LaTeX Tips and Tricks Collection

This post summarizes some common useful tips in LaTeX editing.

Figures

• Horizontal alignment of subfigures
• subfloat in subfig

% Style: Figure 1(a)
\usepackage[subrefformat=parens,labelformat=parens]{subfig}

\subfloat[]{
\includegraphics[height=\textheight]{example}
\label{fig:example}
}

\subref*{fig:example}

Bibliography

• How do I run bibtex after using the -output-directory flag with pdflatex, when files are included from subdirectories?
• biblatex simple usage

% unsrt, abbrev, last option means use unsrt in \cite[xxx,yyy,ccc]
\usepackage[sorting=none,firstinits=true,sortcites=true]{biblatex}

% add this in preamble
\bibliography{dsa-verification}

% at the end
\printbibliography

• Item spacing

Graphics

• Graphics path

\graphicspath{{figs/}}

• Use other file extensions:

\DeclareGraphicsExtensions{.pdf, .jpg, .png}

Table and Tabular

• threeparttable: Use footnote in tabular

% inside tabular:
\tnote{$\dagger$}

% after tabular
\begin{tablenotes}[para] % do not break line between items
\item [$\dagger$] A foot note. % this reference to the item
\end{tablenotes}

Theorem, Definition

• New definition/theorem

\newtheorem{definition}{Definition}

• Useful packages:
  • ntheorem
  • amsthm

Fonts

Packages

• csvsimple: can automatically read csv and create tabular.
• algpseudocode: the most updated algorithm / code environment, need to sit inside with algorithm package.
• biblatex: provides better control for Bibliography.
• multirow: provides \multirow and \multicolumn.
• url: provides \url.
• xspace: prevent a command eating space.
• flushend: provides \flushend, balance two columns.

Controlling space

• reduce space between float and text

\setlength{\textfloatsep}{10pt plus 1.0pt minus 2.0pt}
\setlength{\floatsep}{10pt plus 1.0pt minus 2.0pt}
\setlength{\intextsep}{10pt plus 1.0pt minus 2.0pt}

• reduce bib item separation in biblatex

\setlength\bibitemsep{0.5\itemsep}

• geometry: control the margins at top, bottom, left and right

• enumitem: control the spacing related to enumerate and itemize.

• LaTeX Tips n Tricks for Conference Papers
• Latex: Squeezing the Vertical White Space
• Squeezing Space in LaTeX

Commands and tools:

• latexmk: automatically compile multiple times to resolve reference.
• biber: replacement for bibtex for biblatex
• texdoc: use texdoc <package> to search for a manual.

IEEE

• proof: use \IEEEproof
• multiple equations: use \IEEEeqnarray or array.

Uncategorized

• Where do I place my own .sty files, to make them available to all my .tex files?
• Creating a central bibliography