PSU Thesis LaTeX Files: Definitions

Definitions File
(and Hyphenations)

If there are a any commands that you type a lot, but would like a "short-cut" to use in place of them (for example, typing "\Msun" is much easier than writing out "$\M_{\odot}$" every time), then include a definitions file of these short-cuts in the preamble of your thesis (before the "\begin{document}" command). Usually the definitions are for math symbols, but they can be for anything.

Here is a definition:

\newcommand{\Msun}{\ensuremath{\M_{\odot}}}

The short-cut that you would type in the document is "\Msun" and LaTeX will replace the short-cut with "\ensuremath{\M_{\odot}}" (you may need to inclose the short-cut in "{}", or follow it with a "\" in order to get spacing correct around it: i.e., "{\Msun}" or "\Msun\"). The "\ensuremath{ }" command guarantees that the commands included with it are entered as math mode, allowing you to use the short-cut in either regular text or math mode in your document. NOTE: be careful what you use as a short-cut name, do not use something that is already a LaTeX command (if you do, you'll get a LaTeX warning about a command being already defined).

You can make short-cuts for other things you type often too:

\newcommand{\Ha}{H$\alpha$}
\newcommand{\kms}{km~s\ensuremath{^{-1}}}
\newcommand{\TwoMASS}{The Two Micron All Sky Survey}

Here are a few useful ones that replace similar commands we are familiar with from AASTeX:

\newcommand{\farcm}{\mbox{\ensuremath{.\mkern-4mu^\prime}}}%    % fractional arcminute symbol: 0.'0
\newcommand{\farcs}{\mbox{\ensuremath{.\!\!^{\prime\prime}}}}%  % fractional arcsecond symbol: 0.''0
\newcommand{\fdg}{\mbox{\ensuremath{.\!\!^\circ}}}%             % fractional degree symbol:     0.°0
\newcommand{\arcdeg}{\ensuremath{^{\circ}}}%                    % degree symbol:  °
\newcommand{\sun}{\ensuremath{\odot}}%                          % sun symbol
\newcommand{\apj}{ApJ}%                                         % Journal abbreviations
\newcommand{\apjs}{ApJS}
\newcommand{\apjl}{ApJL}
\newcommand{\aap}{A{\&}A}
\newcommand{\aaps}{A{\&}AS}
\newcommand{\mnras}{MNRAS}
\newcommand{\aj}{AJ}
\newcommand{\araa}{ARAA}
\newcommand{\pasp}{PASP}
\newcommand{\Teff}{\ensuremath{T_{\mathrm{eff}}}}%              % T_eff
\newcommand{\logg}{\ensuremath{\log g}}%                        % log g
\newcommand{\bv}{\ensuremath{B\!-\!V}}%                         % B-V
\newcommand{\ub}{\ensuremath{U\!-\!B}}%                         % U-B
\newcommand{\vr}{\ensuremath{V\!-\!R}}%                         % V-R
\newcommand{\ur}{\ensuremath{U\!-\!R}}%                         % U-R
\newcommand\ion[2]{#1$\;${\scshape{#2}}}%                       % ion, i.e., CII = \ion{C}{ii}

(NOTE: the "\ion" command is a slightly different from from the AASTeX command. I could not get the AASTeX "\ion" command to work with psuthesis, so I had to improvise. The result is with this "\ion" command, you enter an ion with the ionization number as the appropriate Roman numeral in lowercase letters --- for example CII would be entered "\ion{C}{ii}".)

Anyway, enter all your definitions in a single file (i.e., "definitions.tex"), then include the file before the "\begin{document}" command (NOTE: there is already an input statement for this purpose in the mythesis.tex file, all you need to do is enter the name of your definition file, and path if necessary. ALSO NOTE: that this file is entered with an "\input{ }" statement, as opposed to the "\include{ }" statements used for the chapter files -- this insures that the definitions will always be read in, even if you are using the "\includeonly{ }" commands to compile a single chapter at a time.).

Not exactly a definition, but somewhat related... hyphenations

There is a useful command in LaTeX called "\hyphenation{}". This command is used in the preamble of the document (before "\begin{document}", just like the definitions file described above) to tell LaTeX how to hyphenate non-standard words.

For example, in my thesis I use the word "subdwarf" a lot, but LaTeX doesn't know how to hyphenate it. So, if it happens to fall at the end of a line where LaTeX would like to hyphenate it, it can't and instead spits out a warning about an "overfull hbox".

Now, if you only used a word like this once or twice you can consider just entering "\-" directly in the word in the text to tell LaTeX where it can hyphenate it (i.e., entering "sub\-dwarf" when you use the word in the text to tell LaTeX that it can hyphenate between "sub" and "dwarf"). However, that can get extremely tedious if you use a word repeatedly, so instead use the "\hyphenation{}" command in the preamble to tell LaTeX how to hyphenate a word throughout the text.

To use "\hyphenation{}", simply enter the word in the curly braces with "-" in all the places where it is OK for LaTeX to hyphenate it (NOTE: you need to enter all tenses of the word too, i.e., "subdwarf" and "subdwarfs" separately).

In my case I use the hyphenation command:

     \hyphenation{sub-dwarf sub-dwarfs}

so LaTeX knows how to hyphenate both "subdwarf" and the plural "subdwarfs" throughout my document.

[My LaTeX book gives the hyphenation example of:

     \hyphenation{gno-mon gno-mons gno-mon-ly}

Just to give you a second example and one with a word that can be hyphenated in two places.]

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Definitions File (and Hyphenations)

Not exactly a definition, but somewhat related... hyphenations

Definitions File
(and Hyphenations)