Okay, just found this one out. Was working and all of a sudden the numeric keypad stopped working. At first I thought it was cause an update failed to upload correctly so I reinstalled that. Still didn't work. Thought I had hit a key on my keyboard, but no the numlock was on and the keypad would light up (normally does this) when I hit a button. I remember now in hindshight that pressing the numbers and my mouse pointer once moved. Stumped and frustrated I finally googled and found the solution:
Numerical keypad doesn't work w/8.04
Seems like there is a bug, still not fixed yet in 10.10 that somehow triggers the accessibility option to allow the keypad to control the mouse. Weird. Go to System->Preferences->Assistive Technologies->Keyboard Accessibility->Mouse Keys and uncheck the box next to Control Mouse with Keypad.
A blog to record helpful tips/hints/tricks/etc. that I come across during my scientific career regarding science, computers, and research. I love learning and disseminating Knowledge.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A few general LaTeX help/tips page(s)
From Drexel University:
Liki LaTeX - http://einstein.drexel.edu/liki/index.php/LaTeX
LaTeX Community: http://www.latex-community.org/
Edit/Update: 7-6-11
An online html LaTeX guide/book with an MIT domain name by Alex Rolfe 1999.
http://stuff.mit.edu/afs/sipb.mit.edu/project/www/latex/guide/node1.html
Another online html LaTeX guide/book by Rainer Schoepf 1997.
http://tex.loria.fr/ctan-doc/macros/latex/doc/html/usrguide/node1.html
http://texblog.net/
Labels:
Latex
LaTeX/Labels and Cross-referencing
Great source for labels and figure, table, and equation referencing:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Labels_and_Cross-referencing
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Labels_and_Cross-referencing
Labels:
Latex
LaTeX tips: Displayed Math
Another great reference page for math display tips:
http://www.math.uiuc.edu/~hildebr/tex/displays.html
Note: Most of the tips below require the amslatex macros. These are automatically loaded if you use the "amsart" documentclass, but if you use other documentclasses, such as "article", put the following in the preamble, after "\documentclass{...}": " \usepackage{amsmath, amsthm, amssymb} ". For more about the amslatex macros, and as a general reference for the tips below, see Gratzer's "Math into LaTeX".
Single line displays
Multiline displays
While single line displays are pretty straightforward to typeset, there are at least a dozen different constructs to generate multiline displays with the amslatex macros, and it's easy for a beginner to be overwhelmed by the multitude of options. Fortunately, you can get by knowning only two of these, namely the "align/align*" and "cases" environments. Unless you are a professional typesetter striving for 110% perfection, you don't need anything beyond that.
\begin{equation*} |x|= \begin{cases} x & \text{if $x≥0$,} \\ -x &\text{if $x\le 0$.} \end{cases} \end{equation*}
Note that the part after the alignment symbol usual contains some text and is best typeset using "\text{... }", and enclosing any math material within the braces in dollar signs.
Writing tips
Here are additional hints for some special situations:
f(x) = \sqrt{1+x}, \quad x \ge -1
f(x) \sim x^2 \quad (x\to\infty)
f(x) \sim x^2, \quad x\to\infty
It would be wrong to use both a comma and parentheses. (Note that, depending on the context, a punctuation sign at the end of the display may also be called for.)
Additional hints
before and/or after the display.
http://www.math.uiuc.edu/~hildebr/tex/displays.html
Note: Most of the tips below require the amslatex macros. These are automatically loaded if you use the "amsart" documentclass, but if you use other documentclasses, such as "article", put the following in the preamble, after "\documentclass{...}": " \usepackage{amsmath, amsthm, amssymb} ". For more about the amslatex macros, and as a general reference for the tips below, see Gratzer's "Math into LaTeX".
Single line displays
- The double dollar symbol ($$). In Plaintex and Amstex displayed math was set by enclosing it between a pair of double dollar signs. In LaTeX the double dollar sign does not exist as a valid command, and most LaTeX books don't even mention it, since it is not supposed to be used. However, the dirty secret is that it works just fine in most situations, and many authors use it with impunity. Nonetheless, there are a few situations where it causes problems, and it may not work under future versions of tex. If you come from a Tex/Amstex background and are in the habit of typing $$'s, try to gradually switch over to using the backslash/bracket pair. If you are new to Tex/LaTeX, learn it right from the start (i.e., use the backslash/bracket method)
- The backslash/bracket pair, \ [ and \ ]. (without the space; I am using a space since MathJax picks up this as a LaTeX formula and until I can figure out how to block it when needed this is how I will work around it) Use this for all unnumbered displays. It's a good habit to put each of these pairs on a line by itself. Though Tex doesn't care, this makes displays stand out visually and makes editing and revising the tex file easier.
- \begin {equation}\label{...} ... \end {equation}. Use this if you want the equation to be automatically numbered. You can later reference the equation with "\eqref{...}", where the text inside the braces is the equation label. (Note that no parentheses are required with "\eqref".) For more on equation numbering, see below.
- \begin {equation*}... \tag{...}\end {equation*}. Same as the equation environment, except that automatic numbering is disabled, and the "\tag{...}" command generates an explicit equation number. For example, to get equation number (4.1a), use "\tag{4.1a}". (Again no parentheses are needed.)
Multiline displays
While single line displays are pretty straightforward to typeset, there are at least a dozen different constructs to generate multiline displays with the amslatex macros, and it's easy for a beginner to be overwhelmed by the multitude of options. Fortunately, you can get by knowning only two of these, namely the "align/align*" and "cases" environments. Unless you are a professional typesetter striving for 110% perfection, you don't need anything beyond that.
- \begin {align} ... \end {align} and \begin {align*} ... \end {align*}. Nearly all multiline displays can be typeset with the one of these two environments, which are derived from the amstex "\align ... \endalign" construct, and follow (essentially) the same syntax. The difference between "align" and "align*" is the same as between "equation" and "equation*": The starred versions don't automatically generate equation numbers. Use those versions, if you don't want equation numbers, or if you want to number equations manually.
- Equation numbering and labelling in align/align*. By default, every line gets numbered separately in the "align" environment. If you want just a single equation number for the entire display (which would be appropriate if the display consists of a chain of equalities or inequalities), pick a line in the middle of the display that is to get the number, and put "\notag" right before the linebreak symbol ("\\") on all other lines. On lines that are to be numbered, you can put the label command, "\label{...}", before the linebreak. With "align*", it works the other way: By default, none of the lines gets numbered, so to number a particular line you must put an explicit "\tag{...}" command at the end of that line, before the linebreak symbol.
- \begin {cases} ... \end {cases}. Aside from align, the only other multiline construct that you may need with any frequency is "cases". It works in much the same way as the amstex "\cases ... \endcases" construct. Note that the "cases" environment is a "subsidiary" math environement and has to be enclosed by another, top level, display math environent, such as equation or align/align*. Here is a typical example:
\begin{equation*} |x|= \begin{cases} x & \text{if $x≥0$,} \\ -x &\text{if $x\le 0$.} \end{cases} \end{equation*}
\begin{equation*} |x|= \begin{cases} x & \text{if $x≥0$,} \\ -x &\text{if $x\le 0$.} \end{cases} \end{equation*}
Note that the part after the alignment symbol usual contains some text and is best typeset using "\text{... }", and enclosing any math material within the braces in dollar signs.
- eqnarray/eqnarray* and array. Avoid these. Before the advent of amslatex, multiline displays and cases constructs had to be typeset with "eqnarray" and "array". However, the above (amslatex) environments "align/align*" and "cases" are easier too use, provide greater functionality, and generate better looking output. There is no reason whatsoever to use "eqnarray" instead of "align", and, except in very rare situations, "array" is unnecessary.
- Other amslatex display environements. Amslatex provides several other environments for multiline displays, such as "split, gather, gathered, multline, aligned, alignat," as well as starred version of most of these. These may do a marginally better job in some special situations, but the (mostly cosmetic) gain that these environments provide in those situations is not worth the effort of memorizing the various alternatives to the "align/align*" environments.
Writing tips
- How to number equations. By default, LaTeX will number equations consecutively, as (1), (2), etc., assuming you use the automatic equation numbering mechanism. If the paper is very short, or if there are only a few numbered equations, this is fine, but once the numbers get into the twenties and higher, a scheme that numbers equations by section, as in (1.1), (1.2), ..., (2.1), etc., is preferable. In fact, for the vast majority of journal articles, the latter is probably the best numbering scheme. To get equations numbered by section, just put the following into the preamble: " \numberwithin{equation}{section} ". For books, theses, or very long papers, an equation numbering scheme that is three levels deep (with numbers like (4.1.1), etc.) may be appropriate. To get this, just replace "section" above by "subsection", or the corresponding innermost level. The same mechanism works for other counters, e.g., theorem counters, instead of "equation".
- When to number equations. It is (generally) bad style to number every displayed equation indicriminately. This is what you get if you would use "\begin {equation} ... \end {equation}" throughout. The reason for numbering an equation is to enable subsequent references to it. Thus, in general only equations that are being referred to in the paper should be numbered. However, there are situations where one might number an equation even if it is not referred to in the paper. For instance, it might be appropriate to number all equations inside theorems, for consistency of style, and to make it easy to refer to these equations in subsequent work. Similarly, if a reference to an equation occurs right after that equation, a number may not be necessary; one could get by saying something like "Since f(x) is positive, the last linequality implies that ...".
- When to display a mathematical formula or equation. Formulas set inline are harder to spot, may cause problems with bad linebreaks (which one has to fix by inserting explicit linebreaks), and they may look poor, especially if they involve fractions, sums, integrals, or other "large" objects. On the other hand, one should not indiscriminately display every equation or formula. A judicious choice of what to display can make a a significant difference in the overall appearance and readability of a paper. Here are some guidelines. You should display formulas/equations in the following cases:
- A numbered equation. This is a no-brainer.
- A formula that is excessively long. If a formula takes up more than about half of a line of space, it would probably be good to display it. Formulas set inline should never be longer than one line (even though tex would accept multiline inline displays and probably do a reasonably good job in splitting the formula).
- A formula that takes up excessive vertical space. Formulas that involves complicated sums or integrals with multiple subscripts or superscripts, or stacked fractions, take up a lot of vertical space and cause subsequent lines to be moved down, if set as inline formulas. In these situations, it may be appriopriate to display the formula. Simple sums, integrals, or fractions, are usually not a problem; for example, an expression like "\sum_{k=1}^nk=n(n+1)/2" doesn't need to be displayed.
- A formula that you want to give special emphasis. Even if a formula would look fine inline from a typesetting point of view, it may be appropriate to display it for emphasis. This could be the case, for example, with an important definition, or a crucial condition/hypothesis in a theorem.
- How to break up long formulas. Breaking up overlong lines in displays can be very tricky, and requires a good knowledge of the underlying mathematics as well as a feel for good mathematical typesetting. For that reason, TeX doesn't break formulas, as it does with ordinary text. However, there are some general guidelines. Here are possible breaking points, in decreasing order of desirability:
- Right before an equal sign or equivalent (e.g., a "less than" sign). In this case, place the alignment symbol (ampersand) placed before the equal sign, i.e., " ... + x \\ &= ". The equal signs (or equivalent) should be aligned.
- Before a plus or minus sign. In that case, the continuation line should be shifted to the right by a \qquad. If the continuation line is very short, two \qquad's might be better.
- Between two large "chunks" that are multiplied. The chunks could be large parenthesized expression, sums or integrals. This should be used only as a last resort, and in that case the preceding line should end with an explicit multiplication symbol ("\times"), the continuation line should begin with "\times" symbol and be shifted as far to the right (by preceding it with a few "\qquad"'s after the alignment symbol).
- Punctuation in displays. Displayed mathematics should be properly punctuated. For example, if a displayed formula occurs at the end of a sentence, the display should be terminated by a period. No additional spacing (such as "\," or "\ ") is needed to separate the formula from the punctuation sign.
Here are additional hints for some special situations:
- Punctuation in cases constructs. If a formula is set via a "cases" construct, each case ( = line) should be terminated with a comma; if the display occurs at the end of the sentence, the final comma should be changed to a period.
- Puntuation for "parenthetical" matter. Expressions indicating the range of validaty of a formula, or a limiting process can be set either in parenthesis with no punctuation separating the expression from the formula, or separated from the formula by a comma. The following examples illustrate the two options:
f(x) = \sqrt{1+x}, \quad x \ge -1
f(x) \sim x^2 \quad (x\to\infty)
f(x) \sim x^2, \quad x\to\infty
It would be wrong to use both a comma and parentheses. (Note that, depending on the context, a punctuation sign at the end of the display may also be called for.)
Additional hints
- Spacing in displays. Usually it's best to leave the spacing up to TeX. However, if explicit horizontal spacing is needed (for example, to set an expression like "(n \to \infty)" apart from the rest of the display, or to separate two equations on the same line), "\quad" in most cases generates the right amount of space. Don't try to create spacing with a bunch of explicit spaces ("\ "); the spacing generated in this way is usually not optimal, and the explicit spaces will likely have to be removed (and possibly replaced by "\quad") when the paper is typeset at the publisher's end.
- Avoid blank lines before or after a display, unless you really want to start a new paragraph: It is tempting to surround displayed math material by blank lines in the source file, to make them stand out and easier to locate. However, this is usually wrong, since blank lines are interpreted as paragraph breaks, may generate some additional vertical spacing and cause the next line of text to be indented - something you usually don't want. If you want to set off displays in your source file, do so by inserting a line with comment symbols, such as
before and/or after the display.
- Correcting underful vboxes and bad page breaks. By default, TeX does not break pages inside display environments such as align. If a paper has many multiline formulas, this may cause "underful vboxes", which can look very poor if the badness (reported by tex in the log file) is a few thousand. One way to remedy this is to put the command "\allowdisplaybreaks" in the preamble. However, this may cause some poor pagebreaks which may have to be fixed. A compromise solution is to use "\allowdisplaybreaks" locally, on the individual displays that cause problems: "{\allowdisplaybreaks \begin {align} ... \end {align} }." The best solution is to prevent this problem by avoiding excessively long displays (say, with five or more lines). It is often not hard to break up a very long display into two, for example by inserting a phrase like "By the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, the last expression is at most" in the middle of the overlong display, followed by the remaining lines of the display.
- Multiline subscripts on sums or integrals. Use the "\substack{...}" command, which works much like the "\sb ... \endsb" pair in amstex. It is much easier to use, and produces better looking output than an array environment or a construct using "\atop" (derived from plain tex).
More on matrices, arrays, cases, and multi-line equations in LaTeX
This is a great page for reference:
http://kogler.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/latex-multiline-equations-systems-and-matrices/
LaTeX – Multiline equations, systems and matrices
March 21, 2008 in Documentation | Tags: LaTeX
Series on Blogging with LaTeX
This is the 3rd post in the series. Previous ones:
Basics and overview
Use of mathematical symbols in formulas and equations
Many of the examples shown here were adapted from the Wikipedia article Displaying a formula, which is actually about formulas in Math Markup.
.
Multiline Equations
You can present equations with several lines, using the array statement. Inside its declaration you must :
Define the number of columns
Define column alignment
Define column indentation
Indicate column separator with & symbol &
Example: {lcr} means: 3 columns with indentations respectively left, center and right
\begin{array}{lcl} z & = & a \\ f(x,y,z) & = & x + y + z \end{array}
\begin{array}{rcr} z & = & a \\ f(x,y,z) & = & x + y + z \end{array}
\begin{array}{rcl} f: R^3 & \to & R \\ (x,y,z) & \to & x + y + z \\ f(x,y,z) & = & x + y + z \end{array}
\begin{array} {lcl} f(x) & = & (a+b)^2 \\ & = & a^2+2ab+b^2 \end{array}
.
Case definitions
Used when a definition have two or more cases. Use the case statement. Notice that the spaces after the instances of if were included inside the mbox declarations.
f(n) = \begin{cases} n/2, & \mbox{if } n\mbox{ is even} \\ 3n+1, & \mbox{if } n\mbox{ is odd} \end{cases}
.
Simultaneous Equations
Here we have a very simple application of the case statement.
\begin{cases} 3x + 5y + z \\ 7x – 2y + 4z \\ -6x + 3y + 2z \end{cases}
.
Matrices
Matrices can be assembled by using the array statement, like in this example:
\left| \begin{array}{cc} x_{11} & x_{12} \\ x_{21} & x_{22} \end{array} \right|
Matrix frames are provided by \left and \right. If you suppress these statements, it will be displayed like:
\begin{array}{cc} A & B \\ C & D \end{array}
However, there is another statement, the matrix declaration, slightly easier to use:
\begin{matrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{matrix}
The frames of the matrix can be displayed in several forms, by just changing the matrix declaration to vmatrix, Vmatrix, bmatrix, Bmatrix or pmatrix, as shown ahead:
\begin{vmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{vmatrix}
\begin{Vmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{Vmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{bmatrix}
\begin{Bmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{Bmatrix}
\begin{pmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{pmatrix}
As a final example, let us construct more complicated matrices and matricial expressions:
\begin{bmatrix} 0 & \cdots & 0 \\ \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\ 0 & \cdots & 0 \end{bmatrix}
Now, we will show a first matricial expression:
\left[ \begin{array}{c} x_1 \\ x_2 \end{array} \right] = \begin{bmatrix} A & B \\ C & D \end{bmatrix} \times \left[ \begin{array}{c} y_1 \\ y_2 \end{array} \right]
and, here is another example, now using two kinds of vectors:
\begin{bmatrix} xz & xw \\ yz & yw \end{bmatrix} = \left[ \begin{array}{c} x \\ y \end{array} \right] \times \left[ \begin{array}{cc} z & w \end{array} \right]
http://kogler.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/latex-multiline-equations-systems-and-matrices/
LaTeX – Multiline equations, systems and matrices
March 21, 2008 in Documentation | Tags: LaTeX
Series on Blogging with LaTeX
This is the 3rd post in the series. Previous ones:
Basics and overview
Use of mathematical symbols in formulas and equations
Many of the examples shown here were adapted from the Wikipedia article Displaying a formula, which is actually about formulas in Math Markup.
.
Multiline Equations
You can present equations with several lines, using the array statement. Inside its declaration you must :
Define the number of columns
Define column alignment
Define column indentation
Indicate column separator with & symbol &
Example: {lcr} means: 3 columns with indentations respectively left, center and right
\begin{array}{lcl} z & = & a \\ f(x,y,z) & = & x + y + z \end{array}
\begin{array}{rcr} z & = & a \\ f(x,y,z) & = & x + y + z \end{array}
\begin{array}{rcl} f: R^3 & \to & R \\ (x,y,z) & \to & x + y + z \\ f(x,y,z) & = & x + y + z \end{array}
\begin{array} {lcl} f(x) & = & (a+b)^2 \\ & = & a^2+2ab+b^2 \end{array}
.
Case definitions
Used when a definition have two or more cases. Use the case statement. Notice that the spaces after the instances of if were included inside the mbox declarations.
f(n) = \begin{cases} n/2, & \mbox{if } n\mbox{ is even} \\ 3n+1, & \mbox{if } n\mbox{ is odd} \end{cases}
.
Simultaneous Equations
Here we have a very simple application of the case statement.
\begin{cases} 3x + 5y + z \\ 7x – 2y + 4z \\ -6x + 3y + 2z \end{cases}
.
Matrices
Matrices can be assembled by using the array statement, like in this example:
\left| \begin{array}{cc} x_{11} & x_{12} \\ x_{21} & x_{22} \end{array} \right|
Matrix frames are provided by \left and \right. If you suppress these statements, it will be displayed like:
\begin{array}{cc} A & B \\ C & D \end{array}
However, there is another statement, the matrix declaration, slightly easier to use:
\begin{matrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{matrix}
The frames of the matrix can be displayed in several forms, by just changing the matrix declaration to vmatrix, Vmatrix, bmatrix, Bmatrix or pmatrix, as shown ahead:
\begin{vmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{vmatrix}
\begin{Vmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{Vmatrix}
\begin{bmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{bmatrix}
\begin{Bmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{Bmatrix}
\begin{pmatrix} x & y \\ z & v \end{pmatrix}
As a final example, let us construct more complicated matrices and matricial expressions:
\begin{bmatrix} 0 & \cdots & 0 \\ \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\ 0 & \cdots & 0 \end{bmatrix}
Now, we will show a first matricial expression:
\left[ \begin{array}{c} x_1 \\ x_2 \end{array} \right] = \begin{bmatrix} A & B \\ C & D \end{bmatrix} \times \left[ \begin{array}{c} y_1 \\ y_2 \end{array} \right]
and, here is another example, now using two kinds of vectors:
\begin{bmatrix} xz & xw \\ yz & yw \end{bmatrix} = \left[ \begin{array}{c} x \\ y \end{array} \right] \times \left[ \begin{array}{cc} z & w \end{array} \right]
LaTeX Spaces and Boxes
Courtesy of: http://www.personal.ceu.hu/tex/spacebox.htm
Commands manipulating horizontal and vertical spaces, and holding material in boxes:
More in detail:
\vspace
\smallskip, \medskip, \bigskip
\addvspace
\vfill
\hspace
\hfill, \hrulefill, \dotfill
\rule
\makebox, \mbox
\framebox, \fbox
\parbox
\raisebox
\newsavebox
\savebox, \sbox
\usebox
Commands manipulating horizontal and vertical spaces, and holding material in boxes:
\vspace{length}, \vspace*{length}
leave out given vertical space
\smallskip, \medskip, \bigskip
leave out certain spaces
\addvspace{length}
extend the vertical space until it reaches length.
\vfill
stretch vertical space so that it fills all empty space
\hspace{length}, \hpace*{length}
leave out given horizontal space
\hfill, \hrulefill, \dotfill
fill out all available horizontal space with a line or with dots
\rule{width}{thickness}
draw a line
\makebox{text}, \mbox{text}
enclose text into a box and then print, can be used in math mode.
\framebox{text}, \fbox{text}
enclose text into a framed box and then print.
\parbox{width}{text}
insert several paragraphs into a box of given width
\raisebox{dist}{text}
raise or lower (if dist is negative) the box created from text.
\newsavebox{boxname}
define the holder boxname to store a box.
\savebox{boxname}{text}, \sbox{boxname}{text}
save text int the holder boxname
\usebox{boxname}
use material stored in box holder boxname
More in detail:
\vspace
\vspace[*]{length}
The \vspace command adds vertical space. The length of the space can be expressed in any terms that LaTeX understands, i.e., points, inches, etc. You can add negative as well as positive space with an \vspace command.
LaTeX removes vertical space that comes at the end of a page. If you don't want LaTeX to remove this space, include the optional * argument. Then the space is never removed.
\smallskip, \medskip, \bigskip
The \smallskip command is equivalent to \vspace{smallskipamount} where smallskipamount is determined by the document style.
The \medskip command is equivalent to \vspace{medskipamount} where medskipamount is determined by the document style.
The \bigskip command is equivalent to \vspace{bigskipamount} where bigskipamount is determined by the document style.
\addvspace
\addvspace{length}
The \addvspace command normally adds a vertical space of height length. However, if vertical space has already been added to the same point in the output by a previous \addvspace command, then this command will not add more space than needed to make the natural length of the total vertical space equal to length.
\vfill
The \vfill fill command produces a rubber length which can stretch or shrink vertically..
\hspace
\hspace[*]{length}
The \hspace command adds horizontal space. The length of the space can be expressed in any terms that LaTeX understands, i.e., points, inches, etc. You can add negative as well as positive space with an \hspace command. Adding negative space is like backspacing.
LaTeX removes horizontal space that comes at the end of a line. If you don't want LaTeX to remove this space, include the optional * argument. Then the space is never removed.
\hfill, \hrulefill, \dotfill
The \hfill fill command produces a rubber length which can stretch or shrink horizontally. It will be filled with spaces.
The \hrulefill fill command produces a rubber length which can stretch or shrink horizontally. It will be filled with a horizontal rule.
The \dotfill command produces a rubber length that produces dots instead of just spaces.
\rule
\rule[raise-height]{width}{thickness}
The \rule command is used to produce horizontal lines. The arguments are defined as follows.
raise-height: specifies how high to raise the rule (optional)
width: specifies the length of the rule (mandatory)
thickness: specifies the thickness of the rule (mandatory)
\makebox, \mbox
\makebox[width][position]{text}
\mbox {text}
The \makebox command creates a box to contain the text specified. The width of the box is specified by the optional width argument. The position of the text within the box is determined by the optional position argument.
c - centered (default)
l - flushleft
r - flushright
The \mbox command creates a box just wide enough to hold the text created by its argument.
\framebox, \fbox
\framebox[width][position]{text}
\fbox{text}
The \framebox command is exactly the same as the \makebox command, except that it puts a frame around the outside of the box that it creates.
The framebox command produces a rule of thickness \fboxrule, and leaves a space \fboxsep between the rule and the contents of the box.
The \fbox command is exactly the same as the \mbox command, except that it puts a frame around the outside of the box that it creates.
\parbox
\parbox[position]{width}{text}
A parbox is a box whose contents are created in paragraph mode. The \parbox has two mandatory arguments:
width: specifies the width of the parbox; and
text: the text that goes inside the parbox.
LaTeX will position a parbox so its center lines up with the center of the text line. An optional first argument, position, allows you to line up either the top or bottom line in the parbox.
A \parbox command is used for a parbox containing a small piece of text, with nothing fancy inside. In particular, you shouldn't use any of the paragraph-making environments inside a \parbox argument. For larger pieces of text, including ones containing a paragraph-making environment, you should use a minipage environment.
\raisebox
\raisebox{distance}[extend-above][extend-below]{text}
The \raisebox command is used to raise or lower text. The first mandatory argument specifies how high the text is to be raised (or lowered if it is a negative amount). The text itself is processed in LR mode.
Sometimes it's useful to make LaTeX think something has a different size than it really does - or a different size than LaTeX would normally think it has. The \raisebox command lets you tell LaTeX how tall it is.
The first optional argument, extend-above, makes LaTeX think that the text extends above the line by the amount specified. The second optional argument, extend-below, makes LaTeX think that the text extends below the line by the amount specified.
\newsavebox
\newsavebox{cmd}
Declares cmd, which must be a command name starting with a \, that is not already defined, to be a bin for saving boxes.
\savebox, \sbox
\savebox{cmd}[width][pos]{text}, \sbox{cmd}[text]
These commands typeset text in a box just as for \mbox or \makebox. However, instead of printing the resulting box, they save it in bin cmd, which must have been declared with \newsavebox.
\usebox
\usebox{cmd}
Prints the box most recently saved in bin cmd by a \savebox command.
Labels:
Latex
LaTeX Math Symbols & Packages
A few websites for LaTeX Math Symbols and some math help:
http://web.ift.uib.no/Teori/KURS/WRK/TeX/symALL.html
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:Symbols
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:Math
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Mathematics
http://www.andy-roberts.net/misc/latex/latextutorial10.html
http://www.personal.ceu.hu/tex/math.htm
http://www.math.uiuc.edu/~hildebr/tex/course/intro2.html
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Advanced_Mathematics
Mathematical Text and other Special Symbols - http://stuff.mit.edu/afs/sipb.mit.edu/project/www/latex/guide/node38.html
Special Symbols - http://www.math.harvard.edu/texman/node21.html
Here is some information on the LaTeX math packages:
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:Packages
Matrices and arrays:
http://selinap.com/2009/05/how-to-create-a-matrix-in-latex/
http://web.ift.uib.no/Teori/KURS/WRK/TeX/symALL.html
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:Symbols
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:Math
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Mathematics
http://www.andy-roberts.net/misc/latex/latextutorial10.html
http://www.personal.ceu.hu/tex/math.htm
http://www.math.uiuc.edu/~hildebr/tex/course/intro2.html
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Advanced_Mathematics
Mathematical Text and other Special Symbols - http://stuff.mit.edu/afs/sipb.mit.edu/project/www/latex/guide/node38.html
Special Symbols - http://www.math.harvard.edu/texman/node21.html
Here is some information on the LaTeX math packages:
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:Packages
Matrices and arrays:
http://selinap.com/2009/05/how-to-create-a-matrix-in-latex/
Monday, November 15, 2010
Some More Helpful BibTeX Entry Examples
Found this information here:
http://bib2web.djvuzone.org/bibtex.html
@inproceedings { lecun-99,
original = "orig/lecun-99.ps",
author = "LeCun, Y. and Haffner, P. and Bottou, L. and Bengio, Y.",
title = "Object Recognition with Gradient-Based Learning",
booktitle = "Feature Grouping",
editor = "Forsyth, D.",
publisher = "Springer",
year = 1999,
note = "(original is ps)"
}
@article { bottou-98,
original = "orig/bottou-98.ps.gz",
author = "Bottou, L. and Haffner, P. and Howard, P. and Simard, P. and Bengio, Y. and LeCun, Y.",
title = "High Quality Document Image Compression with DjVu",
journal = "Journal of Electronic Imaging",
volume = "7",
number = "3",
month = "July",
pages = "410-425",
year = 1998,
note = "(original is ps.gz)"
}
@article { chellappa-98,
original = "orig/chellappa-98.pdf",
author = " Chellappa, R. and Fukushima, K. and Katsaggelos, A. and Kung,S.-Y. and LeCun, Y. and Nasrabadi, N. M. and Poggio, T. A.",
title = "Applications of Artificial Neural Networks to Image Processing (guest editorial)",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Image Processing",
volume = "7",
number = "8",
year = "1998",
month = "August",
pages = "1093-1097",
note = "(original is digital pdf)"
}
@incollection { lecun-simard-pearlmutter-93,
original = "orig/lecun-simard-pearlmutter-93.ps.gz",
author = "LeCun, Y. and Simard, P. and Pearlmutter, B.",
title = "Automatic learning rate maximization by on-line estimation of the Hessian's eigenvectors",
booktitle = "Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems",
volume = 5,
publisher = "Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Mateo, CA",
editor = "Hanson, S. and Cowan, J. and Giles, L.",
year = 1993,
}
@article{ drucker-lecun-92,
original = "orig/drucker-lecun-92.pdf",
author = "Drucker, H. and LeCun, Y",
title = "Improving Generalization Performance Using Double Backpropagation",
journal = "IEEE Transaction on Neural Networks",
pages = "991-997",
volume = 3,
number = 6,
year = 1992,
note = "(original is scanned pdf)"
}
@article{ lecun-kanter-solla-91,
original = "orig/lecun-kanter-solla-91.tiff",
author = "LeCun, Y. and Kanter, I. and Solla, S.",
title = "Eigenvalues of covariance matrices: application to neural-network learning",
journal = "Physical Review Letters",
year = "1991",
month = "May",
volume = "66",
number = "18",
pages = "2396-2399",
note = "(original is scanned tiff group-4)"
}
@inproceedings{ lecun-88,
original = "orig/lecun-88.djvu",
author = "LeCun, Y." ,
title = "A theoretical framework for Back-Propagation",
booktitle= "Proceedings of the 1988 Connectionist Models Summer School",
address = "CMU, Pittsburgh, Pa" ,
year = "1988" ,
editor = "Touretzky, D. and Hinton, G. and Sejnowski, T.",
publisher = "Morgan Kaufmann",
pages = "21-28",
note = "(original is a djvu file)"
}
@inproceedings{ lecun-86,
original = "orig/lecun-86.pdf",
author = "LeCun, Y." ,
title = "Learning Processes in an Asymmetric Threshold Network",
booktitle= "Disordered systems and biological organization",
address = "Les Houches, France" ,
year = "1986" ,
editor = "Bienenstock, E. and {Fogelman-Souli\'e}, F. and Weisbuch, G.",
publisher = "Springer-Verlag",
pages = "233-240",
}
http://bib2web.djvuzone.org/bibtex.html
@inproceedings { lecun-99,
original = "orig/lecun-99.ps",
author = "LeCun, Y. and Haffner, P. and Bottou, L. and Bengio, Y.",
title = "Object Recognition with Gradient-Based Learning",
booktitle = "Feature Grouping",
editor = "Forsyth, D.",
publisher = "Springer",
year = 1999,
note = "(original is ps)"
}
@article { bottou-98,
original = "orig/bottou-98.ps.gz",
author = "Bottou, L. and Haffner, P. and Howard, P. and Simard, P. and Bengio, Y. and LeCun, Y.",
title = "High Quality Document Image Compression with DjVu",
journal = "Journal of Electronic Imaging",
volume = "7",
number = "3",
month = "July",
pages = "410-425",
year = 1998,
note = "(original is ps.gz)"
}
@article { chellappa-98,
original = "orig/chellappa-98.pdf",
author = " Chellappa, R. and Fukushima, K. and Katsaggelos, A. and Kung,S.-Y. and LeCun, Y. and Nasrabadi, N. M. and Poggio, T. A.",
title = "Applications of Artificial Neural Networks to Image Processing (guest editorial)",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Image Processing",
volume = "7",
number = "8",
year = "1998",
month = "August",
pages = "1093-1097",
note = "(original is digital pdf)"
}
@incollection { lecun-simard-pearlmutter-93,
original = "orig/lecun-simard-pearlmutter-93.ps.gz",
author = "LeCun, Y. and Simard, P. and Pearlmutter, B.",
title = "Automatic learning rate maximization by on-line estimation of the Hessian's eigenvectors",
booktitle = "Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems",
volume = 5,
publisher = "Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Mateo, CA",
editor = "Hanson, S. and Cowan, J. and Giles, L.",
year = 1993,
}
@article{ drucker-lecun-92,
original = "orig/drucker-lecun-92.pdf",
author = "Drucker, H. and LeCun, Y",
title = "Improving Generalization Performance Using Double Backpropagation",
journal = "IEEE Transaction on Neural Networks",
pages = "991-997",
volume = 3,
number = 6,
year = 1992,
note = "(original is scanned pdf)"
}
@article{ lecun-kanter-solla-91,
original = "orig/lecun-kanter-solla-91.tiff",
author = "LeCun, Y. and Kanter, I. and Solla, S.",
title = "Eigenvalues of covariance matrices: application to neural-network learning",
journal = "Physical Review Letters",
year = "1991",
month = "May",
volume = "66",
number = "18",
pages = "2396-2399",
note = "(original is scanned tiff group-4)"
}
@inproceedings{ lecun-88,
original = "orig/lecun-88.djvu",
author = "LeCun, Y." ,
title = "A theoretical framework for Back-Propagation",
booktitle= "Proceedings of the 1988 Connectionist Models Summer School",
address = "CMU, Pittsburgh, Pa" ,
year = "1988" ,
editor = "Touretzky, D. and Hinton, G. and Sejnowski, T.",
publisher = "Morgan Kaufmann",
pages = "21-28",
note = "(original is a djvu file)"
}
@inproceedings{ lecun-86,
original = "orig/lecun-86.pdf",
author = "LeCun, Y." ,
title = "Learning Processes in an Asymmetric Threshold Network",
booktitle= "Disordered systems and biological organization",
address = "Les Houches, France" ,
year = "1986" ,
editor = "Bienenstock, E. and {Fogelman-Souli\'e}, F. and Weisbuch, G.",
publisher = "Springer-Verlag",
pages = "233-240",
}
How to Cite References using AIAA Format
Found this helpful information here:
http://www.engrlib.uc.edu/instruction/classes/aero/cite.html
How to Cite References using AIAA Format
Book
Williams, F. A., Combustion Theory, Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, 1985.
Book chapter
Turner, M. J., Martin, H. C., and Leible, R. C., "Further Development and Applications of Stiffness Method," Matrix Methods of Structural Analysis, 1st ed., Vol. 1, Wiley, New York, 1963, pp. 6-10.
Chapter in a book in a series
Sutton, K., "Air Radiation Revisited," Thermal Design of Aeroassisted Orbital Transfer Vehicles, edited by H. F. Nelson, Vol. 96, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, AIAA, New York, 1985, pp. 419-441.
Conference paper
Lazar, R. S., and Faeth, G. M., "Bipropellant Droplet Combustion in the Vicinity of the Critical Point," Thirteenth (International) Symposium on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 1971, pp. 801-811.
Soo, S. L., "Boundary-Layer Motion of a Gas-Solid Suspension," Proceedings of the Symposium on Interaction Between Fluids and Particles, Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, Vol. 1, 1962, pp. 50-63.
Conference paper in conference with a thematic title
Rockwell, D., and Lin, J.-C., "Quantitative Interpretation of Complex Unsteady Flows via High Image-Density Particle Image Velocimetry," Optical Diagnostics in Fluid and Thermal Flow, Proceedings of SPIE, The International Society for Optical Engineering, Vol. 2005, Bellingham, WA, 1993, pp. 490-503.
Dissertation
Chyu, C.-K., "A Study of the Near-Wake Structure from a Circular Cylinder," Ph. D. Dissertation, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 1995.
Segerman, A. M., "Complete Analytical Theory for the Satellites of Neptune," Ph. D. Dissertation, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 1995.
Journal article
Walker, R.E., Stone, A.R., and Shandor, M., "Secondary Gas Injection in a Conical Rocket Nozzle," AIAA Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1963, pp. 334-338.
Patent
Cartland, William H. (To Rheem Manufacturing Company), "Solar Heater Freeze Protection System," U. S. Patent 4,138,996, February 13, 1979.
Society Paper
Bhutta, V. A., and Lewis, C. H., "Aerothermodynamic Performance of 3-D and Bent-Nose RVs under Hypersonic Conditions," AIAA Paper 90-3068, Aug. 1990.
Tech report
Book, E., and Bratman, H., "Using Compilers to Build Compilers," Systems Development Corp., SP-176, Santa Monica, CA, Aug. 1960.
Gnoffo, P. A., "An Upwind-Biased, Point-Implicit Relaxation Algorithm for Viscous, Compressible Perfect-Gas Flows," NASA TP-2953, Feb. 1990.
Web site
Mulvihill, M. L., and Ealey, M. A., "Electroceramic Actuators for Operation at Low Temperatures," MFS-31634, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama, December 2001. [http://www.nasatech.com/Briefs/Dec01/MFS31634.html. Accessed 1/31/02.]
http://www.engrlib.uc.edu/instruction/classes/aero/cite.html
How to Cite References using AIAA Format
Book
Williams, F. A., Combustion Theory, Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, 1985.
Book chapter
Turner, M. J., Martin, H. C., and Leible, R. C., "Further Development and Applications of Stiffness Method," Matrix Methods of Structural Analysis, 1st ed., Vol. 1, Wiley, New York, 1963, pp. 6-10.
Chapter in a book in a series
Sutton, K., "Air Radiation Revisited," Thermal Design of Aeroassisted Orbital Transfer Vehicles, edited by H. F. Nelson, Vol. 96, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, AIAA, New York, 1985, pp. 419-441.
Conference paper
Lazar, R. S., and Faeth, G. M., "Bipropellant Droplet Combustion in the Vicinity of the Critical Point," Thirteenth (International) Symposium on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 1971, pp. 801-811.
Soo, S. L., "Boundary-Layer Motion of a Gas-Solid Suspension," Proceedings of the Symposium on Interaction Between Fluids and Particles, Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, Vol. 1, 1962, pp. 50-63.
Conference paper in conference with a thematic title
Rockwell, D., and Lin, J.-C., "Quantitative Interpretation of Complex Unsteady Flows via High Image-Density Particle Image Velocimetry," Optical Diagnostics in Fluid and Thermal Flow, Proceedings of SPIE, The International Society for Optical Engineering, Vol. 2005, Bellingham, WA, 1993, pp. 490-503.
Dissertation
Chyu, C.-K., "A Study of the Near-Wake Structure from a Circular Cylinder," Ph. D. Dissertation, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 1995.
Segerman, A. M., "Complete Analytical Theory for the Satellites of Neptune," Ph. D. Dissertation, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 1995.
Journal article
Walker, R.E., Stone, A.R., and Shandor, M., "Secondary Gas Injection in a Conical Rocket Nozzle," AIAA Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1963, pp. 334-338.
Patent
Cartland, William H. (To Rheem Manufacturing Company), "Solar Heater Freeze Protection System," U. S. Patent 4,138,996, February 13, 1979.
Society Paper
Bhutta, V. A., and Lewis, C. H., "Aerothermodynamic Performance of 3-D and Bent-Nose RVs under Hypersonic Conditions," AIAA Paper 90-3068, Aug. 1990.
Tech report
Book, E., and Bratman, H., "Using Compilers to Build Compilers," Systems Development Corp., SP-176, Santa Monica, CA, Aug. 1960.
Gnoffo, P. A., "An Upwind-Biased, Point-Implicit Relaxation Algorithm for Viscous, Compressible Perfect-Gas Flows," NASA TP-2953, Feb. 1990.
Web site
Mulvihill, M. L., and Ealey, M. A., "Electroceramic Actuators for Operation at Low Temperatures," MFS-31634, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama, December 2001. [http://www.nasatech.com/Briefs/Dec01/MFS31634.html. Accessed 1/31/02.]
Ubuntu and LaTeX Update: Ubuntu Releases and Bibliography Management (Mendeley Desktop and BibTeX)
Ubuntu Update:
So it has been a few months since switching to Ubuntu from Windows...and I haven't looked back. It is working out great and I love it. However, it is not perfect and I still need windows to do a few things, like my timesheet program and play some old games. This is easily done by either dual boot (install Windows first, then Ubuntu) or using a virtual machine installation software like WINE or Virtual Box. I don't really like WINE because it only displays or uses an XP version of Windows, and I didn't really find it useful or user friendly.
Ubuntu Releases:
Ubuntu releases new versions every six months. The latest went from 10.04 LTS to 10.11. The LTS versions are Long Term Support versions while others are not. For the best quality and less hassle in making sure everything works fine, I believe the developers recommend sticking to the LTS versions for stability.
The Ubuntu developers name their releases in a alliterated fashion, usually after animals.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Home
Releases
This is THE definitive place for members of the Ubuntu community to discuss ideas and store team-related information.
Released (Current & Stable)
Dapper Drake
6.06 LTS
June 1, 2006
Supported until June 2011 (Server)
Hardy Heron
8.04 LTS
April 24, 2008
Supported until April 2011 (Desktop) or April 2013 (Server)
Karmic Koala
9.10
October 29, 2009
Supported until April 2011
Lucid Lynx
10.04 LTS
April 29, 2010
Supported until April 2013 (Desktop) or Supported until April 2015 (Server)
Maverick Meerkat
10.10
October 10, 2010
Supported until April 2012
To be Released
Version
Release Schedule
Support Date
Natty Narwhal
11.04
April 2011
Supported until October 2012
Some like the often releases (like me, I get bored quickly sometimes) while others don't because they think it is too hasty and buggy. It's like I said before it's mostly up to personal preference.
LaTeX Update:
Well on to LateX. Haven't looked back on this either. Love, love, love LaTeX. At first it might seem a little antiquated and/or intimidating, but this is a superior alternative to Word, OpenOffice, or any other word/document processor. I love the freedom, independence, and best of all it's free as in beer and . It is not totally unorganized, in which I mean LaTeX was written to automatically take care of many formatting issues I constantly run into with Microsoft's Word. Writing papers and theses are a breeze, and LaTeX probably is best for longer documents like these. Formulas, sections, fonts, figures, are easy and wonderful once you get the hang of it. I don't have to worry about Word crashing, or EndNote not working, or MathType giving me problems.
Now Latex is not perfect, and it is a learning curve, but I recommend it to anyone who writes scientifically. No more worrying about Word moving figures or whatever it does on its own. You have full control.
Bibliography Management: A Little on Mendeley Desktop and BibTeX
Now bibliographies, as I understand it today, are worked by BibTeX. I just learned something that I would like to quickly pass along. I use Mendeley Desktop to store my reference library information. There are others like Zotero, etc., and I chose MD because I like the way it looks and how it operates to store information. It is personal preference. My advice is to briefly try and look at many as you can then choose ONE and STICK with it. MD is not perfect either, but has a good community and is active in developing its software for updates. Other reference library software include JabRef and KBibTex for LaTeX/BibTeX users. I will try to review the software at a later time in more depth.
More on BibTeX here:
http://www.bibtex.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BibTeX
http://amath.colorado.edu/documentation/LaTeX/reference/faq/bibstyles.html
Now MD has a export feature to export your reference in a BibTeX format. Beware that MD is far from perfect in this, and you will need to manually do some tweaking. For example, MD has a field or category called institution so that you can, as I do it, store the authors' affiliation information. MD exports this as institution or organization which refers to the publisher so you will have to manually change it to the appropriate BibTeX field of affiliation. Also, for conference locations MD exports city as address (publisher) when it should be the field location. So this isn't so bad to do every time you export one reference, but is quite overwhelming when you already have hundreds of exports and have to manually correct them like me, :(, :). Just be consistent with your Bibtex and MD listings and maybe MD with one day be more consistent with BibTeX. For example, I prefer in MD to have the authors' full name if possible, but in BibTeX the generated bibliography doesn't look good with full names plus I don't have all the full names so I prefer to use just initials for first and middle names.
Also, I would make two all reference listings in BibTeX. One for where the titles of papers are capitalized and one where they are not because journals require different preferences (whether caps or not). This will save you lots of time genereating the bibliography for certain papers. I would also make a separate BibTeX file for each paper, thesis, report you write so you only have the necessary references to look at and not your complete list.
BibTeX Links for Fields and Referencing
Here are some links to BibTeX fields and reference labels:
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BibTeX
BibTeX uses a style-independent text-based file format for lists of bibliography items, such as articles, books, and theses. BibTeX bibliography file names usually end in
From: http://texblog.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/how-to-use-a-bibtex-file/
BibTeX offers a whole list of entry fields, entry types and different bibliography styles.
Hopefully, I can update more later on this (more in depth like screenshots) and other topics/tidbits because I have lots to write!!
So it has been a few months since switching to Ubuntu from Windows...and I haven't looked back. It is working out great and I love it. However, it is not perfect and I still need windows to do a few things, like my timesheet program and play some old games. This is easily done by either dual boot (install Windows first, then Ubuntu) or using a virtual machine installation software like WINE or Virtual Box. I don't really like WINE because it only displays or uses an XP version of Windows, and I didn't really find it useful or user friendly.
Ubuntu Releases:
Ubuntu releases new versions every six months. The latest went from 10.04 LTS to 10.11. The LTS versions are Long Term Support versions while others are not. For the best quality and less hassle in making sure everything works fine, I believe the developers recommend sticking to the LTS versions for stability.
The Ubuntu developers name their releases in a alliterated fashion, usually after animals.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Home
Releases
This is THE definitive place for members of the Ubuntu community to discuss ideas and store team-related information.
Released (Current & Stable)
Dapper Drake
6.06 LTS
June 1, 2006
Supported until June 2011 (Server)
Hardy Heron
8.04 LTS
April 24, 2008
Supported until April 2011 (Desktop) or April 2013 (Server)
Karmic Koala
9.10
October 29, 2009
Supported until April 2011
Lucid Lynx
10.04 LTS
April 29, 2010
Supported until April 2013 (Desktop) or Supported until April 2015 (Server)
Maverick Meerkat
10.10
October 10, 2010
Supported until April 2012
To be Released
Version
Release Schedule
Support Date
Natty Narwhal
11.04
April 2011
Supported until October 2012
Some like the often releases (like me, I get bored quickly sometimes) while others don't because they think it is too hasty and buggy. It's like I said before it's mostly up to personal preference.
LaTeX Update:
Well on to LateX. Haven't looked back on this either. Love, love, love LaTeX. At first it might seem a little antiquated and/or intimidating, but this is a superior alternative to Word, OpenOffice, or any other word/document processor. I love the freedom, independence, and best of all it's free as in beer and . It is not totally unorganized, in which I mean LaTeX was written to automatically take care of many formatting issues I constantly run into with Microsoft's Word. Writing papers and theses are a breeze, and LaTeX probably is best for longer documents like these. Formulas, sections, fonts, figures, are easy and wonderful once you get the hang of it. I don't have to worry about Word crashing, or EndNote not working, or MathType giving me problems.
Now Latex is not perfect, and it is a learning curve, but I recommend it to anyone who writes scientifically. No more worrying about Word moving figures or whatever it does on its own. You have full control.
Bibliography Management: A Little on Mendeley Desktop and BibTeX
Now bibliographies, as I understand it today, are worked by BibTeX. I just learned something that I would like to quickly pass along. I use Mendeley Desktop to store my reference library information. There are others like Zotero, etc., and I chose MD because I like the way it looks and how it operates to store information. It is personal preference. My advice is to briefly try and look at many as you can then choose ONE and STICK with it. MD is not perfect either, but has a good community and is active in developing its software for updates. Other reference library software include JabRef and KBibTex for LaTeX/BibTeX users. I will try to review the software at a later time in more depth.
More on BibTeX here:
http://www.bibtex.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BibTeX
http://amath.colorado.edu/documentation/LaTeX/reference/faq/bibstyles.html
Now MD has a export feature to export your reference in a BibTeX format. Beware that MD is far from perfect in this, and you will need to manually do some tweaking. For example, MD has a field or category called institution so that you can, as I do it, store the authors' affiliation information. MD exports this as institution or organization which refers to the publisher so you will have to manually change it to the appropriate BibTeX field of affiliation. Also, for conference locations MD exports city as address (publisher) when it should be the field location. So this isn't so bad to do every time you export one reference, but is quite overwhelming when you already have hundreds of exports and have to manually correct them like me, :(, :). Just be consistent with your Bibtex and MD listings and maybe MD with one day be more consistent with BibTeX. For example, I prefer in MD to have the authors' full name if possible, but in BibTeX the generated bibliography doesn't look good with full names plus I don't have all the full names so I prefer to use just initials for first and middle names.
Also, I would make two all reference listings in BibTeX. One for where the titles of papers are capitalized and one where they are not because journals require different preferences (whether caps or not). This will save you lots of time genereating the bibliography for certain papers. I would also make a separate BibTeX file for each paper, thesis, report you write so you only have the necessary references to look at and not your complete list.
BibTeX Links for Fields and Referencing
Here are some links to BibTeX fields and reference labels:
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BibTeX
BibTeX uses a style-independent text-based file format for lists of bibliography items, such as articles, books, and theses. BibTeX bibliography file names usually end in
.bib
.Bibliography entries each contain some subset of standard data entries:
- address: Publisher's address (usually just the city, but can be the full address for lesser-known publishers)
- annote: An annotation for annotated bibliography styles (not typical)
- author: The name(s) of the author(s) (in the case of more than one author, separated by and)
- booktitle: The title of the book, if only part of it is being cited
- chapter: The chapter number
- crossref: The key of the cross-referenced entry
- edition: The edition of a book, long form (such as "first" or "second")
- editor: The name(s) of the editor(s)
- eprint: A specification of an electronic publication, often a preprint or a technical report
- howpublished: How it was published, if the publishing method is nonstandard
- institution: The institution that was involved in the publishing, but not necessarily the publisher
- journal: The journal or magazine the work was published in
- key: A hidden field used for specifying or overriding the alphabetical order of entries (when the "author" and "editor" fields are missing). Note that this is very different from the key (mentioned just after this list) that is used to cite or cross-reference the entry.
- month: The month of publication (or, if unpublished, the month of creation)
- note: Miscellaneous extra information
- number: The "(issue) number" of a journal, magazine, or tech-report, if applicable. (Most publications have a "volume", but no "number" field.)
- organization: The conference sponsor
- pages: Page numbers, separated either by commas or double-hyphens.
- publisher: The publisher's name
- school: The school where the thesis was written
- series: The series of books the book was published in (e.g. "The Hardy Boys" or "Lecture Notes in Computer Science")
- title: The title of the work
- type: The type of tech-report, for example, "Research Note"
- url: The WWW address
- volume: The volume of a journal or multi-volume book
- year: The year of publication (or, if unpublished, the year of creation)
In addition, each entry contains a key that is used to cite or cross-reference the entry. This key is the first item in a BibTeX entry, and is not part of any field.
Entry Types
Bibliography entries included in a
.bib
file are split by types. The following types are understood by virtually all BibTeX styles:- article
- An article from a journal or magazine. Required fields: author, title, journal, year Optional fields: volume, number, pages, month, note, key
- book
- A book with an explicit publisher. Required fields: author/editor, title, publisher, year Optional fields: volume, series, address, edition, month, note, key
- booklet
- A work that is printed and bound, but without a named publisher or sponsoring institution. Required fields: title Optional fields: author, howpublished, address, month, year, note, key
- conference
- The same as inproceedings, included for Scribe compatibility. Required fields: author, title, booktitle, year Optional fields: editor, pages, organization, publisher, address, month, note, key
- inbook
- A part of a book, usually untitled. May be a chapter (or section or whatever) and/or a range of pages. Required fields: author/editor, title, chapter/pages, publisher, year Optional fields: volume, series, address, edition, month, note, key
- incollection
- A part of a book having its own title. Required fields: author, title, booktitle, year Optional fields: editor, pages, organization, publisher, address, month, note, key
- inproceedings
- An article in a conference proceedings. Required fields: author, title, booktitle, year Optional fields: editor, series, pages, organization, publisher, address, month, note, key
- manual
- Technical documentation. Required fields: title Optional fields: author, organization, address, edition, month, year, note, key
- mastersthesis
- A Master's thesis. Required fields: author, title, school, year Optional fields: address, month, note, key
- misc
- For use when nothing else fits. Required fields: none Optional fields: author, title, howpublished, month, year, note, key
- phdthesis
- A Ph.D. thesis. Required fields: author, title, school, year Optional fields: address, month, note, key
- proceedings
- The proceedings of a conference. Required fields: title, year Optional fields: editor, publisher, organization, address, month, note, key
- techreport
- A report published by a school or other institution, usually numbered within a series. Required fields: author, title, institution, year Optional fields: type, number, address, month, note, key
- unpublished
- A document having an author and title, but not formally published. Required fields: author, title, note Optional fields: month, year, key
From: http://texblog.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/how-to-use-a-bibtex-file/
BibTeX offers a whole list of entry fields, entry types and different bibliography styles.
Entry fields (standard):
- address: Publisher’s address (usually just the city, but can be the full address for lesser-known publishers)
- annote: An annotation for annotated bibliography styles (not typical)
- author: The name(s) of the author(s) (in the case of more than one author, separated by and)
- booktitle: The title of the book, if only part of it is being cited
- chapter: The chapter number
- crossref: The key of the cross-referenced entry
- edition: The edition of a book, long form (such as “first” or “second”)
- editor: The name(s) of the editor(s)
- eprint: A specification of an electronic publication, often a preprint or a technical report
- howpublished: How it was published, if the publishing method is nonstandard
- institution: The institution that was involved in the publishing, but not necessarily the publisher
- journal: The journal or magazine the work was published in
- key: A hidden field used for specifying or overriding the alphabetical order of entries (when the “author” and “editor” fields are missing). Note that this is very different from the key (mentioned just after this list) that is used to cite or cross-reference the entry.
- month: The month of publication (or, if unpublished, the month of creation)
- note: Miscellaneous extra information
- number: The “number” of a journal, magazine, or tech-report, if applicable. (Most publications have a “volume”, but no “number” field.)
- organization: The conference sponsor
- pages: Page numbers, separated either by commas or double-hyphens
- publisher: The publisher’s name
- school: The school where the thesis was written
- series: The series of books the book was published in (e.g. “The Hardy Boys”)
- title: The title of the work
- type: The type of tech-report, for example, “Research Note”
- url: The WWW address
- volume: The volume of a journal or multi-volume book
- year: The year of publication (or, if unpublished, the year of creation)
Entry fields (non-standard):
- affiliation: The authors affiliation.
- abstract: An abstract of the work.
- contents: A Table of Contents
- copyright: Copyright information.
- ISBN: The International Standard Book Number.
- ISSN: The International Standard Serial Number. Used to identify a journal.
- keywords: Key words used for searching or possibly for annotation.
- language: The language the document is in.
- location: A location associated with the entry, such as the city in which a conference took place.
- LCCN: The Library of Congress Call Number.
- mrnumber: The Mathematical Reviews number.
In addition, each entry contains a key that is used to cite or cross-reference the entry. This key is the first item in a BibTeX entry, and is not part of any field.
Entry types:
- @article
An article from a journal or magazine.
Required fields: author, title, journal, year
Optional fields: volume, number, pages, month, note, key
- @book
A book with an explicit publisher.
Required fields: author/editor, title, publisher, year
Optional fields: volume, series, address, edition, month, note, key
- @booklet
A work that is printed and bound, but without a named publisher or sponsoring institution.
Required fields: title
Optional fields: author, howpublished, address, month, year, note, key
- @conference
The same as inproceedings, included for Scribe (markup language) compatibility.
Required fields: author, title, booktitle, year
Optional fields: editor, pages, organization, publisher, address, month, note, key
- @inbook
A part of a book, which may be a chapter (or section or whatever) and/or a range of pages.
Required fields: author/editor, title, chapter/pages, publisher, year
Optional fields: volume, series, address, edition, month, note, key
- @incollection
A part of a book having its own title.
Required fields: author, title, booktitle, year
Optional fields: editor, pages, organization, publisher, address, month, note, key
- @inproceedings
An article in a conference proceedings.
Required fields: author, title, booktitle, year
Optional fields: editor, pages, organization, publisher, address, month, note, key
- @manual
Technical documentation.
Required fields: title
Optional fields: author, organization, address, edition, month, year, note, key
- @mastersthesis
A Master’s thesis.
Required fields: author, title, school, year
Optional fields: address, month, note, key
- @misc
For use when nothing else fits.
Required fields: none
Optional fields: author, title, howpublished, month, year, note, key
- @phdthesis
A Ph.D. thesis.
Required fields: author, title, school, year
Optional fields: address, month, note, key
- @proceedings
The proceedings of a conference.
Required fields: title, year
Optional fields: editor, publisher, organization, address, month, note, key
- @techreport
A report published by a school or other institution, usually numbered within a series.
Required fields: author, title, institution, year
Optional fields: type, number, address, month, note, key
- @unpublished
A document having an author and title, but not formally published.
Required fields: author, title, note
Optional fields: month, year, key
Hopefully, I can update more later on this (more in depth like screenshots) and other topics/tidbits because I have lots to write!!
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