General ⇒ Seeking info on creating templates for LaTex (.sty)

[Maerchenkoenigin]

Hello

I need information on creating templates. I've been looking on the web, no luck so far, and haven't found any books (they all explain TeX or LaTeX syntax, but nothing on actually designing a template to redesign the page, specify font styles and colors, page margins, etc).

I have to create a template that complies with my company's existing styles. I can't use an existing template.

Does anyone know of websites/books/etc?

Thank you for your help!

[Juanjo]

I don't know a comprehensive reference or site specifically dealing with all aspects of document design. Books usually treat every question in separate chapters. Anyway, you can try to do it by yourself. Make a list of things you would like to customize and look at the corresponding documentation or tutorial. Just to help, I add here an incomplete list and some hints about where to search or what to use. Of course, much more information can be found in CTAN and in books like Guide to LaTeX, by H. Kopka and P. Daly, or The LaTeX Companion.

• Commands for class and package writing: The document by the LaTeX Team.
• Page layout: It can be done via the geometry package or directly (by setting \textheight and like; this is not difficult if you understand the meaning of every parameter).
• Page style (headings, footers): You can use a predefined style, define a new one (which implies defining a command prefixed by \ps@ ), or use a package as fancyhdr or titlesec.
• Sectioning commands: this can be done with titlesec
  or directly (via the \@startsection command, except for chapter and part, which involve internal commands as \@makechapterhead)
• Caption format: Directly (via the internal command \@makecaption) or through the caption package.
• New floats (float package), color (color or xcolor packages), line spacing (setspace package), etc.

Instead of the standard classes you may also consider to use the memoir class or the classes and packages in the KOMA-script bundle.