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our most famous thesis template
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Do you know `Thesis.cls`? I bet you heard the name before. The
internet is a strange place and templates are provided all over
the place. But what makes `Thesis.cls` so special? Well, the
origin of the template was buried in a backyard and someone
digged it up creating a [large
garden](http:https://www.sunilpatel.co.uk/thesis-template/).

In the beginning there was ...

the original class for [use within the Dept. of Electronics and
Computer Science at the University of
Southampton](http:https://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/srg/softwaretools/document/templates/)
dated back to 2001/2003. The zip-file on the linked page
containes those lines in a `dtx` file that generates several
classes, one of them a thesis class. That thesis class defines
the environment for use within the department, including fixed
margins, onehalspaced text, making sure the text is singlespaced
in the list of tables, figures and contents. The class sets
default values for predefined commands to generate a title page.
Example documents (called templates) show how to use those
commands along with `\maketitle`:

```syntax=latex
\title {An Investigation into \dots}
\authors {\texorpdfstring
{\href{mailto:[email protected]}{Steve R.
Gunn}}
{Steve R. Gunn}
}
\addresses {\groupname\\\deptname\\\univname}
\date {\today}
\subject {}
\keywords {}
\maketitle
```




-----
Enter Thesis.cls

The class with its very creative name was created in 2007 as
stated in the class file

```syntax=latex
\ProvidesClass{Thesis}
[2007/22/02 v1.0
LaTeX document class]
```


The class changes a few minor things and adds a few, like a list
of symbols and a list of constants. t also adds the list of
figures and tables to the table of contents. But it does come
with a sample document in which we can find some advice on how to
use LaTeX. Some bits and pieces from it:

```syntax=latex
\chapter{Chapter Title Here} % Write in your own chapter title
\label{Chapter1}
\lhead{Chapter 1. \emph{Chapter Title Here}} % Write in your own chapter title to set the page header
if I want to use \emph{italic text for emphasis}, I write the
`$\backslash$\texttt{emph}\{\}' command and put the text I want
in italics in between the curly braces. This means that \LaTeX{}
is a ``mark-up'' language, very much like HTML.
\textbf{Thesis.blg} -- this is an auxiliary file generated by
BibTeX, if it is deleted BibTeX simply regenerates it when you
run the main `\texttt{.tex}' file.
\section{Filling in the `\texttt{Thesis.cls}' File}
You will need to personalise the thesis template and make it
your own by filling in your own information. This is done by
editing the `\texttt{Thesis.cls}' file in a text editor.
Open the file and scroll down, past all the
`$\backslash$\texttt{newcommand}\ldots' items until you see the
entries for `\texttt{University Name}', `\texttt{Department
Name}', etc\ldots.
The text is set to 11 point and a line spacing of 1.3. Generally,
it is much more readable to have a smaller text size and wider
gap between the lines than it is to have a larger text size and
smaller gap. Again, you can tune the text size and spacing should
you want or need to. The text size can be set in the options for
the `$\backslash$\texttt{documentclass}' command at the top of
the `\texttt{Thesis.tex}' file and the spacing can be changed by
setting a different value in the
`$\backslash$\texttt{setstretch}' commands (scattered throughout
the `\texttt{Thesis.tex}' file).
\href{http:https://www.physics.wm.edu/~norman/latexhints/pdf_papersize.html}{\texttt{http:https://www.physics.wm.edu/$\sim$norman/latexhints/pdf\_papersize.html}}
References should come \emph{after} the punctuation mark if there
is one (such as a comma or full stop). On the other hand,
footnotes\footnote{Such as this footnote, here down at the
bottom of the page.} come \emph{before} the punctuation mark.
You should break your thesis up into nice, bite-sized sections
and subsections. \LaTeX{} automatically builds a table of
Contents by looking at all the `$\backslash$\
texttt{chapter}$\{\}$', `$\backslash$\texttt{section}$\{\}$' and
`$\backslash$\texttt{subsection}$\{\}$' commands you write in the
source.
The table of Contents should only list the sections to three (3)
levels. A `$\backslash$\texttt{chapter}$\{\}$' is level one (1).
\item[\tiny{$\blacksquare$}] This work was done wholly or mainly
while in candidature for a research degree at this University.
\item[\tiny{$\blacksquare$}] Where any part of this thesis has
previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification
at this University or any other institution, this has been
clearly stated.
```


----------

That were some of the bits i found *interesting*.

The template is quite famous, it was provided in the original
form on latex templates. In the meantime that one was renamed and
cleaned up a little bit. Overleaf is using this moified version.
Sharelatex has the template in its original form (minor changes,
but of course no indication with respect to a date change or
author comments).


What do we have now? A few hundred different files called
`Thesis.cls` Isn't that nice?

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