TeXhax@cs.washington.edu (TeXhax Digest) (12/31/89)
TeXhax Digest Tuesday, December 26, 1989 Volume 89 : Issue 114
Moderators: Tiina Modisett and Pierre MacKay
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Today's Topics:
MFBASES and PLAIN
RE: Re: TeX 3 and multilingual fonts
DEC lasers
TFM file upward/downward compatibility for new TeX and MF
Need TEXX (text previewer) for Sun 4.0 OS
Extending LaTeX tables over more than one page
LaTeX error
Ovals and lines in LaTeX's picture mode
Alignments: where does TeX find the glue if none occurs ?
TeX \count's in LaTeX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 89 12:32:08 EST
From: Allan Adler <ara@lom1.math.yale.edu>
Subject: MFBASES and PLAIN
Keywords: METAFONT
We have cmmf installed here. According to the METAFONT book, one can change
to the PLAIN base by entering METAFONT interactively and typing
&plain
in response to the ** prompt. My machine (SUN3) complains it can't find the
PLAIN base file. I tried setting the environment variable MFBASES to the
directory I am using but I get the same error message.
Is there anything I can do about this ? For example, what is the name of
the environment variable I should be changing if not MFBASES ?
Allan Adler
ara@lom1.math.yale.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 89 12:16 GMT
From: CBTS8001%IRUCCVAX.UCC.IE@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: RE: Re: TeX 3 and multilingual fonts
Keywords: TeX 3.0, fonst
Dominik Wujastyk has suggested that with TeX 3 coming soon, we should
start thinking about using the telephone dialing codes for country codes.
NO! NO! NO!
I won't go on: unfortunately, these codes overrun 256 (Ireland is 353),
so unless we go to a 16-bit implementation, no dice. I also suggested
the international country codes, but I don't know if these are the same
thing as the telephone dialing codes. If so, equally they won't do.
How many languages are we going to support, anyway? 256 max? How many
languages are used by TeXers right now?
_ ___ _ Peter Flynn, Computer Centre, University College Cork, Ireland
|) |_ | |_ |) Phone: +353 21 276871 x2609 Fax: +353 21 277194 or 270579
| |_ | |_ |\ Email: <cbts8001@vax1.ucc.ie> or <cbts8001@iruccvax.bitnet>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 89 11:43 GMT
From: CBTS8001%IRUCCVAX.UCC.IE@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: DEC lasers
Keywords: DEC LN03 PrintServer
I think the printserver 40 suffers like the ln03 (ricoh) from just being
badly made and badly driven. The quality isn't just poor, it's bad.
Thin lines are notorious. I don't think there ius a fix, just buy a
better mnachine. Any rule below 1pt is likely to suffer from varying
numbers of pixels being printed, depending on where in the page it falls.
Trying to do ruled tables is therefore a major quality problem.
_ ___ _ Peter Flynn, Computer Centre, University College, Cork, Ireland
|) |_ | |_ |) Phone: +353 21 276871 x2609 Fax: +353 21 277194 or 270579
| |_ | |_ |\ Email: <cbts8001@vax1.ucc.ie> or <cbts8001@iruccvax.bitnet>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 89 23:22 PST
From: "D.A. HOSEK" <DHOSEK@HMCVAX.CLAREMONT.EDU>
Subject: TFM file upward/downward compatibility for new TeX and MF
Keywords: TeX, TFM
A couple of questions:
(1) do I need to regenerate all TFMs for the new version of TeX?
(2) will the new MF generate TFMs identical to those generated by
the old MF if the MF file does not use any of the new ligature
features?
dh
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 89 07:50:29 MST
From: worley@bierstadt.ucar.EDU
Subject: Need TEXX (text previewer) for Sun 4.0 OS
Keywords: previewer
Does anyone have a TeX previewer they are willing to share? My environment
is a SUN Sparcstation1 running X-windows (X11). Thanks
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 DEC 89 20:19:23 BST
From: MARK%VAX.RA.PHYSICS.CAMBRIDGE.AC.UK@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: Extending LaTeX tables over more than one page
Keywords: LaTeX, tabular
I may be missing something, but it seems to be a limitation of a
LaTeX {tabular} environment that it may not span more than one
page. Is this really so?
A number of times now I've found that I have a document that
contains a table that's more than a page long. I then have to
split the table manually into (say) two tables for LaTeX to be
able to set all of it. This hard-wired split in the table can
be a nuisance if the document later has to be LaTeXed again for
a different size of paper: the tables have to be split by hand
once again to get a happy effect.
Has anyone written anything or can anyone suggest any way to
have LaTeX automatically continue a table on a new page when
there's no more room, to achieve multipage {tabular}s?
Mark Charter, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, U.K.
MARK@UK.AC.CAM.PHY-RAVX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mittwoch, 6. Dezember 1989, 19.16 Uhr und 27 Sekunden MEZ
From: XITIJSCH%DDATHD21@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: LaTeX error
Keywords: LaTeX, problem
I have discovered the following problem in LaTeX:
If \maketitle or some other markup which is realized via \list
is used in front of \begin{document} LaTeX doesn't
complain about a missing \begin{document}. In my example file this
(erronous) LaTeX input even results in overfull pages.
Well, I had not the time to track down the overfull page but I the
following change in latex.tex flags this usage of \maketitle as an
error. The change is given as an UNIX diff:
%======================= cut here =========================================
2822,2824d2821
< \everypar{\@nodocument} %% To get an error if text appears before the
< \nullfont %% \begin{document}
<
5958c5955
< \newif\if@noskipsec \@noskipsecfalse
---
> \newif\if@noskipsec
8563a8561,8570
>
> % To get an error if text appears before the \begin{document}
>
> \everypar{\@nodocument}
> \@noskipsecfalse %% lists (e.g. \maketitle shall not ignore \everypar
> \nullfont
>
> % Garbage may follow (e.g. ^^Z from file transfers...)
>
> \endinput
%======================= snip snap =========================================
The used latex.tex has a date as of June 13, 1989 -- I hope it's the
newest version. The change uses the fact that the switch @noskipsec
means: there is something in \everypar which should not be discarded;
this is exactly the function which is needed here.
I have transfered the necessary changes to the very end of latex.tex
(at ``initializations'').
The second change which is in the above diff
is the inclusion of \endinput to allow garbage. (I often must answer
phone calls like ``what does `Text line contains an invalid character'
means'' when they have transfered there files from an PC to other
computers.)
Joachim Schrod
Joachim Schrod
c/o TH Darmstadt
Institut f\"ur Theoretische Informatik
Alexanderstr. 10
Bitnet: XITIJSCH@DDATHD21
D-6100 Darmstadt (Please try again if I don't answer ---
West Germany our Bitnet connection is very instable...)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 89 13:12 MET
From: "Johannes L. Braams" <JL_Braams%pttrnl.nl@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Ovals and lines in LaTeX's picture mode
Keywords: LaTeX, picture mode
Hi all,
While I was making some syntax-diagrams, using LaTeX's picture
environment I noticed that the horizontal lines and the circles
didn't line up properly. (No, I didn't create the fonts with a
METAFONT with CMBASE preloaded). I wanted them to line up
properly, becaus i had a need of framed boxes with rouded
corners.
When I dug into the code of LaTeX I found that horiozontal lines
are centered around their middle. This led me to the idea of
moving the quarter circles up by the amount of \@halfwidth.
This turned out to be the solution to my problem. Although I
haven't tested this to full extend, I thought it worthwile
to mention here.
To accomplish the afore mentioned change I dug out the macro
\@oval and added one line to it:
%
% A test, redefining \@oval to put the ovals \@halfwidth higher
% on the page to get the ovals to line up properly with
% horizontal lines
%
\def\@oval(#1,#2)[#3]{\begingroup\boxmaxdepth \maxdimen
\@ovttrue \@ovbtrue \@ovltrue \@ovrtrue
\@tfor\@tempa :=#3\do{\csname @ov\@tempa false\endcsname}\@ovxx
#1\unitlength \@ovyy #2\unitlength
\@tempdimb \ifdim \@ovyy >\@ovxx \@ovxx\else \@ovyy \fi
\@getcirc \@tempdimb
\@ovro \ht\@tempboxa \@ovri \dp\@tempboxa
\@ovdx\@ovxx \advance\@ovdx -\@tempdima \divide\@ovdx \tw@
\@ovdy\@ovyy \advance\@ovdy -\@tempdima \divide\@ovdy \tw@
\@circlefnt \setbox\@tempboxa
\hbox{\if@ovr \@ovvert32\kern -\@tempdima \fi
\if@ovl \kern \@ovxx \@ovvert01\kern -\@tempdima \kern -\@ovxx \fi
\if@ovt \@ovhorz \kern -\@ovxx \fi
\if@ovb \raise \@ovyy \@ovhorz \fi}\advance\@ovdx\@ovro
\advance\@ovdy\@ovro \ht\@tempboxa\z@ \dp\@tempboxa\z@
\advance\@ovdy-\@halfwidth % % <----- This line added
\@put{-\@ovdx}{-\@ovdy}{\box\@tempboxa}%
\endgroup}
I'm not calling this a bug, because I don't know if this change
will work in all circumstances (I just didn't test) and the last
time I called something a bug Leslie (correctly) put me right in
telling that the bug was mine, not his.
Hope this helps some of the people who have been complaining in
the past about circles and lines
Regards
Johannes Braams
PTT Research Neher Laboratorium, P.O. box 421,
2260 AK Leidschendam, The Netherlands.
Phone : +31 70 435051 E-mail : JL_Braams@pttrnl.nl
E-mail was :
EARN/BITnet : BRAAMS@HLSDNL5 UUCP : hp4nl!dnlunx!johannes
SURFnet : DNLTS::BRAAMS INTERnet : BRAAMS%HLSDNL5@CUNYVM.cuny.edu
PSS (DATAnet1) : +204 1170358::BRAAMS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 DEC 89 19:05:00 BST
From: CHAA006%vaxa.rhbnc.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK
Reply-To: Philip Taylor (RHBNC) <P.Taylor%vaxa.rhbnc.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK>
Subject: Alignments: where does TeX find the glue if none occurs ?
Keywords: TeX, alignments, glue
Whilst I was setting \haligns inside \valigns, I came across a strange
phenomenon whereby TeX failed to report an underfull box. Continually
simplifying my code led to the following:
\halign {#\cr
1\cr
12\cr
}
which TeX sets quite happily. My question is, "why ?". There is no
glue in the preamble, and no glue in the either of the two rows, yet
TeX quite happily pads out the "1" row until it is the same length as
the "12" row (the space is put {\it after} the "1"). Experiments suggest
that if TeX is given the slightest opportunity to avoid using this
non-existent glue, it will: try replacing the preamble with
\hskip 0 pt plus 1 sp#\cr
for example; the 1 sp stretches until all the padding occurs {\it before}
the "1". Non-stretchy glue, such as
\hskip 1 sp#\cr
doesn't help, however. So, where {\it is} TeX finding the mysterious glue
that it needs to pad out the "1" row in the first example ?
Philip Taylor
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 89 15:09:41 CST
From: bickis%SKMATH3.USask.CA@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: TeX \count's in LaTeX
Keywords: LaTeX, \count
On p. 204 of my LaTeX user's guide, it says that
'LaTeX does obey all the conventions for the allocation of registers, so you
can define your own counts, boxes, etc.'
I was trying to define a pair of macros that would allow me jump out of
an enumerate environment, and then to resume without restarting the number
sequence. I tried to do this by storing the current value of the counter
enumi in a register \jaut that I defined using TeX's \newcount command,
leaving the enumerate environment, and then \setcountering-ing enumi to
the contents of \jaut after I began enumerate again. Although I did not
get any error messages, the idea didn't quite work. So I inserted some
tracing statements, and discovered, that after \end-ing enumerate, my
private counter \jaut had been overwritten to zero by LaTex. Does this mean
that LaTeX is circumventing TeX's protection of \newcount registers, or am
I doing something naive and stupid? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Or better still, does anyone have any other ideas as to how I could achieve
what I want? My proposed solution would only work for the highest level of
environment nesting. To make this process more general, I need to be able
to capture the current nesting level. Can anyone tell me if there is a
LaTeX counter or command that would tell me that?
The following is the LaTeX source, and the log file. I am running
LaTeX under unix on a Sun.
Mik Bickis
Dept. of Mathematics
U. of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon
bickis@skmath1.USask.ca
BICKIS@SASK.USask.bitnet
\documentstyle{article}
\begin{document}
\newcount\jaut
\newcommand{\aside}{% Interrupts enumerate environment, and stores
\typeout{>>Setting counter 'jaut' to \theenumi (currently}
\showthe\jaut
\jaut=\value{enumi}% current value of counter.
\typeout{counter 'jaut' changed}
\show\jaut
\showthe\jaut
\end{enumerate}
\typeout{after \backslash end{enumerate} I have enumi=\theenumi and counter 'jau
t' is}
\showthe\jaut}
\newcommand{\resume}{% Resumes enumeration
\typeout{Now I am trying to restart. enumi is \theenumi}
\typeout{counter 'jaut' is}\showthe\jaut
\begin{enumerate}
\typeout{After \backslash begin{enumerate} I have enumi is \theenumi}
\typeout{counter 'jaut' is}\showthe\jaut
\setcounter{enumi}{\jaut}
\typeout{after \backslash setcounter I have enumi is \theenumi}
\typeout{counter 'jaut' is}\showthe\jaut
}
\begin{enumerate}
\item This is the first item.
\item The second one.
\item And a third one.
\aside
This is some text which is not part of the list of enumerated items. This
should appear as a paragraph.
\resume
\item This should be the fourth item
\item And a fifth one
\aside
Some more stuff not enumerated.
\resume
\item This should be number six.
\end{enumerate}
\end{document}
This is TeX, Version 2.7 for Berkeley UNIX (preloaded format=lplain 88.10.23) 6
DEC 1989 14:08
**trier
(trier.tex
LaTeX Version 2.09 <15 Sep 1987>
(/usr/lib/tex/inputs/article.sty
Document Style `article' <9 Jun 87>.
(/usr/lib/tex/inputs/art10.sty)
\c@part=\count78
\c@section=\count79
\c@subsection=\count80
\c@subsubsection=\count81
\c@paragraph=\count82
\c@subparagraph=\count83
\c@figure=\count84
\c@table=\count85
)
No file trier.aux.
\jaut=\count86
>>Setting counter 'jaut' to 3(currently
> 0.
\aside ...to \theenumi (currently} \showthe \jaut
\jaut =\value {enumi}\type...
l.28 \aside
?
counter 'jaut' changed
> \jaut=\count86.
\aside ...ut {counter 'jaut' changed} \show \jaut
\showthe \jaut \end {enume...
l.28 \aside
?
> 3.
\aside ...ut' changed} \show \jaut \showthe \jaut
\end {enumerate} \typeout ...
l.28 \aside
?
after \delimiter "26E30F end{enumerate} I have enumi=3and counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\aside ...i and counter 'jaut' is} \showthe \jaut
l.28 \aside
?
Now I am trying to restart. enumi is 3
counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\resume ...eout {counter 'jaut' is}\showthe \jaut
\begin {enumerate} \typeou...
l.31 \resume
?
After \delimiter "26E30F begin{enumerate} I have enumi is 0
counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\resume ...eout {counter 'jaut' is}\showthe \jaut
\setcounter {enumi}{\jaut ...
l.31 \resume
?
after \delimiter "26E30F setcounter I have enumi is 0
counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\resume ...eout {counter 'jaut' is}\showthe \jaut
l.31 \resume
?
>>Setting counter 'jaut' to 2(currently
> 0.
\aside ...to \theenumi (currently} \showthe \jaut
\jaut =\value {enumi}\type...
l.34 \aside
?
counter 'jaut' changed
> \jaut=\count86.
\aside ...ut {counter 'jaut' changed} \show \jaut
\showthe \jaut \end {enume...
l.34 \aside
?
> 2.
\aside ...ut' changed} \show \jaut \showthe \jaut
\end {enumerate} \typeout ...
l.34 \aside
?
after \delimiter "26E30F end{enumerate} I have enumi=2and counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\aside ...i and counter 'jaut' is} \showthe \jaut
l.34 \aside
?
Now I am trying to restart. enumi is 2
counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\resume ...eout {counter 'jaut' is}\showthe \jaut
\begin {enumerate} \typeou...
l.36 \resume
?
After \delimiter "26E30F begin{enumerate} I have enumi is 0
counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\resume ...eout {counter 'jaut' is}\showthe \jaut
\setcounter {enumi}{\jaut ...
l.36 \resume
?
after \delimiter "26E30F setcounter I have enumi is 0
counter 'jaut' is
> 0.
\resume ...eout {counter 'jaut' is}\showthe \jaut
l.36 \resume
?
[1
] (trier.aux)
Output written on trier.dvi (1 page, 660 bytes).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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