Nodes: Output files
TeX engines
Commit message: subject line
Let me know if the direction does not seem to perfectly suit.
Jim
----------------------------------------------------
Distraction is a kind of obesity of the mind
-- Matthew Crawford
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in plain text, write it as @code{LaTeX}.
- @c xx list of files output by (La)TeX; separate node?
- @c @LaTeX{} produces at
- @c least three files as output:
-
- @c @enumerate
- @c @item
- @c The main output file, which is one of:
-
- @c @table @code
- @c @item .dvi
- @c @findex .dvi @r{file}
- @c @findex latex @r{command}
- @c If invoked as @command{latex}, a ``Device Independent'' (@file{.dvi})
- @c file is produced. This contains commands that can be translated into
- @c commands for virtually any output device. You can view such
- @c @file{.dvi} output of @LaTeX{} by using a program such as
- @c @command{xdvi} (display directly), @command{dvips} (convert to
- @c PostScript), or @command{dvipdfmx} (convert to PDF).
-
- @c @item .pdf
- @c @findex .pdf @r{file}
- @c @cindex pdf@TeX{}
- @c @findex pdflatex @r{command}
- @c If invoked as @command{pdflatex}, a ``Portable Document Format''
- @c (@file{.pdf}) file. Typically, this is a self-contained file, with
- @c all fonts and images embedded. This can be very useful, but it does
- @c make the output much larger than the @file{.dvi} produced from the
- @c same document.
-
- @c @findex lualatex @r{command}
- @c @cindex Lua@TeX{}
- @c If invoked as @command{lualatex}, a @file{.pdf} file is created using
- @c the Lua@TeX{} engine (@url{http://luatex.org}).
-
- @c @findex xelatex @r{command}
- @c @cindex Xe@TeX{}
- @c If invoked as @command{xelatex}, a @file{.pdf} file is created using
- @c the Xe@TeX{} engine (@url{http://tug.org/xetex}).
-
- @c @end table
-
- @c Many other less-common variants of @LaTeX{} (and @TeX{}) exist, which
- @c can produce HTML, XML, and other things.
-
- @c @item
- @c @cindex transcript file
- @c @cindex log file
- @c @findex .log @r{file}
- @c The ``transcript'' or @file{.log} file that contains summary
- @c information and diagnostic messages for any errors discovered in the
- @c input file.
-
- @c @item
- @c @cindex auxiliary file
- @c @findex .aux @r{file}
- @c An ``auxiliary'' or @file{.aux} file. This is used by @LaTeX{} itself,
- @c for things such as cross-references.
- @c @end enumerate
-
- @c An open-ended list of other files might be created. We won't try to
- @c list them all.
@c xx components?
@c @findex \ @r{character starting commands}
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and the @code{\begin@{document@}} commands (this area is called the
@dfn{preamble}).
+ @menu
+ * Output files:: Files produced.
+ * TeX engines:: Programs that run @LaTeX{}.
+ @end menu
+
+
+ @node Output files
+ @section Output files
+
+ @LaTeX{} produces a main output file and at least two accessory files.
+ The main output file's name ends in either @file{.dvi} or @file{.pdf}.
+
+ @table @code
+ @item .dvi
+ @findex .dvi @r{file}
+ @findex latex @r{command}
+ If @LaTeX{} is invoked with the system command @command{latex} then it
+ produces a Device Independent file. To see your output you view the
+ information in this file on your screen with a program such as
+ @command{xdvi}. You can also convert this information to a PostScript
+ @code{.ps} file with @command{dvips}, convert it to a Portable Document
+ Format @code{.pdf} file with @command{dvipdfmx}, and there are many
+ other conversion programs available.
+
+ @item .pdf
+ @findex .pdf @r{file}
+ @cindex pdf@TeX{}
+ @findex pdflatex @r{command}
+ If @LaTeX{} is invoked with the system command @command{pdflatex} or a
+ number of other commands (@pxref{TeX engines}) then the main output is a
+ Portable Document Format file. Typically this is a self-contained file,
+ with all fonts and images included in the file.
+
+ @end table
+
+ @LaTeX{} also produces at least two accessory files.
+
+ @table @code
+
+ @item .log
+ @cindex transcript file
+ @cindex log file
+ @findex .log @r{file}
+ This transcript contains summary information such as a list of loaded
+ packages as well as diagnostic messages for any errors.
+
+ @item .aux
+ @cindex auxiliary file
+ @findex .aux @r{file}
+ Auxiliary information is used by @LaTeX{} for things such as
+ cross-references. (For example, the first time that @LaTeX{} finds a
+ forward reference, a cross-reference to something in the document that
+ has not yet appeared in the source, it will show in the output as a
+ double question mark @code{??}. When the referred-to spot does
+ eventually appear in the source then @LaTeX{} writes its location
+ information to this @code{.aux} file. On the next invocation, @LaTeX{}
+ reads the location information from this file and uses it to resolve the
+ reference, replacing the double question mark with the remembered
+ location.)
+
+ @end table
+
+ @LaTeX{} may produce additional accessory files, characterized by the
+ filename ending. These include a @code{.lof} file that is used to make
+ a list of figures, a @code{.lot} file used to make a list of tables, and
+ a @code{.toc} file used to make a table of contents. (There are too
+ many additional possibilities to list them all here.)
+
+
+
+ @node TeX engines
+ @section @TeX{} engines
+
+ @LaTeX{} is a set of commands that are run by a @TeX{} program
+ (@pxref{Overview}) and a number of such programs exist.
+
+ @table @code
+ @item e-TeX
+ @findex e-TeX @r{command}
+ @cindex e-@TeX{}
+ If @LaTeX{} is invoked using the system command @command{latex} then it
+ is run on this engine, which adds to Knuth's original program a set of
+ enhancements including additional debugging features and bi-directional
+ typesetting. This engine may produce as main output either a
+ @file{.dvi} or @file{.pdf} file, depending on how it is run.
+
+ @item luaLaTeX
+ @findex lualatex @r{command}
+ @cindex Lua@TeX{}
+ @cindex Lua
+ @cindex UTF-8
+ @cindex Unicode
+ If invoked using the system command @command{lualatex} then @LaTeX{} is
+ run on this engine, which adds to the @TeX{} command capabilities the
+ ability to write in the scripting language Lua
+ (@url{http://luatex.org}). This engine handles UTF-8 Unicode input
+ cleanly, and produces a @file{.pdf} file.
+
+ @item xeLaTeX
+ @findex xelatex @r{command}
+ @cindex Xe@TeX{}
+ @cindex TrueType fonts
+ @cindex OpenType fonts
+ If invoked using the system command @command{xelatex} then @LaTeX{} is
+ run on the Xe@TeX{} engine (@url{http://tug.org/xetex}). It supports
+ TrueType and OpenType fonts directly, using libraries from the
+ underlying operating system, so it can use almost any font on a modern
+ computer. This engine handles UTF-8 Unicode input cleanly, and produces
+ a @file{.pdf} file.
+
+ @end table
+
+ Less-common variants of @LaTeX{} and @TeX{} exist, which can produce
+ HTML or XML output, among other things.
+
+
+
@node Document classes
@chapter Document classes
