Writing papers using LaTeX
These are some random tips that I always forget, because I don't write enough papers :(
The not so Short Introduction to LaTeX
Run dvips -t letter -Ppdf in order to use letter-size paper instead of A4, and to use high-resolution fonts so the resulting PDF file won't look blurry (a problem with old versions of Acrobat reader).
To make a figure, use Xfig or Winfig to create a Postscript (EPS) file, then use \includegraphics in Latex. You can use the Latex package psfrag to substitute math expressions into the figure.
Or, use JPicEdt to generate code for PSTricks, which can be inserted directly into the Latex source file.
AutoHotkey is a handy utility that automates keystrokes and other tasks. Here are some keyboard shortcuts for LaTeX:
; Hotkeys for LaTeX
; --Yi-Kai, 12/20/13
#KeyHistory 0 ; Disable key history
F1::^x ; Control-X
F2::^c ; Control-C
F3::^v ; Control-V
; don't touch F4, it's already used in Alt-F4
F5::Send +4+4{Left} ; $$ and move cursor in between
F6::+6 ; ^
F9::Send +9+0{Left} ; () and move cursor in between
F10::Send +[+]{Left} ; {} and move cursor in between
F11::+- ; _
F12::SendInput \begin{{}equation{}}{Enter}{Enter}\end{{}equation{}}{Enter}{Up 2}
; \begin{equation} \end{equation} and move cursor in between