Jeoffrey Young wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I really like how lyx structures my documents
> just right! However, sometimes I want it to structure
> it in a different way. The cover page is an example.
> So I was wondering if anyone here can suggest a good
> book or website where I can learn how to create my own
> latex class or modify the existing classes that came
> with lyx. I have a background in programming so that
> kind of text is not a problem for me. Unfortunately,
> when I opened a few lyx classes (i.e. article.cls) it
> looked more like gibberish than C++.
>
LaTeX is very much its own beast. The syntax takes some getting used to.
But it is comprehensible.
The best reference, in my experience, is the /Guide to LaTeX/, by Kopka
and Daly. The /locus classicus/ is /LaTeX: A Document Preparation
System/, by Leslie Lamport, the author of LaTeX, but it is less
comprehensive. That said, a lot of customization can be done more easily
with LaTeX packages. For example, if you want to customize the section
titles, you can use titlesec. It's easier and more portable than
modifying the class file. The best guide to these is /The LaTeX
Companion/, by Mittelbach and Goosens. And if you really want to
understand LaTeX, then you need to understand TeX itself. Here, the
reference is /The TeX Book/, which is online here:
http://net.ytu.edu.cn/share/%D7%CA%C1%CF/texbook.pdf
You should also have a fair bit of documentation on your local system.
If not, download it from here:
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/latex/ltx-tar.html
And, as always, google is your friend.
> Please also recommend a good latex class editing
> tool --> maybe with preview and appropriate
> highlighting... Thanks a lot guys.
>
This depends on your platform. On Linux, there is the excellent kile.
Any good LaTeX editor will provide syntax highlighting, though.
Richard
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