LaTeX: Introduction to Text Processing

BeginnersPrerequisites

LaTeX is a powerful document description language built on top of TeX. It is available on Unix, Windows and Macintoshes. It can be used for the presentation of plain text (including accented characters and letters outside the English alphabet), the typesetting of mathematics, the generation of tables, and producing simple diagrams. It is particularly suited for the writing of theses, papers and technical documents.

Basic computer skills i.e. familiarity with using a keyboard and mouse. No prior knowledge of TeX will be assumed but some familiarity with Unix will be useful for following the demonstrations.

Number of sessions: 2

• Introduction
• Structure of a LaTeX document
• Structure of LaTeX commands
• Characters in LaTeX
• Text - sectioning, titles, footnotes and marginal notes
• Environments, poetry, lists and tabular data
• Cross references and simple bibliographies
• Floating blocks
• Defining new commands and changing fonts
• Simple diagrams in LaTeX
• Mathematical aspects

Presentations, demonstrations and practicals

LaTeX on MCS Macintosh

Two half day sessions

• Design and Desktop Publishing
• Documentation & Wordprocessing
• Research