LaTeX Skill

Comprehensive assistance with LaTeX document preparation, typesetting, and formatting. This skill provides quick references, templates, and troubleshooting for academic papers, presentations, reports, and technical documents.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be triggered when:

• Writing LaTeX documents (papers, theses, reports)
• Creating mathematical equations and formulas
• Formatting scientific or academic documents
• Making presentations with Beamer
• Debugging LaTeX compilation errors
• Creating tables, figures, or bibliographies
• Asking about LaTeX commands or syntax
• Converting documents to LaTeX format
• Setting up document structure or layout
• Troubleshooting LaTeX warnings or errors

Quick Reference

Essential Document Structure

\documentclass{article}  % or book, report, beamer
\usepackage{graphicx}     % For images
\usepackage{amsmath}      % For math
\usepackage{hyperref}     % For hyperlinks

\title{Document Title}
\author{Author Name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\section{Introduction}
Your content here.

\subsection{Background}
More content.

\section{Conclusion}
Final thoughts.

\end{document}

Common Commands

Text Formatting:

• \textbf{bold text} - Bold
• \textit{italic text} - Italic
• \underline{underlined} - Underline
• \texttt{monospace} - Typewriter font
• \emph{emphasized} - Emphasis (usually italic)

Document Structure:

• \section{Title} - Section heading
• \subsection{Title} - Subsection
• \subsubsection{Title} - Sub-subsection
• \paragraph{Title} - Paragraph heading
• \label{sec:intro} - Label for cross-reference
• \ref{sec:intro} - Reference to label

Lists:

% Bulleted list
\begin{itemize}
  \item First item
  \item Second item
\end{itemize}

% Numbered list
\begin{enumerate}
  \item First item
  \item Second item
\end{enumerate}

% Description list
\begin{description}
  \item[Term] Definition
  \item[Another] Explanation
\end{description}

Math Mode:

• Inline: $x^2 + y^2 = z^2$
• Display: $$E = mc^2$$
• Numbered equation:

\begin{equation}
  \int_0^1 f(x)dx = F(1) - F(0)
  \label{eq:ftc}
\end{equation}

Tables:

\begin{table}[h]
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|}
    \hline
    Header 1 & Header 2 & Header 3 \\
    \hline
    Data 1 & Data 2 & Data 3 \\
    Data 4 & Data 5 & Data 6 \\
    \hline
  \end{tabular}
  \caption{Table caption}
  \label{tab:example}
\end{table}

Figures:

\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{image.pdf}
  \caption{Figure caption}
  \label{fig:example}
\end{figure}

Cross-References:

• See Section~\ref{sec:intro} - Reference section
• As shown in Figure~\ref{fig:example} - Reference figure
• Equation~\eqref{eq:ftc} - Reference equation (with parentheses)

Citations:

% In preamble
\usepackage{natbib}
\bibliographystyle{plain}

% In text
According to~\cite{author2024}...
Multiple citations~\cite{author2024,smith2023}...

% At end of document
\bibliography{references}  % references.bib file

Common Packages

Essential:

• amsmath - Advanced mathematics
• graphicx - Include graphics
• hyperref - Clickable links and URLs
• geometry - Page layout
• fancyhdr - Custom headers/footers

Text and Fonts:

• fontenc - Font encoding
• inputenc - Input encoding (UTF-8)
• babel - Language support
• microtype - Typography improvements

Tables and Lists:

• booktabs - Professional tables
• longtable - Multi-page tables
• enumitem - Customizable lists

Graphics:

• tikz - Programmatic graphics
• pgfplots - Data plots
• subfig - Subfigures

Bibliography:

• natbib - Citations and bibliography
• biblatex - Modern bibliography system

Code Listings:

• listings - Source code formatting
• minted - Syntax highlighting (requires Python)

Advanced Graphics and Diagrams:

• tikz - Create diagrams, flowcharts, and complex graphics programmatically
• pgfplots - Publication-quality data plots and charts
• circuitikz - Circuit diagrams
• chemfig - Chemical structure diagrams

Algorithms and Pseudocode:

• algorithm2e - Algorithm formatting
• algorithmic - Pseudocode
• algorithmicx - Enhanced pseudocode

Advanced Math:

• mathtools - Extensions to amsmath
• physics - Physics notation shortcuts
• siunitx - SI unit formatting

Advanced Patterns

TikZ Diagrams

\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes,arrows,positioning}

\begin{tikzpicture}[node distance=2cm]
  % Define nodes
  \node (start) [circle, draw] {Start};
  \node (process) [rectangle, draw, right of=start] {Process};
  \node (end) [circle, draw, right of=process] {End};

  % Draw arrows
  \draw [->] (start) -- (process);
  \draw [->] (process) -- (end);
\end{tikzpicture}

Data Plots with PGFPlots

\usepackage{pgfplots}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.18}

\begin{tikzpicture}
  \begin{axis}[
    xlabel=$x$,
    ylabel=$f(x)$,
    legend pos=north west
  ]
    \addplot[blue, thick] {x^2};
    \addplot[red, dashed] {2*x};
    \legend{$x^2$, $2x$}
  \end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}

Algorithm Formatting

\usepackage{algorithm2e}

\begin{algorithm}[H]
  \SetAlgoLined
  \KwData{Input data}
  \KwResult{Output result}

  initialization\;
  \While{condition}{
    process data\;
    \If{condition}{
      do something\;
    }
  }

  \caption{Algorithm Description}
\end{algorithm}

Beamer Presentations

\documentclass{beamer}
\usetheme{Madrid}  % or Berlin, Copenhagen, etc.
\usecolortheme{beaver}

\title{Presentation Title}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}

\frame{\titlepage}

\begin{frame}{Outline}
  \tableofcontents
\end{frame}

\section{Introduction}
\begin{frame}{Introduction}
  \begin{itemize}
    \item<1-> First point (appears first)
    \item<2-> Second point (appears second)
    \item<3-> Third point (appears third)
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}[fragile]{Code Example}
  \begin{lstlisting}[language=Python]
def hello_world():
    print("Hello, World!")
  \end{lstlisting}
\end{frame}

\end{document}

SI Units with siunitx

\usepackage{siunitx}

% Numbers with units
\SI{3.14e8}{\meter\per\second}  % 3.14×10⁸ m/s
\SI{25}{\celsius}                % 25 °C
\SI{9.81}{\meter\per\second\squared}

% Tables with aligned decimals
\begin{tabular}{S[table-format=2.3]}
  \toprule
  {Value} \\
  \midrule
  1.234 \\
  12.567 \\
  0.001 \\
  \bottomrule
\end{tabular}

Subfigures

\usepackage{subcaption}

\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{image1.pdf}
    \caption{First subfigure}
    \label{fig:sub1}
  \end{subfigure}
  \hfill
  \begin{subfigure}[b]{0.45\textwidth}
    \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{image2.pdf}
    \caption{Second subfigure}
    \label{fig:sub2}
  \end{subfigure}
  \caption{Overall caption}
  \label{fig:main}
\end{figure}

Performance Tips for Large Documents

Speed Up Compilation

• Use \includeonly{chapter1} to compile only specific chapters
• Draft mode: \documentclass[draft]{article} (skips images)
• Use latexmk for smart recompilation
• Split large documents with \include{chapter1}

Memory Management

• For large bibliographies: use biblatex with backend=biber
• Reduce figure resolution in draft mode
• Use \input for smaller files, \include for chapters
• Clear auxiliary files regularly

Package Load Order

Critical order to avoid conflicts:

\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}   % First
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}       % Second
\usepackage{babel}             % Third
\usepackage{amsmath}           % Before hyperref
\usepackage{graphicx}          % Before hyperref
\usepackage{cleveref}          % After hyperref
\usepackage{hyperref}          % Near end
\usepackage{bookmark}          % After hyperref

Reference Files

This skill includes comprehensive documentation in references/:

• quick-start.md - Getting started with LaTeX
• mathematics.md - Math mode, equations, symbols
• formatting.md - Text formatting, fonts, spacing
• tables-graphics.md - Tables, figures, images
• bibliography.md - Citations and bibliography management
• troubleshooting.md - Common errors and solutions

Templates

Ready-to-use templates in assets/:

• article-template.tex - Basic article/paper
• report-template.tex - Report with chapters
• beamer-template.tex - Presentation slides
• letter-template.tex - Formal letter
• ieee-paper-template.tex - IEEE conference paper format

Scripts

Helper scripts in scripts/:

• compile.sh - Compile LaTeX document
• clean.sh - Remove auxiliary files
• bibtex.sh - Run complete BibTeX workflow

Common Patterns

Two-Column Layout

\documentclass[twocolumn]{article}
% or
\usepackage{multicol}
\begin{multicols}{2}
  Content in two columns
\end{multicols}

Custom Page Margins

\usepackage{geometry}
\geometry{
  a4paper,
  left=1in,
  right=1in,
  top=1in,
  bottom=1in
}

Custom Headers and Footers

\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhead[L]{Left Header}
\fancyhead[C]{Center Header}
\fancyhead[R]{Right Header}
\fancyfoot[C]{\thepage}

Including Code

\usepackage{listings}
\lstset{
  language=Python,
  basicstyle=\ttfamily,
  numbers=left,
  frame=single
}

\begin{lstlisting}
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
\end{lstlisting}

Multiple Authors

\author{
  First Author\thanks{University A} \and
  Second Author\thanks{University B} \and
  Third Author\thanks{University C}
}

Compilation Workflow

Standard:

pdflatex document.tex
pdflatex document.tex  # Run twice for references

With Bibliography:

pdflatex document.tex
bibtex document
pdflatex document.tex
pdflatex document.tex

Modern (latexmk):

latexmk -pdf document.tex  # Handles all compilation steps

Troubleshooting Quick Tips

Undefined control sequence:

• Missing package (add \usepackage{...})
• Typo in command name
• Missing math mode delimiter
• Command from newer package version

Missing $ inserted:

• Math symbols used outside math mode
• Add $...$ or \(...\) around math
• Underscore _ or caret ^ outside math mode

File not found:

• Check file path and extension
• Use relative paths or place in same directory
• For images, ensure file extension is specified
• Check for spaces in filenames (use grffile package)

Overfull \hbox:

• Line too wide to fit
• Add \sloppy or break long URLs with \url{}
• Use \linebreak or rephrase text
• For tables: reduce font size or use \resizebox

Undefined references:

• Run LaTeX twice (first pass creates labels, second resolves)
• Check label names match \ref{...} commands
• Ensure \label{} appears after \caption{}

Package clash / Option clash:

• Packages loaded multiple times with different options
• Load package once with all options: \usepackage[opt1,opt2]{pkg}
• Some packages must load in specific order (see Package Load Order)

! LaTeX Error: Environment ... undefined:

• Missing package that defines the environment
• Typo in environment name
• Package not installed (install from CTAN)

Dimension too large:

• TikZ/PGF coordinates too large
• Use smaller units or scale down
• Increase TeX's dimension limit (rare)

! Missing number, treated as zero:

• Usually in tabular/array environments
• Check for missing & or \\
• Verify column specifications match content

! Paragraph ended before ... was complete:

• Missing closing brace }
• Command argument spans multiple paragraphs (add \long)
• Check for balanced delimiters

Best Practices

Document Organization

1. Always compile twice after adding labels/references
2. Use meaningful labels: \label{sec:intro} not \label{s1}
3. Keep figures in subfolder: figures/image.pdf
4. Use vector graphics (PDF, EPS) when possible
5. Separate bibliography into .bib file
6. Split large documents: Use \include{chapter1} for chapters

Code Quality

7. Version control your .tex files (Git recommended)
8. Comment your code: % This explains the code
9. Use packages sparingly: Only include what you need
10. Consistent formatting: Choose one citation style
11. Test compilation early and often
12. UTF-8 encoding: Always use \usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}

Modern LaTeX Recommendations

13. Use cleveref for smart references: \cref{fig:plot} → "Figure 3"
14. Use booktabs for professional tables (no vertical lines)
15. Use biblatex instead of natbib for new projects
16. Use microtype for subtle typography improvements
17. Use \autoref or \cref instead of manual "Figure~\ref{}"
18. Load hyperref near the end of preamble (except cleveref, bookmark)

Performance and Efficiency

19. Use latexmk for automated compilation
20. Enable draft mode during editing: \documentclass[draft]{article}
21. Use \includeonly{} to compile only changed chapters
22. Clean auxiliary files regularly to prevent stale references

Resources

Online Documentation

• LaTeX Wikibook: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX
• Overleaf Learn: https://www.overleaf.com/learn
• CTAN (packages): https://ctan.org
• TeX Stack Exchange: https://tex.stackexchange.com

Reference Files

See references/ directory for detailed guides on:

• Quick start and basics
• Mathematical typesetting
• Text formatting and fonts
• Tables and graphics
• Bibliography management
• Troubleshooting common errors

Templates

See assets/ directory for ready-to-use templates:

• Academic papers
• Technical reports
• Presentations
• Letters
• Conference papers

Version History

• 1.1.0 (2026-01-01): Enhanced with advanced LaTeX patterns

  • Added TikZ diagram examples
  • Added PGFPlots for data visualization
  • Added algorithm formatting examples
  • Added Beamer presentation patterns
  • Added siunitx for SI units
  • Added subfigure examples
  • Enhanced troubleshooting (10 new error scenarios)
  • Added performance tips for large documents
  • Added package load order guidelines
  • Expanded best practices (22 items, organized by category)
  • Added advanced packages section (graphics, algorithms, math)

• 1.0.0 (2025-12-31): Initial manual creation

  • Comprehensive command reference
  • 5 document templates
  • Troubleshooting guide
  • Compilation scripts

Contributing

To enhance this skill:

1. Add new templates to assets/
2. Expand reference guides in references/
3. Update SKILL.md quick reference
4. Add helper scripts to scripts/
5. Document common patterns and solutions

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Created: Manually curated LaTeX skill Status: Production Ready Version: 1.1.0 Last Updated: 2026-01-01 Enhancement: Manual enhancement with advanced patterns and examples