[Tex/LaTex] Tabbing environment: How to line break

line-breakingtabbing

I'm desperately trying to get a linebreak in a CV at the end of my dissertation. When I do this:

\begin{tabbing}
\hspace*{4.5cm}\=\kill
09/2004 -- 11/2010 \> \textbf{Study of Biology at TU Darmstadt} \+ \\ Blablabla
\end{tabbing}

It works perfectly.

When I add another line:

\begin{tabbing}
\hspace*{4.5cm}\=\kill
09/2004 -- 11/2010 \> \textbf{Study of Biology at TU Darmstadt} \+ \\ Blablabla
09/2004 -- 11/2010 \> \textbf{Study of Biology at TU Darmstadt} \+ \\ Blablabla
\end{tabbing}

I get ! LaTeX Error: Undefined tab position.

What the hell am I doing wrong? I don't get it.

Best Answer

\+ "causes the left margin of subsequent lines to be indented one tab stop to the right" (Lamport, LaTeX: A document preparation system, p. 202), so your second "Study of Biology" entry is placed at the third tab stop -- which doesn't exist, which in turn throws an error. The error may be avoided by adding \- (the complement to \+) plus a line break after the first "Blablabla".

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}

\begin{tabbing}
\hspace*{4.5cm}\=\kill
09/2004 -- 11/2010 \> \textbf{Study of Biology at TU Darmstadt} \+ \\ Blablabla \- \\
09/2004 -- 11/2010 \> \textbf{Study of Biology at TU Darmstadt} \+ \\ Blablabla
\end{tabbing}

\end{document}

Another option is to do without \+ and \- and simply add \> at the start of lines 2 and 4.

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}

\begin{tabbing}
\hspace*{4.5cm}\=\kill
09/2004 -- 11/2010 \> \textbf{Study of Biology at TU Darmstadt} \\ 
\> Blablabla \\
09/2004 -- 11/2010 \> \textbf{Study of Biology at TU Darmstadt} \\ 
\> Blablabla
\end{tabbing}

\end{document}