LaTeX Reference Guide

Essential Commands and Tips for Academic Writing

Author

Dr. Md Abdus Samad

Published

May 30, 2025

Document Comparison and Track Changes

Compare Two .tex Files with latexdiff

latexdiff --append-context2cmd="abstract" old.tex new.tex > diff.tex

Generates diff.tex with additions underlined in red.

Hide Deleted Text and Highlight Additions

\providecommand{\DIFdel}[1]{}
\providecommand{\DIFadd}[1]{{\color{red}\uline{#1}}}

Table Design and Layout

Color Entire Table

{\color{red}
\begin{tabular}{cc}
a & b \\
1 & 2 \\
\end{tabular}}

Adjust Table Spacing

\setlength{\tabcolsep}{20pt}
\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.5}

Multi-Column Table Syntax

\multicolumn{2}{c}{Merged Cell}

Multi-Row Table Syntax

\usepackage{multirow}
\multirow{2}{*}{Merged Row}

Resize Table to Fit Page Width

\resizebox{\linewidth}{!}{%
\begin{tabular}...\end{tabular}}

Algorithm Formatting

Algorithm Autoref Support

\newcommand{\algorithmautorefname}{Algorithm}

Sub-Step Numbering in Algorithms

\usepackage{algorithm,algpseudocode}
\newcounter{algsubstate}
\renewcommand{\thealgsubstate}{\alph{algsubstate}}
\newenvironment{algsubstates}{
\setcounter{algsubstate}{0}
\renewcommand{\State}{
\stepcounter{algsubstate}
\Statex {\footnotesize\thealgsubstate:}\space}}{}

Split Algorithm Across Pages

\usepackage{algorithm, algcompatible}
\algstore{blockname}
...
\algrestore{blockname}

Hyperlink Styling

Custom Link Colors

\usepackage{hyperref}
\hypersetup{
colorlinks=true,
linkcolor=blue,
filecolor=blue,
urlcolor=blue,
allcolors=blue}
\urlstyle{same}

Citations and Bibliography

Force Numbered Style

\setcitestyle{numbers}

Use (1) Style Instead of [1]

\usepackage[numbers,round]{natbib}
\bibliographystyle{vancouver}

Back to Square Brackets

\usepackage[sort,numbers]{natbib}
\setcitestyle{square}

Show Citation Keys for Debugging

\usepackage{showlabels}
\renewcommand{\showlabelfont}{\small\color{blue}}
\showlabels[\small\color{gray}]{cite}
\showlabels[\small\color{red}]{bibitem}

Compilation and Debugging

Show Loaded Packages

\listfiles

Delete Aux Files (Bash)

rm -f *.aux *.log *.toc *.out *.lof *.lot *.fls *.fdb_latexmk *.synctex.gz *.nav *.snm *.bbl *.blg *.vrb *.xdv

Full Compile Sequence (with BibTeX)

latexmk -pdf main.tex
# or manual:
pdflatex main.tex 
bibtex main
pdflatex main.tex
pdflatex main.tex

Git Integration with Overleaf

Getting Started

In Overleaf: Menu → Git → Enable Git

Clone Overleaf Project

Copy URL like: https://git.overleaf.com/project-id

cd ~/Documents
git clone https://git.overleaf.com/project-id
cd project-id

Push Local Changes to Overleaf

git add .
git commit -m "Update"
git push

Pull Before Push to Avoid Conflict

git pull --rebase

Command Summary

Command	Description
`git pull origin master`	Pull changes from Overleaf (remote: origin, branch: master)
`git push origin master`	Push your local changes to Overleaf
`git pull overleaf master`	Same as above, but only if your remote is named overleaf

Opening PDFs from Git Bash on Windows

Navigate to Directory

cd /c/Users/YourName/Documents/latex-project

Open PDF in Default Viewer

start "" "main.pdf"
# or
explorer.exe "main.pdf"

Automate Compile and Open

pdflatex main.tex && start "" "main.pdf"

Word Counting in LaTeX

Use texcount for accurate word count:

texcount yourfile.tex
texcount -sum yourfile.tex
texcount -inc yourfile.tex
texcount -1 yourfile.tex
texcount -brief yourfile.tex
texcount -inc -sum -total main.tex

Creating LaTeX Tables with Merged Headers

Requirements

Columns 1 and 2: vertical merge (2 rows)
Columns 3–5: under “Group Header” merged in first row, subheaders in second row
Column 6: vertical merge (2 rows)

Optional Customizations

Use booktabs for horizontal lines
Use tabularx with \textwidth for dynamic width
Center-align all columns
Add sample data rows
Include \caption{} and \label{}
Add colored headers (requires xcolor)
Ensure compilation-ready for Overleaf/TeXstudio

TabularX Column Spacing Issues

Problem

Reducing column spacing with \setlength{\tabcolsep}{4pt} may lead to inconsistent column widths.

Why This Happens

Automatic Column Stretching: tabularx distributes remaining width among X columns proportionally
Reduced Padding: Smaller \tabcolsep makes differences more noticeable
Multiple X Columns: Algorithm may leave fractional rounding errors
Complex Tables: Multirow/multicolumn cells exacerbate uneven widths

Solutions

1. Use Proportional X Columns

\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{|>{\hsize=0.5\hsize}X|>{\hsize=1\hsize}X|c|}

2. Consider tabular* for Precise Control

\begin{tabular*}{\textwidth}{@{\extracolsep{\fill}}|l|l|l|}

3. Use Fixed-Width Columns

p{width}

Pro Tips

Combine reduced \tabcolsep with \arraystretch for balanced spacing
Always test with multiple rows and different content lengths
For highly complex tables, consider splitting into smaller subtables

Creating Sequential Dummy Figures in LaTeX with TikZ

Sometimes you need placeholder figures while drafting. Here is how to generate 20 numbered dummy figures automatically:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}

\begin{document}

\section*{Sequential Dummy Figures with TikZ}

% Define a command to create a numbered dummy image
\newcommand{\numberedimage}[1]{%
  \begin{figure}[h!]
    \centering
    \begin{tikzpicture}
      \draw[fill=gray!30] (0,0) rectangle (4,3); % gray rectangle
      \node at (2,1.5) {\Huge Image #1};         % centered label
    \end{tikzpicture}
    \caption{Dummy figure #1}
  \end{figure}
}

% Generate 20 dummy figures
\numberedimage{1}
\numberedimage{2}
\numberedimage{3}
% ...continue to 20

\end{document}

What this code does

Defines a custom command \numberedimage{n}
Each dummy figure is a gray rectangle with “Image n” written inside
Figures are numbered 1 through 20, each with its own caption

Use Cases

Testing figure layouts
Reserving space for future graphics
Creating mockups in academic papers

Quick Reference Table

Category	Command	Purpose
Comparison	`latexdiff old.tex new.tex > diff.tex`	Compare documents
Tables	`\multicolumn{2}{c}{Text}`	Merge columns
Tables	`\multirow{2}{*}{Text}`	Merge rows
Tables	`\resizebox{\linewidth}{!}{...}`	Fit table to page
Algorithm	`\algorithmautorefname`	Autoref support
Links	`\hypersetup{colorlinks=true}`	Color hyperlinks
Citations	`\setcitestyle{numbers}`	Numbered citations
Compile	`latexmk -pdf main.tex`	Full compilation
Git	`git pull --rebase`	Sync with Overleaf
Word Count	`texcount -inc -sum main.tex`	Count words