The LaTeX command typesets a file of text using the TeX program and the LaTeX Macro package for TeX. To be more specific, it processes an input file containing the text of a document with interspersed commands that describe how the text should be formatted. It produces two files as output, a Device Independent (DVI) file that contains commands that can be translated into commands for a variety of output devices, and a `transcript’ or `log file’ that contains summary information and diagnostic messages for any errors discovered in the input file.
For a description of what goes on inside TeX, you should consult The TeXbook by Donald E. Knuth, ISBN 0-201-13448-9, published jointly by the American Mathematical Society and Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Some documentation can be found in TEX_DISK:[TEX.DOC…].
For a description of LaTeX, you should consult “A Document Preparation System: LaTeX” by Leslie Lamport, ISBN 0-201-15790-X, published jointly by the American Mathematical Society and Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Some documentation can be found in TEX_DISK:[TEX.DOC…].
Parameters
input-file, …
The input file specification indicates the file to be formatted; TeX uses TEX as a default file extension. If you omit the input file entirely, TeX accepts input from the terminal. You specify command options using the conventional VAX/VMS arrangement — options begin with a slash mark (/), and are placed following the command name or following the input file specification.
Output files are always created in the current directory; the DVI file has the file type DVI, and the log file has the file type LIS. When you fail to specify an input file name, TeX bases the output names on the file specification associated with the logical name TEX_OUTPUT.