[comp.text.tex] Wanted: Single and double columns on same page in LaTeX

irv@cwi.nl (Irv Elshoff) (04/09/91)

Greetings.

I would like to create a LaTeX document that contains
both single and double-column text on the same page.
For example, something that looks like:

	+--------------------+
	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
	|                    |
	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
	|                    |
	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
	|                    |
	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
	+--------------------+

Furthermore, I would like the text in the double-column
parts to be automatically balanced, i.e., the bottoms of
both columns should lie in a horizontal line (I accept
the fact that the right-hand column might have to be one
line shorter.)

I have tried to do this using the minipage environment,
parboxes, the twocolumn style, and the twocolumn
directive, in various combinations, and all to no avail.
I keep getting unbalanced columns in two-column mode,
unwanted page breaks (no amount of \nopagebreak-ing seems
to help) very long columns, and a right-hand column
overlaying a page of one-column text.  In short, a real
mess.

Does anyone know how to do what I want?  I would be very
grateful for any help.

Cheers,
	I.J.P. Elshoff		(irv@cwi.nl)
	Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science
	Amsterdam

xiaofei@acsu.buffalo.edu (Xiaofei Wang) (04/10/91)

/* irv@cwi.nl (Irv Elshoff) wrote */:
* 
* I would like to create a LaTeX document that contains
* both single and double-column text on the same page.
* For example, something that looks like:
* 
* 	+--------------------+
* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
* 	|                    |
* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
* 	|                    |
* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
* 	|                    |
* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
* 	+--------------------+
* 
* Furthermore, I would like the text in the double-column
* parts to be automatically balanced, i.e., the bottoms of
* both columns should lie in a horizontal line (I accept
* the fact that the right-hand column might have to be one
* line shorter.)

``multicol.sty'' should be able to do this. It is ftp'able from
ymir.claremont.edu. See Raymond's supplement info or Don Hosek's
signature for more info.
-- 
xiaofei@acsu.buffalo.edu / rutgers!ub!xiaofei / v118raqa@ubvms.bitnet

anita@chopin.udel.edu (Anita Marie Hoover) (04/11/91)

In article <69980@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> xiaofei@acsu.buffalo.edu (Xiaofei Wang) writes:
=>/* irv@cwi.nl (Irv Elshoff) wrote */:
=>* 
=>* I would like to create a LaTeX document that contains
=>* both single and double-column text on the same page.
=>* For example, something that looks like:
=>* 
=>* 	+--------------------+
=>* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|                    |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|                    |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|                    |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
=>* 	|  xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx  |
=>* 	+--------------------+
=>* 
=>* Furthermore, I would like the text in the double-column
=>* parts to be automatically balanced, i.e., the bottoms of
=>* both columns should lie in a horizontal line (I accept
=>* the fact that the right-hand column might have to be one
=>* line shorter.)
=>
=>``multicol.sty'' should be able to do this. It is ftp'able from
=>ymir.claremont.edu. See Raymond's supplement info or Don Hosek's
=>signature for more info.
=>-- 

I looked at the FTP site listing and saw that ymir.claremont.edu and
sol.cs.ruu.nl were listed for multicol.sty.  However I could not find it
on ymir.claremont.edu and multicol.zoo was on sol.cs.ruu.nl.
Anybody at these sites know where it is?

dhosek@newton.claremont.edu (Don Hosek) (04/11/91)

In article <16901@chopin.udel.edu>, anita@chopin.udel.edu (Anita Marie Hoover) writes:
> I looked at the FTP site listing and saw that ymir.claremont.edu and
> sol.cs.ruu.nl were listed for multicol.sty.  However I could not find it
> on ymir.claremont.edu and multicol.zoo was on sol.cs.ruu.nl.
> Anybody at these sites know where it is?

ymir.claremont.edu [anonymous.tex.inputs.latex-contrib]
multicol.readme lists the requisite files.

-dh

-- 
Don Hosek                  | To retrieve files from ymir via the mailserver,
dhosek@ymir.claremont.edu  | send a message to mailserv@ymir.claremont.edu 
Quixote Digital Typography | with a line saying send [DIRECTORY]FILENAME
714-625-0147               | where DIRECTORY is the FTP directory (sans 
---------------------------+ "anonymous") and FILENAME is the filename, e.g. 
"send [tex]00readme.txt". There is a list of files in each directory under the 
name 00files.txt. Binary files are not available by this technique.

nico@cs.ruu.nl (Nico Verwer) (04/11/91)

In <16901@chopin.udel.edu> anita@chopin.udel.edu (Anita Marie Hoover) writes:
>
>I looked at the FTP site listing and saw that ymir.claremont.edu and
>sol.cs.ruu.nl were listed for multicol.sty.  However I could not find it
>on ymir.claremont.edu and multicol.zoo was on sol.cs.ruu.nl.
>Anybody at these sites know where it is?

The extension .zoo in multicol.zoo means that this file is a compressed
archive, possibly containig multiple files. When you do 
	image
	hash
	cd TEX/latexstyle
on the archive server sol.cs.ruu.nl, you can
	get multicol.zoo
and you will receive the packed file (saves transfer time, too!).
You should then un-zoo it, by running
	zoo -extract multicol.zoo
which will result in the following files being created:

> Archive multicol.zoo:
> Length    CF  Size Now  Date      Time
> --------  --- --------  --------- --------
>     1735  37%     1089  26 Feb 91 16:35:24+64 e2cb   doc.bug
>    21789  54%    10100  26 Feb 91 16:35:26+64 7157   doc.sty
>     3014  44%     1690  26 Feb 91 16:35:26+64 dd15   docstrip.cmd
>    15310  57%     6585  26 Feb 91 16:35:26+64 86a2   docstrip.tex
>     3007  39%     1828  26 Feb 91 16:35:26+64 d080   gglo.ist
>     2610  39%     1602  26 Feb 91 16:35:26+64 faa5   gind.ist
>    12595  52%     6078  26 Feb 91 16:35:28+64 455d   ltugboat.sty
>     1543  34%     1018  26 Feb 91 16:35:28+64 7027   multicol.bug
>    56519  55%    25552  26 Feb 91 16:35:30+64 19d8   multicol.doc
>     4601  47%     2443  26 Feb 91 16:35:30+64 e6b9   multicol.tex
>     4545  41%     2675  26 Feb 91 16:35:30+64 f4d2   newdoc.sty
>     3958  49%     2013  26 Feb 91 16:35:30+64 034a   readme.mz
>     3463  48%     1795  26 Feb 91 16:35:30+64 6740   readme.mz1
>    21538  51%    10464  26 Feb 91 16:35:32+64 2304   tugboat.com
> --------  --- --------  --------- --------
>   156227  52%    74932    14 files

If you don't have zoo, you're in trouble. However, there are PD
implementations for most micros (PC, Atari, Amiga, Mac), and also on
sol.cs.ruu.nl there is a file zoo-2.01.tar.Z in the directory UNIX.
It is worth having, because someday you'll want to extract more zoo-archives.

Hope this helps,
-- 
Nico Verwer                                       | nico@cs.ruu.nl
Dept. of Computer Science, University of Utrecht  | phone: +31 30 533921
p.o. box 80.089, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands | fax:   +31 30 513791