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https://github.com/mattynaz/latex-notes

A LaTeX document class for notes 📝 and textbooks 📚
https://github.com/mattynaz/latex-notes

latex latex-class latex-document latex-template pdf

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A LaTeX document class for notes 📝 and textbooks 📚

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README 

        
# LaTeX class for notes and textbooks



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**Author:** Matthew A. Nazari



**Current release:** v1.1 



**Description:** A LaTeX document class built lecture notes and textbooks.



**Download**: Simply [download the latest release](https://github.com/mattynaz/latex-notes/releases/latest) and manually extract the required `.cls` file.



## Installing the class

Drag the `.cls` file into your the folder of your current LaTeX project. If you want the class to be available for all projects on your system, drag the `.cls` file into your LaTeX document tree (your `texmf` folder). Note that this might be different depending on different versions of TeX. On Mac, find your `texmf` folder by running `kpsewhich -var-value=TEXMFHOME`. Then, directory `.../texmf/tex/latex/notes` to a `notes` folder which will hold the `.cls` file. 



## Working with the class

Your documents based on this lecture class must adhere to the following blueprint:



```LaTeX

\documentclass[...]{notes}



\begin{document}

  ...

\end{document}

```



There are several optional commands to put in the preamble (before `\begin{document}`) to customize the title of the document:

```LaTeX

\documentclass[...]{notes}



% Title of document.

\title{}



% Subtitle goes under title text.

\subtitle{}



% Title of course will be the document title if title not given.

\coursetitle{}



% Course code to display above title text.

\coursecode{}



% Optional description to display at bottom of title.

\flag{}



\season{}

\year{}

\date{dd}{mm}{yyyy}

\authors{}

\professor{}

\scribe{}

\place{}



\begin{document}

  ...

\end{document}

```



Formatting the person commands, `\authors`, `\professor`, `scribe`, can be done with

- `\and`,

- `\thanks`,

- and `\titlehref`:

```LaTeX

% Seperate people with `\and` and add footnotes with `\thanks`.

\authors{First Person \and Second Person\thanks{a footnote}}



% Add an href with `\titlehref{url}`...

\professor{Jane Doe\titlehref{https://janedoe.com/}}



% ... or specify display text with `\titlehref[url]{display text}[optional display tag]`.

\scirbe{John Doe\titlehref[mailto:[email protected]]{john@doe}[personal email]}

```



### Examples

Refer to the [example.tex](docs/examples/example.tex) file for an example on how to use some of the environments, commands, and shortcuts available in your document. Take a look at [example.pdf](docs/examples/example.pdf) to see the final product.

I highly encourage looking at [theorems.pdf](docs/examples/theorems.pdf) to see how each of the 5 theorem style presets look compared to one another:



![theorem presets](https://i.imgur.com/tg16Mae.png)



### Options

You can include options for your document by passing them like so: `\documentclass[options, go, here]{notes}`. All of the options available are below:



1. Specify any theorem presets by style:

- `notheorems`

- `plain`

- `boxed`

- `colorbox`

- `graybox` or `greybox` **(default)**

- `flashcard`



2. Tune the formatting of your document:

- `plainnums` for plain numeral styles versus the default old style numerals

- `twoside` for printing

- `centertitle` centers the title text 

- `titlepage` have the title be on its own page

- `nomargin` for symmetric margins

- `noheader` for no header

- `notablecontents` for no table of contents

- `notitle` for no title



3. Date formats

- `isodate` *YYYY-MM-DD*

- `usdate` *Month DD, YYYY*

- `usdateshort` *MM-DD-YYYY*

- `eurodate` *DD Month YYYY* **(default)**



### Environments

There are custom environments already defined which you can use in your document



1. Create a figure with `\begin{fig}[optional caption]` or `\begin{fig*}[optional caption]`:

```LaTeX

\begin{fig}[an optional caption]

  \includegraphics{graph}

\end{marginfig}

```



2. Place a figure in the margin with `\begin{marginfig}[optional caption]` or `\begin{marginfig*}[an optional caption]`:

```LaTeX

\begin{marginfig}[the caption]

  \begin{tikzpicture}[main/.style = {draw, circle}]

    \node[main] (1) {$x_1$};

  \end{tikzpicture}

\end{marginfig}

```



3. Create a custom theorem environment with `\begin{theoremname}[optional term name]`:

```LaTeX

\begin{proposition}[A basic proposition]

  If $x = 10$, then 2 divides $y = \frac{x}{2}$.

\end{proposition}

```



### Commands and Shortcuts

There are some additional commands you can use _inside your document_, i.e. within `\begin{document}` and `\end{document}`, besides those which are already part of the blueprint given above:



1. Fonts are specified with `\bold`, `\italics`, `\normalfont`, `\smallcaps`, and `\spacedletters`. These also have command forms that won't override eachother. Note that `\normalfont` overrides any font styling:

```LaTeX

\bf{This text is bold.}

{\bold That is equivalent to this.}



\it{This text is bold.}

{\italics That is \bf{exactly} equivalent to this.}



\sc{This text is in smallcaps.}

{\smallcaps That is \bf{exactly} equivalent to this.}



\spaced{This text is spaced out.}

{\spacedletters That is \bf{exactly} equivalent to this.}



\bf{\normalfont This text is normal since it was normalized.}

```



2. There are also many math shortcuts. Not all are specified here, so taking a peak inside the `.cls` file might be useful.



3. Place somethin in the margin with `\marginpar[optional vspace]{...}`:

```LaTeX

This is a paragraph.

\marginpar[1in]{\italics This is a side note placed 1in above the end the paragraph.}

```



4. Create a new theorem with `\newtheorem{name}{Display name}[options][counter]`:

```LaTeX

\newtheorem{thm}{Theorem}[

  style      = {boxed}, % only one of: plain/boxed/colorbox/flashcard

  nocounter  = {false}, % only either: true/false

  big        = {false}, % only either: true/false

  titlefont  = {\bold},

  termfont   = {\bold\italics},

  bodyfont   = {\normalfont\small},

  backcolor  = black!6,

  framecolor = cyan!80!white,

][section]



\begin{thm}[Example Theorem]

  ...

\end{thm}

```



### Dependencies

`amsmath`       `amssymb`       `caption`       `changepage`       `environ`       `fancyhdr`       `float`       `hyperref`       `geometry`       `keyval`       `microtype`       `newpxmath`       `newpxtext`       `setspace`       `tcolorbox`       `tikz`       `tocloft`       `titlesec`       `xcolor`       `xparse`      



## Version history

### 1.1

- Added theorem preset examples to `README.MD`.

- Added `notitle` and `noheader` options.

### 1.0

Initial release.



## End notes

### License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.



### Acknowledgments

Thanks to [V.H. Belvadi](https://vhbelvadi.com/latex-lecture-notes-class/) for inspiration for this `README.md`.