LaTeX Without the Learning Curve Hell

LaTeX Without the Learning Curve Hell: A Practical Guide

LaTeX is both the most powerful document system ever made and the biggest pain in the ass you’ll ever use. The docs read like they were written by math professors who’ve never talked to real humans. Because they were.

But here’s the truth – once you push through the initial hell, LaTeX makes Word look like crayon scribbles. Perfect typesetting, clean equations, and formatting that doesn’t break when you breathe wrong.

I’m not wasting your time with TeX history or typesetting theory. You don’t care. I don’t care. This guide is about getting shit done with LaTeX without wanting to throw your laptop through a window.

Getting Set Up Without the Pain

Skip manually installing TeX Live or MiKTeX unless you enjoy suffering. Two options that actually work:

Option 1: Overleaf (For Beginners or Occasional Users)

Overleaf is basically Google Docs for LaTeX but doesn’t suck:

Free for basic stuff
Real-time collaboration
Works anywhere with a browser
Has templates so you’re not starting from zero

Make an account and you’re set. Perfect if you’re just dipping your toes in or only need LaTeX occasionally.

Option 2: VS Code + Extensions (For Regular Users)

If you’ll use LaTeX regularly and want to work locally:

Grab VS Code (you probably have it already)
Install the LaTeX Workshop extension
Get a TeX distribution:

For Linux:

1sudo apt install texlive-full # Ubuntu/Debian

For Windows: MiKTeX
For Mac: MacTeX

This setup gives you autocomplete that actually works, PDF preview, and syntax highlighting that makes sense.

The Only Template You Need to Start

Stop staring at blank files. Copy this and tweak it:

1\documentclass[12pt,a4paper]{article}
2
3% Essential packages - don't worry about what they do yet
4\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
5\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
6\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb}
7\usepackage{graphicx}
8\usepackage{hyperref}
9\usepackage[left=2.5cm,right=2.5cm,top=2.5cm,bottom=2.5cm]{geometry}
10
11% Document info
12\title{Your Document Title}
13\author{Your Name}
14\date{\today}
15
16\begin{document}
17
18\maketitle
19
20\section{Introduction}
21Your content goes here.
22
23\section{Another Section}
24More content here.
25
26\end{document}

This handles 90% of basic documents. Add more packages when you need specific features.

Actually Useful LaTeX Commands

Document Structure That Makes Sense

LaTeX uses logical structure, unlike Word’s “let’s randomly change formatting for fun” approach:

1\section{Main Section}
2\subsection{Sub Section}
3\subsubsection{Deeper Level}
4
5% For numbered lists
6\begin{enumerate}
7    \item First item
8    \item Second item
9    \item Third item
10\end{enumerate}
11
12% For bullet points
13\begin{itemize}
14    \item Bullet point
15    \item Another bullet point
16\end{itemize}

Math Equations Without Wanting to Die

LaTeX’s math mode is its killer feature. Once you get it, you’ll never touch another equation editor:

1% Inline math (within text)
2The time complexity is $O(n \log n)$ for efficient sorting algorithms.
3
4% Display math (on its own line)
5\begin{equation}
6    T(n) = O(n \log n)
7\end{equation}
8
9% Math without equation number
10$$f(n) = O(n^2)$$
11
12% Algorithm complexity with cases
13\begin{equation}
14    T(n) =
15    \begin{cases}
16        O(1) & \text{if } n = 1 \\
17        T(n/2) + O(1) & \text{if } n > 1
18    \end{cases}
19\end{equation}
20
21% Dynamic programming recurrence relation
22\begin{equation}
23    \text{Fib}(n) = \text{Fib}(n-1) + \text{Fib}(n-2)
24\end{equation}
25
26% Dijkstra's algorithm update step
27\begin{equation}
28    d[v] = \min(d[v], d[u] + w(u, v))
29\end{equation}
30
31% Logistic regression formula
32\begin{equation}
33    P(y=1) = \frac{1}{1 + e^{-(\beta_0 + \beta_1 x_1 + \ldots + \beta_n x_n)}}
34\end{equation}

Tables That Don’t Make You Want to Quit Technology

Tables in LaTeX are known for being a nightmare. Here’s how to make them suck less:

1\begin{table}[h]
2    \centering
3    \begin{tabular}{|l|c|r|}
4        \hline
5        Left-aligned & Centered & Right-aligned \\
6        \hline
7        Data 1 & 123 & 45.67 \\
8        Data 2 & 456 & 89.01 \\
9        Data 3 & 789 & 23.45 \\
10        \hline
11    \end{tabular}
12    \caption{A simple table example}
13    \label{tab:simple}
14\end{table}

The {|l|c|r|} defines three columns: left-aligned, centered, and right-aligned, with vertical lines between them.

Pro tip: Use booktabs for tables that don’t look like they’re from 1995:

1\usepackage{booktabs}
2
3\begin{table}[h]
4    \centering
5    \begin{tabular}{lcr}
6        \toprule
7        Left-aligned & Centered & Right-aligned \\
8        \midrule
9        Data 1 & 123 & 45.67 \\
10        Data 2 & 456 & 89.01 \\
11        Data 3 & 789 & 23.45 \\
12        \bottomrule
13    \end{tabular}
14    \caption{A cleaner table with booktabs}
15    \label{tab:clean}
16\end{table}

Images and Figures Without Tears

Including images is simple once you know the pattern:

1\begin{figure}[htbp]
2    \centering
3    \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{filename.png}
4    \caption{Description of your image}
5    \label{fig:example}
6\end{figure}

The key parts:

[htbp] tells LaTeX where to try placing the figure (here, top, bottom, or on a separate page)
[width=0.8\textwidth] makes the image 80% of the text width
Use \label so you can reference it later with \ref{fig:example}

Citations Without Wanting to Throw Your Computer Out the Window

Citations in LaTeX beat everything else once set up. Let’s use biblatex with APA style:

Make a .bib file (call it references.bib) with your sources:

1@article{knuth1974computer,
2    author = {Knuth, Donald E.},
3    title = {Computer Programming as an Art},
4    journal = {Communications of the ACM},
5    volume = {17},
6    number = {12},
7    pages = {667--673},
8    year = {1974},
9    publisher = {ACM}
10}
11
12@book{cormen2009introduction,
13    author = {Cormen, Thomas H. and Leiserson, Charles E. and Rivest, Ronald L. and Stein, Clifford},
14    title = {Introduction to Algorithms},
15    publisher = {MIT Press},
16    year = {2009},
17    edition = {3rd}
18}
19
20@inproceedings{Page1999,
21    author = {Page, Lawrence and Brin, Sergey and Motwani, Rajeev and Winograd, Terry},
22    title = {The {PageRank} Citation Ranking: Bringing Order to the {Web}},
23    booktitle = {Proceedings of the 7th International World Wide Web Conference},
24    year = {1999},
25    pages = {161--172}
26}

Add this to your LaTeX document’s preamble:

1\usepackage[
2    backend=biber,
3    style=apa,
4    citestyle=apa,
5    sorting=nyt,
6    giveninits=true,
7    uniquename=init
8]{biblatex}
9\addbibresource{references.bib}  % Note the .bib extension IS needed with biblatex

In your text, cite like this:

1% Parenthetical citation
2According to research on algorithms \parencite{cormen2009introduction}, sorting can be done efficiently.
3
4% Narrative citation
5\textcite{knuth1974computer} argues that programming is as much an art as it is a science.
6
7% Multiple citations
8Many advances in search technology \parencite{Page1999, knuth1974computer} have changed computing.

At the end of your document, before \end{document}, add:

1\printbibliography

Compile your document with:

Step 1: LaTeX
Step 2: Biber (not BibTeX!)
Step 3: LaTeX (again)
Step 4: LaTeX (yes, a third time)

Most modern LaTeX editors handle this build sequence automatically. In VS Code with LaTeX Workshop, just make sure it’s set to use biber instead of bibtex.

Real World Use Cases

Academic Papers That Won’t Make Your Advisor Cringe

Academic papers are where LaTeX crushes the competition. Quick template with biblatex/APA:

1\documentclass[12pt]{article}
2\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb}
3\usepackage[
4    backend=biber,
5    style=apa,
6    citestyle=apa
7]{biblatex}
8\addbibresource{references.bib}
9\usepackage{hyperref}
10
11\title{Your Amazing Research}
12\author{Your Name \\ Your Institution \\ \texttt{[email protected]}}
13\date{\today}
14
15\begin{document}
16\maketitle
17
18\begin{abstract}
19    This is where you summarize your paper in a way that makes your research sound more significant than it actually is.
20\end{abstract}
21
22\section{Introduction}
23Prior research \parencite{cormen2009introduction} has shown that...
24
25\section{Methodology}
26Following the approach developed by \textcite{knuth1974computer}...
27
28\section{Results}
29% Content here
30
31\section{Discussion}
32% Content here
33
34\section{Conclusion}
35% Content here
36
37\printbibliography
38\end{document}

A Resume That Doesn’t Look Like Everyone Else’s

The moderncv class makes slick resumes with minimal effort:

1\documentclass[11pt,a4paper,sans]{moderncv}
2\moderncvstyle{classic}
3\moderncvcolor{blue}
4
5\usepackage[scale=0.75]{geometry}
6
7% Personal data
8\name{Your}{Name}
9\title{Resume}
10\address{123 Street Name}{City, State 12345}
11\phone[mobile]{(123) 456-7890}
12\email{[email protected]}
13\homepage{yourwebsite.com}
14\social[linkedin]{yourlinkedinprofile}
15\social[github]{yourgithubprofile}
16
17\begin{document}
18
19\makecvtitle
20
21\section{Education}
22\cventry{2018--2022}{Bachelor of Science in Computer Science}{Your University}{City, State}{}{}
23
24\section{Experience}
25\cventry{2022--Present}{Software Engineer}{Company Name}{City, State}{}{
26\begin{itemize}
27\item Developed and maintained key features for X product
28\item Improved performance by Y\%
29\item Led a team of Z developers
30\end{itemize}
31}
32
33\section{Skills}
34\cvitem{Languages}{Java, Python, C++, JavaScript}
35\cvitem{Frameworks}{Spring Boot, React, TensorFlow}
36\cvitem{Tools}{Git, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS}
37
38\end{document}

Presentations That Don’t Put People to Sleep

The beamer class makes presentations that look better than PowerPoint:

1\documentclass{beamer}
2\usetheme{Madrid}
3\usecolortheme{default}
4
5\title{Your Presentation Title}
6\author{Your Name}
7\institute{Your Institution}
8\date{\today}
9
10\begin{document}
11
12\begin{frame}
13\titlepage
14\end{frame}
15
16\begin{frame}{Outline}
17\tableofcontents
18\end{frame}
19
20\section{First Section}
21
22\begin{frame}{Algorithm Complexity}
23    \begin{itemize}
24        \item Sorting algorithms: $O(n \log n)$
25        \item Graph traversal: $O(V + E)$
26        \item Matrix multiplication: $O(n^3)$
27    \end{itemize}
28\end{frame}
29
30\begin{frame}{Binary Search Tree}
31    \begin{equation}
32        T(n) =
33        \begin{cases}
34            O(1) & \text{if } n = 1 \\
35            T(n/2) + O(1) & \text{if } n > 1
36        \end{cases}
37    \end{equation}
38\end{frame}
39
40\end{document}

When LaTeX Inevitably Breaks: Debugging Tips

LaTeX error messages are cryptic garbage written by people who think “undefined control sequence” counts as helpful feedback. Here’s what to do:

Common Error Messages and What They Actually Mean

Undefined control sequence

What it says: ! Undefined control sequence.
What it means: “You screwed up a command name or forgot a package”
Fix: Check spelling or add the missing package

Missing $ inserted

What it says: ! Missing $ inserted.
What it means: “You used math stuff outside math mode, dummy”
Fix: Wrap your math with dollar signs

File not found

What it says: ! LaTeX Error: File 'something.sty' not found.
What it means: “You’re missing a package”
Fix: Install it or fix the name

Misplaced alignment tab character &

What it says: ! Misplaced alignment tab character &.
What it means: “You used & where it doesn’t belong”
Fix: Only use & in tables or aligned equations

Sanity-Saving Strategies

Comment out blocks of code

Can’t find the problem? Comment out chunks with % until it works, then add back piece by piece

Read the LOG file

Sometimes the .log file has actual useful info buried in the garbage

Use online communities

StackExchange’s TeX site has answers to every LaTeX problem ever

The nuclear option

When all else fails, copy your content to a clean, minimal document and gradually add back your customizations

Conclusion: Is LaTeX Worth the Hassle?

For basic documents? No way. If you’re writing a simple letter or short report, stick with Word or Google Docs.

But LaTeX becomes worth the pain when:

You’re writing anything with math
You need professional formatting that won’t randomly break
You’re creating a document that’ll need heavy revisions
You’re working on something for publication
You’re making a large document with references, figures, and tables

The learning curve sucks, but once you climb it, you’ll make documents that look better than anything in Word, with none of the formatting headaches.

Plus, there’s something satisfying about building documents with code instead of fighting with Word’s random formatting changes and cursor jumps that make you want to punch your screen.

Start with these templates, add features as needed, and soon you’ll be the LaTeX guru everyone bothers with questions. Your call if that’s a good thing.

LaTeX Without the Learning Curve Hell