Explanation of error messages

You tried to terminate a command with a blank space. Usually, this is an error as these are ignored by L^ATEX. In most cases, you would like to have a real space there.

Example:

\LaTeXis a typesetter.
L^ATEXis a typesetter.

\LaTeX\ is a typesetter.
L^ATEX is a typesetter.

Warning/error 3:

When reading a document, it is not very pretty when references are split across lines. If you use the ~ character, L^ATEX will assign a very high penalty for splitting a line at that point. ChkTEX issues this warning if you have forgot to do this.

Example:

Please refer to figure\ref{foo}.
Please refer to figure 11.

Please refer to figure~\ref{foo}.
Please refer to figure 11.

Warning/error 4:

This is a warning which you may ignore, but for maximum aestethic pleasure, you should enclose your bracket characters with `{}'s.

Example:

$[(ab)^{-1}]\^{-2}$
[(ab)^-1]^-2

${[{(ab)}^{-1}]}^{-2}$
[(ab)^-1]^-2

Warning/error 5:

If you try to use the \/ command when ChkTEX believes that the buffer is not outputted as italic, you'll get this warning.

Example:

This is an\/ example
This is an example.

This is an example.
This is an example.

Warning/error 6:

If the buffer is italic, and you try to use the \/ command more than once, you'll get this warning.

Example:

This {\it example\/\/} is not amusing.
This example is not amusing.

This {\it example\/} is not amusing.
This example is not amusing.

Warning/error 7:

You get this error if ChkTEX believes that you are switching from italic to non-italic, and you've forgot to use the \/ command to insert that extra little spacing. If you use the em option, you may ignore this warning.

Example:

This {\it example} is not amusing, either.
This example is not amusing, either.

This {\it example\/} is not amusing, either.
This example is not amusing, either.

Warning/error 8:

If you're using accenting commands, `i' and `j' should lose their dots before they get accented. This is accomplished by using the \i, \j, \imath and \jmath command.

Example:

This is an example of use of accents: \'{i}.
This is an example of use of accents: í.

This is an example of use of accents: \'{\i}.
This is an example of use of accents: &́#305;.

Warning/error 9:

This warning suggests that a wrong number of dashes may have been used. It does this by classifying the dash according to the the character in front and after the dashes.

If they are of the same type, ChkTEX will determine which keyword to use in the ``chktexrc'' file. If not, it will shut up and accept that it doesn't know.

Character type	Keyword in ``chktexrc'' file
* Space	WordDash
* Number	NumDash
* Alphabetic character	HyphDash
*

This is more or less correct, according to my references. Hopefully this check can be even more improved (suggestions?).

Example:

It wasn't anything - just a 2—3 star–shots.
It wasn't anything - just a 2—3 star–shots.

It wasn't anything --- just a 2--3 star-shots
It wasn't anything — just a 2–3 star-shots.

Warning/error 10:

You get this warning when you try to mix brackets or environments — ChkTEX expect to find matching brackets/environments in the same order as their opposites were found. While bracket matching is not an explicit error, it is usually a sign that something is wrong.

Warning/error 11:

This warning is triggered if we find a single, closing bracket or environment. While bracket matching is not an explicit error, it is usually a sign that something is wrong.

Warning/error 12:

Simply typing three `.' in a row will not give a perfect spacing between the `.'s. The \dots is much more suitable for this.

In math mode, you should also distinguish between \cdots and \ldots; take a look at the example below.

Example:

Foo...bar. $1,...,3$. $1+...+3$. $1,\cdots,3$.
Foo...bar. 1,..., 3. 1 + ... + 3. 1, ^... , 3.

Foo\dots bar. $1,\ldots,3$. $1+\cdots+3$. $1,\ldots,3$.
Foo...bar. 1,…, 3. 1 + ^... + 3. 1,…, 3.

Warning/error 13:

One of the specified abbreviations were found. Unless you have previously said \frenchspacing, you'll have incorrect spacing, which one should avoid if possible.

Example:

This is an example, i.e.an demonstration.
This is an example, i.e. an demonstration.

This is an example, i.e.\ an demonstration.
This is an example, i.e. an demonstration.

Warning/error 14:

L^ATEX' detection of whether a period ends a sentence or not, is only based upon the character in front of the period. If it's uppercase, it assumes that it does not end a sentence. While this may be correct in many cases, it may be incorrect in others. ChkTEX thus outputs this warning in every such case.

Example:

I've seen an UFO!Right over there!
I've seen an UFO! Right over there!

I've seen an UFO\@! Right over there!
I've seen an UFO! Right over there!

Warning/error 15:

ChkTEX will in some cases need the argument of a function to detect an error. As ChkTEX currently processes the L^ATEX file on a line-by-line basis, it won't find the argument if the command which needed it was on the previous line. On the other hand, this may also be an error; you ought to check it to be safe.

Example:

$\hat$
This will give a L^ATEX error...

$\hat{a}$

Warning/error 16:

This warning is triggered if we find a single, opening bracket or environment. While bracket matching is not an explicit error, it is usually a sign that something is wrong.

Warning/error 17:

This error is triggered if you at some point have turned on mathmode, and ChkTEX couldn't see that you remembered to turn it off.

Warning/error 18:

Should be self-explanatory. ChkTEX didn't find the same number of an opening bracket as it found of a closing bracket.

Warning/error 19:

Self-explanatory. Look in the example, and you'll understand why.

Example:

This is an "example"
This is an "example"

This is an ``example''
This is an ``example''

Warning/error 20:

On some keyboards you might get the wrong quote. This quote looks, IMHO, ugly compared to the standard quotes, it doesn't even come out as a quote! Just see in the example.

Example:

``There's quotes and there's quotes ''
``There´s quotes and there´s quotes´´

``There's quotes and there's quotes''
``There's quotes and there's quotes''

Warning/error 21:

A keyword you've specified using USERWARN in the ``chktexrc'' file, has been found.

Warning/error 22:

This error is generated whenever you try to typeset three quotes in a row; this will not look pretty, and one of them should be separated from the rest.

Example:

```Hello', I heard him said'', she remembered.
```Hello', I heard him said'', she remembered.

``\,`Hello', I heard him said'', she remembered.
`` `Hello', I heard him said'', she remembered.

Warning/error 23:

This message, issued when a space is found in front of a \index, \label or similar command (can be set in the ``chktexrc'' file). Sometimes, this space may cause that the word and the index happens on separate pages, if a pagebreak happens just there.

You might also use this warning to warn you about spaces in front of footnotes; however, the warning text may not be entirely correct then.

Example:

Indexing text\index{text} is fun!

Indexing text\index{text} is fun!

Warning/error 24:

This warning is given whenever ChkTEX finds a `ˆ ' or a _ followed by either two or more numberic digits or two or more alphabetic characters. In most situations, this means that you've forgotten some {}'s.

Example:

$5\cdot10^10$
5⋅10<sup>1</sup>0

$5\cdot10^{10}$
5⋅10<sup>10</sup>

Warning/error 25:

This warning is issued if ChkTEX finds space in front of an end-of-sentence character.

Example:

Do you understand ?
Do you understand ?

Do you understand?
Do you understand?

Warning/error 26:

Some L<sup>A</sup>TEX commands will be interpreted by ChkTEX; however, some of them are sensible to errors in the L<sup>A</sup>TEX source. Most notably, the \input command relies on that the input file exists...

Warning/error 27:

Italic correction should generally not be used in front of small punctuation characters like `.' and `,'; as it looks better when the preceding italic character leans ``over'' the punctum or comma.

Example:

It is just a {\it test\/}, don't think anything else.
It is just a prototype, don't think anything else.

It is just a {\it test}, don't think anything else.
It is just a prototype, don't think anything else.

Warning/error 28:

In ASCII environments, it is usual to use the `x' character as an infix operator to denote a dimension. The mathemathical symbol ×provided by the $\times$ command is better suited for this.

Example:

The program opens a screen sized 640x200 pixels.
The program opens a screen sized 640x200 pixels.

The program opens a screen sized $640\times200$ pixels.
The program opens a screen sized 640×200 pixels.

Warning/error 29:

Certain implementations of the verbatim environment and derivations of that, ignore all text after \end{verbatim}. This will warn you of this.

Warning/error 30:

Warning/error 31:

Warning/error 32:

Proper quotations should start with a ` and end with a '; anything else isn't very pretty. Both these warnings are relative to this; look in the example below.

Example:

There are `'examples'' and there are ``examples``.
There are `'examples'' and there are ``examples``.

There are ``examples'' and there are ``examples''.
There are ``examples'' and there are ``examples''.

Warning/error 33:

Most mathematical operators should be set as standard roman font, instead of the math italic L<sup>A</sup>TEX uses for variables. For many operators, L<sup>A</sup>TEX provides a pre-defined command which will typeset the operator correctly. Look below for an illustration of the point.

Example:

$sin^2 x + cos^2 x = 1$
sin<sup>2</sup>x + cos<sup>2</sup>x = 1

$\sin^2 x + \cos^2 x = 1$
sin<sup>2</sup>x + cos<sup>2</sup>x = 1