Using LaTeX on the CUED Teaching System

LaTeX is a friendly way of using the TeX text formatting system. The LaTeX program converts a text file containing special formatting commands into a DVI (DeVice Independent) file with suffix `.dvi' which can be previewed or printed out.

To use LaTeX on the teaching system all you have to do is create a normal text file with your text in it, along with a few special formatting commands. It is wise to give the filename a .tex suffix. So, for example you might create a file called essay.tex and drag it onto the Edit icon to begin editing it using Emacs. When you are editing text it's a good idea to put Emacs into `auto-fill-mode'. To do this you should hold down a mouse button while the cursor is over the TeX item in the menubar, then drag the cursor down to the Autowrap toggle option before letting go. In this mode, Emacs will put in new lines automatically as your typing reaches the right hand side of the screen. The line breaks introduced have no connection to the line breaks which will eventually by generated when the `latex' program processes your document, they simply make it easier to type in.

• Producing a Simple Document
• The LaTeX Icon