Text Formatting ⇒ How are underscore and inequality signs inserted in LaTeX?

[ptrcao]

How are underscore and inequality signs inserted in LaTeX? I don't mean in math mode, I mean in normal text mode.

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi ptrcao,

you could write \_ or \textunderscore. The underscore package could be useful if you frequently write undersores in text. Have a look at Special LaTeX characters for further symbols.

An inequality sign is a math symbol. Just write \( \neq \) or the like in your text, or use $ like in $\neq$. I guess you don't want to strike out a normal equal sign.

Stefan

[gmedina]

Hi,

just a complement to Stefan_K's answer: the tipa package offers the \textdoublebarslash command to be used in text mode:

Code: Select all

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage{tipa}
\begin{document}
\textdoublebarslash
\end{document}

[ptrcao]

How about ">" and "<" symbols - I'm having trouble entering those in normal text mode. Do I really have to enter into math mode? These are just standard ASCII symbols, I would've thought they'd have been supported in normal text mode?

[gmedina]

Use the Cork encoding:

Code: Select all

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\begin{document}

<>

\end{document}

Please note that those signs used in text mode are not equal and do not behave like the same symbols used in math mode for the math relations "less than" and "greater than".

[ptrcao]

How about < and > as separate symbols in text mode?

[gmedina]

How about < and > as separate symbols in text mode?

Please explain what do you mean by "separate symbols".

[ptrcao]

For example, what I'm writing up is some instructions for installing and launching a program, and I'm using ">" to indicate a series of links in breadcrumb fashion, like "click on Start > Applications > Games > Solitaire". I can't seem to just type in a solitary ">" without a complaint from my LaTeX text editor. And "\>" doesn't work either.

[gmedina]

I can't seem to just type in a solitary ">" without a complaint from my LaTeX text editor. And "\>" doesn't work either.

If you load the fontenc package with T1 option as I suggested in my previous reply, you can simply type > and < without problems. Another option is to use \textgreater and \textless

[ptrcao]

I can't seem to just type in a solitary ">" without a complaint from my LaTeX text editor. And "\>" doesn't work either.

If you load the fontenc package with T1 option as I suggested in my previous reply, you can simply type > and < without problems. Another option is to use \textgreater and \textless

TY gmedina (and Stefan_K)! fontenc does the job.