Getting Started
How to Get Help
Where to find help with LaTeX, including community resources and how to prepare a minimal working example.
Getting help is nothing to be ashamed of, just be sure to do a bit of work yourself to relieve the load of your helpers. How to do that?
Prepare a minimal working example that reproduces your issue which will give helpers the perfect starting point for your problem. If you don't know how to prepare such a minimal example (also called MWE), just follow the link above.
Once you get a bit experienced, you will be able to solve problems on your own. :-)
Community Resources
- TeX Stack Exchange — The primary Q&A site for LaTeX questions
- LaTeX.org Forum — Active community forum
- TeX Live Documentation — Official documentation
- CTAN — Comprehensive TeX Archive Network
Creating a Minimal Working Example (MWE)
A minimal working example is the single most important thing you can provide when asking for help. Here's how to create one:
Step 1: Start with the smallest possible document
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath} % Add only packages you actually use
\begin{document}
% Your problem code goes here
\end{document}
Step 2: Remove everything unnecessary
- Remove all packages you don't need for the problem
- Remove all content not related to the issue
- Keep only the minimum code that reproduces the problem
Step 3: Verify it compiles and shows the problem
- Make sure the document compiles without unrelated errors
- Make sure the problem is clearly visible in the output
Example: Good MWE
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\begin{document}
\begin{equation}
\frac{a}{b} + \frac{c}{d} = \frac{ad + bc}{bd}
\end{equation}
\end{document}
Example: Bad MWE (too much irrelevant content)
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{booktabs}
% ... 10 more packages
\begin{document}
\title{My 50-page thesis}
\maketitle
% ... 50 pages of content ...
% The actual problem is on page 47
\end{document}
Reading Log Files
When LaTeX encounters an error, it writes details to the .log file. To find the error:
- Look for lines starting with
!— these are error messages - The line number after
l.tells you where LaTeX was when it found the error - Check the log for warnings (lines starting with
LaTeX Warning)
# Quick search for errors in the log
grep "^!" filename.log
Common Beginner Mistakes
| Mistake | Solution |
|---|---|
Missing } or $ | Check matching braces/dollar signs |
! Undefined control sequence | Check spelling of command names |
! Missing $ inserted | Math mode required for math symbols |
! Package inputenc Error | Check file encoding (use UTF-8) |
! Missing \begin{document} | Check preamble structure |
When to Ask for Help
Ask for help when:
- You've searched for the error message and can't find a solution
- You've created an MWE that reproduces the problem
- You've checked the LaTeX documentation
- You've checked the package documentation (often the best source)
Provide with your question:
- The MWE (complete, compilable document)
- The exact error message
- The expected vs actual output
- What you've already tried