[Tex/LaTex] moderncv: Increase space between cventry

moderncvspacing

I wrote my CV using moderncv but the entries (in particular \cventry) are too compact for me. I tried to change the parskip but it does not change anything.

Could you tell me how could I increase the spacing between the items?

Best Answer

All the \cv... macros have an optional argument that specifies additional vertical space added after the item. In the classic theme for example you find:

\renewcommand*{\cvitem}[3][.25em]{%
    ...
  \par\addvspace{#1}}

and \cventry is defined in terms of \cvitem:

\renewcommand*{\cventry}[7][.25em]{%
  \cvitem[#1]{#2}{%
      ...

So, to change the spacing of a particular entry you can do for example:

\cventry[2em]{year--year}{Degree}{Institution}{City}{\textit{Grade}}{Description}

Edit: changing spacing globally

In case you want to adjust these spaces globally you can change \parskip but in order for that to be effective you have to change it after \begin{document} since moderncv sets it when the document begins, overriding any previous setting.

Summary:

To alter the spacing after a specific item use the optional argument as in \cvitem[2em]{...
To alter the spacing globally change \parskip after \begin{document} using \setlength{\parskip}{2em}

(obviously 2em is just an example, change accordingly!)

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Increase spacing in closing of cover letter in moderncv

You can add vertical space in your name:

\firstname{\vspace{20pt}John}
\familyname{Doe}

Which will only change the spacing between Your's Faithfully and John Doe.

A different solution would be to change the spacing using the setspace package (add \usepackage{setspace} in your preamble). Change the spacing before adding the closing, for example:

\doublespacing
\makeletterclosing

\setstretch{2}
\makeletterclosing

This will, however, also change the space between John Doe and Attached: curriculum vitæ

[Tex/LaTex] Questions about moderncv – cventry, font size, location

Here is just a little piece to get you going:

\documentclass[11pt,a4paper,ngerman,roman]{moderncv}
\moderncvcolor{blue}
\usepackage{ifpdf}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}               
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{layout}
\usepackage{lmodern}
\usepackage[ngerman]{babel}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\definecolor{LinkColor}{rgb}{0,0,0.5}           %dunkelblau
%\definecolor{LinkColor}{rgb}{0,0,0}           %schwarz
\usepackage[top=1in, bottom=1.25in, left=1.25in, right=1.25in]{geometry}

\makeatletter  
\newcommand*{\CVentry}[7]{%
  \cvline{#1\\\small{#2}}{%
    {\bfseries#3}%
    \ifthenelse{\equal{#4}{}}{}{, {\slshape#4}}%
    \ifthenelse{\equal{#5}{}}{}{, #5}%
    \ifthenelse{\equal{#6}{}}{}{, #6}%
    %
    \ifx&#7&%
      \else{\newline{}\begin{minipage}[t]{\linewidth}\small#7\end{minipage}}\fi%
  }}%
\makeatother

\moderncvstyle{classic}  %Optionen: 'casual', 'classic', 'oldstyle', 'banking'
\moderncvcolor{blue}    %Optionen: 'blue', 'orange', 'green', 'red', 'purple', 'grey', 'black'

\firstname{Manuel}
\familyname{Perez, PhD}
\address{20 b Street}{12345 NYC\protect\\USA}
\phone{+41(0)12345678} 
\email{dummy@dummy.com} 
\extrainfo{Age: 20 $\bullet$ Nationality: USA}

\begin{document}
 \newgeometry{top=0.5in}
 \makecvtitle

\section{Work experience}
\CVentry{2012--2015}{\textcolor{red}{3 years\\2 months}}{Super job title}{Location}{Country}{}{Description of the mission.}
\restoregeometry
\end{document}

Node the new argument #2 in the line \cvline{#1\\\small{#2}}{%. By changing \small to someting else (like \scriptsize), you can change the size of the year and months entries.

By issuing \newgeometry{top=0.5in} you change that parameter only. With \restoregeometry it is restored back to preamble settings. This way you can move the name and entries up a bit.

All in all, it's not a very good solution. But maybe good for a start. Here is the output:

Right now, I don't have more time. But if there are no better answers posted, I will try to look into it in more detail. I hope it helps!