Installing the ACM SIG LaTeX class file on Ubuntu using tex-live2011 and using it in Lyx.

First, download the ACM class file and let LaTeX know about it (modified from Ubuntu wiki):

mkdir -p ~/texmf/tex/latex/sig-alternate/
cd ~/texmf/tex/latex/sig-alternate/
wget http://www.acm.org/sigs/publications/sig-alternate.cls
texhash ~/texmf

Check that it’s installed correctly by running something like:

cd ~kpsewhich sig-alternate.cls

More info about the ACM SIG class file is available on the ACM website.

Now we have to tell Lyx to play nicely.  First download my sig-alternate.layout file and place it in ~/.lyx/layouts.  Fire up Lyx.  Go to Tools > Reconfigure.  Quit Lyx.  Restart Lyx.  Start a new file.  Go to Document > Settings > Document class > Local Layout and select ~/.lyx/layouts/sig-alternate.layout. (please note that I’ve given up trying to use Lyx to write ACM SIG papers; instead I’ve gone back to using Emacs and LaTeX directly; I don’t think my .layout file works correctly.  I’d recommend Googling for “sig-alternate.layout”)

Be sure to read the ACM’s Authors Guide!

bst files

Save your .bst file somewhere in your home directory, say ~/texmf/tex/bibtex. to find the directory where most of your bst files are installed; for me most of my bst files are stored in /usr/local/texlive/2011/texmf-dist/bibtex/bst/

We now have to set the BSTINPUTS environment variable to include both your custom path and the path where most bst files are stored.

I edited ~/.bashrc

(The // at the end of each path says “search this path and all subdirectories”)