latex-writing

name	latex-writing
description	Create, edit, and compile LaTeX documents for academic papers using latex_compile, update_latex, and send_ui_directive tools. Use when the user mentions LaTeX, .tex files, academic writing, typesetting, or needs to compile documents with equations, theses, or journal submissions.

LaTeX Writing Skill

Description

Create, edit, and compile LaTeX documents for academic papers, theses, and reports.

Tools Used

• latex_compile - Compile LaTeX to PDF (auto-switches to LaTeX editor)
• update_latex - Update LaTeX editor content without compiling
• send_ui_directive - Send raw UI directives for advanced control

Usage Patterns

Create New Paper

When user says: "Create a new paper about [topic]"

1. Ask about target venue/format
2. Create main.tex with appropriate template
3. Set up bibliography file
4. Add standard sections (abstract, intro, conclusion)
5. Compile initial PDF

Add Equation

When user says: "Add the softmax equation"

1. Identify equation type (inline/display)
2. Generate LaTeX math code
3. Insert with appropriate label
4. Recompile PDF

Add Figure

When user says: "Add a figure showing [description]"

1. Ask for figure path or create placeholder
2. Generate figure environment
3. Add caption and label
4. Update references
5. Recompile PDF

Add Citation

When user says: "Cite this paper: [reference]"

1. Parse reference information
2. Create BibTeX entry
3. Insert \cite{} command
4. Run bibtex + latex

Fix Compilation Errors

When user says: "The LaTeX isn't compiling"

1. Read error log from latex_compile response's errors field
2. Identify error location and type (line number, missing package, undefined command)
3. Apply fix to the LaTeX source
4. Recompile with latex_compile and verify success: true

Common Templates

IEEE Conference

\documentclass[conference]{IEEEtran}
\usepackage{cite}
\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb,amsfonts}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{textcomp}

ACM Article

\documentclass[sigconf]{acmart}
\usepackage{booktabs}

CVPR Conference

\documentclass[10pt,twocolumn,letterpaper]{article}
\usepackage[pagenumbers]{cvpr}
\usepackage{times}
\usepackage{epsfig}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage[breaklinks=true,bookmarks=false]{hyperref}

\title{Paper Title}
\author{Author Name\\Institution\\{\tt\small [e-mail]}}

\begin{document}
\maketitle
\begin{abstract}
Abstract text here.
\end{abstract}

\section{Introduction}
...
\section{Related Work}
...
\section{Method}
...
\section{Experiments}
...
\section{Conclusion}
...

{\small
\bibliographystyle{ieee_fullname}
\bibliography{references}
}
\end{document}

Thesis

\documentclass[12pt,a4paper]{report}
\usepackage{geometry}
\geometry{margin=1in}

Math Snippets

Equations

• Inline: $x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$
• Display: \[ E = mc^2 \]
• Numbered: \begin{equation}...\end{equation}

Matrices

\begin{bmatrix}
a & b \\
c & d
\end{bmatrix}

Algorithms

\begin{algorithm}
\caption{Algorithm Name}
\begin{algorithmic}
\STATE ...
\end{algorithmic}
\end{algorithm}

Best Practices

1. Modular Structure: Use \input{} for sections
2. Consistent Labels: Use prefixes (fig:, tab:, eq:, sec:)
3. Version Control: Regular saves and snapshots
4. Error-First: Fix errors before adding content
5. Preview Often: Compile frequently to catch issues early