UK TeX FAQ -- question label noline

### “No line here to end”

The error

>     ! LaTeX Error: There's no line here to end.

>     See the LaTeX manual or LaTeX Companion for explanation.

appears when you give LaTeX a `\\` command at a time when it’s not expecting it; it is a line-breaking command, and is confused if LaTeX isn’t building a paragraph when you give the command. A common case is where you’ve decided you want the label of a list item to be on a line of its own, and written (for example):

>     \begin{description}
>     \item[Very long label] \\
>       Text...
>     \end{description}

The proper solution to the problem is to write a new sort of `description` environment, that does just what you’re after. (The LaTeX Companion offers a rather wide selection of variants of these things.)

A straightforward solution, which avoids the warning, is to write:

>     \begin{description}
>     \item[Very long label] \leavevmode \\
>       Text...
>     \end{description}

which starts a paragraph before forcing a break. The expdlist package provides the same functionality with its `\``breaklabel` command, and mdwlist provides it via its `\``desclabelstyle` command.

The other common occasion for the message is when you’re using the `center` (or `flushleft` or `flushright`) environment, and have decided you need extra separation between lines in the environment:

>     \begin{center}
>       First (heading) line\\
>       \\
>       body of the centred text...
>     \end{center}

The solution here is plain: use the `\\` command in the way it’s supposed to be used, to provide more than just a single line break space. `\\` takes an optional argument, which specifies how much extra space to add; the required effect in the text above can be had by saying:

>     \begin{center}
>       First (heading) line\\[\baselineskip]
>       body of the centred text...
>     \end{center}

You can use `\``leavevmode`, as above:

>     \begin{center}
>       First (heading) line\\
>       \leavevmode\\
>       body of the centred text...
>     \end{center}

but that is just as tiresome to type as `\\` with an optional argument, and can not be recommended.

`expdlist.sty`
  macros/latex/contrib/expdlist (or browse the directory)
`mdwlist.sty`
  Distributed as part of macros/latex/contrib/mdwtools (or browse the directory); catalogue entry

This answer last edited: 2014-01-13

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