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I'm finishing up a 350+ page family history book that I wrote in LaTeX; I've got two or three more to go, and I wouldn't consider using anything else. It's got

I'm finishing up a 350+ page family history book that I wrote in LaTeX; I've got two or three more to go, and I wouldn't consider using anything else. It's got its quirks, but it was so easy to work with page formatting, footnotes/endnotes, and sections that it made up for all the fiddly issues I ran into with images. I have also been using the genealogytree[0] package (which relies on TikZ, coincidentally used by OP) to draw diagrams programatically. In addition to satisfying my scripting itch, it looks beautiful despite my unlearned eye for graphic design. Related: I wrote a resume in LaTeX a few years ago. After an in-person interview, the manager took me to meet the team: When we walked in, they were crowded around a monitor arguing about figure out how I'd made such a cool-looking CV. It probably didn't actually look all that good, but anything that isn't Word stands out nowadays.

neonkiwi 10y ago
I'm very curious to see this CV!
seanmcdirmid 10y ago
I thought my Latex CVs were great, but my wife always does better in...Illustrator out of all programs.
- grzm 10y ago
  In my experience there's a lot of layout that's been done in Illustrator. I suspect it's because of how long Illustrator's been around and had pretty good layout support, especially when compared with the early years of Aldus PageMaker and QuarkXPress and other tools. Illustrator was needed to do a lot of graphics work that these other tools didn't support, so it can make sense to do as much as you can in a single tool. If you can get good results doing everything you need in terms of text handling in Illustrator, why take the time to use a DTP application when you're likely going to need to use Illustrator anyway for graphics work.
graycat 10y ago
For longer documents in TeX, I wrote a collection of TeX macros for to make cross referencing easy. The collection was a little tricky to write but is fairly easy to use and works great. The package is based on some logical names that serve as, say, pointers; then in one place define such a name and in other places refer to it and get the page number, etc. inserted where the reference is made. Given some simple examples, it's really easy to use. I have a simple macro for my favorite text editor that will create a new, the next according to one scheme, such logical name. Having an easy way to have cross references is nice. I also have something similar but simpler for bibliographic references. TeX, some TeX macros, a good text editor with a good macro language (e.g., KEdit), and a good spell checker (e.g., ASpell with the last TeX distribution I got) are super good writing tools to have.
- pmoriarty 10y ago
  Your cross-referencing macros sound interesting. Are they publicly available anywhere?
  - graycat 10y ago
    Part III \def\SNP#1{{\write\XREFileOut{\string#1}% \def\JUNKA{\SNChapterPrefix\the\SNChapter\space\the\SNUnit}% {\edef\JUNKB{\write\XREFileOut{\JUNKA}}\JUNKB}% \write\XREFileOut{\the\count0}}}% % % END Modified at 04:16:31 on Tuesday, December 29th, 2015. % % Define a table tag: % \def\SNT#1{{\global\advance\SNTable by1 \write\XREFileOut{\string#1}% \def\JUNKA{\the\SNTable\space JUNK}% {\edef\JUNKB{\write\XREFileOut{\JUNKA}}\JUNKB}% \write\XREFileOut{\the\count0}% \the\SNTable}} % % Define a figure tag: % \def\SNF#1{{\global\advance\SNFigure by1 \write\XREFileOut{\string#1}% \def\JUNKA{\the\SNFigure\space JUNK}% {\edef\JUNKB{\write\XREFileOut{\JUNKA}}\JUNKB}% \write\XREFileOut{\the\count0}% \the\SNFigure}} % % Get all the sequence number data from file \jobname.XRF: % \def\GetSN{{\openin\XREFileIn=\jobname.XRF \pushCount\InChapter \pushCount\InUnit \pushCount\InPage \pushCount\MoreFlag \ifeof\XREFileIn\MoreFlag=0 \else\MoreFlag=1 \fi\relax % \jobname.XRF exists? \ifnum\MoreFlag=1 \relax \loop \read\XREFileIn to\LineIn \ifeof\XREFileIn\MoreFlag=0 \else\MoreFlag=1 \fi \ifnum\MoreFlag=1 \let\InTag=\LineIn \read\XREFileIn to\LineIn \edef\InValues{\LineIn} \read\XREFileIn to\LineIn \InPage=\LineIn \edef\JUNK{\InValues\the\InPage}% \global\expandafter\let\InTag=\JUNK \repeat \fi \closein\XREFileIn }} % % Get cross-references on 'chapters': % \def\SNCGetChapter#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNCGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Get cross-references on 'units': % \def\SNUGetChapter#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNUGetUnit#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Second#1 } % \def\SNUGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Get cross-references on tables: % \def\SNTGetTable#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNTNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNTGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNTNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Get cross-references on figures: % \def\SNFGetFigure#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNFNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNFGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNFNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Read file \jobname.XRF here, now, before anything else. % Get this reading done before any hint of a need to write % to that file. % % Modified at 08:13:46 on Monday, January 4th, 2016. % % If a TeX file has % % {\bf \SNU{} Theorem:}\ \ % % instead of, say, % % {\bf \SNU{\SNTagDA} Theorem:}\ \ % % the TeX can die here: % \GetSN % % Important: First read file \jobname.XRF. Then open it % for writing. This open will give the file length 0 and, % thus, destroy the data, if any, just read. If % execute % % \write\XREFileOut{\string#1} % % etc. without doing an open, then output will go to % console. % % From some fairly careful experiments, commands % % \newread\XREFileIn % \newwrite\XREFileOut % \openout\XREFileOut=\jobname.XRF % \closein\XREFileIn % % seem to ignore TeX block nesting and to be fully 'global' % across blocks. % \openout\XREFileOut=\jobname.XRF % % ======================================================================
pmoriarty 10y ago
I've also published multiple books for myself and my friends and family using LaTeX, use LaTeX whenever I want to print out and post or distribute an article that looks crappy in the original, and I've long written my resumes in LaTeX.

neonkiwi 10y ago

I'm very curious to see this CV!

seanmcdirmid 10y ago

I thought my Latex CVs were great, but my wife always does better in...Illustrator out of all programs.

grzm 10y ago
In my experience there's a lot of layout that's been done in Illustrator. I suspect it's because of how long Illustrator's been around and had pretty good layout support, especially when compared with the early years of Aldus PageMaker and QuarkXPress and other tools. Illustrator was needed to do a lot of graphics work that these other tools didn't support, so it can make sense to do as much as you can in a single tool. If you can get good results doing everything you need in terms of text handling in Illustrator, why take the time to use a DTP application when you're likely going to need to use Illustrator anyway for graphics work.

graycat 10y ago

For longer documents in TeX, I wrote a collection of TeX macros for to make cross referencing easy. The collection was a little tricky to write but is fairly easy to use and works great. The package is based on some logical names that serve as, say, pointers; then in one place define such a name and in other places refer to it and get the page number, etc. inserted where the reference is made. Given some simple examples, it's really easy to use. I have a simple macro for my favorite text editor that will create a new, the next according to one scheme, such logical name. Having an easy way to have cross references is nice. I also have something similar but simpler for bibliographic references. TeX, some TeX macros, a good text editor with a good macro language (e.g., KEdit), and a good spell checker (e.g., ASpell with the last TeX distribution I got) are super good writing tools to have.

pmoriarty 10y ago
Your cross-referencing macros sound interesting. Are they publicly available anywhere?
- graycat 10y ago
  Part III \def\SNP#1{{\write\XREFileOut{\string#1}% \def\JUNKA{\SNChapterPrefix\the\SNChapter\space\the\SNUnit}% {\edef\JUNKB{\write\XREFileOut{\JUNKA}}\JUNKB}% \write\XREFileOut{\the\count0}}}% % % END Modified at 04:16:31 on Tuesday, December 29th, 2015. % % Define a table tag: % \def\SNT#1{{\global\advance\SNTable by1 \write\XREFileOut{\string#1}% \def\JUNKA{\the\SNTable\space JUNK}% {\edef\JUNKB{\write\XREFileOut{\JUNKA}}\JUNKB}% \write\XREFileOut{\the\count0}% \the\SNTable}} % % Define a figure tag: % \def\SNF#1{{\global\advance\SNFigure by1 \write\XREFileOut{\string#1}% \def\JUNKA{\the\SNFigure\space JUNK}% {\edef\JUNKB{\write\XREFileOut{\JUNKA}}\JUNKB}% \write\XREFileOut{\the\count0}% \the\SNFigure}} % % Get all the sequence number data from file \jobname.XRF: % \def\GetSN{{\openin\XREFileIn=\jobname.XRF \pushCount\InChapter \pushCount\InUnit \pushCount\InPage \pushCount\MoreFlag \ifeof\XREFileIn\MoreFlag=0 \else\MoreFlag=1 \fi\relax % \jobname.XRF exists? \ifnum\MoreFlag=1 \relax \loop \read\XREFileIn to\LineIn \ifeof\XREFileIn\MoreFlag=0 \else\MoreFlag=1 \fi \ifnum\MoreFlag=1 \let\InTag=\LineIn \read\XREFileIn to\LineIn \edef\InValues{\LineIn} \read\XREFileIn to\LineIn \InPage=\LineIn \edef\JUNK{\InValues\the\InPage}% \global\expandafter\let\InTag=\JUNK \repeat \fi \closein\XREFileIn }} % % Get cross-references on 'chapters': % \def\SNCGetChapter#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNCGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Get cross-references on 'units': % \def\SNUGetChapter#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNUGetUnit#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Second#1 } % \def\SNUGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNUNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Get cross-references on tables: % \def\SNTGetTable#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNTNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNTGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNTNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Get cross-references on figures: % \def\SNFGetFigure#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNFNone}\else\fi \expandafter\First#1 } % \def\SNFGetPage#1{\ifx#1\undefined \edef#1{\SNFNone}\else\fi \expandafter\Third#1 } % % Read file \jobname.XRF here, now, before anything else. % Get this reading done before any hint of a need to write % to that file. % % Modified at 08:13:46 on Monday, January 4th, 2016. % % If a TeX file has % % {\bf \SNU{} Theorem:}\ \ % % instead of, say, % % {\bf \SNU{\SNTagDA} Theorem:}\ \ % % the TeX can die here: % \GetSN % % Important: First read file \jobname.XRF. Then open it % for writing. This open will give the file length 0 and, % thus, destroy the data, if any, just read. If % execute % % \write\XREFileOut{\string#1} % % etc. without doing an open, then output will go to % console. % % From some fairly careful experiments, commands % % \newread\XREFileIn % \newwrite\XREFileOut % \openout\XREFileOut=\jobname.XRF % \closein\XREFileIn % % seem to ignore TeX block nesting and to be fully 'global' % across blocks. % \openout\XREFileOut=\jobname.XRF % % ======================================================================

pmoriarty 10y ago

I've also published multiple books for myself and my friends and family using LaTeX, use LaTeX whenever I want to print out and post or distribute an article that looks crappy in the original, and I've long written my resumes in LaTeX.