Inserting The Current Page Number Into A Tikzpicture Contained Within Newcommand

Introduction

Creating a custom notebook in LaTeX can be a fun and rewarding experience. In this article, we will explore how to insert the current page number into a Tikzpicture contained within a newcommand. This will be particularly useful for creating an A5 notebook with a grid and rectangles that display the current page number.

Setting Up the Document

Before we dive into the code, let's set up our document. We will use the geometry package to set the paper size to A5 and the tikz package to create the grid and rectangles.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}

Defining the Newcommand

Now that we have set up our document, let's define the newcommand that will contain the Tikzpicture. We will call this newcommand \insertpagenumber.

\newcommand{\insertpagenumber}[1]{%
    \begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture,overlay]
        % Draw the grid
        \draw[step=1cm,gray!20] (0,0) grid (10,10);
    % Draw the rectangles
    \draw[fill=blue!20] (0,0) rectangle (2,2);
    \draw[fill=red!20] (8,8) rectangle (10,10);
    
    % Insert the current page number
    \node[anchor=north east] at ($(current page.north east) + (0.5cm,0.5cm)$) {\textbf{Page \thepage}};
\end{tikzpicture}%

}

In this code, we define the newcommand \insertpagenumber with one argument. The argument is not used in this case, but it is required to make the newcommand work correctly. Inside the newcommand, we create a Tikzpicture that draws a grid, two rectangles, and inserts the current page number.

Using the Newcommand

Now that we have defined the newcommand, let's use it to create our A5 notebook. We will use the \insertpagenumber newcommand on every page of the notebook.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\newcommand{\insertpagenumber}[1]{%
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture,overlay]
% Draw the grid
\draw[step=1cm,gray!20] (0,0) grid (10,10);
    % Draw the rectangles
    \draw[fill=blue!20] (0,0) rectangle (2,2);
    \draw[fill=red!20] (8,8) rectangle (10,10);
    
    % Insert the current page number
    \node[anchor=north east] at ($(current page.north east) + (0.5cm,0.5cm)$) {\textbf{Page \thepage}};
\end{tikzpicture}%

}
\begin{document}
\pagestyle{empty}
\loop
\insertpagenumber{}
\newpage
\ifnum\value{page}<100
\repeat
\end{document}

In this code, we use the \insertpagenumber newcommand on every page of the notebook. We use the \loop and \ifnum commands to create a loop that runs 100 times, inserting the current page number on each page.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored how to insert the current page number into a Tikzpicture contained within a newcommand. We have defined a newcommand \insertpagenumber that draws a grid, two rectangles, and inserts the current page number. We have then used this newcommand to create an A5 notebook with a grid and rectangles that display the current page number. This is a useful technique for creating custom notebooks in LaTeX.

Tips and Variations

• To change the size of the grid, you can modify the step option in the \draw command.
• To change the color of the grid, you can modify the gray!20 option in the \draw command.
• To add more rectangles, you can add more \draw commands with the fill option.
• To change the position of the page number, you can modify the anchor option in the \node command.

Common Issues

• If you get an error message saying that the current page coordinate is not defined, make sure that you have included the calc library and that you are using the remember picture,overlay options in the Tikzpicture.
• If you get an error message saying that the \thepage command is not defined, make sure that you have included the page package and that you are using the \pagestyle{empty} command to disable the page number.
  Q&A: Inserting the Current Page Number into a Tikzpicture Contained within a Newcommand =====================================================================================

Q: What is the purpose of the remember picture,overlay options in the Tikzpicture?

A: The remember picture,overlay options in the Tikzpicture are used to allow the Tikzpicture to reference the current page. This is necessary because the current page coordinate is not defined by default.

Q: How do I change the size of the grid in the Tikzpicture?

A: To change the size of the grid, you can modify the step option in the \draw command. For example, to create a grid with a step size of 2cm, you can use the following code:

\draw[step=2cm,gray!20] (0,0) grid (10,10);

Q: How do I change the color of the grid in the Tikzpicture?

A: To change the color of the grid, you can modify the gray!20 option in the \draw command. For example, to create a grid with a blue color, you can use the following code:

\draw[step=1cm,blue!20] (0,0) grid (10,10);

Q: How do I add more rectangles to the Tikzpicture?

A: To add more rectangles, you can add more \draw commands with the fill option. For example, to add a red rectangle, you can use the following code:

\draw[fill=red!20] (4,4) rectangle (6,6);

Q: How do I change the position of the page number in the Tikzpicture?

A: To change the position of the page number, you can modify the anchor option in the \node command. For example, to position the page number at the bottom left of the page, you can use the following code:

\node[anchor=south west] at ($(current page.south west) + (0.5cm,0.5cm)$) {\textbf{Page \thepage}};

Q: What is the purpose of the \thepage command?

A: The \thepage command is used to insert the current page number into the Tikzpicture. This command is part of the page package and is used to display the page number.

Q: How do I disable the page number in the Tikzpicture?

A: To disable the page number, you can use the \pagestyle{empty} command. This command is used to disable the page number and is typically used in conjunction with the \thepage command.

Q: What are some common issues that can occur when using the remember picture,overlay options?

A: Some common issues that can occur when using the remember picture,overlay options include:

• The current page coordinate is not defined.
• The \thepage command is not defined.
• The Tikzpicture is not being rendered correctly.

To resolve these issues, make sure that you have included the calc library and that you are using the remember picture,overlay options in the Tikzpicture. Additionally, make sure that you have included the page package and that you are using the \pagestyle{empty} command to disable the page number.