No installation
For momentary users, it is possible to generete cloud LaTeX documents with HoTTeX (free).
The hot compilation is great for videoconferences.
Installation
For users with continuity, an ideal configuration to generate LaTeX documents requires the installation, preferably ordered,
of the following software:
- .pdf documents viewer. One of the following options is preferred:
- LaTeX distribution: MiKTeX (free). Is the necessary set of files to create LaTeX documents.
- TeX editor. One of the following options is preferred:
- WinEdt (trial version renewable for 30 days and with more editing options).
- TeXnicCenter (free).
First steps
- The TeX editor is the program where the project of a future LaTeX document will be created and edited.
A basic project contains:
- The main .tex file.
- Secondary .tex files, linked from the main file.
- Images linked from the main or secondary files (format .eps is preferred).
- Any other file created by the program: .aux, .toc, .dvi, ...
- The main file will be compiled from the TeX editor and we will get:
- A preliminary .dvi document, if compiled in LaTex=>DVI, TeXify or LaTeX modes.
- A definitive .pdf document, if compiled in LaTeX=>PDF, PDFTeXify or PDFLaTeX modes.
- To create the Index of contents or the References, you must:
- Compile twice in LaTeX mode, or,
- Compile in TeXify mode.
- To create the alphabetic Index you must compile in TeXify mode. At any modification, the .idx document must be deleted before compiling again.
It is not necessary to interact directly with the LaTeX distribution, except maybe,
when accepting the packages needed for the compilation.
Learn more
To optimize the experience, search information about:
- Package manager
- Inverse search
- Documentclass
- LaTeX Fonts (type, size,...)
- Environments
- Images
To get images in format .eps the following programs could be useful: