# How to set up definitions (as in LaTeX) in scribble?
**URL:** https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654
**Category:** Questions & Answers
**Created:** [March 26, 2025, 8:42am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654 "2025-03-26T08:42:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@danielittlewood](https://racket.discourse.group/u/danielittlewood)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2025, 8:42am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654/1 "2025-03-26T08:42:56Z")
I am trying to use scribble to write a technical document, with "defined terms". I would like in one place to be able to make a definition and give it a tag, and then refer to that tag elsewhere (perhaps in the same doc, perhaps from another doc).
So something like this:
```scheme
@definition[#:tag "partition"]{A @dt{disk partition} is a separated part of physical memory, defined in the partition table.}
... elsewhere
See @defref["partition"] for more details.
```
I am completely new to scribble and racket, but I have read parts of the documentation. I can see that section and secref resemble what I want, and that I'll probably need a new "tag type" (like 'part is used for sections). But I'm struggling to understand how to actually extend scribble in this way. I get that I probably need to define a new function, but how do I "hook in" to the tagging system?
---
### Author:  [@joskoot](https://racket.discourse.group/u/joskoot)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2025, 9:49am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654/2 "2025-03-26T09:49:17Z")
Would elemtag and elemref do what you want?
---
### Author:  [@benknoble](https://racket.discourse.group/u/benknoble)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2025, 11:38am UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654/3 "2025-03-26T11:38:00Z")
Is the `tech` form sufficient? Along with `deftech`? See [4.2.7 Links](https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/section-links.html#%28def._%28%28lib._scribble%2Fmanual..rkt%29._deftech%29%29)
---
### Author:  [@danielittlewood](https://racket.discourse.group/u/danielittlewood)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654/4 "2025-03-26T22:17:17Z")
Thank you both. `tech` seems like exactly what I need! I'm a bit confused by the syntax. I can get it working just fine within a single document. I tried calling it from another file with
```scheme
@tech[doc: '(lib "the-other-file.scrbl")]{field}
```
and it just renders with a "badlink" but no error. I get the same if I just put `#:doc "the-other-file.scrbl"`. I could only find this cheat sheet to see how it works: [Scribble Cheatsheet](https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble-cheatsheet/index.html?tag=%28part._%28.%27%28lib._scribblings%2Fguide%2Fguide..scrbl%29.%27._.%27contracts.%27%29%29&version=5.90.0.2)
I also noticed that I didn't get any warning when the ref was missing (if I made a typo). I do get a warning when I use `secref` with a section that
---
### Author:  [@EmEf](https://racket.discourse.group/u/EmEf)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654/5 "2025-03-26T22:52:34Z")
See
[
|
[7 Running scribble](https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/running.html#%28part._xref-flags%29)
[docs.racket-lang.org](https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/running.html#%28part._xref-flags%29)
|
[](https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/running.html#%28part._xref-flags%29)
|
](https://docs.racket-lang.org/scribble/running.html#%28part.\_xref-flags%29)
It may help.
---
### Author:  [@LiberalArtist](https://racket.discourse.group/u/LiberalArtist)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654/6 "2025-03-26T23:39:14Z")
> [@danielittlewood](#):
>
> Thank you both. `tech` seems like exactly what I need! I'm a bit confused by the syntax. I can get it working just fine within a single document. I tried calling it from another file with
>
> ```scheme
> @tech[doc: '(lib "the-other-file.scrbl")]{field}
>
> ```
>
> and it just renders with a "badlink" but no error. I get the same if I just put `#:doc "the-other-file.scrbl"`.
You should only need `#:doc` if the definition of the term is in a different Scribble _document_, not if it is merely in a different file that ends up in the same document, e.g. via `include-section`.
---
### Author:  [@benknoble](https://racket.discourse.group/u/benknoble)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://racket.discourse.group/t/how-to-set-up-definitions-as-in-latex-in-scribble/3654/7 "2025-03-27T16:36:58Z")
> >  | [LiberalArtist](https://racket.discourse.group/u/liberalartist)
> > March 26 |
> >
> > - | - |
>
> > danielittlewood:
> >
> > Thank you both. `tech` seems like exactly what I need! I'm a bit confused by the syntax. I can get it working just fine within a single document. I tried calling it from another file with
> >
> > ```scheme
> > @tech[doc: '(lib "the-other-file.scrbl")]{field}
> >
> > ```
> >
> > and it just renders with a "badlink" but no error. I get the same if I just put `#:doc "the-other-file.scrbl"`.
>
> You should only need `#:doc` if the definition of the term is in a different Scribble _document_, not if it is merely in a different file that ends up in the same document, e.g. via `include-section`.
Indeed, the distinction between document and file-on-disk is not unique to Scribble, but it did confuse me at first. When do I need special work for cross-references? When not? Depends on the _document_ 🙂