[Feature Request] : kaobook template to use with emacs orgmode docs

[zenny]

Summary

@fmarotta Kudos to you for creating such a nice text template which is better than tufte-book, imo.

Meanwhile it would be more convenient if this tex template could be integrated to the emacs orgmode so that as self-contained portable kaobook org file can be generated. If someone has done so let me know with the link, and ignore this feature request.

Details

It would be better to create an emacs org-mode template to kaobook so that one can create a portable orgmode file with all kaobook files. There is a a very nice orgmode template for tufte-book in https://github.com/asilata/emacsconf2021.

She has just appended the following under setup in the orgmode file as follows:

* Setup                                                            :noexport:
** Startup
#+startup: noptag overview hideblocks
** Org LaTeX setup
#+latex_class: tufte-book
#+latex_class_options: [openany, a4paper]
#+latex_header: \usepackage{amsmath,amssymb,amsthm,geometry,hyperref,paralist,svg,thmtools,tikz,tikz-cd}
#+latex_header: \usepackage{mathtools}
#+latex_header: \usepackage[capitalise,noabbrev]{cleveref}
#+latex_header: \usepackage{environ} \NewEnviron{abmn}{\marginnote{\BODY}}
#+latex_header: \setcounter{tocdepth}{1} 
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{example}[theorem]{Example}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{exmpl}[theorem]{Example}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{definition}[theorem]{Definition}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{proposition}[theorem]{Proposition}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{lemma}[theorem]{Lemma}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{exercise}[theorem]{Exercise}
#+latex_header: \usetikzlibrary{arrows,automata,positioning}
** Export settings
Export into the artifacts directory
#+export_file_name: artifacts/ggm

Add ~tufte-book~ to ~org-latex-classes~ and update ~org-latex-pdf-process~.
#+name: export-setup
#+begin_src emacs-lisp :results silent :var this-year="2021"
  (add-to-list 'org-latex-classes
               `("tufte-book"
                 ,(string-join
                   '("\\documentclass{tufte-book}"
                     "\\usepackage{color}"
                     "\\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb}")
                   "\n")
                 ("\\chapter{%s}" . "\\chapter*{%s}")
                 ("\\section{%s}" . "\\section*{%s}")
                 ("\\subsection{%s}" . "\\subsection*{%s}")
                 ("\\paragraph{%s}" . "\\paragraph*{%s}")
                 ("\\subparagraph{%s}" . "\\subparagraph*{%s}")))

  (setq-local org-latex-pdf-process
        (let
            ((cmd (concat "pdflatex -shell-escape -interaction nonstopmode"
                          " --synctex=1"
                          " -output-directory %o %f")))
          (list cmd
                "cd %o; if test -r %b.idx; then makeindex %b.idx; fi"
                "cd %o; bibtex %b"
                cmd
                cmd
                "mv *.svg %o/"
                "rm -rf %o/svg-inkscape"
                "mv svg-inkscape %o/"
                (concat "cp %o/%b.pdf ../docs/" this-year "/ggm.pdf"))))

  (setq-local org-latex-subtitle-format "\\\\\\medskip
          \\noindent\\Huge %s")
  (setq-local org-confirm-babel-evaluate nil)
#+end_src

and the following under local variables as follows:

* Local variables                                                  :noexport:
# Local variables:
# eval: (add-hook 'org-export-before-processing-hook (lambda (be) (org-babel-ref-resolve "export-setup")) nil t)
# End:

Quite nifty! So I am seeking inputs from a master of emacs orgmode and LaTeX so that such a beautiful kaobook template can be made self-contained and portable orgmode file.

Additional context

The amount of convenience my feature may bring with such an self-contained portable org file has been presented by @asilata in https://emacsconf.org/2021/talks/babel/ or can be watched in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ooi4KAd2FM.

Cheers, /z

[zenny]

Hi, I managed to produce a pdf using the ggm.org file from https://github.com/asilata/emacsconf2021by appending the following in the setup section of the org file:

** Org LaTeX setup
#+latex_class: kaobook
#+latex_class_options: [openany, a4paper]
#+latex_header: \usepackage{amsmath,amssymb,amsthm,geometry,hyperref,paralist,svg,thmtools,tikz,tikz-cd}
#+latex_header: \usepackage{mathtools}
#+latex_header: \usepackage[capitalise,noabbrev]{cleveref}
#+latex_header: \usepackage{environ} \NewEnviron{abmn}{\marginnote{\BODY}}
#+latex_header: \setcounter{tocdepth}{1} 
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{example}[theorem]{Example}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{exmpl}[theorem]{Example}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{definition}[theorem]{Definition}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{proposition}[theorem]{Proposition}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{lemma}[theorem]{Lemma}
#+latex_header: \newtheorem{exercise}[theorem]{Exercise}
#+latex_header: \usetikzlibrary{arrows,automata,positioning}
** Export settings
Export into the artifacts directory
#+export_file_name: artifacts/ggm

Add ~kaobook~ to ~org-latex-classes~ and update ~org-latex-pdf-process~.
#+name: export-setup
#+begin_src emacs-lisp :results silent :var this-year="2023"
  (add-to-list 'org-latex-classes
               `("kaobook"
                 ,(string-join
                   '("\\documentclass{kaobook}"
                     "\\usepackage{color}"
                     "\\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb}")
                   "\n")
                 ("\\chapter{%s}" . "\\chapter*{%s}")
                 ("\\section{%s}" . "\\section*{%s}")
                 ("\\subsection{%s}" . "\\subsection*{%s}")
                 ("\\paragraph{%s}" . "\\paragraph*{%s}")
                 ("\\subparagraph{%s}" . "\\subparagraph*{%s}")))

But the produced pdf has some principal features missing from kaobook template which merits kaobook over tufte-book template, namely:

1. Mini table of contents in the margin at the start of each chapter.
2. Chapter headings.
3. Huge chapter number

I have attached the produced pdf here. Any suggestion to realize the features missing as above? Thanks!

ggm.pdf

[zenny]

Hi again,

With some inputs from Tom in https://list.orgmode.org/CACuV5sBZ39QB0bkYXi_8zkTuaYGRbJdvOkgzPymNGB1fGT-KbQ@mail.gmail.com/T/#u (quoted below) who stated that there are some non-standard LaTeX commands:

The kaobook.cls defines non-standard LaTeX commands for some of 
its features.  Org mode doesn't know about these, so you'll have 
to figure out how Org mode can recognize and export them.

...

I haven't used kaobook, so I can't offer specific pointers.  I 
have used Tufte LaTeX with Org mode, so I can give general 
pointers.

A LaTeX class, such as kaobook, typically redefines standard LaTeX 
commands and environments, and also defines non-standard commands 
and environments.  So, you should first check if your system 
correctly compiles a pdf from the LaTeX examples supplied with 
kaobook.  When the LaTeX side is working correctly, then you'll 
want to identify non-standard commands and environments defined by 
the kaobook class.  In the style and class files you might search 
for \newcommand and \newenvironment, or the documentation might 
identify the user facing non-standard commands and environments. 
These are the ones you'll need to configure specially.

I typically use Org mode macros to insert non-standard LaTeX 
commands.  Here are some I use with non-standard commands from 
Tufte LaTex:

#+MACRO: newthought \newthought{$1}
#+MACRO: sidenote \sidenote[$2][$3]{$1}
#+MACRO: marginnote \marginnote[$2]{$1}
#+MACRO: urlnote \sidenote[$2][$3]{​\url{$1}​}

Non-standard environments are a bit trickier.

First, you might be able to wrap the non-standard environment like 
this in your Org mode file:

#+begin_<<kaobook-environment>>
Something that should be wrapped in <<kaobook-environment>>.
#+end_<<kaobook-environment>>

For figures and tables, you can pass an arbitrary argument to 
:float.  I do this for the Tufte LaTeX marginfigure environment:

#+attr_latex: :float marginfigure :height 1.2in

#+attr_latex: :float marginfigure :options angle=90

#+attr_latex: :placement [ht!] \setfloatalignment{b}

The last example abuses attr_latex to pass a non-standard LaTeX 
command that Tufte LaTeX uses to tweak the vertical alignment of 
the figure.  

Good luck!

hth,
Tom

@fmarotta would you mind enlisting the non-standard LaTeX commands? Appreciate that.

Cheers,