Connecting nodes by edges

In the previous chapter, we used lines with arrows to create the small diagram in Figure 3.3. In more complex diagrams, text labels on such lines and arrows are often desired. Such “smart” lines connecting nodes are called edges.

We will start with the first small example. We aim to illustrate the compiling process from a LaTeX .tex file to a PDF file. We will also add some colors to get more familiar with styling nodes.

1. Start with this small LaTeX document, which loads TikZ and the positioning library and contains an empty tikzpicture environment for now:

   \documentclass[border=10pt]{standalone}

   \usepackage{tikz}

   \usetikzlibrary{positioning}

   \begin{document}

   \begin{tikzpicture}

   \end{tikzpicture}

   \end{document}

2. In the tikzpicture environment, create a node, which we call tex, filled with orange color and white text:

   \node (tex) [fill=orange, text=white] {TEX};

3. Put a second node on the right of the tex node, call it pdf, and fill it...