# MikTex 2.8 for beginners

Hello

I've been using Latex more and more on these boards, and I'd like to use it for my Physics notes that I type. I've been using Microsoft Excel but it can get very messy.

I've downloaded the complete verson of MikTex 2.8 (I used the Net Installer) and I also have GhostScript 8.64 and TexNicCentre, but I've got no idea how to use them. I can't even create a simple document. I have absolutely no idea how to get started, and I can't find any guides on the very basics.

I've got a manual off the MikTex website, but I'm still completely lost.

At the moment I'm just using an online Latex Equation Editor, saving my equations as GIF images and inserting them into Excel, where they get blurred for some reason.

Does anyone know of any guides to help absolute beginners in creating "beautiful documents" in MikTex?

Thanks

MikTeX now comes with a basic LaTeX document editor called TeXworks, which you should find under "Start Menu"->"All Programs"->"MikTeX 2.8". Run it, and enter the following document:
Code:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\title{Example Document}
\author{John Doe}
\maketitle
This is my first \LaTeX\ document.  Here is some inline math: $a^2 + b^2 + c^2$.
Here is some displayed math:
$\int x \, dx = \frac{1}{2} x^2 + C$
\end{document}
Save the document somewhere (preferably in its own folder, as LaTeX generates a number of auxiliary files when compiling a document) as "example.tex". Now click on the "Typeset" menu in the TeXworks window, and select the "Typeset" menu option. (Alternatively, you can click on the green button in the toolbar that looks like a play button.) This will compile your document and display it in a new window.

That should be enough to get you started. The canonical reference for learning the syntax of LaTeX is http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/lshort/english/" [Broken] is now a viable, more modern alternative. Happy TeXing!

Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you so much for the reply. That is exactly what I was after. I didn't know I had to use the "begindocument" and "enddocument" bits, so whenever I pressed the Typeset button, nothing would happen.

I've just saved a copy of that wikibook aswell, so I should be sorted now.

Again, thank you very much for your help.

Matty

MikTeX now comes with a basic LaTeX document editor called TeXworks, which you should find under "Start Menu"->"All Programs"->"MikTeX 2.8". Run it, and enter the following document:
Code:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\title{Example Document}
\author{John Doe}
\maketitle
This is my first \LaTeX\ document.  Here is some inline math: $a^2 + b^2 + c^2$.
Here is some displayed math:
$\int x \, dx = \frac{1}{2} x^2 + C$
\end{document}
Save the document somewhere (preferably in its own folder, as LaTeX generates a number of auxiliary files when compiling a document) as "example.tex". Now click on the "Typeset" menu in the TeXworks window, and select the "Typeset" menu option. (Alternatively, you can click on the green button in the toolbar that looks like a play button.) This will compile your document and display it in a new window.

That should be enough to get you started. The canonical reference for learning the syntax of LaTeX is http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/lshort/english/" [Broken] is now a viable, more modern alternative. Happy TeXing!

Thank you for this, I too was having issues doing that.

Last edited by a moderator:
Here's another excellent tutorial on LaTeX: