The PracTeX Journal

From the Editor

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:39:51 GMT

In this issue;
Next issue: Best of PracTeX;
Editorial: LaTeX and TeX on the Web

Feedback from readers

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:38:54 GMT

Letters to the editors.

News from Around

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:38:06 GMT

What is New in LaTeX; User group news — three print journal releases

Whole Issue PDF for PracTeX Journal 2008-3

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:37:13 GMT

The 2008-3 issue in a single PDF.

A gentle learning curve for LaTeX

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:36:24 GMT

George Gratzer. Is there an easy way to get started in LaTeX? I suggest that there is.

Writing posters in LaTeX

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:35:25 GMT

Tomas Morales de Luna. LaTeX is an excellent editor for the creation of poster presentations. When writing a poster with LaTeX, several options are available. Here we would like to present some of these options and in particular the a0poster class and Brian Amberg's poster template. We shall introduce the basics as well as some useful packages and techniques to make your poster look nice. You can even choose to write your poster sequentially or up from different text blocks positioned absolutely or relatively within the page.

Clinical trials management on the internet — I. Using LaTeX and SAS to produce customized forms

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:34:22 GMT

Paul A. Thompson. In clinical trials, forms are used to gather data which is then entered into a database. Paper-based forms are still the standard for data collection, due to portability, stability, and storage considerations. In producing forms, SI (a SAS product which works with the Internet) is used to facilitate the entry of information about participants in a clinical trial over the internet. Using LaTeX, the forms are then processed to produce a .pdf file. The .pdf is returned to the requesting party using a return page on the web browser. The entire process takes about 20 seconds. The system allows highly customized forms to be produced, in which values are inserted into appropriate locations on the forms. LaTeX is important due to its superior scripting capabilities, while SAS provides a very flexible database to pull information to be inserted into the forms, as well as providing a method for scripting up the entire transaction. The code required for the process and general approach is outlined.

Clinical trials management on the internet — II. Using LaTeX, PostScript, and SAS to produce barcode label sheets

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:33:32 GMT

Paul A. Thompson. In clinical trials, it is often necessary to print labels with barcodes to identify samples. The availability of open-source tools for barcode management is still somewhat limited. Until recently, no LaTeX tools existed for the manipulation and encoding of barcodes. Using direct PostScript, barcode can be defined for strings to be printed on labels. Using LaTeX, the labels can be queued up into appropriate sizes for specific label sheets, and tnen converted into .pdf files. Using SAS, the label sheets can be ordered in a web environment, queued up into& appropriate files, and returned to users in a printable file.

plasTeX: Converting LaTeX Documents to Other Markup Languages

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:32:30 GMT

Tim Arnold. This article introduces plasTeX, a software package for converting LaTeX documents to other markup languages. It begins with usage details including examples of how to create HTML and DocBook XML from LaTeX sources. Then, it describes development details: how plasTeX works and how developers can use it to create or extend a publishing workflow in a production setting. Finally, it ends with some examples of customizing the parser and renderer as well as suggestions of how others can contribute to this open source project.

Travels in TeX Land: A sidebar for a book

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:31:16 GMT

David Walden. In this column in each issue I muse on my wanderings around the TeX world. In this issue I describe a small effort to typeset a sidebar for a book project.

Book reviews

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:30:08 GMT

More Math into LaTeX, by George Gratzer
Tout ce que vous avez troujours voulu savoir sur LaTeX sans jamais oser le demander (in French), by Vincent Lozano

LaTeX & TeX web sites

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:28:35 GMT

A selection of LaTeX and TeX web sites that PracTeX Journal editors recommend.

Ask Nelly: Q&A

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:27:38 GMT

How do I replace one overlay with another on a Beamer slide?
How do I typeset ancient Greek quotations?

Distractions: Writing recipes with LaTeX

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:26:49 GMT

For this issue of TPJ, we selected a package from an area which is usually overlooked: cooking. There are several packages allowing you to have fun writing your own recipes. We selected one: recipe.cls, by Maurizio Loreti (it can be found on CTAN or you can take it from here). For an example we chose an Italian recipe, from the book In a Roman Kitchen, by Jo Bettoja (John Wiley, 2003). So, here they are, the Taxi Driver's Eggplants and the source.

Enjoy!