Advanced & Layout

Spacing, Layout, Beamer & TeX Internals

Fine-tune page margins, spacing lengths, Beamer presentation slides, collaborative drafting annotations, and low-level macro expansion.

Spacing & Page Layout

Comprehensive syntax, arguments, options, and copyable snippets for spacing & page layout.

Command

`\quad`

Horizontal space (1 em)

Example Code

$a \quad b$

Command

`\qquad`

Horizontal space (2 em)

Example Code

$a \qquad b$

Command

`\,`

Thin space

Example Code

$dx\,dy$

Command

`\:`

Medium space

Example Code

$a\:b$

Command

`\;`

Thick space

Example Code

$a\;b$

Command

`\!`

Negative thin space

Example Code

$a\!b$

Command Mandatory { }

`\hspace{length}`

Inserts horizontal space of given length

Example Code

\hspace{1cm}

Command Mandatory { }

`\vspace{length}`

Inserts vertical space of given length

Example Code

\vspace{1cm}

Command Mandatory { }

`\hspace*{length}`

Horizontal space that is not removed at line breaks

Example Code

\hspace*{1cm}

Command Mandatory { }

`\vspace*{length}`

Vertical space that is not removed at page breaks

Example Code

\vspace*{1cm}

Command

`\smallskip`

Small vertical space

Example Code

\smallskip

Command

`\medskip`

Medium vertical space

Example Code

\medskip

Command

`\bigskip`

Large vertical space

Example Code

\bigskip

Command

`\noindent`

Suppresses paragraph indentation

Example Code

\noindent This paragraph is not indented.

Command

`\indent`

Forces paragraph indentation

Example Code

\indent This paragraph is indented.

Command Mandatory { }

`\setlength{\cmd}{length}`

Sets a length register

Example Code

\setlength{\parindent}{0pt}

Command Mandatory { }

`\addtolength{\cmd}{length}`

Adds to a length register

Example Code

\addtolength{\textwidth}{2cm}

Command Mandatory { }

`\newlength{\cmd}`

Defines a new length register

Example Code

\newlength{\mylength}

Command

`\parindent`

Length register for paragraph indentation

Example Code

\setlength{\parindent}{15pt}

Command

`\parskip`

Length register for space between paragraphs

Example Code

\setlength{\parskip}{6pt}

Command

`\baselineskip`

Length register for line spacing

Example Code

\setlength{\baselineskip}{14pt}

Command

`\textwidth`

Length register for text block width

Example Code

\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{fig.png}

Command

`\textheight`

Length register for text block height

Example Code

\setlength{\textheight}{22cm}

Command

`\linewidth`

Length register for current line width

Example Code

\includegraphics[width=0.5\linewidth]{fig.png}

Beamer Presentations

Comprehensive syntax, arguments, options, and copyable snippets for beamer presentations.

Command Mandatory { }

`\frame{content}`

Creates a beamer slide (short form)

Example Code

\frame{\frametitle{Intro}Content here.}

Environment Mandatory { }

`\begin{frame}...\end{frame}`

Creates a beamer slide

Example Code

\begin{frame}
\frametitle{Introduction}
Slide content.
\end{frame}

Command Mandatory { }

`\frametitle{text}`

Sets the title of a beamer frame

Example Code

\frametitle{Results}

Command

`\pause`

Pauses slide reveal in beamer

Example Code

First point.
\pause
Second point.

Command Mandatory { }

`\usetheme{name}`

Sets the beamer presentation theme

Example Code

\usetheme{Madrid}

Command Mandatory { }

`\usecolortheme{name}`

Sets the beamer color theme

Example Code

\usecolortheme{beaver}

Drafting & Annotations (todonotes)

Comprehensive syntax, arguments, options, and copyable snippets for drafting & annotations (todonotes).

Command Mandatory { }

`\todo{text}`

Inserts a visible margin note for draft revisions (todonotes package)

Example Code

\todo{Check this citation}

Command

`\listoftodos`

Generates a list of all \todo notes (todonotes package)

Example Code

\listoftodos

Command Mandatory { }

`\marginpar{text}`

Places a note in the page margin (base LaTeX)

Example Code

\marginpar{See note}

Command

`\linenumbers`

Turns on line numbering for the document (lineno package)

Example Code

\linenumbers

Miscellaneous Utilities

Comprehensive syntax, arguments, options, and copyable snippets for miscellaneous utilities.

Command

`\newif\ifname`

Defines a new boolean/conditional

Example Code

\newif\ifdraft

Command Mandatory { }

`\ifthenelse{cond}{true}{false}`

Conditional logic (ifthen package)

Example Code

\ifthenelse{\value{page}=1}{First page}{Other page}

Command

`\today`

Inserts the current date

Example Code

\today

Command

`\LaTeX`

Typesets the LaTeX logo

Example Code

Typeset with \LaTeX.

Command

`\TeX`

Typesets the TeX logo

Example Code

Built on \TeX.

Command Mandatory { }

`\thanks{text}`

Adds a footnote to the title/author

Example Code

\author{Deb\thanks{Corresponding author}}

Command

`\protect`

Protects a fragile command

Example Code

\section{A \protect\footnote{note} here}

Command

`\verb|text|`

Inline verbatim text

Example Code

\verb|print(x)|

Command Mandatory { }

`\newcounter{name}`

Defines a new counter

Example Code

\newcounter{example}

Command Mandatory { }

`\setcounter{name}{value}`

Sets a counter's value

Example Code

\setcounter{example}{5}

Command Mandatory { }

`\addtocounter{name}{value}`

Adds to a counter's value

Example Code

\addtocounter{example}{1}

Command Mandatory { }

`\stepcounter{name}`

Increments a counter by one

Example Code

\stepcounter{example}

Command Mandatory { }

`\arabic{counter}`

Prints counter in Arabic numerals

Example Code

\arabic{page}

Command Mandatory { }

`\roman{counter}`

Prints counter in lowercase Roman numerals

Example Code

\roman{page}

Command Mandatory { }

`\Roman{counter}`

Prints counter in uppercase Roman numerals

Example Code

\Roman{chapter}

Command Mandatory { }

`\alph{counter}`

Prints counter as lowercase letter

Example Code

\alph{enumi}

Command Mandatory { }

`\Alph{counter}`

Prints counter as uppercase letter

Example Code

\Alph{enumi}

Low-Level TeX & Macro Expansion

Comprehensive syntax, arguments, options, and copyable snippets for low-level tex & macro expansion.

Command

`\makeatletter`

Allows @ to be used in internal command names, for redefining package internals

Example Code

\makeatletter

Command

`\makeatother`

Restores @ to its normal catcode after \makeatletter

Example Code

\makeatother

Command

`\expandafter`

Delays expansion of the following token by one step (TeX primitive)

Example Code

\expandafter\def\csname foo\endcsname{bar}

Command

`\csname...\endcsname`

Builds a control sequence name from text, useful for dynamic command names (TeX primitive)

Example Code

\csname mycommand\endcsname

Command

`\let\name=\other`

Makes one command an alias/copy of another

Example Code

\let\oldsection\section

Command Mandatory { }

`\def\name{def}`

Low-level TeX command definition (plain TeX primitive)

Example Code

\def\half{\frac{1}{2}}

Command

`\global`

Makes the following assignment or definition apply globally, ignoring group scope

Example Code

\global\def\name{value}

Command Mandatory { }

`\NewDocumentCommand{\name}{args}{def}`

Modern flexible command definition with typed arguments (xparse package)

Example Code

\NewDocumentCommand{\greet}{m}{Hello, #1!}