Document 651

The LaTeX sidecap package

Version: 5.5 - Scientific WorkPlace & Scientific Word

The sidecap package provides typeset captions to the left or right side of floating graphics or tables.

The package defines two environments, SCfigure and SCtable, that create centered side-by-side minipages of customizable width. The environments, which are entered in TeX fields in your document, create floating objects that can be positioned with standard float parameters.

The package documentation contains information about various placement options for captions in single- or double-column page layouts.

Follow these steps to create captions to the side of floating objects:

  1. Add the sidecap package to your document.

  2. From the Typeset menu, choose Options and Packages and then choose the Package Options tab.

  3. From the Packages in Use list, select the sidecap package and choose Modify.

  4. Choose the placement option you want:

    Option Effect
    outercaption Caption appears on left on left pages and on right on right pages (default)
    innercaption
    		 Caption appears on left on right pages and on right on left pages
    leftcaption
    		 Caption always appears on left
    rightcpation
    		 Caption always appears on right
    wide
    		 Caption and figure or table may extend into the margin
    raggedright, raggedleft, ragged*
    		 Caption is better justified

  5. Choose OK.

  6. Begin the figure or table environment:

    1. Place the insertion point in your document where you want the floating object to appear.

    2. Enter an encapsulated TeX field.

    3. In the entry area, type \begin{SCfigure}[relwidth][placement] or \begin{SCtable}[relwidth][placement] where relwidth is an optional width relative to the width of the graphic or table, and placement is the floating position you want:

      placement    Position of the floating frame
      h As close as possible to the entry point in the text
      t At the top of a page
      b At the bottom of a page
      p On a separate page containing only floating frames

    4. On a new line, type \caption{text} where text is the text of the caption.

    5. Choose OK.

  7. Enter the graphic or table.

    Do not enter the graphic or table as a floating object.

  8. End the environment:

    1. Place the insertion point where you want the environment to end.

    2. Enter an encapsulated TeX field.

    3. In the entry area, type \end{SCfigure} or \end{SCtable}.

    4. Choose OK.

The package uses the ragged2e package, which is provided with the program. See the package documentation for more information. The sidecap package is installed in the TCITeX/TeX/LaTeX/contrib/sidecap directory.

Last revised 05/17/06