8

Is there an online manual for low-level LaTeX commands I can download?

I am looking for something which would have, for example:

\newif\ifportrait
\newif\ifcustomsize
\newif\ifdebug

\makeatletter
\renewenvironment{theindex}
  {\if@twocolumn
      \@restonecolfalse
   \else
      \@restonecoltrue
   \fi
   \setlength{\columnseprule}{0pt}
   \setlength{\columnsep}{35pt}
   \begin{multicols}{3}[\section*{\indexname}]
   \markboth{\MakeUppercase\indexname}%
            {\MakeUppercase\indexname}%
   \thispagestyle{plain}
   \setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
   \setlength{\parskip}{0pt plus 0.3pt}
   \relax
   \let\item\@idxitem}%
  {\end{multicols}\if@restonecol\onecolumn\else\clearpage\fi}
\makeatother
lockstep
  • 250,273
Regis Santos
  • 14,463

2 Answers2

16

The LaTeX2e kernel macros are documented in source2e. An unfinished macros2e document lists all of its macros which are deemed directly useful for package authors.

If you need help with the underlying plainTeX macros and primitives (which lie even deeper than the LaTeX kernel) then I suggest the free books TeX for the impatient and TeX by Topic which are freely available on CTAN.

Martin Scharrer
  • 262,582
  • 7
    IOW texdoc source2e, texdoc impatient. I would also add texdoc texbytopic. – przemoc Jul 12 '11 at 15:59
  • @przemoc: Thanks for mentioning it. I don't like to constantly repeat that it can also be accessed by texdoc. If it is on CTAN then it should be also accessible that way, but some people might not know texdoc. – Martin Scharrer Jul 12 '11 at 16:01
  • Martin Scharrer, i see your macros2e, but where did you learn what is there? – Regis Santos Jul 12 '11 at 16:03
  • @Martin: Sure, understandable. The thing is I believe that a lot of people is still unaware of texdoc. I'm think that way, because I myself haven't known about this for a few years since I started LaTeX never-ending journey... – przemoc Jul 12 '11 at 16:04
  • @xport: I was going to answer, but then I read that it's for iPad, so I stopped... :) EDIT: was only joking, use link provided by Martin, it's there linked as CTAN directory. In Linux it's here: /usr/share/doc/texlive-doc-en/plain/impatient – przemoc Jul 12 '11 at 16:05
  • 1
    @Regis: I was studying source2e and the latex.ltx file. – Martin Scharrer Jul 12 '11 at 16:06
  • @przemoc: You are right, I just learned about it two years ago. Way too late! (I wonder how long it is around) – Martin Scharrer Jul 12 '11 at 16:07
  • @xport: The sources should be on CTAN too: ftp://tug.org/tex/impatient/, see also the homepage: http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/teximpatient – Martin Scharrer Jul 12 '11 at 16:08
  • 8
    Calling a 400 page manual “for the impatient” is a rather strange definition of “impatient”. – Caramdir Jul 12 '11 at 16:12
  • @xport: Yes, or maybe you need to use etex.exe if it uses eTeX. I never compiled it by myself. – Martin Scharrer Jul 12 '11 at 16:17
  • 1
    @Caramdir: I sense a disturbance in the Force. The boy has no patience. The LaTeX Companions Third Revised Boxed Set: A Complete Guide and Reference for Preparing, Illustrating and Publishing Technical Documents (3rd Edition) has 3300+ pages. What it is, mere 400 pages? – przemoc Jul 12 '11 at 16:22
  • @przemoc: Psst! Don't remind me! I bought it a few years ago and never really read it. I also bought now Knuth's box set and have to read The TeXBook again, but more detailed this time. – Martin Scharrer Jul 12 '11 at 16:41
  • 1
    @przemoc: Compared to that, lshort really does seem short. – You Jul 12 '11 at 22:38
  • @You: Obviously, lshort2e is just a brochure with basics of the basics of the basics... If you have some luck, you may not need anything more to complete your current paper at visually acceptable level. – przemoc Jul 12 '11 at 22:50
8

here is a list of the LaTeX commands in different formats:

http://home.gna.org/latexrefman/