To get started with this post, you need to install TeXmaker.
At first glance, LaTeX may look overwhelming, but it's actually really easy to get started.
For example, this is technically all you need to write your first document. We'll use the typical programming phrase "Hello world" as the text.
<pre><code class="lang-LaTeX">\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Hello world!
\end{document}
</code></pre>
That's it!
Once you've written this into your file, save it, then press F1.
In TeXmaker this runs the Quick Build function. It does a bit in the background, but all you need to know is that you hit it (F1) once to produce a PDF of the file you just created with just four lines!
TeXmaker will open the PDF of the file you created on the right. Take a look at it. Savour it. That's the first of many documents you can make.
I'll make another post soon about how you can expand upon this basic document to customise a little more about it.
But before I go, I just wanted to say that LaTeX was originally more for structuring a document. Typesetting is handled by LaTeX, so you don't need to worry about that. (But you can if you want to!)

To get started with this post, you need to install TeXmaker.

At first glance, LaTeX may look overwhelming, but it's actually really easy to get started.

For example, this is technically all you need to write your first document. We'll use the typical programming phrase "Hello world" as the text.


```LaTeX
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Hello world!
\end{document}
``` 
 
That's it!

Once you've written this into your file, save it, then press F1.

In TeXmaker this runs the Quick Build function. It does a bit in the background, but all you need to know is that you hit it (F1) once to produce a PDF of the file you just created with just four lines!

TeXmaker will open the PDF of the file you created on the right. Take a look at it. Savour it. That's the first of many documents you can make.

I'll make another post soon about how you can expand upon this basic document to customise a little more about it.

But before I go, I just wanted to say that LaTeX was originally more for structuring a document. Typesetting is handled by LaTeX, so you don't need to worry about that. (But you can if you want to!)

Writing your first LaTeX document using TeXmaker