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LyX is an advanced open source document processor running on many Unix platforms and OS/2, and experimentally under Windows/Cygwin. Unlike standard word processors, LyX encourages an approach to writing based on the structure of your documents, not their appearance. LyX lets you concentrate on writing, leaving details of visual layout to the software.
LyX produces high quality, professional output — using LaTeX, an industrial strength typesetting engine, in the background; LyX is far more than a front-end to LaTeX, however. No knowledge of LaTeX is necessary to use LyX, although it will give a user more power.
LyX is distributed via ftp as a tar.gz archive, both in source and binary formats for different architechtures. In a ftp site, you will find sources in the stable directory, and binaries for latest versions (especially RPMs for linux) in the bin directory.
If you find the "LyX for LaTeX Users" is not what you are looking for, and the LyX introduction and tutorial have too many trash talks, then read this — "From LaTeX to LyX" — a three-minute transferring guide to get you started immediately if you already know LaTeX.
Document type determines document's types of spacing, headings, numbering schemes, and so on. They are described as "document class" in LyX.
There are five standard document classes in LyX. They are:
-Report for basic reports
-Book for writing a book
-Letter for US-style letters
You can select a class using the Document Layout dialog. To open the Document Layout dialog, select Document… from the Layout menu. Then use Class to select the class you want to use, and make any fine tunings of the options you may need.
The LaTeX environment is specified by the environment box, which is located on the left end of the toolbar (just under the File menu). It indicates which environment you're currently writing in. What is refered as "environment menu" in LyX tutorial, is what opened by clicking on the "down arrow" icon just to the right of the Environment box.
Setting sections and subsections is also done in the environment box. Click on a line, and select Section (or Subsections) from the environment box. You don't have to select the line to change the environment. If nothing is selected, LyX changes the paragraph you are currently in to the selected environment. Alternatively, you can change several paragraphs to a different environment by selecting them before picking an environment. You just need to identify the text that makes up the section titles, and LyX takes care of numbering the sections and typesetting them.
Nothing sepcial, choose accordingly in the environment box, and you are all set. And so are all other LaTeX environments.
Viewing: Run LaTeX to create a dvi file, with View->DVI.
Prining: menu File->Print.
LyX has the capability of creating and editing WYSIWYM tables. You can insert a table using either the table toolbar button or Insert->Tabular Material. A dialog will appear, asking you for the number of rows and columns.
The default table has lines at the top and to the left of every cell, a line to the right of the rightmost column and a line at the bottom of the lowest row, forming a box around the table. Additionally, the topmost row also has a line at the bottom, which causes this row to appear separated from the rest of the table.
You can alter a table by clicking on it with the right mouse button, which brings up a settings dialog. Among these options are:
You can also use the menu to perform these operations. Try Edit->Tabular when the cursor is inside a table.
Many objects can be placed inside a table cell. Any single line of text, a math inset (not a displayed or multilined equation, though), or a figure can be in a cell; in fact, all three kinds of objects can be placed in the same cell. Font sizes and shapes can be altered, and the table will adjust to display them properly.
However, you can't put a table inside a cell of another table, nor can you put a special environment in a cell (like Section*, etc.), since LyX then tries to put the whole table in that environment, treating it like a paragraph. The results of that will be unpredictable.
You can create various "Lists," such as a ToC (Table of Contents). All you need to do is to use certain environments and insert a reference at the place where you want the list to appear. E.g., insert the ToC is under Insert->Lists & TOC->Table of Contents.
If you are a LaTeX user or are used to an older version of LyX, you might remember that LaTeX should be run several times to get things right. Fortunately, this is not needed anymore. LyX will make sure that LaTeX is run a sufficient number of times in order for the lists to appear in your dvi—output.