LaTeX is the de facto standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents.

Getting started with LaTex
  1. If you already have an Overleaf account, then you can go to the next step.
    If you do not have an Overleaf account, then register for a (free) Overleaf account by going to Overleaf/register. Follow the register instructions (just need email address and password) and you will be taken to a webpage that looks like: this screenshot. Select "Create First Project" and, from the pull down window, select "Example Project". You should now see the (fancy) Example Project, which should look like this screenshot. On the top bar of Overleaf (note: not top bar of my web brower) there is an icon that looks like a house (this icon sits right after the icon for "Menu"). Click on the "house icon" (next to "Menu") and you will be taken to your Overleaf's "homepage", which hencefore is where you will be taken when you log into your Overlead account. Your homepage will list (and have links to) all the projects you create in your Overleaf account.
  2. Next view the 2 minute video at Writing a basic LaTeX document with overleaf. You should understand the first minute of the video (0:00-1:02). For the part after 1:02 (when he is typing stuff such as \documentclass) just try to get the idea of how to (re)compile a document. The HW LaTeX template which I provide will elimate your need to type at this point but you will have to be able to compile the template I provide you.
  3. Log into your Overleaf account at Overleaf.
  4. Select the New Project icon (left column tool bar with green background), and then from the drop down selction chose Blank Project.
    A window should pop up asking you to name your "New Project".
  5. Name your New Project, e.g.:
    NameWeGaveNewProject
    or even better, something more descriptive such as, if you are doing from Ch. 1, Section 2, Exercise 3, then call your project ER1.2.3. Then click the Create icon (botton right with green background).
  6. Your new project will pop up and look similar to the video for Step 1. You should see 3 columns: main.tex, Source, and Recompile. If needed, adjust your 3 columns widths so that you see all 3 columns. You might just want to make your brower window wider.
  7. The course homepage Homework page provides
    • a PDF file    (a file ending in .pdf, e.g. FileName.pdf),
      1. which you (probably) can read/view on your computer by just clicking on the PDF file (so you can easily see the statement of the problem directly from the homework page)
      2. which was produced by compiling the corresponding Latex file in Overleaf.
    • a Latex templete    (a Latex file ending in .tex, e.g. FileName.tex),
      1. which you proabaly will not be able to open (read/see) this Latex (.tex) file on your computer
        (don't worry, you don't need to)
      2. which you should download the .tex file from the HW page to your computer    (further instructions below)
      3. and then upload the .tex file from your computer to your Overleaf project    (further instructions below).
    Below are further instruction on the down/up-loading. There are several ways of doing this down/up-loading and what works for you will depend on, e.g.: which type of computer you use, how you have your computer set up, and which web browser you are using.
    If you are having troubles with the Chrome web browser, then try the Firefox web browser.
    Different ways are given below and are also illustrated on this video.
    Downloading from course homework page to your computer.
    Note in both ways, on your computer, the Latex file is never actually opened but is rather just saved.
    Way 1:
    1. On the course homework page, left mouse click on the Latex file, which will (might) save it somewhere on your computer (usually to the "Downloads" folder).
    2. Check your "Downloads" folder to see if the Latex file is there. If you are using a a file manager , it might help to sort by "modified-or-time" rather than "Name".
    Way 2:
    1. On the course homework page, right mouse click on the Latex file
    2. from the pull down menu that pops up, left mouse click on "Save Link as ..."
    3. a file manager window pops up up allowing you to save the LaTex file (FileName.tex) to your computer in a folder of your choice.
    Uploading from your computer to Overleaf.
    Next upload, while in your NameWeGaveNewProject Overleaf project, the template from your computer into your NameWeGaveNewProject using Overleaf's upload icon (a rectangle with an uparrow on over it located on the top of the first column).
    1. On Overleaf, go to your project. From the 2nd-from-the-top horizontial bar, left click on the "upload" icon (has an uparrow above a filing box).
    2. A pop-up window pops up. From the left column, under "Add Filed", using a left click select "Upload".
    3. On the right column of this pop up window, there is a choice of two way: (just one one way):
      • "Drag here" (good if your file manager is already open)
      • "select from your computer" (will open your file manager for you).
    4. On Overleaf's first column, left click to select the .tex file you just put into Overleaf. In Overleaf's middle column, the Latex template your just uploaded should appear.
    5. In Overleaf's last column's top bar, hit the green "(Re)-compile" button and the PDF file correcsponding to the Latex file should appear.
  8. It is highly suggested that after reading the problem in the PDF file, you do the scratch work for the problem (making a "scratch-work" form of an outline of your solution) before you start working in Overleaf to put your scratch work into a hand-in ready solution. Now you are all set up to use Overleaf. Don't forget, if so needed, click the Recompile icon. A neat Overleaf feature is that if you double click (with left mouse key) at a place in the PDF file, then Overleaf indicated to you the corresponging place in the TeX file. This feature makes it easy to compare the PDF output to the LaTex input.
  9. When you finish your homework, you will need to download your HW's PDF file from Overleaf to your computer. To do this, from Overleaf (with your complied HW showing in the third column) download your homework to your computer using the download icon (a rectangle with an downarrow on over it) on the top of the third (Recompile) column. The downloaded file will be named
    NameWeGaveNewProject.pdf
    In class, hand in the PDF file of your (completed) exercise. You do NOT hand in the Latex file. All done.
  10. You need to use the provided Latex template's formating.
  11. Don't forget there are Latex Resources on the course homepage for additional Latex help.


Findable from URL: http://people.math.sc.edu/girardi/