Using make(1) and latex(1)

Here are some helpful templates for using make(1) to simplify building documents written in LaTeX.

Makefile.inc:

This file includes a list of make rules and macros for building LaTeX documents. I include it from my makefiles, overriding macros as necessary.

Makefile:

A template Makefile that I use with new projects. This uses the dotted `.if' constructs specific to Sun and NetBSD's make(1); users of GNU make(1) might need to remove the leading `.' -- or just remove those parts entirely.

skel.tex:

A skeleton LaTeX file: just fill in the blanks.

templates.bib:

A handy set of BibTeX template entries for the standard types. I just copy the appropriate entry and fill in the appropriate fields.

Handy LaTeX Web References

• The Hypertext Help with LaTeX; I bookmark its table of contents. Note that the teTeX distribution ships with this in .../texmf/doc/latex/latex2e-html/.
• Keith Reckdahl's Using Imported Graphics in LaTeX2E provides a nice set of tips for dealing with figures and graphics.
• TeTeX's Documentation Guide provides links to the common LaTeX add-on packages.
• Coloured text with LaTeX (for example, to have grey text)
• LaTeX Font System (NFSS). Useful if you're trying to setup new fonts. The new ConTeXt stuff should make much of this unnecessary though (see texfont(1)).

Want to use LaTeX for yourself? Windows users have a very nicely packaged distribution called MikTeX. Unix users should use teTeX [note: if teTeX isn't shipped as part of your Unix distribution, it can be most easily installed through the multi-platform pkgsrc system).

For editing environments, the TeXnicCenter is a nice LaTeX editing environment for Windows. TeXlipse is a multiplatform LaTeX editing environment with content assist; it is based on top of the Java-based Eclipse platform, and thus inherits nice CVS support. Both have strengths and weaknesses.