Re: LaTeX templates

[Paul Huygen <pemhuygen@chello.nl>]

martin f krafft <madduck@madduck.net> wrote:

> having tried LaTeX classes and style files, i am now resorting to
> simple \includes for letters, invoices and whatever; classes and style
> files are nice, but too complicated for my use

Classes are  not really complicated. In fact, you can make a kind of
sub-class that inherits everyting from a general class and adds
some customization. If you wish, I can send you my
simple class that I use to make letters. On the other hand, inclusion
of files with customization commands is simple too.

> now, i have a number such "templates" and i'd like to keep them all in
> one place, telling LaTeX of this include location. how?

The file /etc/texmf/texmf.cnf determines the places where TeX looks
for files. This file is well documented. For instance, my texmf.cnf
contains lines like:

HOMETEXMF = $HOME/texmf
TEXMF = {!!$HOMETEXMF,!!$TEXMFLOCAL,!!$TEXMFMAIN}
TEXINPUTS.latex = .;$TEXMF/tex/{latex,generic,}//

These lines instruct Tex to look in my directory

/home/paul/texmf/latex 

and subdirectories of this directory, to find LaTeX files.


Actually, TeX does not search directly in the directories, but in
lists of the files in those directories. When you put files in one of
the directories, you have to update the file lists with the command

mktexlsr


Greet

Paul Huygen