TeXhax@cs.washington.edu (TeXhax Digest) (12/02/89)
TeXhax Digest Friday, December 1, 1989 Volume 89 : Issue 106
Moderators: Tiina Modisett and Pierre MacKay
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Today's Topics:
Printing Bibtex Database
Re: Brit Scientific-TeX conversion?
Passing vertical position to driver?
TeX-to-ASCII "driver"
Re: Bechtolsheim book, style file question, multi-line headers
LaTeX cites as superscript numbers?
RE: LaTeX cites as superscript numbers?
LaTeX or TeX for technical documentation with version control
Several questions regarding \special
Problems with \uppercase{\ss\oe\aa}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 89 02:45:43 -0800
FROM:<akgul@trbilun.bitnet>
Subject: Printing Bibtex Database
Keywords: BibTeX, database
>> From: guy@phy.duke.edu (Guy Metcalfe)
>> Subject: Printing a BibTeX database
I do this one very often using Unix environment.
1. Assuming all database files extensin .bib,
RUN the following shell file on a Unix machine:
cat *.bib | grep '@' <$*\
|sed 's/(/{/' | sed 's/\@[a-zA-Z]*/\\nocite/'|sed 's/,/\}/'>mytemp.tex
2. Prepare a small latex files containing a few lines of tex,
%
\documentstyle{article}
\begin{document}
This is a listing of .... database files with
..bst format.
%
\input{mytemp},
% and the following modifications
\let\mybib=\bibitem
\def\bibitem#1{\mybib[#1]{#1}}
% together with
\bibliography{ref1,ref2} % bib database files
\bibliographystyle{plain} % or whatever you want.
\end{document}
You will get a listing of database entries in a compact form, formatted
in the desired bst style, with their key values for further use.
Mustafa Akgul
Bilkent University
Ankara Turkey
akgul@trbilun.bitnet
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 20 November 1989 00:19:46 CST
From: "ashish sen 996-2175 & 274-1947" <U08459%UICVM@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Re: Brit Scientific-TeX conversion?
Keywords: Brit Scientific, TeX, conversion
I would like to ask if anyone knows about a wordprocessor called ~Brit Scientif
ic'. Does anyone know of a program to convert documents written in it to TeX?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 89 14:42 EST
From: MRL@PFCVAX.PFC.MIT.EDU
Subject: Passing vertical position to driver?
Keywords: driver, TeX, tektronix mode
I have a TeX driver which can accept a /special command to insert plot
files. This command allows the user to specify where the plot is to be
positioned on the page. Instead of specifying an absolute position, a
user here would like to be able to pass the vertical position of the TeX
page in order that the plot file will then be plotted at that point.
I.e. the user is creating an empty area on the page, outputs a label,
and then wants to insert the plot above the label in the empty area.
However, he does not know where the label is going to appear.
Presently, the only way around this is to obtain the output without
inserting the plots, measuring with a ruler, and then rerunning TeX with
the appropriate plot insertions. It would be much nicer if the position
could be passed to the driver. Is this possible? I originally thought
I could simply have the driver do that for me, i.e. the special command
would be placed in the TeX file immediately after the label. Since the
driver knows the position, it could then output the plot using this
knowledge. However, the plots are in tektronix mode, and I have to
switch in and out of tektronix mode. This causes anything which was
outputted up to that point on the page to be erased, so it is not simple
to have the driver do all the work. (The alternative is to either have
the driver convert the tektronix code to the native printer mode, or for
the driver to do a prescan to find the coordinates, but both of these
operations are cpu instensive). Thanks.
Mark
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 89 20:47 EST
From: <KUO%UTOROCI.BITNET@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: TeX-to-ASCII "driver"
Keywords: drivers,TeX, ASCII
Does anyone have a TeX-to-ASCII driver that I can get (e-mail or FTP)? What
I need to do is strip the TeX commands (incl. math defs) from some of my
large TeX files so only pure words (as it were) are left? I have Turbo C
and MSC 5.1 if only source is available.
Also, is there any program out there that will take a TeX file and convert
it into a Ventura file (ie converting the standard macros to Ventura
commands)??
Thanks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 89 20:45:10 EST
From: INHB000 <INHB%MUSICB.MCGILL.CA@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Re: Bechtolsheim book, style file question, multi-line headers
Keywords: Bechtolsheim book, LaTeX, style file
I have two questions and an answer. The first question is can anyone
give me more details on Stephan v. Bechtolsheim's tome which according
to a very nice book (if you are comfortable reading French) called ``Le
petit livre de TeX'' has been published and is available for a little
less than $60. The second is how do I go about adding a (LaTeX) style
file to the archives?
The answer is to Rich Gonzalez who wants to know how to do multi-line
headers in LaTeX. The solution is that a header can include any \hbox,
but you have to do your own heading definition. The following
illustrates how. It could probably be simplified somewhat but you can
modify it to your own needs. Of course, you can replace ``runninghead''
by such things as \sectionmark or \chaptermark, if that is what you
want. Just read and modify one of the \ps@... definitions in some .sty
file.
\documentstyle{article}
\textwidth 6.50in \oddsidemargin0pt
\headheight 20pt
\begin{document}
\pagestyle{twolineheadings}
\thispagestyle{twolineheadings}
\makeatletter
\def\ps@twolineheadings{%\let\@mkboth\markboth%
\def\@oddfoot{}\def\@evenfoot{}\def\@evenhead{%
{\hbox {\vbox{\hbox to \textwidth{\hfill runninghead}\kern 3pt
\hbox to \textwidth{\hfill\rm\thepage}}}}}
\let\@oddhead\@evenhead}
\makeatother
Just a sample document to illustrate the idea.
\end{document}
Michael Barr
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 89 14:22 EST
From: "YATES, JOHN H." <YATES@a.chem.upenn.edu>
Subject: LaTeX cites as superscript numbers?
Keywords: LaTeX, citations, superscripts
I would like to modify the results of LaTeX 's Bibliographic \cite{key}
(UNSRT) to produce the reference number as a superscript, without the []
surrounding it.
I have been trying to define a \mycite macro that could call \nocite
and find the n and $^{n}$ it there, but haven't succeeded in finding
how to retrieve the counter value (or parameter) to be used. LaTeX seems
to obtain it from the .aux file \citation{key} and \bibcite{key}{n} entry
pairs, where it is this n that I need in the superscript. I am hoping there
is a simple fix, but not convinced. I don't want to rebuild LaTeX source, I
will only go as far as modifying a dynamically read file (as a .STY), and
hope a macro can do it.
Please respond directly to me, I don't subscribe to this list.
Thanks, John
John H. Yates
yates@a.chem.upenn.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 89 20:20 EST
From: "YATES, JOHN H." <YATES@a.chem.upenn.edu>
Subject: RE: LaTeX cites as superscript numbers?
Keywords: LaTeX, citations, superscripts
The closest solution I have found personally to my query about making
LaTeX use superscripts for references is to define mycite as below to
use in the running text (not, of course, tables, figures, etc.).
\def\mycite#1{{\footnotesize{$^{^{\cite{#1}}}$}}}
(doubly supered for the best position in appearance).
I am still hoping someone can show me a trivial solution to getting
rid of the brackets around this superscript. It appears that it is
built in the LaTeX executable and perhaps inaccessible other than
by tweaking the LaTeX source? But perhaps it can be tricked or backspaced
over or... ? I currently have it in a usable form, but would like perfection
if possible.
Thanks, John
yates@a.chem.upenn.edu
P.S. Please respond directly to me, I don't read this newslist. I'm
overextended with the few I do attempt to keep up with.
P.P.S. As far as getting rid of the brackets in the References, that was
trivial. I just modified ARTICLE.STY (in a new document style name,
of course), removing the appropriate [ and ] and replacing the right
one with a period (.) .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 21-NOV-1989 20:39:07.24
From: Ralph Becker-Szendy RALPH AT UHHEPG
Subject: LaTeX or TeX for technical documentation with version control
Keywords: LaTeX, TeX, documentation
Dear TeX Gurus,
We need some kind of package for technical documentation typesetting, with some
kind of "version control" and "update service". Let me first describe what the
end result shall be, and then you may suggest what we should do.
We have to write and continuously update a technical manual for a
large research project (well, large on our scale). The end result will
be a folder with a few hundred pages; essentially all something like
hardware and software manuals. There won't be heavy-duty mathematics
(maybe a formula here and there), and drawings will be done by other
programs (mostly engineering drawings and circuit diagrams); maybe the
output of these drawings will be included in manual pages (with an
intelligent .DVI file filter), but probably it will just be kept on
seperate pages. High output quality is not required; since the nature
of the manual is to be a reference work only, a 12-point mono-spaced
font would already work; although high-quality output will be
appreciated. The document is highly structured, with several parts,
over 20 major chapters, and each chapters with sections, sub-sections,
sub-sub-sections and so on. To make updating easier the structure
could be reflected in page numbering.
Now comes the p[roblem: A few dozen copies of this manual have to be
updated continously, at many locations, literally across the globe. A
reasonable schedule may be an update (involving less than 10% of the
pages) every two weeks. All the places involved have VAXes running
VMS, and everybody has TeX and LaTex, and some kind of laser printer
(unfortunately, not all the same). For speed reasons, the updates
should be done over networks. Since not all participants can be
reached by "intelligent" networks (TCP/IP, DECNet) it is required that
only plain-text files are to be transmitted (for example TeX source).
The main problem: Updating the document should be made easy. Obviously
printing 30 copies of a nearly 1000 page document every two weeks,
just because a few dozen pages have changed, is out of the question.
What we need is an intelligent updating service: At the beginning, and
once in a while (like every year) a complete copy is printed. In
between, only pages which changed are re-printed. If possible changes
should be highlighted and marked, for example changes in a page marked
with a side bar, or with a different font, and the change date at the
bottom of the page.
Furthermore, it should be "reasonably" easy to use; the updating will
be done by everything from secretaries to "senior physicists", not
just by TeXperts. But one should assume that anyone who works on the
text can write a simple document in LaTeX (without hard things, like
tables, and without special tricks). Experts for the "tricky" stuff
(tricky being formulas, tables etc.) will be available, but should not
be needed for just typing or changing the text. Obviously someone will
have to be the "wizard", but that person can be found.
Now. how to implement it ? That's where I would like to hear suggestions. They
don't have to use TeX, if you have a better idea, and they may cost money (but
we would prefer if they don't).
Here is how I would do it: Simply store the "last completely printed"
and the "last updated" copy of the whole document, and also keep a
file with all page numbers, and where the pages begin/end. Someone
edits the current copy. Then, determine the differences between the
three versions (for example with the VMS DIFFERENCES command, or a
nice Unix-style utility). Use the differences to control the
typesetting, and usually only output the pages which have been
changed, marking the changed as described above. Obviously, something
like this CAN be done, and I could sit down for many weeks and just do
it. I would probably read the difference file with some program (in
whatever my favourite language of the week is, including TeX), and
generate the input to the actual TeX or LaTeX pass from the three
versions and the differences, and then run that through TeX/LaTeX. I
would also write a pretty LaTeX style file, and a nice set of LaTeX
macros for things which are used frequently. Obviously doable, but a
lot of work, it can't be implemented quickly, and I don't feel like
re-inventing the wheel if it can be avoided.
Has someone done something like this ? Are there commercial products
out there ? Is LaTeX or TeX the right way to do it, or might (for
example) a desktop-publishing system and a bunch of PCs be a better
alternative (every collaborator has some kind of PC standing in some
corner).
Suggestions are very welcome, and I will summarize to the net if anything
noteworthy comes my way.
Ralph Becker-Szendy
University of Hawaii / High Energy Physics Group
Watanabe Hall #203, 2505 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822 (808)948-7391
HEPNet,SPAN: UHHEPB=::RALPH (UHHEPB = 24730)
Internet: RALPH@UHHEPG.PHYS.HAWAII.EDU
BITNET: RALPH@UHHEPG
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 89 02:03:57 EST
From: Allan Adler <ara@lom1.math.yale.edu>
Subject: Several questions regarding \special
Keywords: TeX, \special
I finally got a tex program to run with a \special in it. I enclose
both the tex program and the specially included postscript file,
which is named boxpath.ps . I have succeeded only to the extent of
getting it to work in this case. I still don't know exactly what I
did that was right.
On the other hand, I have another pair of files which don't work. They
are named bun.tex and topwedge.ps and are also enclosed.
I would appreciate answers to the following questions:
(1) Why does the first pair work and not the second ?
(2) How could I look at the PostScript file produced by dvialw and
realize what I have to keep in mind when I write specials ?
I have been trying to read and debug that output and while I am
making significant progress, I am still pretty far from understanding.
I should probably also state explicitly that I am using an Apple Laserwriter
and the dvi file is converted to PostScript by dvialw.
Allan Adler
ara@lom1.math.yale.edu
P.S. It is unnecessary for those readers who know about such things to
point out to me that second pair, if they were to work, would print out
an incorrect statement about cuneiform.
%======================================================================
%This is the texfile that worked. It is named "box.tex"
This is a box:\bigskip
\special{include boxpath.ps}
\vskip 1 in
But {\it why} is it a box ?
\end
%========================================================================
% This is the PostScript file boxpath.ps .
%%BoundingBox: 0 0 612 792
%begin(plot)
% width height box_path path
/box_path
{
0 1 index rlineto % relative rlineto to (0, height)
1 index 0 rlineto % relative rlineto to (width, 0)
0 exch neg rlineto % relative rlineto to (0, _height), eating height
neg 0 rlineto % relative rlineto to (_width, 0), eating width
closepath
} def
.072 .072 scale
20 setlinewidth
0 700 neg rmoveto
300 500 box_path
stroke
%copypage
%restore
%end(plot)
%==============================================================================
Now begins the second pair.
%==============================================================================
%This is the file bun.tex
The Sumerians also wrote the number one in the following way:
\special{include topwedge.ps}
\vskip 1in
They pronounced it \`A\v S. This must have been very confusing because
their word for six is pronounced A\v S.
\end
%==============================================================================
%This is the file topwedge.ps
%!
%%BoundingBox: 0 0 2000 2000
%%Title: /usr/local/bin/dvialw halmos
%%CreationDate: Sat Nov 18 00:20:39 1989
%%Creator: ara and [TeX82 DVI Translator Version 2.09b for PostScript [Apple LaserWriter laser printer]]
%%Pages: (atend)
%%BugHistory: Incorporates Allan Hetzel's 31-Oct-85 DARPA LASER-LOVERS PS Version 23.0 X-on/X-off bug workaround
%%EndComments
%%EndProlog
%begin(plot)
% wedge_height top_head path
/top_head
{
gsave
line_width 0 exch rlineto
dup 0 exch exch rlineto
line_width neg 1.2 mul 0 exch rlineto
dup neg dup head_slope mul 2 div exch 2 div exch rlineto
line_width 1.2 mul 0 exch rlineto
dup 2 div head_slope mul line_width neg 2 mul add
dup head_slope div exch rlineto
% line_width 2 mul head_angle tan div neg 1 index add 0 exch exch rlineto
closepath
eofill
grestore
} def
% stroke_length wedge_height top_wedge path
/top_wedge
{
gsave % remember current position
top_head % make left head
2 div 0 exch exch rmoveto
0 line_width exch rmoveto
0 line_width 2 mul neg exch rlineto
neg dup 0 exch rlineto
% 0 line_width 2 mul neg exch rlineto
% neg 0 exch rlineto
closepath
eofill
grestore
} def
.072 .072 scale
/line_width 10 def
/head_slope 0.5 def
3000 3000 moveto
700 200 top_wedge
%0 300 exch rmoveto
%700 200 top_wedge
showpage
%end(plot)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 21 NOV 89 16:29:07
From: Z3000PA%AWITUW01.BITNET@UWAVM.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: Problems with \uppercase{\ss\oe\aa}
Keywords: TeX, \uppercase{\ss\oe\aa}
Some time ago, I posted the following problem:
> The uppercase equivalent of the german eszet (\ss) is a pair of two S.
> \uppercase{Stra\ss e} should produce STRASSE, but it produces STRA\ss E
> (i.e. it prints the lowercase eszet amidst all the capital letters).
Since I did not receive any positive answer (and one negative one),
I assume that, in TeX 2.x, there is no way to persuade \uppercase to
perform the \ss-->SS translation.
Question 1: Can this problem (or the related problem when inputting
the eszet as it's ASCII code > 128 national character)
be solved with TeX 3 ? How can it be solved?
In the meantime, I was told that -- although \uppercase is not clever
enough to translate \ss to SS -- the small caps and caps font (\sc in
LaTeX) is very good in doing this job. Therefore, I can use
\def\uppercase#1{{\sc #1}}
to produce something that is a (good?) replacement for the \uppercase\ss
problem. If the only application of \uppercase is in the LaTeX headings
pagestyle, it works pretty well. In fact, I even prefer \sc to \uppercase
for the section headings in the running heads, because they are more
distinct from the running text and because they preserve the information
about capitalisation (which improves legibility and even understandibility,
especially for german texts, where `Der Gefangene floh' means something
different from `Der gefangene Floh').
Question 2: Who has tried this approach? Or who knows another (perhaps
better) way to bypass the \uppercase\ss problem?
Question 3: What is good / bad / wrong with this method?
I assume that a similar situation holds for the french and scandinavian
special characters (\oe, \OE, \aa, \AA, etc.).
Question 4: How do \uppercase on the one hand and \sc on the other hand
succeed in translating \oe to \OE and so on?
Hubert Partl, Vienna <z3000pa@awituw01.bitnet>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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