On Sun, 13 Jan 2013 16:24:42 -0700, Jacob Bishop said: > On Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 1:31 PM, Steve Litt > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > A lot of you are able to instantly find LaTeX packages to solve > > random problems. I can't do that and want to learn how. I know of > > the existence of ctan.org just like everyone else, but there's > > something in my mental makeup that's different from yours, and I > > want to adopt your beliefs and your mindset in order to produce > > your results. > > > > I know to most of you this sounds trivial and self-explanatory, but > > to me it's anything but, so please tell me your beliefs, mindset and > > techniques as you search for a package to solve a specific problem. > > > > All I can give on this is my own personal perspective, but it seems > that is what you are looking for, so here goes. First of all, I never > look for a specific package. I look for a solution to my specific > problem. For example, when I gave my masters' thesis to my graduate > advisor to proofread, he came back with several problems. One comment > was, "Why did you hyphenate that word? That word should never be > hyphenated." So, I type "latex no hyphen" or "lyx no hyphen" into a > Google search. In this case, when I sift through the search results, > I learn that I can avoid hyphenation in the entire document by using > the hyphenation package with the option 'none.' I also learn about > \raggedright, and \sloppy. Then, I find that I can use the command > \hyphenation{doNotHyphenateThisWord}, and I'm done. > > As I go through search results I try the solutions proposed, and see > what effect they produce on my document. When I get something that > works, I stop. Sometimes I find that my question was not well posed, > but in sifting through the hits on the search results, I usually find > a better way to ask the question, and with a refined question I am > set. This almost always works. I used the logs from the lyx-users > list for years before I finally signed up. > > When I go through this process, I am not only looking for the > solution to my problem, but also for a better understanding of the > software I am working with. For example, I started using LyX, and > have eventually gained a better understanding of TeX and LaTeX as > well. > > This is my general approach when I have any problem. Although > according to others, I should read the documentation first-thing when > starting to use a new program, well I don't. When I run into > something I don't know how to do I just search. More often than not I > find the answer I am looking for. In the somewhat unique case of LyX, > responses to questions inevitably point to a particular section in > the documentation. In this case, I have turned to the documentation, > but only after learning that it is the most reliable and up-to-date > source of the information I seek. For example, the customization > manual does a great job documenting how to prepare your own template > for LyX. There is no other source that equals it in terms of quality > and coverage of information. I believe this is why searching for > answers online led to people citing a particular section of the > manual. With other software I have sometimes found the built-in > documentation to be rather worthless in that it is so difficult to > use or scant in terms of information that online searches are better. > > Because this answer has turned into a ramble, I will try to cut it > short. I never search for a particular package, but for how others in > a similar situation have solved a particular problem. This sometimes > leads to a package, sometimes to TeX or LaTeX code that must be > included in the document, and sometimes to an option or a checkbox > that should have been checked or un-checked. As I search, I am > looking for both short-term solutions and a better understanding of > the relevant mechanisms that will help me apply the solution or > prevent the need for a future search. This understanding also helps > me recognize the answer to my problem when I see it. I hope this is > the type of response you were looking for. > > Jacob
Thank you Jacob, This was the kind of answer I was hoping to get, I think I understand it, and I will use it. Everyone else, please feel free to chip in, as I'm sure there are plenty more mindsets and methodologies that yield successful solutions. Thanks SteveT Steve Litt * http://www.troubleshooters.com/ * http://twitter.com/stevelitt Troubleshooting Training * Human Performance
