The useclass.sty Package: Load Classes as Packages

Introduction

useclass is a package that enables the usage of classes as packages. It was originally designed for the l3doc class, which is employed for documenting LaTeX code with numerous useful features. However, employing the l3doc class as a package is not convenient when using the developing class as the style for the document. Therefore, this package provides a simple interface for utilizing classes as packages. The latest documentation is available here.

Installation

The following methods are available for installing and updating the package. Choose the method that best suits your needs.

Since this package is derived from the .dtx file, the easiest way to install or update it is to place or replace the useclass.sty file in the same directory as your working document. You can download useclass.sty from the GitHub Release.

For a full installation of the package, you can use a TeX repository manager such as TeX Live. This method will download the package from CTAN and install all required files to TeX Directory Structure (TDS). For command-line users, the following commands can be used:

tlmgr [--usermode] install useclass
tlmgr [--usermode] update useclass

If you're a developer interested in contributing to the project's development, or if you simply want to try the latest features before they are released, you can clone the repository from GitHub and use either l3build or make to install the package.

Usage

Use \useclass to load a class with the same usage as \usepackage:

\useclass[<options>]{<class>}

where <options> and <class> are the options and the name of the loaded class, respectively.

Example:

\usepackage{useclass}
\useclass[full]{l3doc}

License

This work may be distributed and/or modified under the conditions of the LaTeX Project Public License, either version 1.3c of this license or (at your option) any later version. This version of this license is in https://www.latex-project.org/lppl/lppl-1-3c.txt and the latest version of this license is in https://www.latex-project.org/lppl.txt and version 1.3c or later is part of all distributions of LaTeX version 2008 or later.