latex-documents

name	LaTeX Documents
description	Professional document preparation with LaTeX - compile papers, presentations, and technical documentation. Use when compiling LaTeX papers, Beamer presentations, or technical documentation.

LaTeX Documents Skill

Comprehensive LaTeX document preparation system with TeX Live toolchain for academic papers, technical documentation, and professional typesetting.

Capabilities

• Compile LaTeX documents to PDF
• Bibliography management with BibTeX/Biber
• Support for common document classes (article, report, book, beamer)
• Mathematical typesetting with AMS packages
• Figure and table management
• Cross-references and citations
• Multi-file projects with \include and \input
• Bibliography styles (IEEE, ACM, APA, etc.)
• Incremental compilation with latexmk
• Error diagnostics and log parsing

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Write academic papers and research articles
• Create technical documentation
• Generate professional presentations (Beamer)
• Typeset mathematical equations
• Produce publication-quality documents
• Manage bibliographies and citations
• Create multi-chapter books or theses
• Generate consistent formatted output

When Not To Use

• For simple markdown documents that do not need LaTeX formatting -- just write markdown directly
• For comprehensive reports with multi-LLM research, charts, and Wardley maps -- use the report-builder skill instead
• For diagrams and flowcharts as code -- use the mermaid-diagrams skill instead
• For web-based documentation that will not be compiled to PDF -- markdown or HTML is more appropriate
• For slide decks outside Beamer (e.g. HTML/reveal.js) -- standard web tools are a better fit

Prerequisites

• TeX Live packages: texlive-basic, texlive-bin, texlive-binextra, texlive-fontsrecommended, texlive-latexrecommended
• Bibliography: biber for biblatex processing
• Tools: pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex, latexmk

Available Commands

Compilation

• pdflatex <file>.tex - Standard LaTeX to PDF
• xelatex <file>.tex - Unicode and modern fonts
• lualatex <file>.tex - Lua-enhanced LaTeX
• latexmk -pdf <file>.tex - Automated build with dependencies

Bibliography

• bibtex <file> - Traditional BibTeX processing
• biber <file> - Modern biblatex backend

Utilities

• texdoc <package> - View package documentation
• kpsewhich <file> - Locate TeX files

Instructions

Creating a Basic Document

1. Create .tex file with document structure:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb}

\title{Document Title}
\author{Author Name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}
\maketitle

\section{Introduction}
Content here...

\end{document}

2. Compile using:

pdflatex document.tex

Bibliography Workflow

1. Create .bib file (references.bib):

@article{author2025,
  author = {Author, First},
  title = {Paper Title},
  journal = {Journal Name},
  year = {2025}
}

2. In .tex file:

\usepackage[backend=biber,style=ieee]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}

% In document
\cite{author2025}

% At end
\printbibliography

3. Compile sequence:

pdflatex document.tex
biber document
pdflatex document.tex
pdflatex document.tex

Or use latexmk:

latexmk -pdf -bibtex document.tex

Mathematical Typesetting

Common math environments:

% Inline math
$E = mc^2$

% Display math
\[
  \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}
\]

% Numbered equations
\begin{equation}
  \nabla \times \mathbf{E} = -\frac{\partial \mathbf{B}}{\partial t}
\end{equation}

% Aligned equations
\begin{align}
  a &= b + c \\
  d &= e \cdot f
\end{align}

Creating Presentations (Beamer)

Complete presentation creation system with the AmurMaple theme.

AmurMaple Theme Overview

Professional Beamer theme with multiple color variants and layout options.

Installation:

• Theme location: /themes/amurmaple/
• Files: beamerthemeAmurmaple.sty and img/ directory
• License: LPPL 1.3 (LaTeX Project Public License)
• Author: Maxime CHUPIN

Available Templates:

• templates/beamer/amurmaple-basic.tex - Simple presentation template
• templates/beamer/amurmaple-academic.tex - Research presentation with bibliography
• templates/beamer/amurmaple-technical.tex - Technical/engineering presentation

Demo and Examples:

• examples/beamer/demo-presentation.tex - Complete feature showcase
• examples/beamer/compile-beamer.sh - Automated compilation script

Basic Presentation Structure

\documentclass{beamer}
\usetheme{Amurmaple}

% Required packages
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

% Metadata
\title{Presentation Title}
\subtitle{Optional Subtitle}
\author{Your Name}
\institute{Your Institution}
\date{\today}

% Optional metadata
\mail{[e-mail]}
\webpage{https://example.com}
\collaboration{Joint work with...}

\begin{document}

% Title slide
\frame{\titlepage}

% Content frames
\begin{frame}{Frame Title}
  \begin{itemize}
    \item Point 1
    \item Point 2
    \item Point 3
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

% Thank you slide
\thanksframe{Thank you for your attention!}

\end{document}

Theme Color Variants

Choose from four professional color schemes:

% Red (default)
\usetheme{Amurmaple}

% Blue variant
\usetheme[amurmapleblue]{Amurmaple}

% Green variant
\usetheme[amurmaplegreen]{Amurmaple}

% Black variant
\usetheme[amurmapleblack]{Amurmaple}

Theme Options

Customize layout and appearance:

% Sidebar navigation
\usetheme[sidebar]{Amurmaple}

% Custom sidebar width
\usetheme[sidebar,sidebarwidth=70pt]{Amurmaple}

% Left-aligned frame titles
\usetheme[leftframetitle]{Amurmaple}

% Decorative rule
\usetheme[rule]{Amurmaple}

% Custom rule color
\usetheme[rule,rulecolor=blue]{Amurmaple}

% Disable progress gauge
\usetheme[nogauge]{Amurmaple}

% Top logo positioning
\usetheme[sidebar,toplogo]{Amurmaple}

% Delaunay triangulation background (LuaLaTeX only)
\usetheme[delaunay]{Amurmaple}

% Disable email display
\usetheme[nomail]{Amurmaple}

% Combine multiple options
\usetheme[sidebar,rule,leftframetitle,amurmapleblue]{Amurmaple}

Frame Types and Sections

Basic Frame:

\begin{frame}{Title}
  Content here
\end{frame}

Frame with Subtitle:

\begin{frame}{Title}{Subtitle}
  Content here
\end{frame}

Fragile Frame (for code):

\begin{frame}[fragile]{Code Example}
  \begin{lstlisting}
  code here
  \end{lstlisting}
\end{frame}

Plain Frame (no decorations):

\begin{frame}[plain]
  Full screen content
\end{frame}

Sections and Navigation:

\section{Introduction}  % Creates section in TOC

\sepframe  % Automatic separation frame with TOC

% Custom separation frame
\sepframe[title={Custom Title}]

% With image
\sepframe[image={\includegraphics[width=2cm]{logo.png}}]

Frame Subsections:

\begin{frame}{Main Title}
  \framesection{Subsection 1}
  Content for subsection 1

  \framesection{Subsection 2}
  Content for subsection 2
\end{frame}

Block Types

Standard Blocks:

\begin{block}{Block Title}
  Standard content block
\end{block}

\begin{alertblock}{Alert}
  Important warning or alert
\end{alertblock}

\begin{exampleblock}{Example}
  Example or case study
\end{exampleblock}

Mathematical Blocks:

\begin{theorem}[Theorem Name]
  Statement of theorem
\end{theorem}

\begin{definition}[Definition Name]
  Definition content
\end{definition}

\begin{corollary}
  Corollary statement
\end{corollary}

\begin{proof}
  Proof details
\end{proof}

Custom AmurMaple Blocks:

\begin{information}[Title]
  Information with icon
\end{information}

\begin{remark}[Optional Note]
  Additional remarks
\end{remark}

\begin{abstract}
  Presentation abstract or summary
\end{abstract}

\begin{quotation}[Author Name]
  "Quote text here"
\end{quotation}

Inline Alerts:

Regular text with \boxalert{highlighted alert} inline.

Overlays and Animations

Step-by-Step Reveals:

\begin{itemize}
  \item<1-> Appears on slide 1
  \item<2-> Appears on slide 2
  \item<3-> Appears on slide 3
  \item<4-> Appears on slide 4
\end{itemize}

Highlighting:

\begin{itemize}
  \item<1-| alert@1> Highlighted on slide 1
  \item<2-| alert@2> Highlighted on slide 2
  \item<3-| alert@3> Highlighted on slide 3
\end{itemize}

Conditional Display:

\only<1>{Content only on slide 1}
\only<2>{Content only on slide 2}

\onslide<1-2>{Content on slides 1-2}
\onslide<3->{Content from slide 3 onwards}

Pausing:

\begin{itemize}
  \item First item
  \pause
  \item Second item (appears after pause)
  \pause
  \item Third item (appears after second pause)
\end{itemize}

Column Layouts

Two Columns:

\begin{columns}[T]  % T for top alignment
  \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth}
    Left column content
  \end{column}
  \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth}
    Right column content
  \end{column}
\end{columns}

Three Columns:

\begin{columns}
  \begin{column}{0.32\textwidth}
    Column 1
  \end{column}
  \begin{column}{0.32\textwidth}
    Column 2
  \end{column}
  \begin{column}{0.32\textwidth}
    Column 3
  \end{column}
\end{columns}

Mixed Content Columns:

\begin{columns}[T]
  \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth}
    \framesection{Code}
    \begin{lstlisting}
    code here
    \end{lstlisting}
  \end{column}
  \begin{column}{0.48\textwidth}
    \framesection{Explanation}
    Text explanation here
  \end{column}
\end{columns}

Mathematical Presentations

Equations:

% Inline math
The formula $E = mc^2$ is famous.

% Display math
\[
  \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}
\]

% Numbered equation
\begin{equation}
  \nabla \times \mathbf{E} = -\frac{\partial \mathbf{B}}{\partial t}
\end{equation}

% Aligned equations
\begin{align}
  f(x) &= x^2 + 2x + 1 \\
  g(x) &= \sin(x) + \cos(x)
\end{align}

Matrices:

\[
  A = \begin{bmatrix}
    a_{11} & a_{12} \\
    a_{21} & a_{22}
  \end{bmatrix}
\]

Code Listings

Setup for Code Highlighting:

\usepackage{listings}
\usepackage{xcolor}

\lstset{
  basicstyle=\ttfamily\small,
  keywordstyle=\color{blue}\bfseries,
  commentstyle=\color{gray}\itshape,
  stringstyle=\color{red},
  showstringspaces=false,
  breaklines=true,
  frame=single,
  numbers=left,
  numberstyle=\tiny\color{gray},
  backgroundcolor=\color{gray!10}
}

Code in Frames:

\begin{frame}[fragile]{Python Example}
  \begin{lstlisting}[language=Python]
def fibonacci(n):
    a, b = 0, 1
    while a < n:
        print(a)
        a, b = b, a + b
  \end{lstlisting}
\end{frame}

Inline Code:

Use the \lstinline{print()} function.

Bibliography in Presentations

Setup:

\usepackage[backend=biber,style=ieee]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}

Citations:

\begin{frame}{Literature Review}
  Recent work by Smith et al. \cite{smith2024}
  shows promising results.
\end{frame}

Bibliography Frame:

\begin{frame}[allowframebreaks]{References}
  \printbibliography[heading=none]
\end{frame}

Graphics and Figures

Include Images:

\usepackage{graphicx}

\begin{frame}{Results}
  \begin{figure}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{results.pdf}
    \caption{Experimental results}
  \end{figure}
\end{frame}

TikZ Diagrams:

\usepackage{tikz}

\begin{frame}{Flowchart}
  \begin{center}
    \begin{tikzpicture}[node distance=2cm]
      \node[rectangle,draw] (start) {Start};
      \node[rectangle,draw,below of=start] (process) {Process};
      \node[rectangle,draw,below of=process] (end) {End};
      \draw[->] (start) -- (process);
      \draw[->] (process) -- (end);
    \end{tikzpicture}
  \end{center}
\end{frame}

Handout Generation

Create printable handouts without overlays:

# Command line option
pdflatex "\PassOptionsToClass{handout}{beamer}\input{presentation.tex}"

# In document preamble
\documentclass[handout]{beamer}

# Using compilation script
./compile-beamer.sh presentation.tex --handout

Handout-specific content:

\mode<handout>{
  \setbeamercolor{background canvas}{bg=white}
  \pgfpagesuselayout{2 on 1}[a4paper,border shrink=5mm]
}

Notes Pages

Add speaker notes:

% Enable notes
\setbeameroption{show notes}

\begin{frame}{Title}
  Content here
  \note{Speaker notes here}
\end{frame}

% Notes on separate page
\setbeameroption{show notes on second screen=right}

Compilation

Using pdfLaTeX:

pdflatex presentation.tex
pdflatex presentation.tex  # Second pass for TOC

With Bibliography:

pdflatex presentation.tex
biber presentation
pdflatex presentation.tex
pdflatex presentation.tex

Using Compilation Script:

# Basic compilation
./compile-beamer.sh presentation.tex

# With bibliography
./compile-beamer.sh presentation.tex --biber

# LuaLaTeX for delaunay option
./compile-beamer.sh presentation.tex --lualatex

# Generate handout
./compile-beamer.sh presentation.tex --handout

# Clean and recompile
./compile-beamer.sh presentation.tex --clean --biber

Using latexmk:

latexmk -pdf -pdflatex="pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode" presentation.tex

Complete Presentation Workflow

1. Choose Template:

   • Basic: Quick presentations
   • Academic: Research with citations
   • Technical: Code-heavy presentations

2. Customize Theme:

   • Select color variant
   • Choose layout options
   • Configure sidebar/navigation

3. Structure Content:

   • Define sections with \section{}
   • Use \sepframe for section transitions
   • Organise frames logically

4. Add Content:

   • Text, lists, and blocks
   • Mathematics and equations
   • Code listings
   • Graphics and diagrams

5. Compile:

   cd examples/beamer
   ./compile-beamer.sh your-presentation.tex --biber
   

6. Generate Handouts:

   ./compile-beamer.sh your-presentation.tex --handout
   

AmurMaple Special Features

Progress Gauge:

• Visual indicator of presentation progress
• Automatically positioned in sidebar or margin
• Disable with nogauge option

Automatic Page Numbering:

• Main slides: Arabic numerals (1/20)
• Appendix: Roman numerals (i/v)

Email and Webpage Display:

• Use \mail{} and \webpage{} commands
• Automatically formatted on title page
• Optional display with nomail option

Custom Thank You Frame:

\thanksframe{Thank you for your attention!}

% With custom graphic
\thanksframe[\includegraphics{logo.png}]{Thank you!}

Best Practices

1. Keep it Simple:

   • One main idea per frame
   • Limited text (6-7 lines max)
   • Use bullet points

2. Visual Hierarchy:

   • Use \framesection{} for subsections
   • Consistent block types
   • Color for emphasis (sparingly)

3. Animations:

   • Use overlays purposefully
   • Don't overuse animations
   • Progressive reveals for complex content

4. Code Presentations:

   • Keep code snippets short
   • Highlight important lines
   • Use fragile frames

5. Bibliography:

   • Keep citations minimal on slides
   • Full bibliography at end
   • Use consistent citation style

6. File Organisation:

   presentation/
   ├── presentation.tex
   ├── references.bib
   ├── figures/
   │   ├── plot1.pdf
   │   └── diagram.pdf
   └── code/
       └── example.py
   

Troubleshooting

Theme Not Found:

# Set TEXINPUTS environment variable
export TEXINPUTS=./themes/amurmaple:$TEXINPUTS
pdflatex presentation.tex

Compilation Errors:

• Use [fragile] option for frames with code
• Check for unescaped special characters
• Ensure all \begin{} have matching \end{}

Overlays Not Working:

• Verify overlay specifications: <1->, <2-4>, etc.
• Check frame is not marked [plain]
• Ensure not in handout mode

Bibliography Issues:

• Run biber after first pdflatex pass
• Check .bib file syntax
• Verify \addbibresource{} path

Delaunay Option:

• Only works with LuaLaTeX
• Use: lualatex presentation.tex
• Or: ./compile-beamer.sh presentation.tex --lualatex

Multi-File Projects

Main file (main.tex):

\documentclass{book}
\begin{document}
\include{chapter1}
\include{chapter2}
\end{document}

Chapter files (chapter1.tex):

\chapter{Introduction}
Content...

Error Handling

Common errors and fixes:

• Missing package: Install via tlmgr install <package>
• Undefined control sequence: Check package imports
• Missing references: Run biber/bibtex and recompile
• File not found: Check paths and \graphicspath

Document Classes

Available classes:

• article - Journal articles, short papers
• report - Technical reports, theses
• book - Books, longer documents
• beamer - Presentations
• IEEEtran - IEEE journal format
• acmart - ACM publication format

Common Packages

Essential

• amsmath, amssymb - Math symbols and environments
• graphicx - Include images
• hyperref - PDF hyperlinks
• geometry - Page layout
• fancyhdr - Custom headers/footers

Bibliography

• biblatex - Modern bibliography (use with biber)
• natbib - Natural sciences citations

Tables & Figures

• booktabs - Professional tables
• multirow - Multi-row cells
• subcaption - Subfigures

Code Listings

• listings - Source code formatting
• minted - Syntax highlighting (requires Python Pygments)

Output Formats

• PDF - Primary output format
• DVI - Intermediate format (convert with dvipdf)
• PS - PostScript (convert with dvips)

Best Practices

1. Use latexmk for automated builds
2. Version control .tex and .bib files (exclude .aux, .log, .pdf)
3. Modular structure for large documents
4. Consistent formatting with packages like cleveref
5. Float placement - Let LaTeX manage figure positions
6. Cross-references - Use \label and \ref

Troubleshooting

Compilation Issues

• Check .log file for detailed errors
• Clear auxiliary files: rm *.aux *.bbl *.blg *.log
• Update TeX Live: tlmgr update --self --all

Bibliography Not Showing

• Ensure \addbibresource{file.bib} before \begin{document}
• Run biber: biber main
• Check .blg file for biber errors
• Recompile LaTeX twice after biber

Missing Fonts

• Use xelatex or lualatex for system fonts
• Install font packages: tlmgr install <font-package>

Integration with Jupyter

Export Jupyter notebooks to LaTeX:

jupyter nbconvert --to latex notebook.ipynb
pdflatex notebook.tex

Related Skills

• jupyter-notebooks - Generate LaTeX from notebooks
• report-builder - Create figures for inclusion

Technical Details

• TeX engine: pdfTeX, XeTeX, LuaTeX
• Distribution: TeX Live (basic installation)
• Version: TeX Live 2024+
• Additional packages: Install via tlmgr

Notes

• Basic TeX Live installation (~500MB)
• Full TeX Live is ~7GB (install packages as needed)
• PDF generation typically takes 1-5 seconds
• Multi-pass compilation required for references
• Unicode support via XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX
• Compatible with Overleaf projects (copy .tex and .bib files)