Org as a publishing toolkit

Org as a publishing toolkit

[Marcelo de Moraes Serpa]

Hi list,

So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).

I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
about.

So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.

Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

So, after reading this article:
http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
realized how powerful the org-export feature is.

I can basically do this:
 * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
(markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
information manager!
 * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
any other "pure" latex documents out there.
 * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
   * plaintext
   * HTML
   * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)

I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
know.

And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
*and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
docbook). Amazing!

By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
Not that I need, only curious :)

This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)

Cheers!

Marcelo.

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Thomas S. Dye]

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:

> Hi list,
>
> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>
> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
> about.
>
> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>
> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>
> So, after reading this article:
> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>
> I can basically do this:
>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
> information manager!
>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>    * plaintext
>    * HTML
>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>
> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
> know.
>
> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
> docbook). Amazing!
>
> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
> Not that I need, only curious :)
>
> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>
> Cheers!
>
> Marcelo.
>
>

Aloha Marcelo,

The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.

All the best,
Tom

-- 
Thomas S. Dye
http://www.tsdye.com

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Marcelo de Moraes Serpa]

Cool! Thanks.

Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
would be useful. Take this example:

#+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

#+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
(NOTE: pseudo-code!)

#+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World

#iif not LaTeX
   Hello World
#end

If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
out-of-the-box.

Cheers,

Marcelo.


On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Hi list,
>>
>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>
>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>> about.
>>
>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>
>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>>
>> So, after reading this article:
>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
>> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>>
>> I can basically do this:
>>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
>> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
>> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
>> information manager!
>>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
>> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
>> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
>> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>>    * plaintext
>>    * HTML
>>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>>
>> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
>> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
>> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
>> know.
>>
>> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
>> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
>> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
>> docbook). Amazing!
>>
>> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
>> Not that I need, only curious :)
>>
>> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>>
>> Cheers!
>>
>> Marcelo.
>>
>>
>
> Aloha Marcelo,
>
> The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
> useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
> don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.
>
> All the best,
> Tom
>
> --
> Thomas S. Dye
> http://www.tsdye.com
>

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Thomas S. Dye]

Aloha Marcelo,

The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
be to use inline markup:

http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3

You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
the other export formats you care to support.

All the best,
Tom

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:

> Cool! Thanks.
>
> Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
> export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
> would be useful. Take this example:
>
> #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
>
> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>
> This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
> come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
> (NOTE: pseudo-code!)
>
> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>
> #iif not LaTeX
>    Hello World
> #end
>
> If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
> something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
> language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
> in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
> out-of-the-box.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Marcelo.
>
>
> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> Hi list,
>>>
>>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>>
>>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>>> about.
>>>
>>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>>
>>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>>>
>>> So, after reading this article:
>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
>>> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>>>
>>> I can basically do this:
>>>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
>>> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
>>> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
>>> information manager!
>>>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
>>> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
>>> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
>>> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>>>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>>>    * plaintext
>>>    * HTML
>>>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>>>
>>> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
>>> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
>>> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
>>> know.
>>>
>>> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
>>> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
>>> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
>>> docbook). Amazing!
>>>
>>> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
>>> Not that I need, only curious :)
>>>
>>> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>>>
>>> Cheers!
>>>
>>> Marcelo.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>
>> The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
>> useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
>> don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.
>>
>> All the best,
>> Tom
>>
>> --
>> Thomas S. Dye
>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>
>

-- 
Thomas S. Dye
http://www.tsdye.com

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Marcelo de Moraes Serpa]

Thomas,

I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:

1) Cover image
2) The sub-cover:

   "Title""
 My Name
   Date

3) TOC

4) Intro, chapters...

How could I do that?

Thanks in advance!

Regards,

Marcelo.

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
> Aloha Marcelo,
>
> The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
> be to use inline markup:
>
> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3
>
> You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
> definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
> the other export formats you care to support.
>
> All the best,
> Tom
>
> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Cool! Thanks.
>>
>> Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
>> export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
>> would be useful. Take this example:
>>
>> #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
>>
>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>
>> This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
>> come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
>> (NOTE: pseudo-code!)
>>
>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>
>> #iif not LaTeX
>>    Hello World
>> #end
>>
>> If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
>> something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
>> language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
>> in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
>> out-of-the-box.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Marcelo.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Hi list,
>>>>
>>>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>>>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>>>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>>>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>>>
>>>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>>>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>>>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>>>> about.
>>>>
>>>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>>>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>>>
>>>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>>>>
>>>> So, after reading this article:
>>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
>>>> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>>>>
>>>> I can basically do this:
>>>>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
>>>> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
>>>> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
>>>> information manager!
>>>>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
>>>> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
>>>> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
>>>> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>>>>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>>>>    * plaintext
>>>>    * HTML
>>>>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>>>>
>>>> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
>>>> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
>>>> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
>>>> know.
>>>>
>>>> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
>>>> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
>>>> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
>>>> docbook). Amazing!
>>>>
>>>> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
>>>> Not that I need, only curious :)
>>>>
>>>> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>>>>
>>>> Cheers!
>>>>
>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>
>>> The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
>>> useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
>>> don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.
>>>
>>> All the best,
>>> Tom
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>
>>
>
> --
> Thomas S. Dye
> http://www.tsdye.com
>

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Thomas S. Dye]

Aloha Marcelo,

Others might do this differently, but I don't use LaTeX for book
covers.  I only use it for the pages of the book.

It sounds like your cover image is floating, which is something that
LaTeX does with tables and images.  If you are new to LaTeX and don't
have a feel for how it handles "floats", then I recommend an
introductory text.  Leslie Lamport's book is terrific, but there are
other good introductions on the Internet.

Org-mode and its LaTeX exporter are *not* going to insulate you from the
need to learn some LaTeX, especially if you intend to write something as
complex as a book.

hth,
Tom

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:

> Thomas,
>
> I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
> image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
> shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:
>
> 1) Cover image
> 2) The sub-cover:
>
>    "Title""
>  My Name
>    Date
>
> 3) TOC
>
> 4) Intro, chapters...
>
> How could I do that?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Regards,
>
> Marcelo.
>
> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>
>> The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
>> be to use inline markup:
>>
>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3
>>
>> You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
>> definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
>> the other export formats you care to support.
>>
>> All the best,
>> Tom
>>
>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> Cool! Thanks.
>>>
>>> Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
>>> export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
>>> would be useful. Take this example:
>>>
>>> #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
>>>
>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>
>>> This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
>>> come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
>>> (NOTE: pseudo-code!)
>>>
>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>
>>> #iif not LaTeX
>>>    Hello World
>>> #end
>>>
>>> If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
>>> something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
>>> language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
>>> in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
>>> out-of-the-box.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Marcelo.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi list,
>>>>>
>>>>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>>>>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>>>>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>>>>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>>>>
>>>>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>>>>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>>>>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>>>>> about.
>>>>>
>>>>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>>>>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>>>>>
>>>>> So, after reading this article:
>>>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
>>>>> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>>>>>
>>>>> I can basically do this:
>>>>>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
>>>>> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
>>>>> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
>>>>> information manager!
>>>>>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
>>>>> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
>>>>> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
>>>>> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>>>>>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>>>>>    * plaintext
>>>>>    * HTML
>>>>>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>>>>>
>>>>> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
>>>>> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
>>>>> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
>>>>> know.
>>>>>
>>>>> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
>>>>> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
>>>>> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
>>>>> docbook). Amazing!
>>>>>
>>>>> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
>>>>> Not that I need, only curious :)
>>>>>
>>>>> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers!
>>>>>
>>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>>
>>>> The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
>>>> useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
>>>> don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.
>>>>
>>>> All the best,
>>>> Tom
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Thomas S. Dye
>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>
>

-- 
Thomas S. Dye
http://www.tsdye.com

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Marcelo de Moraes Serpa]

Cool, I will do!

But org doesn't impose some structure that might prevent me from
putting the cover in the first page? Just curious. I wouldn't also
like to have to edit the latex generated afterwards, but that's a
possibility.

Thanks!

Marcelo.

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:35 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
> Aloha Marcelo,
>
> Others might do this differently, but I don't use LaTeX for book
> covers.  I only use it for the pages of the book.
>
> It sounds like your cover image is floating, which is something that
> LaTeX does with tables and images.  If you are new to LaTeX and don't
> have a feel for how it handles "floats", then I recommend an
> introductory text.  Leslie Lamport's book is terrific, but there are
> other good introductions on the Internet.
>
> Org-mode and its LaTeX exporter are *not* going to insulate you from the
> need to learn some LaTeX, especially if you intend to write something as
> complex as a book.
>
> hth,
> Tom
>
> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Thomas,
>>
>> I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
>> image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
>> shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:
>>
>> 1) Cover image
>> 2) The sub-cover:
>>
>>    "Title""
>>  My Name
>>    Date
>>
>> 3) TOC
>>
>> 4) Intro, chapters...
>>
>> How could I do that?
>>
>> Thanks in advance!
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Marcelo.
>>
>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>
>>> The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
>>> be to use inline markup:
>>>
>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3
>>>
>>> You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
>>> definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
>>> the other export formats you care to support.
>>>
>>> All the best,
>>> Tom
>>>
>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Cool! Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
>>>> export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
>>>> would be useful. Take this example:
>>>>
>>>> #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
>>>>
>>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>>
>>>> This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
>>>> come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
>>>> (NOTE: pseudo-code!)
>>>>
>>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>>
>>>> #iif not LaTeX
>>>>    Hello World
>>>> #end
>>>>
>>>> If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
>>>> something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
>>>> language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
>>>> in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
>>>> out-of-the-box.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>>
>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi list,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>>>>>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>>>>>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>>>>>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>>>>>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>>>>>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>>>>>> about.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>>>>>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, after reading this article:
>>>>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
>>>>>> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I can basically do this:
>>>>>>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
>>>>>> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
>>>>>> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
>>>>>> information manager!
>>>>>>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
>>>>>> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
>>>>>> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
>>>>>> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>>>>>>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>>>>>>    * plaintext
>>>>>>    * HTML
>>>>>>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
>>>>>> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
>>>>>> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
>>>>>> know.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
>>>>>> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
>>>>>> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
>>>>>> docbook). Amazing!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
>>>>>> Not that I need, only curious :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cheers!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>>>
>>>>> The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
>>>>> useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
>>>>> don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.
>>>>>
>>>>> All the best,
>>>>> Tom
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>
>>
>
> --
> Thomas S. Dye
> http://www.tsdye.com
>

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Thomas S. Dye]

Aloha Marcelo,

I don't /believe/ org will keep you from doing that.  

My guess is that you are going to end up redefining the LaTeX \maketitle
command, see

http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-11_2

I've done this once or twice--it's an adventure for someone with my
limited programming skills.  You're likely to get needed advice from the
folks at comp.text.tex if your introductory LaTeX readings don't get you
where you want to be.

Good luck!

Tom

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:

> Cool, I will do!
>
> But org doesn't impose some structure that might prevent me from
> putting the cover in the first page? Just curious. I wouldn't also
> like to have to edit the latex generated afterwards, but that's a
> possibility.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Marcelo.
>
> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:35 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>
>> Others might do this differently, but I don't use LaTeX for book
>> covers.  I only use it for the pages of the book.
>>
>> It sounds like your cover image is floating, which is something that
>> LaTeX does with tables and images.  If you are new to LaTeX and don't
>> have a feel for how it handles "floats", then I recommend an
>> introductory text.  Leslie Lamport's book is terrific, but there are
>> other good introductions on the Internet.
>>
>> Org-mode and its LaTeX exporter are *not* going to insulate you from the
>> need to learn some LaTeX, especially if you intend to write something as
>> complex as a book.
>>
>> hth,
>> Tom
>>
>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> Thomas,
>>>
>>> I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
>>> image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
>>> shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:
>>>
>>> 1) Cover image
>>> 2) The sub-cover:
>>>
>>>    "Title""
>>>  My Name
>>>    Date
>>>
>>> 3) TOC
>>>
>>> 4) Intro, chapters...
>>>
>>> How could I do that?
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance!
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Marcelo.
>>>
>>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>>
>>>> The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
>>>> be to use inline markup:
>>>>
>>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3
>>>>
>>>> You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
>>>> definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
>>>> the other export formats you care to support.
>>>>
>>>> All the best,
>>>> Tom
>>>>
>>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> Cool! Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>> Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
>>>>> export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
>>>>> would be useful. Take this example:
>>>>>
>>>>> #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
>>>>>
>>>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>>>
>>>>> This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
>>>>> come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
>>>>> (NOTE: pseudo-code!)
>>>>>
>>>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>>>
>>>>> #iif not LaTeX
>>>>>    Hello World
>>>>> #end
>>>>>
>>>>> If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
>>>>> something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
>>>>> language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
>>>>> in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
>>>>> out-of-the-box.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>
>>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi list,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>>>>>>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>>>>>>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>>>>>>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>>>>>>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>>>>>>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>>>>>>> about.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>>>>>>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So, after reading this article:
>>>>>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
>>>>>>> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I can basically do this:
>>>>>>>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
>>>>>>> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
>>>>>>> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
>>>>>>> information manager!
>>>>>>>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
>>>>>>> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
>>>>>>> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
>>>>>>> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>>>>>>>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>>>>>>>    * plaintext
>>>>>>>    * HTML
>>>>>>>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
>>>>>>> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
>>>>>>> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
>>>>>>> know.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
>>>>>>> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
>>>>>>> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
>>>>>>> docbook). Amazing!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
>>>>>>> Not that I need, only curious :)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
>>>>>> useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
>>>>>> don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> All the best,
>>>>>> Tom
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>>>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Thomas S. Dye
>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>
>

-- 
Thomas S. Dye
http://www.tsdye.com

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Marcelo de Moraes Serpa]

Thanks Thomas. I got enough proof org can really be used to write a
book after finding out that Avdi Grimm wrote and published his
exceptional ruby book (http://exceptionalruby.com/) using org ;)

It's nice to be part of such a great community. Orgmode ROCKS!

Thank you for the help, now I'll get some much needed LaTeX knownledge.

Marcelo.

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 5:26 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
> Aloha Marcelo,
>
> I don't /believe/ org will keep you from doing that.
>
> My guess is that you are going to end up redefining the LaTeX \maketitle
> command, see
>
> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-11_2
>
> I've done this once or twice--it's an adventure for someone with my
> limited programming skills.  You're likely to get needed advice from the
> folks at comp.text.tex if your introductory LaTeX readings don't get you
> where you want to be.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Tom
>
> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Cool, I will do!
>>
>> But org doesn't impose some structure that might prevent me from
>> putting the cover in the first page? Just curious. I wouldn't also
>> like to have to edit the latex generated afterwards, but that's a
>> possibility.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Marcelo.
>>
>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:35 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>
>>> Others might do this differently, but I don't use LaTeX for book
>>> covers.  I only use it for the pages of the book.
>>>
>>> It sounds like your cover image is floating, which is something that
>>> LaTeX does with tables and images.  If you are new to LaTeX and don't
>>> have a feel for how it handles "floats", then I recommend an
>>> introductory text.  Leslie Lamport's book is terrific, but there are
>>> other good introductions on the Internet.
>>>
>>> Org-mode and its LaTeX exporter are *not* going to insulate you from the
>>> need to learn some LaTeX, especially if you intend to write something as
>>> complex as a book.
>>>
>>> hth,
>>> Tom
>>>
>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Thomas,
>>>>
>>>> I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
>>>> image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
>>>> shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:
>>>>
>>>> 1) Cover image
>>>> 2) The sub-cover:
>>>>
>>>>    "Title""
>>>>  My Name
>>>>    Date
>>>>
>>>> 3) TOC
>>>>
>>>> 4) Intro, chapters...
>>>>
>>>> How could I do that?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks in advance!
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>>>
>>>>> The approach I would take here, which might not be what you want, would
>>>>> be to use inline markup:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html#sec-10_3
>>>>>
>>>>> You would define the output for the various exporters in the link
>>>>> definition, with something fancy for LaTeX and whatever else works in
>>>>> the other export formats you care to support.
>>>>>
>>>>> All the best,
>>>>> Tom
>>>>>
>>>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Cool! Thanks.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
>>>>>> export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
>>>>>> would be useful. Take this example:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
>>>>>>
>>>>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
>>>>>> come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
>>>>>> (NOTE: pseudo-code!)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>>>>>>
>>>>>> #iif not LaTeX
>>>>>>    Hello World
>>>>>> #end
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
>>>>>> something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
>>>>>> language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
>>>>>> in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
>>>>>> out-of-the-box.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 1:31 PM, Thomas S. Dye <tsd@tsdye.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hi list,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>>>>>>>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>>>>>>>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>>>>>>>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>>>>>>>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>>>>>>>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>>>>>>>> about.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>>>>>>>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So, after reading this article:
>>>>>>>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.html, I've then
>>>>>>>> realized how powerful the org-export feature is.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I can basically do this:
>>>>>>>>  * Keep the text in a (very) human readable format that I'm used to
>>>>>>>> and that is much better to maintain than any other format I know
>>>>>>>> (markdown / asciidoc) and integrated with my own orgmode personal
>>>>>>>> information manager!
>>>>>>>>  * Add / customize the LaTeX output in *ANY* way I want to. Thanks to
>>>>>>>> org AND babel! From what I can see, there are no limitations on how
>>>>>>>> complex the LaTeX customizations can be, it can essentially match up
>>>>>>>> any other "pure" latex documents out there.
>>>>>>>>  * As noted above, fully support LaTeX while still allowing me to export to:
>>>>>>>>    * plaintext
>>>>>>>>    * HTML
>>>>>>>>    * DocBook (and hence an array of other formats)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I mean, how cool is that? I'm only starting in TeX/LaTeX so I might be
>>>>>>>> overlooking some limitations, but from what I can see, orgmode is the
>>>>>>>> most pragmatic and powerful publishing framework I have ever come to
>>>>>>>> know.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> And what excites me even more is that I can keep my book in my
>>>>>>>> preferred format and still output a beautifully-formatted PDF book
>>>>>>>> *and* still support other formats (such as mobi or epub through
>>>>>>>> docbook). Amazing!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> By the way, if I want to use raw TeX or maybe ConTeXt, is it possible?
>>>>>>>> Not that I need, only curious :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> This needs more hype! I don't think people realize how powerful this is ;)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Cheers!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Marcelo.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Aloha Marcelo,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The LaTeX export tutorial is a work in progress.  I hope you find it
>>>>>>> useful.  When you run across something that doesn't work (or make sense)
>>>>>>> don't hesitate to come back to the list with a query or suggestion.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> All the best,
>>>>>>> Tom
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>>>>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thomas S. Dye
>>> http://www.tsdye.com
>>>
>>
>
> --
> Thomas S. Dye
> http://www.tsdye.com
>

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[prad]

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:

> It's nice to be part of such a great community. Orgmode ROCKS!
>
ya i think org may become quite possibly the most useful item i use
... once i learn how to do more with it.

-- 
in friendship,
prad

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Avdi Grimm]

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:53 PM, Marcelo de Moraes Serpa
<celoserpa@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have a more specific question. I have already managed to embed an
> image to act as the cover of the book. However, the image is being
> shown in the third page. I want the sequence to be like this:

Here's how I did the cover of my book:

1. Generate a 1-page PDF of the cover (in my case that meant SVG->EPS,
then EPS->PDF via `ps2pdf -sPAPERSIZE=letter -dEPSCrop`)
2. Include the "pdfpages" package:
    #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage{pdfpages}
2. Override "org-export-latex-title-command" to insert the cover page:
    (setq org-export-latex-title-command
          "\\includepdf[pages=1]{exceptional-ruby-cover-svg.pdf}")

-- 
Avdi Grimm
http://avdi.org


-- 
Avdi Grimm
http://avdi.org

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Rasmus]

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:

> 1) Cover image
> 2) The sub-cover:
>
>    "Title""
>  My Name
>    Date
>
> 3) TOC
>
> 4) Intro, chapters...
>
> How could I do that?

This is /one/ way, and the way I'd do it.

You'd need to do that specifically. I'd advice you to use my favorite
document class, KOMA-script, or Memoir, which is also superb. 

Then, you'd need to tell Org not to make a title, toc etc. I have no
idea how you'd do that, but I'd like to know. Alternatively, you could
redefine \maketitle, but it is more cumbersome in my opinion.

Third, you would want to specify your first page. In KOMA-Script lingo.
#+begin_src LaTeX
\begin{titlepage}
 \begin{center}
     \thispagestyle{empty}
      \vspace*{1cm}
      {\huge Title}}}\\
       \rule{\textwidth}{.5pt}\\
      \vspace{2.5em}
      {\larger{Author}}\\
      \vfill
      \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{fig/67424_scape_stamp.pdf}
      \vfill
  \end{center}
\end{titlepage}
\cleardoublepage % depending on your setup
\tableofcontents
#+end_src

Something like that anyhow. You could probably use Org-babel in some
clever way.

–Rasmus

-- 
Sent from my Emacs

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Mike McLean]

On 5/10/11 1:52 PM, Marcelo de Moraes Serpa wrote:
> Hi list,
>
> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>
> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
> about.
>
> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>
> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?

I've done the same thing over the past few months and agree that
org-mode as the front end for a LaTeX document production system is the
way to go. The low-level tweak that I've added is a definition of a set
of LaTeX custom classes that map to my "roles" in life. For example, I
am the president of a non-profit organization and I have a LaTeX class
for that organization. This class defines chapter heads, title pages,
etc. to have a look-and-feel of the organization. I have a day job, the
LaTeX class for that reflects the corporate communication guidelines.
(And so on).

I had tried the route of defining various low-level LaTeX tweaks in
header statement in org export option files, and this was wayyyyy to
complex, fragile, and very difficult to maintain. The time I spent the
last few weeks creating 3 (of 4) necessary LaTeX =.cls= files has so far
been time well spent. I would strongly recommend thinking about putting
any desired low-level LaTeX tweaks into a class (or set of classes) that
are *your's*.

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Marcelo de Moraes Serpa]

Thanks for the tip Mike. I had no idea about this approach, I'm still
too naive in TeX/LaTeX. I'll definitely have to get my head around
both -- but it's reassuring to know that I can write the content in
orgmode and tweak the LaTeX output it later as I want.

By the way, any book recommendations ? I'd like something that could
lay down the foundations and not take too much time. Also, not sure if
I should start with TeX or LaTeX.

Thanks!

Marcelo.

On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:15 AM, Mike McLean <mike.mclean@pobox.com> wrote:
> On 5/10/11 1:52 PM, Marcelo de Moraes Serpa wrote:
>> Hi list,
>>
>> So today I have been reseaching about higher-levels toolkits that
>> could help me get into TeX (and or LaTeX) and at the same time
>> allowing me to keep the text in a more human-readable format (easier
>> to mantain and to convert to other formats if needed).
>>
>> I know that if I want beautiful formatted PDFs I will need to get into
>> TeX / LaTeX, and I already started doing that, but as I said, keeping
>> the text in a higher level format has benefits that you already know
>> about.
>>
>> So I looked at asciidoc, the lower-level XML-based docbook, markdown,
>> pandoc, ConTeXt, etc.
>>
>> Then I thought, why not try orgmode?
>
> I've done the same thing over the past few months and agree that
> org-mode as the front end for a LaTeX document production system is the
> way to go. The low-level tweak that I've added is a definition of a set
> of LaTeX custom classes that map to my "roles" in life. For example, I
> am the president of a non-profit organization and I have a LaTeX class
> for that organization. This class defines chapter heads, title pages,
> etc. to have a look-and-feel of the organization. I have a day job, the
> LaTeX class for that reflects the corporate communication guidelines.
> (And so on).
>
> I had tried the route of defining various low-level LaTeX tweaks in
> header statement in org export option files, and this was wayyyyy to
> complex, fragile, and very difficult to maintain. The time I spent the
> last few weeks creating 3 (of 4) necessary LaTeX =.cls= files has so far
> been time well spent. I would strongly recommend thinking about putting
> any desired low-level LaTeX tweaks into a class (or set of classes) that
> are *your's*.
>
>
>

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Nick Dokos]

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the tip Mike. I had no idea about this approach, I'm still
> too naive in TeX/LaTeX. I'll definitely have to get my head around
> both -- but it's reassuring to know that I can write the content in
> orgmode and tweak the LaTeX output it later as I want.
> 

Resist the temptation to tweak (except as an experiment in order to
prove to yourself that something is possible). Go through the whole
production in org (I second Mike's suggestions re. defining LaTeX
classes but it does require some LaTeX knowledge: the best thing to do
is find a class that is oh-so-close and then change it as little as
possible to get what you want). Then figure out what you need to tweak -
go back to the org file and make any changes you can there to produce
what you want.  After you've done that, with much reluctance, tweak the
LaTeX file *once at the very end* and write down exactly what you did
(perhaps in a COMMENT in the original org file) so that you can recreate
it later.

If you make substantive changes to your org file, export, tweak and then
have to do it all over again and again, then unless you automate the
tweaks, you will *lose* time.

> By the way, any book recommendations ? I'd like something that could
> lay down the foundations and not take too much time. Also, not sure if
> I should start with TeX or LaTeX.
> 

You should start with LaTeX - you'll eventually want Lamport's book,
despite the fact that many people hate it - I don't particularly like it
but it *is* indispensable. You can probably start here though:

     http://www.ctan.org/starter.html
     http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/lshort/english/

Nick

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Eric S Fraga]

Marcelo de Moraes Serpa <celoserpa@gmail.com> writes:

> Cool! Thanks.
>
> Now that you mention it, I was wondering if something like "condition
> export" is possible. For very specific localized LaTeX fetures, it
> would be useful. Take this example:
>
> #+LaTeX_HEADER: \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
>
> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>
> This created a first-letter that is stylized differently. This won't
> come out in any other exported, so I'd like to do something like
> (NOTE: pseudo-code!)
>
> #+LaTeX:\yinipar{\color{red}H}ello World
>
> #iif not LaTeX
>    Hello World
> #end
>
> If it is not possible what I can do is to pre-process the orgfile with
> something like ERB (I'm familiar with Ruby) or another templating
> language before exporting (and even automate it all by calling emacs
> in batch mode ;) ), but it'd be nice if org supported that
> out-of-the-box.

One way to have a conditional mode that ignores text if exporting to
latex is to use a latex macro that swallows up text.  I define my own
for clarity:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
#+latex: \newcommand{\dummy}[1]{}

* Introduction

Hello
#+latex: \dummy{%
world and other
#+latex: }% the percent signs are important to minimise white space in export
planets.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

In LaTeX, you will get "Hello planets." whereas in any other export you
should get "Hello world and other planets."

-- 
: Eric S Fraga (GnuPG: 0xC89193D8FFFCF67D) in Emacs 24.0.50.1
: using Org-mode version 7.5 (release_7.5.274.gd6aba)

Re: Org as a publishing toolkit

[Mike McLean]

On 5/11/11 12:33 PM, Nick Dokos wrote:
> (I second Mike's suggestions re. defining LaTeX
> classes but it does require some LaTeX knowledge: the best thing to do
> is find a class that is oh-so-close and then change it as little as
> possible to get what you want). 
Speaking of that, I guess I should mention for completeness and clarity
that "my classes" are really extensions of the LaTeX ``memoir'' class.
Most of what is ``mine'' is really presetting options for memoir and a
=\LoadClass{memoir}=. My one class file is only ~200 lines, half of
which are comments.