[latexrefman-discuss] Add node on syntax of commands

Hefferon, James S. jhefferon at domain.hid
Thu May 7 01:40:35 CEST 2015


Semester ended.

I'm going to work through the alt-latex-info and see how I do.  Let me know.  I know you are busy, so whenever.

How many columns do you set the paragraphs to?  emacs's default is 70 but do you do 72?  I think there may be some gratuitous changes noted.  In addition, I personally prefer not to end sentences in a colon, although I recognize that the form is not one that fits with Strunk and White-type rules.

2015-05-06  Jim Hefferon  <jhefferon at domain.hid>

        * latex2e.texi (LaTeX command syntax): Add back description of command syntax, 
            derived from alt-latex-info.

Jim

----------------------------------------------------
Distraction is a kind of obesity of the mind
  -- Matthew Crawford

*** latex2e.texi	2015-05-06 15:51:59.317481644 -0400
--- latex2e.texi.jim	2015-05-06 19:23:18.369604427 -0400
***************
*** 212,235 ****
  * Starting and ending::  The standard beginning and end of a document.
  * Output files::         Files produced.
  * @TeX{} engines::          Programs that implementation @LaTeX{}.
  @end menu
  
- @c syntax section
- @c * @LaTeX{} syntax::         Syntax of @LaTeX{} documents.
- @c @findex \ @r{character starting commands}
- @c @findex [...] @r{for optional arguments}
- @c @findex @{...@} @r{for required arguments}
- @c In the @LaTeX{} input file, a command name starts with a @code{\},
- @c followed by either (a)@tie{}a string of letters or (b)@tie{}a single
- @c non-letter.  Arguments contained in square brackets, @code{[]}, are
- @c optional while arguments contained in braces, @code{@{@}}, are
- @c required.
- 
- @c @LaTeX{} is case sensitive; neither @code{\Begin at domain.hid@}} nor
- @c @code{\begin at domain.hid@}} will work.  Most commands are lowercase but
- @c in any event you must enter all commands in the same case as they are
- @c defined.
- 
  
  @node Starting and ending
  @section Starting and ending
--- 212,220 ----
  * Starting and ending::  The standard beginning and end of a document.
  * Output files::         Files produced.
  * @TeX{} engines::          Programs that implementation @LaTeX{}.
+ * @LaTeX{} command syntax::         Syntax of @LaTeX{} commands.
  @end menu
  
  
  @node Starting and ending
  @section Starting and ending
***************
*** 415,420 ****
--- 400,426 ----
  @url{http://ctan.org/pkg/ptex}, @url{http://ctan.org/pkg/uptex}).
  
  
+ @node @LaTeX{} command syntax
+ @section @LaTeX{} command syntax
+ @cindex command syntax
+ @findex \ @r{character starting commands}
+ @findex [...] @r{for optional arguments}
+ @findex @{...@} @r{for required arguments}
+ In the @LaTeX{} input file, a command name starts with a @code{\},
+ followed by either (a)@tie{}a string of letters or (b)@tie{}a single
+ non-letter.  Arguments contained in square brackets, @code{[]}, are
+ optional while arguments contained in braces, @code{@{@}}, are
+ required.
+ 
+ Some commands have a * form that is related to the form without a *,
+ such as @code{\chapter} and @code{chapter*}.
+ 
+ @LaTeX{} commands are case sensitive; neither @code{\Begin at domain.hid@}}
+ nor @code{\begin at domain.hid@}} will work.  Most commands are lowercase
+ but in any event you must enter all commands in the same case as they
+ are defined.
+ 
+ 
  @node Document classes
  @chapter Document classes
  
***************
*** 452,459 ****
  such as technical reports or theses, which may contain several chapters.
  
  @item slides
! For slide presentations---rarely used today; the @code{beamer} package
! is perhaps the most prevalent (@pxref{beamer template}).
  
  @end table
  
--- 458,466 ----
  such as technical reports or theses, which may contain several chapters.
  
  @item slides
! For slide presentations---rarely used today.  In its place the
! @code{beamer} package is perhaps the most prevalent (@pxref{beamer
! template}).
  
  @end table
  
***************
*** 472,481 ****
  @cindex class options
  @cindex global options
  
! You can specify so-called @dfn{global options} or @dfn{class options}
! to the @code{\documentclass} command by enclosing them in square
! brackets as usual.  To specify more than one @var{option}, separate
! them with a comma:
  
  @example
  \documentclass[@var{option1}, at var{option2},...]@{@var{class}@}
--- 479,487 ----
  @cindex class options
  @cindex global options
  
! You can specify so-called @dfn{global options} or @dfn{class options} to
! the @code{\documentclass} command by enclosing them in square brackets.
! To specify more than one @var{option}, separate them with a comma:
  
  @example
  \documentclass[@var{option1}, at var{option2},...]@{@var{class}@}
***************
*** 487,493 ****
  @findex 11pt @r{option}
  @findex 12pt @r{option}
  All of the standard classes except @code{slides} accept the following
! options for selecting the typeface size (default is @code{10pt}):
  
  @example
  10pt  11pt  12pt
--- 493,499 ----
  @findex 11pt @r{option}
  @findex 12pt @r{option}
  All of the standard classes except @code{slides} accept the following
! options for selecting the typeface size (default is @code{10pt}).
  
  @example
  10pt  11pt  12pt
***************
*** 500,506 ****
  @findex legalpaper @r{option}
  @findex letterpaper @r{option}
  All of the standard classes accept these options for selecting the paper
! size (default is @code{letterpaper}):
  
  @example
  a4paper a5paper b5paper executivepaper legalpaper letterpaper
--- 506,512 ----
  @findex legalpaper @r{option}
  @findex letterpaper @r{option}
  All of the standard classes accept these options for selecting the paper
! size (default is @code{letterpaper}).
  
  @example
  a4paper a5paper b5paper executivepaper legalpaper letterpaper
***************
*** 519,525 ****
  @table @code
  @item draft, final
  @cindex black boxes, omitting
! mark/do not mark overfull boxes with a big black box; default is @code{final}.
  @item fleqn
  Put displayed formulas flush left; default is centered.
  @item landscape
--- 525,532 ----
  @table @code
  @item draft, final
  @cindex black boxes, omitting
! Mark (@code{draft}) or do not mark (@code{final}) overfull boxes with a
! black box in the margin; default is @code{final}.
  @item fleqn
  Put displayed formulas flush left; default is centered.
  @item landscape
***************
*** 532,538 ****
  Specifies whether the title page is separate; default depends on the class.
  @end table
  
! These options are not available with the @code{slides} class:
  
  @findex onecolumn @r{option}
  @findex twocolumn @r{option}
--- 539,545 ----
  Specifies whether the title page is separate; default depends on the class.
  @end table
  
! The follwing options are not available with the @code{slides} class.
  
  @findex onecolumn @r{option}
  @findex twocolumn @r{option}
***************
*** 550,569 ****
  @findex \evensidemargin
  @findex \oddsidemargin
  Selects one- or two-sided layout; default is @code{oneside}, except
! for the @code{book} class.
  
! The @code{\evensidemargin} (@code{\oddsidemargin}) parameter determines
! the distance on even (odd) numbered pages between the left side of the
! page and the text's left margin.  The defaults vary with the paper
! size and whether one- or two-side layout is selected.  For one-sided
! printing the text is centered, for two-sided, @code{\oddsidemargin} is
! 40% of the difference between @code{\paperwidth} and @code{\textwidth},
! with @code{\evensidemargin} the remainder.
  
  @item openright
  @itemx openany
! Determines if a chapter should start on a
! right-hand page; default is @code{openright} for @code{book}.
  @end table
  
  The @code{slides} class offers the option @code{clock} for printing
--- 557,575 ----
  @findex \evensidemargin
  @findex \oddsidemargin
  Selects one- or two-sided layout; default is @code{oneside}, except
! that in the @code{book} class the default is @code{twoside}.
  
! For one-sided printing, the text is centered on the page.  For two-sided
! printing, the @code{\evensidemargin} (@code{\oddsidemargin}) parameter
! determines the distance on even (odd) numbered pages between the left
! side of the page and the text's left margin, with @code{\oddsidemargin}
! being 40% of the difference between @code{\paperwidth} and
! @code{\textwidth}, and @code{\evensidemargin} is the remainder.
  
  @item openright
  @itemx openany
! Determines if a chapter should start on a right-hand page; default is
! @code{openright} for @code{book}, and @code{openany} for @code{report}.
  @end table
  
  The @code{slides} class offers the option @code{clock} for printing
***************
*** 572,585 ****
  @cindex packages, loading
  @cindex loading additional packages
  @findex \usepackage
! Additional packages are loaded like this:
  
  @example
  \usepackage[@var{options}]@{@var{pkg}@}
  @end example
  
! To specify more than one @var{pkg}, you can separate them with a
! comma, or use multiple @code{\usepackage} commands.
  
  @cindex global options
  @cindex options, global
--- 578,592 ----
  @cindex packages, loading
  @cindex loading additional packages
  @findex \usepackage
! Additional packages are loaded like this.
  
  @example
  \usepackage[@var{options}]@{@var{pkg}@}
  @end example
  
! To specify more than one package you can separate them with a comma
! @code{\usepackage at domain.hid},...@}}, or use multiple
! @code{\usepackage} commands.
  
  @cindex global options
  @cindex options, global
***************
*** 3924,3936 ****
  symbols (conventionally used for labeling footnotes).  The value of
  @var{counter} must be between at domain.hid and at domain.hid, inclusive.
  
! Here are the symbols (as Unicode code points in ASCII output):
  
! @display
! asterisk(*) dagger(@U{2021}) ddagger(@U{2021})
! section-sign(@U{00A7}) paragraph-sign(@U{00B6}) parallel(@U{2225})
! double-asterisk(**) double-dagger(@U{2021}@U{2021}) double-ddagger(@U{2021}@U{2021})
! @end display
  
  @end ftable
  
--- 3931,3943 ----
  symbols (conventionally used for labeling footnotes).  The value of
  @var{counter} must be between at domain.hid and at domain.hid, inclusive.
  
! @c Here are the symbols (as Unicode code points in ASCII output):
  
! @c @display
! @c asterisk(*) dagger(@U{2021}) ddagger(@U{2021})
! @c section-sign(@U{00A7}) paragraph-sign(@U{00B6}) parallel(@U{2225})
! @c double-asterisk(**) double-dagger(@U{2021}@U{2021}) double-ddagger(@U{2021}@U{2021})
! @c @end display
  
  @end ftable
  




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