RE: [MiKTeX] the cite package

[Philip G. R. <phi...@ti...>]

> I have been using LaTeX on a UNIX machine for a few years.
> It has now come to the time when I am writing up my thesis
> and converted to using MiKTeX - giving me the flexibility
> for working at home on my windows machine.

> I have been having problems getting the cite package to
> work - which should give compressed, sorted lists of
> numerical citations. I would like references to show up in
> the main document as [1-9] and NOT [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9].
> The \usepackage{cite} works in LaTeX but seems to be
> stubborn in MiKTeX.

Let's get one thing straight: MiKTeX is merely a distribution of LaTeX for
Windows just as teTeX is for Linux.  It is, however, generally more complete
and more up-to-date.

So, one source of difference in behaviour may be that some of the style
files you were using under teTeX were a little older and the newer ones have
change defaults.

However, in a later posting I notice a \usepackage{portland} and also that
you are using a non-standard class, ecsthesis.  Are there any other packages
you use that you haven't listed?  Anyway, you should check that none of the
"extra" packages you use conflict with cite.

Also, contrary to Luis' advice (which I frankly don't understand), you might
try loading the cite package LAST to avoid other packages doing any
behind-the-scenes redefinition.  It is an unfortunate habit of many "local"
package writers to ignore the basic common-sense rules for style files (such
as use of \newcommand etc.), thereby inadvertently altering the behaviour of
other packages in mysterious and unsignalled ways.

Cordialmente,  Philip G. Ratcliffe

"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research,
would it?"  --  Albert Einstein