About on KOMA-Script and Friends

The LaTeX Package “contract”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:07 +0200

This package contract is a KOMA-Script spin-off. As long as the package was part of KOMA-Script it was named scrjura. As part of the process of breaking KOMA-Script down into smaller projects, it became an independent project. The project is hosted at Codeberg. For more information see the CTAN Catalogue entry.

See also the experimentel new contract package contract-lab.

The KOMA-Script Classes

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:38:12 +0200

Here you can find all classes, which are currently part of the KOMA-Script collection. Most of them have a counterpart standard class. Depending on usage of third-party-packages, you can replace the corresponding standard class by the KOMA-Script class. But note: Currently neither KOMA-Script class supports the usage of \DocumentMetadata or tagging.

scrartcl: The KOMA-Script article class. This can be uses instead of the standard class article.
scrbook: The KOMA-Script book class. This can be used instead of the standard class book.
scrreprt: The KOMA-Script report class. This can be uses instead of the standard class report.
scrlttr2: The KOMA-Scrpt letter class. The user interface very different from the standard class letter.
scrarticle: A wrapper to scrartcl because several users don’t know how and why to write scrartcl.
scrreport: A wrapper to scrreprt because several users don’t know and why to write scrreprt.
scrletter: A wrapper combining scrartcl with package scrletter. It is not fully compatible with scrlttr2, but provides some improvements.
koma-script-source-doc: A internal class for source documentation. Users should not use it, because it can be changed incompatibely at any time.
scrguide: A internal class used for the user documentation. This class is a real mess grown over the years. You should not use it, because it can be changed incompatible at any time.

The KOMA-Script Packages

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:38:12 +0200

Here you can find all packages, which are currently part of the KOMA-Script collection. Some of them are only internal and should not be used directly by users.

scraddr: Outdated package to access .adr files. This package is a candidate for being split off from KOMA-Script.
scrbase: Basic functions used by several KOMA-Script classes and packages. Users and other packages authors may find this package usefull too.
scrdate: Formatting of today’s date in language independent iso format. Printing the language dependent dayname of a given date. This package is a candidate for being split off from KOMA-Script.
scrextend: Provides some of the KOMA-Script class features for users of other classes, namely the standard classes.
scrfontsizes.sty: Generate font size files to be used with KOMA-Script classes or scrextend.
scrjura: Wrapper to make package contract compatible with the deprecated scrjura package.
scrkbase: Internal package, that provides features internally used by KOMA-Script classes and KOMA-Script packages. Users and other package authors should not uses these internal features but the official scrbase features.
scrlayer: Provides layers and combines them to page styles. Completes the so called layer page styles by page style aliases.
scrlayer-notecolumn: Proof of concept for layers with scrlayer. This package is a candidate for being split off from KOMA-Script.
scrlayer-scrpage: Providing easy configurable page styles based on scrlayer. This is an alternative to fancyhdr not only to be used with KOMA-Script classes but with many other classes too.
scrletter: Providing the main features of scrlttr2 as a package that can be combined with others classes, namely scrartcl, scrreprt, scrbook or the standard classes article, report, book or derived classes.
scrlfile: Load file hooks (can be replaced by generic LaTeX hooks).
scrlfile-hook: Used by scrlfile with up-do-date LaTeX kernel.
scrlfile-hook-3.34: Used by scrlfile with old LaTeX kernel, which use a different syntax for generic hooks.
scrlfile-patcholdlatex: Used by scrlfile with old LaTeX kernel, which does not provide generic hooks.
scrlogo: Definition of the \KOMAScript command.
scrtime: Formatting of the current time. This package is a candidate for being split off from KOMA-Script.
tocbasic: Provides not only management for auxiliary file extensions like .lof, .lot etc., but also how to write to them and read them, extra floating environments and corresponding non-floating environment, configuration of captions etc.
typearea: Calculation of margins and text area based on typographical aspects.

The LaTeX Package “scrhack”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:41:28 +0200

Package scrhack is a KOMA-Script spin-off and was part of that collection up to version 3.41 of scrhack resp. KOMA-Script. It has been removed from KOMA-Script because it is deprecated and available only for compatibility reasons.

Originally scrhack has been made not only to improve the compatibility of third-party packages with KOMA-Script classes, but also to generally improve third-party packages. The package consisted not only in the package file scrhack.sty but also in several so called hacks as separate files with extension .hak. In the course of splitting off former KOMA-Script packages from the KOMA-Script collection, it was decided to create independent packages from the individual hacks. These new independent packages then serve as replacements for the original packages they were intended to improve. In addition, to preserve the functionality of loading the enhancements only when the corresponding original package is loaded, a new scrhack was created to do just that. The new scrhack now requires the packages floatbytocbasic, floatrowbytocbasic, lscapeenhanced, setspaceenhanced, standardsectioning. For new documents, it is recommended to load only those of the listed packages that are actually used, rather than scrhack.

The LaTeX Package “scrlayer-fancyhdr”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:41:28 +0200

Package scrlayer-fancyhdr uses KOMA-Script’s scrlayer to redefine the page styles of package fancyhdr. This allows the combination of features of fancyhdr with features of scrlayer.

Before KOMA-Script v3.33 scrlayer-fancyhdr was part of KOMA-Script itself. It still depends on KOMA-Script package scrlayer at least version 3.33. It also depends on fancyhdr. Currently version 3 and 4 up to 4.0.1 are supported and tested. Basic functionality also works with version 5 and has been tested up to 5.1. But several new features of fancyhdr version 5 are currently not tested with scrlayer-fancyhdr.

The LaTeX Package “scrwfile”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:44:15 +0200

Package scrwfile is a KOMA-Script spin-off and was part of that collection up to scrwfile version 0.1.12 resp. KOMA-Script version 3.38. It has been removed from KOMA-Script because it is experimental and no longer maintained officially.

scrwfile is a LaTeX package, that provides a means of sending all LaTeX \newrite, table of contents, and other miscellaneous output via the LaTeX .aux-file. The mechanism subverts the mechanism of \newrite, and means there will almost never be a “No room for new \write” message.

The LaTeX Package “contract-lab”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:12 +0200

The contract-lab package is currently just an internal experiment. The reason for this experiment is that, starting in 2026, LaTeX works very differently when the \DocumentMetadata command (placed before \documentclass) is set. An increasing number of parts of the LaTeX core for class and package authors is then replaced by the still-under-development latex-lab. The current version may already differ significantly from the current developer version latex-lab-dev. As long as the whole thing on the LaTeX core side is not at least somewhat stable, it seems to make little sense to make the experiment itself available on CTAN.

The LaTeX Package “defoldfonts”

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:15:00 +0200

This package defines the old font commands \rm, \sf, \tt, \bf, \it, and \sc, which have become obsolete in LaTeX2ε and have been removed from the LaTeX core. It also defines the old KOMA-Script font command \sfb. This can be useful if you are using a class such as the KOMA-Script classes, which do not define the old commands by default, and are also using an old BibTeX style or an old BibTeX package that relies on these commands. However, it should be considered more of a stopgap than a permanent solution. The recommended real solution would be to replace the deprecated commands with, for example, \rmfamily, \sffamily, \ttfamily, \bfseries, \itshape, \scshape, or the corresponding text commands with arguments: \textrm, \textsf, \texttt, \textbf, \textit, \textsc. The new commands can also be combined or nested to combine font attributes, which the old commands do not support.

The LaTeX Package “floatbytocbasic”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:50 +0200

The Package floatbytocbasic has started as hack module of the former KOMA-Script package scrhack years ago to fix an issue when using package float with KOMA-Script 3. This became necessary because package float still depends on an interface once proposed by the KOMA-Script author, but which has long since failed to meet requirements. Unfortunately, this problem could not be solved in dialog with the author of float. Although floatbytocbasic still requires the float package, it then changes some internal commands to use and optimally support the KOMA-Script package tocbasic. On the one hand, the user interface of float remains usable unchanged, but at the same time the package benefits from many possibilities of tocbasic not only when using a KOMA-Script class, but also when using other classes, such as the standard classes.

The LaTeX Package “floatrowbytocbasic”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:50 +0200

The Package floatrowbytocbasic has started as hack module of the former KOMA-Script package scrhack years ago to fix an issue when using package floatrow with KOMA-Script 3. This became necessary because package floatrow still depends on an interface once proposed by the KOMA-Script author, but which has long since failed to meet requirements. Unfortunately, this problem could not be solved in dialog with the author of floatrow. Although floatrowbytocbasic still requires the floatrow package, it then changes some internal commands to use and optimally support the KOMA-Script package tocbasic. On the one hand, the user interface of floatrow remains usable unchanged, but at the same time the package benefits from many possibilities of tocbasicrow not only when using a KOMA-Script class, but also when using other classes, such as the standard classes.

The LaTeX Package “gridset”

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:15:00 +0200

The gridset package originated from frequent questions in the Usenet group de.comp.text.tex, as well as on the mailing list TeX-D-L and in the former forum at komascript.de. Ultimately, this resulted in a package cobbled together quickly, which, with the help of a few manually inserted markers, enables typesetting with registers. However, the package was always intended only as an experimental first step. Its use in production was always discouraged and continues to be discouraged. The fact that it was published at all is now viewed by the author as mistake. The fact that it has not been completely withdrawn is mainly due to the fact that, despite all warnings, some users are using it seriously. Nevertheless, there is absolutely no support for this package. Anyone who would like to take it over, bring it to actual release readiness, and maintain it in the future is welcome to contact us to assume maintainer responsibilities.

The LaTeX Package “longtwocolumn”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:43:15 +0200

The longtwocolumn package was created in response to a request. With the \longtwocolumn command, it offers a variant of LaTeX’s \twocolumn allowing the single-column content of the optional argument to be splitted across several pages. Footnotes in the optional argument are not currently supported.

The package is hosted on GitLab under “KOMA-Script and Friends”. Further information can be found in the CTAN catalog entry.

The LaTeX Package “lscapeenhanced”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:07 +0200

The Package lscapeenhanced has started as hack module of the former KOMA-Script package scrhack years ago to fix an issue when using package lscape with KOMA-Script packages scrlayer or scrlayer-scrpage. This became necessary because package lscape has a somehow strange handling of \textheight resp. \textwidth at landscape pages. This is not only an issue with KOMA-Script but also other packages, e.g., showframe. Package lscapeenhanced solves this issue. This is a really small change and best would be, if the lscape author would at least include this change optionally. The user interface of lscape remains usable unchanged.

The LCO file “makelabels”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:43:34 +0200

Project makelabels is the result of a support request in the former forum at komascript.de. In opposite to the standard letter class, the KOMA-Script letter class scrlttr2 and the KOMA-Script letter package scrletter do not provide generation of a label page using \makelabels. But KOMA-Script provides the option to add new letter features using LCO files. makelabels.lco is such a LCO file. It provides \makelabels similar to the standard letter class. The new \makelabels has a yet very rudimentary configurability but much more than the standard letter class provides. However, it is also as much compatible as needed that packages like envlab can be used. From version 1.0 makelabels.lco is implemented using the L3 programming layer of the LaTeX kernel.

The LaTeX Package “marginnote”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:43:34 +0200

In LaTeX the command \marginpar[⟨left⟩]{⟨right⟩} can be used to create a note in the margin. But there is a problem with this command: It creates a special kind of float. So it cannot be used on floats or footnotes. The marginnote package supports another command \marginnote to create notes in the margin. This does not use any kind of float and therefore does not have the disadvantage of \marginpar. But there are other disadvantages, which are either noted in the user manual or in the issue tracker.

The LaTeX Package “setspaceenhanced”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:07 +0200

The setspaceenhanced package was created years ago as a hack module for the former KOMA-Script package scrhack to resolve an issue that occurred when using setspace with base font sizes outside the sizes supported by the standard classes (10pt, 11pt, and 12pt). In addition, the setspaceenhanced package also handles font size changes within the document more effectively. This enhancement can be optionally disabled.

The package is part of the “Third Party Enhancements” hosted on GitHub. Further information can be found in the CTAN catalog entry.

The LaTeX Package “splitindex”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:07 +0200

The splitindex project originated years ago in response to a question about how I manage the splitting of the index for the KOMA-Script manual. With makeidx, LaTeX provides a standard package for creating an index for each document. Sometimes, however, more than one index is needed. There are various packages offering different solutions, each with their own problems when creating multiple indexes. The LaTeX package splitidx offers another solution to this problem. Furthermore, splitidx allows for the individual customization of the typesetting and appearance of these indexes, as well as the formatting of individual index entries. Since classical TeX, as well as PDFTeX and XeTeX, support a maximum of 16 files open for writing at the same time, splitidx also offers a solution. Instead of opening multiple files simultaneously for the entries of the different indexes, all entries are collected in a single file and then split using the splitindex program. splitindex then automatically calls the desired index processor—usually makeindex— for each of these files.

The LaTeX Package “standardsectioning”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:42:07 +0200

The standardsectioning package was originally created as a hack module for the then-current KOMA-Script package scrhack to fix a problem that could occur when using third-party packages such as titlesec in conjunction with KOMA-Script classes.

A long time ago KOMA-Script was more or less just a collection of replacements for the three standard classes article, book and report. Replacing a standard class with a KOMA-Script class was easy, even if users used a lot of additional packages. Over the years, the author has added many new features and user interfaces to the classes. This also led to completely different implementation of the sectioning commands. But some packages depend on an implementation similar to the standard classes.

The LaTeX Package “uni-titlepage”

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:43:34 +0200

Creation of title pages is something most authors should not have to do. But reality is not perfect, so a lot of authors have to do it. In 2009 KOMA started “The Title Page Project” as a new section on komascript.de to collect real title pages and implement them with a well defined interface. In 2021 the project has been moved to GitHub and renamed into uni-titlepage. Now, changing from one title page style to another would be very simple. Nevertheless implementation of a new title page style may be still difficult. But maybe the author of uni-titlepage would help you. Just ask!

The LCO file “wsu.lco”

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:15:00 +0200

Project wsu is the result of a support request in the former forum at komascript.de. The purpose of this project is to create an example Letter Configuration Option (LCO file) for scrlttr2 and scrletter to implement a corporate identity. The Washington State University letterhead is used as a blueprint for this sample implementation. This example is based on my article in “Die TeXnische Komödie”, issue 4/2012, pages 58-73.

The project is hosted on GitLab. Further information can be found in there.