GeneralWhat to Do First? Learn Structure or Content?

LaTeX specific issues not fitting into one of the other forums of this category.
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LaTexLearner
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:06 am

What to Do First? Learn Structure or Content?

Post by LaTexLearner »

Which would you suggest I do for a long project?
  • Type out all the code/content first, then go back through it and structure it.
  • Learn to manage the complexity of the project first, then type the content within that.
I found this link that gives an introductory explanation on how to manage multiple files, preambles, etc. How much more complex does it get than that?

For those who don't know, I am developing materials on fractions for students, using LaTeX. Right now, my "content" is mostly in draft form in hand-written paper notes or a ton of MS Word documents, and a little bit of it is just in my head, etc.

The book(s) will be quite long. Here is an outline. For those who have never worked with math-hating students who also deal with serious socioeconomic/health challenges, it may be hard to believe this, but they need, say, part (1a) to be broken into such small steps that it will probably be about 35 pages. (If you like I can send you the MS Word/PDF file that shows the breakdown.)

Code: Select all

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}

\begin{enumerate}
\item Fractions are Numbers
	\begin{enumerate}
	\item Point on a Number Line
	\item Length on a Number Line
	\item From Number Lines to Areas
	\item Discrete Sets
	\item Multiple Representations
	\end{enumerate}
\item Estimation, Comparison, and Equivalence
	\begin{enumerate}
	\item Estimating Magnitude
	\item Comparing 1: Mental pictures, comparing numerator and denominators, and benchmarks.
	\item Equivalent Fractions 1: Mixed and Improper
	\item Equivalent Fractions 2: Factors of Numerator and Denominator
	\item Comparing 2: Comparing with Equivalent Fractions
	\item Comparing 3: Choosing an Efficient Method to Compare Numbers
	\item Intervals Without a Diagram
	\end{enumerate}
\item Fractional Arithmetic
	\begin{enumerate}
	\item Representations: Whole Numbers to Fractions
	\item Estimating and Sketching
	\item Conceptual Questions
	\item Calculating Efficiently and Exactly
	\item Applications
	\end{enumerate}

\end{enumerate}

\end{document}
So, what would you say I do first: Learn how to structure it all or just get started on content?
Last edited by LaTexLearner on Thu Sep 17, 2015 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Stefan Kottwitz
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Re: What to Do First? Learn Structure or Content?

Post by Stefan Kottwitz »

You got a big project. A challenging task like this gets easier, if it's divided into manageable parts. So, I would organize a structure first. But do like it it works for you - if structuring would be a bit hard, postpone it, and get content things done.

Rough structure, working on content, refine structure, refine content, ... it grows.

Stefan
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LaTexLearner
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:06 am

What to Do First? Learn Structure or Content?

Post by LaTexLearner »

Stefan_K wrote:... if structuring would be a bit hard, postpone it, and get content things done...

Heh, I don't know how hard it is to learn to structure documents. How much more is there than this?

One thing I've found is much of what I thought would be terribly hard has proven to be not so hard (e.g. basic TikZ diagrams) and other parts that I thought would be trivially easy have proven incredibly hard (e.g. changing fonts throughout a document).

How hard is it to learn to structure the kinds of document I'm making?
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Stefan Kottwitz
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What to Do First? Learn Structure or Content?

Post by Stefan Kottwitz »

It is easy, don't worry.

Another classic post: Structuring Large Documents. It's similar. Not much to learn. Like 2 or 3 basic commands.

When there's a challenge, just let us know. :-)

Stefan
LaTeX.org admin
LaTexLearner
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:06 am

What to Do First? Learn Structure or Content?

Post by LaTexLearner »

Stefan_K wrote:It is easy, don't worry.

Another classic post: Structuring Large Documents. It's similar. Not much to learn. Like 2 or 3 basic commands.

When there's a challenge, just let us know. :-)

Stefan

Ok, I'm going to give learning structuring a shot now. Thanks!
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