4–10, which occupy most of the rest of the book, are designed to be accessed randomly. Nevertheless, if you’re the kind of person who likes to read reference manuals, you’ll find that it is possible to proceed sequentially if you’re willing to take a lot of detours at first.

Section 2: “Using T_EX”

In Section 2, “Using T_EX”, we explain how to produce a T_EX document from a T_EX input file. We also describe the conventions for preparing that input file, explain a little about how T_EX works, and tell you about additional resources that are available. Reading this section will help you understand the examples in the next section.

Section 3: “Examples”

Section 3, “Examples”, contains a sequence of examples that illustrate the use of T_EX. Each example consists of a page of output together with the input that we used to create it. These examples will orient you and help you locate the more detailed material that you’ll need as you go. By seeing which commands are used in the input, you’ll know where to look for more detailed information on how to achieve the effects shown in the output. The examples can also serve as models for simple documents, although we must caution you that because we’ve tried to pack a variety of T_EX commands into a small number of pages, the examples are not necessarily illustrations of good or complete document design.

Section 4: “Concepts”

As you read the explanation of a command, you may encounter some unfamiliar technical terms. In Section 4, “Concepts”, we define and explain these terms. We also discuss other topics that aren’t covered elsewhere in the book. The inside back cover of the book contains a list of all the concepts and the pages where they are described. We suggest that you make a copy of this list and keep it nearby so that you’ll be able to identify and look up an unfamiliar concept immediately.

Sections 5 through 9: Vocabulary

T_EX’s commands are its primary vocabulary, and the largest part of this book is devoted to explaining them. In Sections 5 through 9 we describe the commands. You’ll find general information about the command descriptions on page 3. The command descriptions are arranged functionally, rather like a thesaurus, so if you know what you want to do but you don’t know which command does it for you, you can use the table of contents to guide you to the right group of commands. Commands that we think are both particularly useful and easy to understand are indicated with a pointing hand ($\star$).

Section 13: “Capsule summary of commands”

Section 13, “Capsule summary of commands”, is a specialized index that complements the more complete descriptions in Sections 5–9. It lists T_EX’s commands alphabetically, with a brief explanation of each command and a reference to the page where it is described more completely. The capsule summary will help you when you just want a quick reminder of what a command does.

TeX misterious ways

T_EX is a complex program that occasionally works its will in mysterious ways.

Section 10: “Tips and techniques”

In Section 10, “Tips and techniques”, we provide advice on solving a variety of specific problems that you may encounter from time to time.

Section 11: “Making sense of error messages”

And if you’re stumped by T_EX’s error messages, you’ll find succor in Section 11, “Making sense of error messages”.

The gray tabs on the side of the book will help you locate parts of the book quickly. They divide the book into the following major parts:

1. general explanations and examples
2. concepts
3. descriptions of commands (five shorter tabs)
4. advice, error messages, and the eplain.tex macros
5. capsule summary of commands
6. index

In many places we have provided page references to The T_EXbook (see page 18 for a citation). These references apply to the seventeenth edition of The T_EXbook. For other editions, some references may be off by a page or two.