Creating a Newcommand for the Tikzpicture

Oct 13, 2025 by pinkandtrash.com 136 views

Introduction

Creating a custom A5 notebook in LaTeX can be a fun and rewarding experience. One of the key features of a notebook is the ability to display the current page number on each page. In this article, we will explore how to insert the current page number into a Tikzpicture contained within a newcommand.

What is Tikz and Pgf?

Tikz is a powerful package for creating graphics in LaTeX. It is based on the PGF (Portable Graphics Format) system and provides a wide range of tools for creating complex graphics. Tikz is particularly useful for creating diagrams, flowcharts, and other types of visualizations.

Creating a Newcommand for the Tikzpicture

To create a newcommand for the Tikzpicture, we can use the following code:

\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
    #1
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}

This code defines a newcommand called \mytikzpicture that takes one argument, #1. The argument is used to specify the code that should be executed within the Tikzpicture.

Inserting the Current Page Number

To insert the current page number into the Tikzpicture, we can use the following code:

\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
    \node at (0,0) {\pgfpagesuservalign{center}\thepage};
    #1
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}

This code uses the \pgfpagesuservalign command to center the page number horizontally and vertically. The \thepage command is used to get the current page number.

Creating the A5 Notebook

To create the A5 notebook, we can use the following code:

\documentclass[a5paper]{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{pgfpages}
\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
\node at (0,0) {\pgfpagesuservalign{center}\thepage};
#1
\end{tikzpicture}%
}
\begin{document}
\foreach \i in {1,...,10} {
\clearpage
\begin{center}
\mytikzpicture{
\draw (0,0) rectangle (10,10);
\draw (5,5) rectangle (15,15);
}
\end{center}
}
\end{document}

This code creates a document with 10 pages, each containing a Tikzpicture with a grid and two rectangles. The current page number is inserted into the Tikzpicture using the \mytikzpicture command.

Tips and Variations

To change the font size of the page number, you can use the \fontsize command.
To change the color of the page number, you can use the \color command.
To add additional elements to the Tikzpicture, you can use the \node command.
To create a custom A5 notebook with a different layout, you can modify the \mytikzpicture command and the \foreach loop.

Conclusion

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored how to insert the current page number into a Tikzpicture contained within a newcommand. In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this topic.

Q: How do I change the font size of the page number?

A: To change the font size of the page number, you can use the \fontsize command. For example:

\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
    \node at (0,0) {\fontsize{12}{14}\selectfont\pgfpagesuservalign{center}\thepage};
    #1
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}

This code sets the font size of the page number to 12 points.

Q: How do I change the color of the page number?

A: To change the color of the page number, you can use the \color command. For example:

\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
    \node at (0,0) {\color{red}\pgfpagesuservalign{center}\thepage};
    #1
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}

This code sets the color of the page number to red.

Q: How do I add additional elements to the Tikzpicture?

A: To add additional elements to the Tikzpicture, you can use the \node command. For example:

\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
    \node at (0,0) {\pgfpagesuservalign{center}\thepage};
    \node at (10,10) {Hello World!};
    #1
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}

This code adds a new node to the Tikzpicture with the text "Hello World!".

Q: How do I create a custom A5 notebook with a different layout?

A: To create a custom A5 notebook with a different layout, you can modify the \mytikzpicture command and the \foreach loop. For example:

\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
    \node at (0,0) {\pgfpagesuservalign{center}\thepage};
    #1
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}
\begin{document}
\foreach \i in {1,...,10} {
\clearpage
\begin{center}
\mytikzpicture{
\draw (0,0) rectangle (10,10);
\draw (5,5) rectangle (15,15);
\draw (10,10) -- (15,15);
}
\end{center}
}
\end{document}

This code creates a custom A5 notebook with a different layout.

Q: How do I use the `\mytikzpicture` command in a different document?

A: To use the \mytikzpicture command in a different document, you can simply include the code that defines the command in the preamble of the new document. For example:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{pgfpages}
\newcommand{\mytikzpicture}[1]{%
\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5]
\node at (0,0) {\pgfpagesuservalign{center}\thepage};
#1
\end{tikzpicture}%
}
\begin{document}
\foreach \i in {1,...,10} {
\clearpage
\begin{center}
\mytikzpicture{
\draw (0,0) rectangle (10,10);
\draw (5,5) rectangle (15,15);
}
\end{center}
}
\end{document}

This code creates a new document that uses the \mytikzpicture command to create a custom A5 notebook.

Conclusion

In this article, we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about inserting the current page number into a Tikzpicture contained within a newcommand. We hope that this information has been helpful in creating custom A5 notebooks and documents with ease.