[comp.text] 2 Column Formatting

lindaz@hsi.hsi.com (Linda Zukauskas) (03/12/91)

I have tried using the .1C command followed by the .2C command to format
some text.  Howevery, when I tried to return to using the .1C command, it
forced a page break.  The book UNIX Text Processing (Dougherty and 
O'Reilly) said this would happen.  

My question:  Does anyone know how to go from .2C to .1C formatting ON
THE SAME PAGE?  Is there another macro that does this?

Thanks in advance!

-- 

  Modesty, propriety, can lead to notoriety... 
                       at night a candle's brighter than the sun...

npn@cbnewsl.att.com (nils-peter.nelson) (03/12/91)

If you use the -ms macros, you will indeed get a page break
between the 2 column and subsequent 1 column text.

If you use -mm, there is no page break but neither will
there be an attempt to balance the 2 column section.
If the 2C text first column doesn't reach the bottom-of-page
trap, you'll get a blank space where the 2nd column would go.

Everything works correctly if you used the -mpm macros.
-mpm dynamically invokes a compose-time program (pm, for
"page makeup") which is an expert-system of sorts for
column balancing, figure placement, etc.

-mpm and pm are on the DWB 3.1 source tape. For documentation,
see followup to article 5442 below.