An Introduction to (La)TeX: Hands On One

Download the Example LaTeX Source File

• Download letter_one.tex — right click and choose to save the file, rather than open it.

Compile the Source File

Kile

1. From the menu: File, Open, then use the dialogue box to open letter_one.tex.
2. Then, from the menu: Build, Compile, PDFLaTeX.

Command-Line

Use the pdflatex command:

    pdflatex letter_one 
        # ...or "latex letter_one.tex "...

View the Output PDF

Kile

From the menu: Build, View, ViewPDF.

Command-Line

Use the evince PDF viewer:

    evince letter_one.pdf &
        # ...don't forget the "&"...

Other Linux PDF viewers include KDE's kpdf and the stone-age, but still functional, xpdf.

Make Some Simple Changes to the Document

Kile

1. Enter some text in the document window within Kile,
2. then compile again (Build, Compile, PDFLaTeX)
3. and update the preview (assuming evince: View, Reload).

Command-Line

1. Use gedit, or your favourite text-editor.
2. Recompile the source file using the pdflatex command and then preview the new version by reloading in the viewer — in evince: View, Reload; in xpdf, right-click and select reload.