LATEX2e: An unofficial reference manual July 2021 https://latexref.xyz This document is an unofficial reference manual forA LTEX, a document preparation system, version of July 2021. This manual was originally translated from LATEX.HLP v1.0a in the VMS Help Library. The pre-translation version was written by George D. Greenwade of Sam Houston State University. The LATEX 2.09 version was written by Stephen Gilmore. The LATEX2e version was adapted from this by Torsten Martinsen. Karl Berry made further updates and addi- tions, and gratefully acknowledges using Hypertext Help with LATEX, by Sheldon Green, and LATEX Command Summary (for LATEX 2.09) by L. Botway and C. Biemesderfer (published by the TEX Users Group as TEXniques number 10), as reference material. We also gratefully acknowledge additional material appearing in latex2e-reference by Martin Herbert Dietze. (From these references no text was directly copied.) Copyright 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Karl Berry. Copyright 1988, 1994, 2007 Stephen Gilmore. Copyright 1994, 1995, 1996 Torsten Martinsen. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the con- ditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another lan- guage, under the above conditions for modified versions. i Short Contents 1 About this document :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1 2 Overview of LATEX :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 2 3 Document classes:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 7 4 Fonts :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 16 5 Layout ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 28 6 Sectioning :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 37 7 Cross references :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 49 8 Environments :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 53 9 Line breaking :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 99 10 Page breaking :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 104 11 Footnotes :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 107 12 Definitions ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 112 13 Counters ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 125 14 Lengths ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 129 15 Making paragraphs :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 136 16 Math formulas :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 140 17 Modes ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 168 18 Page styles ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 170 19 Spaces::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 174 20 Boxes ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 187 21 Color ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 193 22 Graphics ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 197 23 Special insertions :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 208 24 Splitting the input ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 218 25 Front/back matter ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 222 26 Letters :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 235 27 Input/output ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 240 28 Command line interface::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 247 A Document templates ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 252 Index ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 255 ii Table of Contents 1 About this document ::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1 2 Overview of LATEX ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 2 2.1 Starting and ending :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 2 2.2 Output files :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 3 2.3 TEX engines :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 3 2.4 LATEX command syntax ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 5 2.5 Environment ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 5 2.6 CTAN: The Comprehensive TEX Archive Network::::::::::::::: 6 3 Document classes:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 7 3.1 Document class options ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 7 3.2 Additional packages :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 8 3.3 Class and package construction ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 9 3.3.1 Class and package structure:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 9 3.3.2 Class and package commands ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 10 4 Fonts :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 16 4.1 fontenc package :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 16 4.1.1 \DeclareFontEncoding :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 17 4.1.2 \DeclareTextAccent ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 18 4.1.3 \DeclareTextAccentDefault::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 18 4.1.4 \DeclareTextCommand & \ProvideTextCommand :::::::::: 19 4.1.5 \DeclareTextCommandDefault & \ProvideTextCommandDefault ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 19 4.1.6 \DeclareTextComposite ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 20 4.1.7 \DeclareTextCompositeCommand ::::::::::::::::::::::::: 20 4.1.8 \DeclareTextSymbol ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 20 4.1.9 \DeclareTextSymbolDefault::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 21 4.1.10 \LastDeclaredEncoding :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 21 4.1.11 \UseTextSymbol & \UseTextAccent::::::::::::::::::::: 22 4.2 Font styles :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 22 4.3 Font sizes ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 24 4.4 Low-level font commands :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 25 5 Layout :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 28 5.1 \onecolumn ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 28 5.2 \twocolumn ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 28 5.3 \flushbottom ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 30 5.4 \raggedbottom:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 30 5.5 Page layout parameters :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 30 iii 5.6 \baselineskip & \baselinestretch ::::::::::::::::::::::::: 32 5.7 Floats ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 34 6 Sectioning::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 37 6.1 \part ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 38 6.2 \chapter:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 39 6.3 \section:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 40 6.4 \subsection :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 41 6.5 \subsubsection, \paragraph, \subparagraph :::::::::::::::: 42 6.6 \appendix :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 43 6.7 \frontmatter, \mainmatter, \backmatter :::::::::::::::::::: 44 6.8 \@startsection, typesetting sectional unit headings ::::::::::: 45 7 Cross references :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 49 7.1 \label :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 49 7.2 \pageref:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 50 7.3 \ref :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 50 7.4 xr package :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 51 8 Environments::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 53 8.1 abstract:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 53 8.2 array ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 54 8.3 center :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 55 8.3.1 \centering :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 56 8.4 description :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 56 8.5 displaymath :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 57 8.6 document:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 58 8.6.1 \AtBeginDocument ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 58 8.6.2 \AtEndDocument:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 58 8.7 enumerate :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 58 8.8 eqnarray:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 60 8.9 equation:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 60 8.10 figure ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 61 8.11 filecontents:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 62 8.12 flushleft ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 63 8.12.1 \raggedright ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 63 8.13 flushright :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 64 8.13.1 \raggedleft :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 64 8.14 itemize:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 64 8.15 letter environment: writing letters :::::::::::::::::::::::::: 66 8.16 list ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 66 8.16.1 \item: An entry in a list :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 70 8.16.2 trivlist: A restricted form of list ::::::::::::::::::::: 71 8.17 math ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 72 8.18 minipage :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 72 8.19 picture:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 74 8.19.1 \put :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 76 iv 8.19.2 \multiput :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 77 8.19.3 \qbezier:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 77 8.19.4 \graphpaper :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 78 8.19.5 \line ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 78 8.19.6 \linethickness :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 79 8.19.7 \thinlines ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 79 8.19.8 \thicklines :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 79 8.19.9 \circle ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 79 8.19.10 \oval :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 79 8.19.11 \shortstack :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::