Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-14 Thread Mike McLean
On 5/11/11 12:33 PM, Nick Dokos wrote:
 (I second Mike's suggestions re. defining LaTeX
 classes but it does require some LaTeX knowledge: the best thing to do
 is find a class that is oh-so-close and then change it as little as
 possible to get what you want). 
Speaking of that, I guess I should mention for completeness and clarity
that my classes are really extensions of the LaTeX ``memoir'' class.
Most of what is ``mine'' is really presetting options for memoir and a
=\LoadClass{memoir}=. My one class file is only ~200 lines, half of
which are comments.



Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-11 Thread Mike McLean
On 5/10/11 1:52 PM, Marcelo de Moraes Serpa wrote:
 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

I've done the same thing over the past few months and agree that
org-mode as the front end for a LaTeX document production system is the
way to go. The low-level tweak that I've added is a definition of a set
of LaTeX custom classes that map to my roles in life. For example, I
am the president of a non-profit organization and I have a LaTeX class
for that organization. This class defines chapter heads, title pages,
etc. to have a look-and-feel of the organization. I have a day job, the
LaTeX class for that reflects the corporate communication guidelines.
(And so on).

I had tried the route of defining various low-level LaTeX tweaks in
header statement in org export option files, and this was way to
complex, fragile, and very difficult to maintain. The time I spent the
last few weeks creating 3 (of 4) necessary LaTeX =.cls= files has so far
been time well spent. I would strongly recommend thinking about putting
any desired low-level LaTeX tweaks into a class (or set of classes) that
are *your's*.




Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-11 Thread Marcelo de Moraes Serpa
Thanks for the tip Mike. I had no idea about this approach, I'm still
too naive in TeX/LaTeX. I'll definitely have to get my head around
both -- but it's reassuring to know that I can write the content in
orgmode and tweak the LaTeX output it later as I want.

By the way, any book recommendations ? I'd like something that could
lay down the foundations and not take too much time. Also, not sure if
I should start with TeX or LaTeX.

Thanks!

Marcelo.

On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:15 AM, Mike McLean mike.mcl...@pobox.com wrote:
 On 5/10/11 1:52 PM, Marcelo de Moraes Serpa wrote:
 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

 I've done the same thing over the past few months and agree that
 org-mode as the front end for a LaTeX document production system is the
 way to go. The low-level tweak that I've added is a definition of a set
 of LaTeX custom classes that map to my roles in life. For example, I
 am the president of a non-profit organization and I have a LaTeX class
 for that organization. This class defines chapter heads, title pages,
 etc. to have a look-and-feel of the organization. I have a day job, the
 LaTeX class for that reflects the corporate communication guidelines.
 (And so on).

 I had tried the route of defining various low-level LaTeX tweaks in
 header statement in org export option files, and this was way to
 complex, fragile, and very difficult to maintain. The time I spent the
 last few weeks creating 3 (of 4) necessary LaTeX =.cls= files has so far
 been time well spent. I would strongly recommend thinking about putting
 any desired low-level LaTeX tweaks into a class (or set of classes) that
 are *your's*.






Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-11 Thread Nick Dokos
Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com wrote:

 Thanks for the tip Mike. I had no idea about this approach, I'm still
 too naive in TeX/LaTeX. I'll definitely have to get my head around
 both -- but it's reassuring to know that I can write the content in
 orgmode and tweak the LaTeX output it later as I want.
 

Resist the temptation to tweak (except as an experiment in order to
prove to yourself that something is possible). Go through the whole
production in org (I second Mike's suggestions re. defining LaTeX
classes but it does require some LaTeX knowledge: the best thing to do
is find a class that is oh-so-close and then change it as little as
possible to get what you want). Then figure out what you need to tweak -
go back to the org file and make any changes you can there to produce
what you want.  After you've done that, with much reluctance, tweak the
LaTeX file *once at the very end* and write down exactly what you did
(perhaps in a COMMENT in the original org file) so that you can recreate
it later.

If you make substantive changes to your org file, export, tweak and then
have to do it all over again and again, then unless you automate the
tweaks, you will *lose* time.

 By the way, any book recommendations ? I'd like something that could
 lay down the foundations and not take too much time. Also, not sure if
 I should start with TeX or LaTeX.
 

You should start with LaTeX - you'll eventually want Lamport's book,
despite the fact that many people hate it - I don't particularly like it
but it *is* indispensable. You can probably start here though:

 http://www.ctan.org/starter.html
 http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/lshort/english/

Nick



Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-10 Thread Thomas S. Dye
Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

 So, after reading this article:
 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
 realized how powerful the org-export feature is.

 I can basically do this:
  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
 and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
 (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
 information manager!
  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
 org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
 complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
 any other pure latex documents out there.
  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
* plaintext
* HTML
* DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)

 I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
 overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
 most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
 know.

 And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
 preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
 *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
 docbook). Amazing!

 By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
 Not that I need, only curious :)

 This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)

 Cheers!

 Marcelo.



Aloha Marcelo,

The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.

All the best,
Tom

-- 
Thomas S. Dye
http://www.tsdye.com



Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-10 Thread Marcelo de Moraes Serpa
Cool! Thanks.

Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like condition
export is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
would be useful. Take this example:

#+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

#+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
(NOTE: pseudo-code!)

#+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

#iif not LaTeX
   Hello World
#end

If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
out-of-the-box.

Cheers,

Marcelo.


On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

 So, after reading this article:
 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
 realized how powerful the org-export feature is.

 I can basically do this:
  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
 and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
 (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
 information manager!
  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
 org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
 complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
 any other pure latex documents out there.
  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
    * plaintext
    * HTML
    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)

 I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
 overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
 most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
 know.

 And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
 preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
 *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
 docbook). Amazing!

 By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
 Not that I need, only curious :)

 This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)

 Cheers!

 Marcelo.



 Aloha Marcelo,

 The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
 useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
 don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.

 All the best,
 Tom

 --
 Thomas S. Dye
 http://www.tsdye.com




Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-10 Thread Thomas S. Dye
Aloha Marcelo,

The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
be to use inline markup:

http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3

You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
the other export formats you care to support.

All the best,
Tom

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Cool! Thanks.

 Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like condition
 export is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
 would be useful. Take this example:

 #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
 come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
 (NOTE: pseudo-code!)

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 #iif not LaTeX
Hello World
 #end

 If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
 something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
 language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
 in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
 out-of-the-box.

 Cheers,

 Marcelo.


 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

 So, after reading this article:
 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
 realized how powerful the org-export feature is.

 I can basically do this:
  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
 and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
 (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
 information manager!
  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
 org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
 complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
 any other pure latex documents out there.
  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
    * plaintext
    * HTML
    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)

 I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
 overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
 most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
 know.

 And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
 preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
 *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
 docbook). Amazing!

 By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
 Not that I need, only curious :)

 This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)

 Cheers!

 Marcelo.



 Aloha Marcelo,

 The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
 useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
 don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.

 All the best,
 Tom

 --
 Thomas S. Dye
 http://www.tsdye.com



-- 
Thomas S. Dye
http://www.tsdye.com



Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-10 Thread Marcelo de Moraes Serpa
Thomas,

I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:

1) Cover image
2) The sub-cover:

   Title
 My Name
   Date

3) TOC

4) Intro, chapters...

How could I do that?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,

Marcelo.

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Aloha Marcelo,

 The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
 be to use inline markup:

 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3

 You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
 definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
 the other export formats you care to support.

 All the best,
 Tom

 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Cool! Thanks.

 Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like condition
 export is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
 would be useful. Take this example:

 #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
 come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
 (NOTE: pseudo-code!)

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 #iif not LaTeX
    Hello World
 #end

 If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
 something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
 language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
 in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
 out-of-the-box.

 Cheers,

 Marcelo.


 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

 So, after reading this article:
 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
 realized how powerful the org-export feature is.

 I can basically do this:
  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
 and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
 (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
 information manager!
  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
 org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
 complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
 any other pure latex documents out there.
  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export 
 to:
    * plaintext
    * HTML
    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)

 I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
 overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
 most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
 know.

 And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
 preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
 *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
 docbook). Amazing!

 By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
 Not that I need, only curious :)

 This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)

 Cheers!

 Marcelo.



 Aloha Marcelo,

 The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
 useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
 don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.

 All the best,
 Tom

 --
 Thomas S. Dye
 http://www.tsdye.com



 --
 Thomas S. Dye
 http://www.tsdye.com




Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-10 Thread Thomas S. Dye
Aloha Marcelo,

I don't /believe/ org will keep you from doing that.  

My guess is that you are going to end up redefining the LaTeX \maketitle
command, see

http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-11_2

I've done this once or twice--it's an adventure for someone with my
limited programming skills.  You're likely to get needed advice from the
folks at comp.text.tex if your introductory LaTeX readings don't get you
where you want to be.

Good luck!

Tom

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Cool, I will do!

 But org doesn't impose some structure that might prevent me from
 putting the cover in the first page? Just curious. I wouldn't also
 like to have to edit the latex generated afterwards, but that's a
 possibility.

 Thanks!

 Marcelo.

 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:35 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Aloha Marcelo,

 Others might do this differently, but I don't use LaTeX for book
 covers.  I only use it for the pages of the book.

 It sounds like your cover image is floating, which is something that
 LaTeX does with tables and images.  If you are new to LaTeX and don't
 have a feel for how it handles floats, then I recommend an
 introductory text.  Leslie Lamport's book is terrific, but there are
 other good introductions on the Internet.

 Org-mode and its LaTeX exporter are *not* going to insulate you from the
 need to learn some LaTeX, especially if you intend to write something as
 complex as a book.

 hth,
 Tom

 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Thomas,

 I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
 image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
 shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:

 1) Cover image
 2) The sub-cover:

    Title
  My Name
    Date

 3) TOC

 4) Intro, chapters...

 How could I do that?

 Thanks in advance!

 Regards,

 Marcelo.

 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Aloha Marcelo,

 The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
 be to use inline markup:

 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3

 You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
 definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
 the other export formats you care to support.

 All the best,
 Tom

 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Cool! Thanks.

 Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like condition
 export is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
 would be useful. Take this example:

 #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
 come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
 (NOTE: pseudo-code!)

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 #iif not LaTeX
    Hello World
 #end

 If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
 something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
 language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
 in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
 out-of-the-box.

 Cheers,

 Marcelo.


 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

 So, after reading this article:
 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
 realized how powerful the org-export feature is.

 I can basically do this:
  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
 and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
 (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
 information manager!
  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
 org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
 complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
 any other pure latex documents out there.
  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to 
 export to:
    * plaintext
    * HTML
    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)

 I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
 overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
 most pragmatic 

Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-10 Thread Marcelo de Moraes Serpa
Thanks Thomas. I got enough proof org can really be used to write a
book after finding out that Avdi Grimm wrote and published his
exceptional ruby book (http://exceptionalruby.com/) using org ;)

It's nice to be part of such a great community. Orgmode ROCKS!

Thank you for the help, now I'll get some much needed LaTeX knownledge.

Marcelo.

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 5:26 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Aloha Marcelo,

 I don't /believe/ org will keep you from doing that.

 My guess is that you are going to end up redefining the LaTeX \maketitle
 command, see

 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-11_2

 I've done this once or twice--it's an adventure for someone with my
 limited programming skills.  You're likely to get needed advice from the
 folks at comp.text.tex if your introductory LaTeX readings don't get you
 where you want to be.

 Good luck!

 Tom

 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Cool, I will do!

 But org doesn't impose some structure that might prevent me from
 putting the cover in the first page? Just curious. I wouldn't also
 like to have to edit the latex generated afterwards, but that's a
 possibility.

 Thanks!

 Marcelo.

 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:35 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Aloha Marcelo,

 Others might do this differently, but I don't use LaTeX for book
 covers.  I only use it for the pages of the book.

 It sounds like your cover image is floating, which is something that
 LaTeX does with tables and images.  If you are new to LaTeX and don't
 have a feel for how it handles floats, then I recommend an
 introductory text.  Leslie Lamport's book is terrific, but there are
 other good introductions on the Internet.

 Org-mode and its LaTeX exporter are *not* going to insulate you from the
 need to learn some LaTeX, especially if you intend to write something as
 complex as a book.

 hth,
 Tom

 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Thomas,

 I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
 image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
 shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:

 1) Cover image
 2) The sub-cover:

    Title
  My Name
    Date

 3) TOC

 4) Intro, chapters...

 How could I do that?

 Thanks in advance!

 Regards,

 Marcelo.

 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Aloha Marcelo,

 The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
 be to use inline markup:

 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3

 You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
 definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
 the other export formats you care to support.

 All the best,
 Tom

 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Cool! Thanks.

 Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like condition
 export is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
 would be useful. Take this example:

 #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
 come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
 (NOTE: pseudo-code!)

 #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

 #iif not LaTeX
    Hello World
 #end

 If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
 something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
 language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
 in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
 out-of-the-box.

 Cheers,

 Marcelo.


 On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye t...@tsdye.com wrote:
 Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 Hi list,

 So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
 could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
 allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
 to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

 I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
 TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
 the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
 about.

 So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
 pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

 Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

 So, after reading this article:
 http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
 realized how powerful the org-export feature is.

 I can basically do this:
  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
 and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
 (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
 information manager!
  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
 org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
 complex 

Re: [O] Org as a publishing toolkit

2011-05-10 Thread prad
Marcelo de Moraes Serpa celose...@gmail.com writes:

 It's nice to be part of such a great community. Orgmode ROCKS!

ya i think org may become quite possibly the most useful item i use
... once i learn how to do more with it.

-- 
in friendship,
prad