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I have been using latex and beamer for about 8 years, doing mostly basic tasks and occasionally using more advanced features. Recently I have been motivated to create my own beamer theme and discovered that using other people's code is a barrier to my ability to customize my documents/slides.

My question is, should I go through the long process of learning tex? Or remain looking for examples which fit my immediate task and continue requesting support on sites like this and forums?

It does not seem to be an easy to read/understand language framework, so what are the benefits in the future? A possibility would be to finally understand what some commands perform such as \hbox, leavemode etc.

David Carlisle
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Vass
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    This question is not easy to answer, therefore I will just comment. I think learning (La)TeX is worth its effort. If you're able to not only use but also understand other people's code you will see that your possibilities are "endless". Sometimes it is even better to know something more, because it enables you to avoid incompatibilities and other common problems with foreign code. – TeXnician Feb 06 '17 at 18:02
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    Think of it as a long-term investment. It pays dividends. If that doesn't convince you, contemplate using Microsoft Word for the rest of your life. – Steven B. Segletes Feb 06 '17 at 18:05
  • @StevenB.Segletes, wow, what a motivational comment, I am now thinking of ordering a TeX book for my kindle tonight. – Vass Feb 06 '17 at 18:07
  • @user124577, it has been annoying using code and getting errors that I do not understand, this may be a long overdue step – Vass Feb 06 '17 at 18:08
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    I don't understand the or between your alternatives. By looking at examples you will automatically learn something about TeX. Do a bit of background reading now and then (LaTeX manual, LaTeX companion, the TeXbook) or research the meaning of some commands that occur frequently (by asking in a forum or looking them up in books or somewhere on the internet). This way you will gradually get a better understanding. Systematically reading e.g. the TeXbook as a whole (to "learn" TeX) might take quite some time and is less effective. – gernot Feb 06 '17 at 18:08
  • At this point I agree with gernot, the best way to learn TeX is to actually use it and when problems occur to try to adapt other people's usecases to your needs. – TeXnician Feb 06 '17 at 18:12
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    take advantage of the resources listed here: What are good learning resources for a LaTeX beginner?, end especially this answer: http://tex.stackexchange.com/a/160999/579 (even if you're not a novice there's a lot to be learned there.) – barbara beeton Feb 06 '17 at 18:43
  • Really should be moved to chat, or something like that. But my two cents: For a user such as myself, who uses only LuaLatex with OT fonts in a specific document class, it requires too much effort to "learn LaTeX." The reason is that a lot of structure dates far back, and is coded to support things that are invisible or irrelevant. With a minimal working knowledge, I have found it better to search for answers. –  Feb 06 '17 at 21:45

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