Template/README.md

LaTeX Book Template

A professional LaTeX book template with automated CI/CD pipeline for generating multiple output formats including PDF, ePub, ODT, and DOCX. This template provides a clean, modern layout with customizable styling and automatic release generation.

Features

• 📚 Multiple output formats: PDF (one-sided, two-sided, ebook), ePub, ODT, DOCX
• 🎨 Professional typography using Libertine font with microtype improvements
• 📄 Custom page layouts with headers, footers, and margins optimized for different formats
• 🖼️ Cover page support with background images and work-in-progress watermarks
• ⚡ Automated CI/CD pipeline with timestamped releases
• 🔧 Easy customization through structured LaTeX files
• 🐳 Docker-based build environment for consistent compilation

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Local build: LaTeX distribution (TeX Live, MiKTeX) with pdflatex and pandoc
• Docker build: Docker (recommended for consistent results)
• CI/CD: Gitea instance with Actions enabled

Usage

1. Clone this template:

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd template
   

2. Customize your book:

   • Edit src/book.tex to set author, title, and subtitle
   • Add/modify chapters in src/chapters/
   • Replace src/graphics/cover.jpg with your cover image
   • Remove \workinprogress command when ready for final version

3. Build locally:

   # Build all formats
   make book
   
   # Or build specific formats
   make oneside.pdf    # One-sided PDF
   make twosides.pdf   # Two-sided PDF
   make ebook.pdf      # eBook PDF
   make book.epub      # ePub format
   make book.odt       # OpenDocument Text
   make book.docx      # Microsoft Word
   

4. Clean build artifacts:

   make clean
   

Project Structure

.
├── Makefile                 # Build automation
├── README.md               # This file
├── src/                    # LaTeX source files
│   ├── book.tex           # Main book file (edit this)
│   ├── chapters/          # Individual chapters
│   │   └── one.tex        # Example chapter
│   ├── graphics/          # Images and cover art
│   │   └── cover.jpg      # Book cover image
│   └── .formats/          # LaTeX formatting templates
│       ├── structure.tex  # Core styling and layout
│       ├── ebook.tex     # eBook format template
│       ├── oneside.tex   # One-sided format template
│       └── twosides.tex  # Two-sided format template
├── out/                    # Generated output files
└── .github/
    └── workflows/
        └── ci.yaml        # CI/CD pipeline

Customization

Book Metadata

Edit src/book.tex:

\author{Your Name}
\title{Your Book Title}
\subtitle{Your Subtitle}

Removing Work-in-Progress Watermark

Comment out or remove this line from src/book.tex:

%\workinprogress

Removing Title Box from Cover

Use the \removetitlebox command to remove the white semi-transparent title box overlay from the cover page, leaving only the background image. This creates a cleaner cover design where the background image is fully visible without any text overlay. Add this line to src/book.tex:

\removetitlebox

Note: When \removetitlebox is active, only the work-in-progress watermark (if enabled) will be displayed on the cover. The book title, author, and subtitle will not appear on the cover page.

Adding Chapters

1. Create new .tex files in src/chapters/
2. Include them in src/book.tex:

   \include{chapters/your-new-chapter}
   

Custom Styling

Modify src/.formats/structure.tex to customize:

• Fonts and typography
• Page layouts and margins
• Chapter and section formatting
• Colors and styling

CI/CD Pipeline

The template includes automated building and releasing:

• Triggers: Push to any branch, pull requests
• Build Environment: Custom LaTeX Docker image (git.arindy.de/arindy/latex-runner:1.0.1)
• Output: Automatic releases with timestamped names containing all formats
• Files Released: All generated files from the out/ directory

Customizing CI/CD

Edit .github/workflows/ci.yaml to:

• Change the Docker image
• Modify release naming
• Add additional build steps
• Configure different triggers

Download Latest Release

• EBook as ePub
• EBook as PDF
• Book as a one-sided PDF
• Book as a two-sided PDF
• Book as ODT
• Book as DOCX

Contributing

1. Fork this repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test the build process
5. Submit a pull request

License

This LaTeX Book Template is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0). See the LICENSE file for the complete license text.

What the License Covers

The CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license applies to all template files, including:

• LaTeX source files (src/ directory)
• Build configuration (Makefile, CI/CD workflows)
• Documentation and examples
• Styling and formatting templates

License Terms Summary

You are free to:

• ✅ Share — Copy and redistribute the template in any medium or format
• ✅ Adapt — Modify, remix, and build upon the template for your own books

Under these conditions:

• 📝 Attribution — Credit the original creators (Vel from LaTeXTemplates.com and Arindy)
• 🚫 NonCommercial — You may not use this template for commercial purposes
• 🔄 ShareAlike — If you distribute modified versions, use the same CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license

Important Notes

• Your book content (text, images you add) is not covered by this license
• You retain full rights to your own written content
• The license only applies to the template structure and code
• For commercial use, please contact the maintainers

This template is based on the eBook template from LaTeXTemplates.com, originally created by Vel, with modifications by Arindy.

Troubleshooting

Build Errors

• Check LaTeX logs in out/*.log files
• Ensure all required packages are installed
• Verify image files exist and are accessible

Missing Fonts

The template uses Libertine font. Install it or modify src/.formats/structure.tex to use different fonts.

Docker Issues

If using the CI pipeline, ensure your Gitea instance has access to the specified Docker image or modify the workflow to use a public LaTeX image.