UCCS LaTeX Coursework Toolchain

A comprehensive LaTeX document management system for UCCS (University of Colorado Colorado Springs) coursework, featuring automated document scaffolding, consistent branding, and streamlined compilation workflows.

Perfect for UCCS students in Engineering, Business, Computer Science, and all academic programs requiring professional document preparation. Compatible with graduate and undergraduate coursework.

🎓 Who Can Use This?

• UCCS Students: All departments and programs (Engineering, Business, Sciences, Liberal Arts)
• Other Universities: Easily adaptable by replacing logos and color schemes
• Professionals: Technical reports, project documentation, and presentations
• LaTeX Learners: Well-documented examples and automation for beginners

✨ Features

• 🎯 Template-Based Document Generation: Automated homework and report scaffolding with course-specific customization
• 🎨 Consistent UCCS Branding: Professional styling with DoD-blue color scheme and Fira Sans typography
• ⚡ Multi-Engine Support: Compatible with XeLaTeX, Tectonic, and LaTeX
• 📁 Organized Directory Structure: Course/term-based file organization with shared assets
• 🛠️ Makefile Integration: Streamlined build processes and workflow automation
• 🔤 Custom Font Integration: Complete Fira Sans font family with proper XeLaTeX configuration

📖 Template Examples

The toolchain provides two professionally-styled templates designed for UCCS academic work. Both templates feature consistent branding, proper typography, and automated content generation.

Homework Template

Optimized for assignments, problem sets, and take-home exams with a compact layout and mathematical typesetting support.

Title Page

Content Page

Key Features:

• Compact title block with course information and assignment details
• Styled problem environments with DoD-blue highlighting
• Mathematical equation support with proper numbering
• Headers/footers on all pages for identification

Report Template

Designed for formal reports, research papers, and capstone projects with a professional multi-page layout.

Title Page

Content Page

Key Features:

• Dedicated title page with UCCS branding and course details
• Structured sections for executive summary, analysis, and recommendations
• Double-spaced formatting for academic standards
• Figure numbering and citation support
• Professional headers/footers throughout document

📂 Repository Structure

uccs-me-syse-latex/
├── build.cmd                 # Cross-platform build wrapper (Unix/Linux/macOS/Git Bash)
├── build.bat                 # Windows build wrapper (native Windows)
├── Makefile                  # Root Makefile (delegates to build/Makefile)
├── build/                    # Build configuration and CI/CD
│   ├── Makefile              # Unix/Linux/macOS build automation
│   ├── build.bat             # Windows batch build script
│   ├── cicd/                 # Continuous integration
│   └── docker/               # Containerization support
├── classes/                  # Course-specific documents
│   └── EMGT5510/            # Course directory
│       └── 2025_summer/     # Term-specific assignments
│           ├── data/        # Supporting data files
│           ├── figures/     # Course-specific images
│           └── *.tex        # Generated documents
├── scripts/                  # Automation scripts
│   └── newdoc.sh            # Document scaffolding script (Unix/Linux/macOS)
├── templates/                # LaTeX templates
│   ├── homework_template.tex # Homework assignment template
│   └── report_template.tex   # Report/project template
└── texmf/                    # Shared LaTeX resources
    ├── fonts/               # Complete font family support
    │   ├── otf/            # OpenType fonts for XeLaTeX
    │   └── ttf/            # TrueType fonts for compatibility
    └── images/              # Shared assets (UCCS logo, etc.)

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• XeLaTeX (recommended) or Tectonic for compilation
• Build System (automatically detected):
  • Cross-platform: Use ./build.cmd (Unix/Linux/macOS/Git Bash)
  • Windows: Use build.bat (native Windows Command Prompt/PowerShell)
  • Alternative: Use make directly on Unix/Linux/macOS
• Document Creation:
  • Unix/Linux/macOS: scripts/newdoc.sh (bash required)
  • Windows: Manual template copying or WSL/Git Bash for script usage

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ddunnock/uccs-latex-templates.git
   cd uccs-latex-templates

2. Verify LaTeX engine:

   # Check XeLaTeX installation
   which xelatex
   
   # Or check Tectonic installation
   which tectonic

Creating Documents

Method 1: Using Make (Unix/Linux/macOS)

Create a homework assignment:

make newhw CLASS=EMGT5510 ACAD_TERM=2025_summer ASSIGN="Module-1_Homework" \
          STUDENT="Your Name" INSTRUCTOR="Dr. Instructor"

Create a report:

make newreport CLASS=EMGT5510 ACAD_TERM=2025_summer ASSIGN="Midterm_Report" \
               STUDENT="Your Name" INSTRUCTOR="Dr. Instructor" \
               COURSE_TITLE="Course Title"

Method 2: Direct Script Usage (Unix/Linux/macOS)

Environment variables:

TYPE=homework CLASS=EMGT5510 ACAD_TERM=2025_summer ASSIGN="Module-1_Homework" \
STUDENT="Your Name" INSTRUCTOR="Dr. Instructor" \
COURSE_TITLE="Course Title" bash scripts/newdoc.sh

Interactive mode:

# Simple interactive mode (Unix/Linux/macOS)
make newdoc

# Or run script directly
bash scripts/newdoc.sh

# Example interactive session:
# Document type [homework/report]: homework
# Course ID (e.g. EMGT5510): EMGT5510
# Academic term (e.g. 2025_summer): 2025_spring
# Assignment label (e.g. HW-01): Module-1_Homework
# Student name [Your Name]: John Smith
# Instructor [TBD]: Dr. Johnson
# Course title [optional]: Leadership for Engineers

Method 3: Manual Template Setup (All Platforms)

For Windows users or when automation isn't available:

1. Copy the appropriate template:

   # For homework
   cp templates/homework_template.tex classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Assignment-Name.tex
   
   # For reports
   cp templates/report_template.tex classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Report-Name.tex

2. Edit the document header in your new .tex file:

   • Replace \newcommand{\course}{COURSE}
   • Replace \newcommand{\term}{TERM}
   • Replace \newcommand{\assignment}{ASSIGNMENT}
   • Replace \newcommand{\student}{STUDENT}
   • Replace \newcommand{\instructor}{INSTRUCTOR}
   • Replace \newcommand{\coursetitle}{COURSE TITLE} (reports only)

3. Create the directory structure if it doesn't exist:

   mkdir -p classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/figures
   mkdir -p classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/data

Compiling Documents

Cross-Platform Commands (Recommended)

For Unix/Linux/macOS/Git Bash:

# Show help and available commands
./build.cmd help

# Compile a single document
./build.cmd pdf FILE=classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex

# Compile all documents
./build.cmd all

# Live compilation (watch mode)
./build.cmd watch FILE=classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex

# Clean auxiliary files
./build.cmd clean

For Windows Command Prompt/PowerShell:

REM Show help and available commands
build.bat help

REM Compile a single document
build.bat pdf FILE=classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex

REM Compile all documents
build.bat all

REM Live compilation (watch mode)
build.bat watch FILE=classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex

REM Clean auxiliary files
build.bat clean

Platform-Specific Commands

Unix/Linux/macOS (using Make):

make pdf FILE=classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex
make all
make watch FILE=classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex

Windows (using batch files directly):

build\build.bat pdf FILE=classes\EMGT5510\2025_summer\EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex
build\build.bat all
build\build.bat clean

Direct LaTeX Compilation

For any platform with XeLaTeX or Tectonic installed:

# Navigate to the document directory
cd classes/EMGT5510/2025_summer/

# Using XeLaTeX
xelatex EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex

# Using Tectonic (if available)
tectonic EMGT5510_Module-1_Homework.tex

📝 Document Templates

Homework Template Features

• Compact Title Block: Course info, assignment title, and submission details
• Problem Environments: Styled problem statements with DoD-blue highlighting
• Mathematical Typesetting: Full AMS-Math support with proper equation numbering
• Sample Content: Pre-filled example problems demonstrating best practices

Report Template Features

• Professional Title Page: UCCS branding with course and project information
• Structured Sections: Executive summary, analysis, recommendations, and appendices
• Academic Formatting: Double-spaced body text with proper citation support
• Figure Integration: Section-numbered figures with caption support

⚙️ Makefile Commands

Command	Description	Example
help	Show all available targets	make help
pdf	Compile single document	make pdf FILE=path/to/doc.tex
all	Compile all documents	make all
watch	Live compilation (latexmk)	make watch FILE=path/to/doc.tex
clean	Remove auxiliary files	make clean
distclean	Clean + remove PDFs	make distclean
newdoc	Interactive document creation	make newdoc
newhw	Create homework (shorthand)	make newhw CLASS=EMGT5510 ...
newreport	Create report (shorthand)	make newreport CLASS=EMGT5510 ...

🎨 Styling and Branding

Color Palette

• Primary: DoD Blue (RGB(0,102,204)) for headings and accents
• Secondary: Header Blue (RGB(222,230,242)) for table backgrounds
• Text: Black on white for optimal readability

Typography

• Body Text: Fira Sans Regular/Bold/Italic
• Headings: Fira Sans Light for visual hierarchy
• Math: Computer Modern (LaTeX default) for mathematical expressions

Document Standards

• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Spacing: Double-spaced body text
• Headers: Course and term information
• Footers: Page numbering

🔧 Configuration

Personal Configuration File

Create a .newdoc.conf file in your project root or home directory to set default values for interactive mode:

# Copy the example and customize
cp .newdoc.conf.example .newdoc.conf

# Edit with your information
nano .newdoc.conf

Example configuration:

# Your personal information
STUDENT_NAME="John Smith"

# Current semester information  
ACAD_TERM="2025_spring"

# Current course information
CLASS="EMGT5510"
INSTRUCTOR="Dr. Johnson"
COURSE_TITLE="Leadership for Engineers"

Benefits:

• 🚀 Faster document creation - Just press Enter to use defaults
• 📝 Consistent information - No typos in repeated fields
• 🔄 Easy semester updates - Change term once per semester
• 👥 Multiple courses - Override CLASS per document as needed

Engine Detection

The Makefile automatically detects available LaTeX engines in this order:

1. Tectonic (preferred for speed and reliability)
2. XeLaTeX (required for font support)
3. Latexmk (fallback with XeLaTeX backend)

Font Configuration

Fira Sans fonts are included in texmf/fonts/otf/ and automatically configured for XeLaTeX. The font paths are relative to the document location using the pattern ../../../texmf/fonts/otf/.

Asset Management

• Shared Images: Place in texmf/images/ (UCCS logo, common figures)
• Course-Specific: Use classes/COURSE/TERM/figures/ for assignment-specific images
• Data Files: Store in classes/COURSE/TERM/data/ for datasets and supporting materials

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Font not found errors:

# Ensure you're compiling from the correct directory
cd classes/COURSE/TERM/
xelatex document.tex

Graphics path errors:

# Verify UCCS logo exists
ls ../../../texmf/images/uccs-logo.png

Math mode errors with underscores:

• The script automatically converts underscores in term names to spaces for display
• Use 2025_summer as ACAD_TERM parameter

Missing packages:

# Install required LaTeX packages
tlmgr install fontspec titlesec fancyhdr geometry

Build Verification

Test the system with a sample document:

# Create and compile a test homework
make newhw CLASS=TEST101 ACAD_TERM=2025_test ASSIGN="Test_Assignment" \
          STUDENT="Test Student" INSTRUCTOR="Test Instructor"

# Compile the test document
make pdf FILE=classes/TEST101/2025_test/TEST101_Test_Assignment.tex

🏫 For UCCS Students

Getting Started at UCCS

• Engineering Students: Perfect for EMGT, SYSE, ME, EE, CS coursework
• Business Students: Professional reports and case study presentations
• Graduate Students: Thesis, capstone projects, and research papers
• All Departments: Standardized formatting for any UCCS course

UCCS-Specific Features

• ✅ Official UCCS Logo integrated and properly licensed
• ✅ University Color Scheme (DoD Blue matching UCCS branding)
• ✅ Academic Year Support (Fall/Spring/Summer terms)
• ✅ Course Code Format (DEPT#### automatic formatting)

Quick Start for UCCS Students

# Clone and start your first assignment
git clone https://github.com/ddunnock/uccs-latex-templates.git
cd uccs-latex-templates

# Create your first homework (replace with your course)
make newhw CLASS=EMGT5510 ACAD_TERM=2025_spring ASSIGN="Assignment-1" \
          STUDENT="Your Name" INSTRUCTOR="Dr. LastName"

Adapting for Other Universities

To customize for your institution:

1. Replace texmf/images/uccs-logo.png with your university logo
2. Update color scheme in templates (search for dodblue)
3. Modify header text and branding elements

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

• Templates: Follow existing styling patterns and placeholder conventions
• Scripts: Maintain POSIX shell compatibility where possible
• Documentation: Update README.md for any new features or changes
• Testing: Verify templates compile without warnings

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License for all original source code, build scripts, and supporting files.

Important: The repository contains third-party assets with different licensing:

• Fira Sans fonts: Licensed under SIL Open Font License (OFL-1.1)
• UCCS logo: Trademark of University of Colorado (academic use only)

See the LICENSE file for complete details and compliance requirements.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• UCCS College of Engineering & Applied Science for branding guidelines
• Fira Sans Font Family by Mozilla for typography
• LaTeX Community for the robust typesetting foundation
• Tectonic Project for modern LaTeX compilation