Re: \em: real italics?

Re: \em: real italics?

[Taco Hoekwater]

>>>>> "FG" == Frans Goddijn <fg@fgbbs.iaf.nl> writes:

 FG> said Hans Hagen  to All:

 HH> From the source code font-ini.tex: 

 HH> %D \def\emphasistypeface {\it}
 HH> %D \def\emphasisboldface {\bi}

 HH> You can change these.

 FG> I see. Is this also the proper and clean place to do the change? When I
 FG> install a later version of ConTeXt I might lose these changes that I make,
 FG> so I must keep track of them.

Much, much better is to make these changes in the file cont-opt.tex, in
either the system directory or the current dir. This file is specifically
intended for changes like these: it is guaranteed to never be part of
the context distribution, and is automatically read each time context
starts up.

 FG> This is what I changed in font-ini.tex: (do I need to generate a new
 FG> format now? I think not)

With this change, yes, you would have to make a new format. But don't
do this, please.

Greetings, Taco
-- 
Taco Hoekwater                                 taco.hoekwater@wkap.nl
Kluwer Academic Publishers                            -- Pre Press --
Achterom 119, 3311 KB Dordrecht, The Netherlands  tel.  31-78-6392550
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: \em: real italics?

[Hans Hagen]

Frans Goddijn wrote:

>  HH> But beware! This file is overwritten by texexec (if you use that
>  HH> script at all).
> 
> Tricky business... ;=}

cont-new : for intermediate hacks, never used by you
cont-usr : for user specific stuff
lang-usr : for language settings (look and understand)
cont-sys : for local settings, like default dvi driver and fig path
cont-opt : for run time settings, used by texexec

I advice to put local things into cont-sys. 

> pdftex &cont-nl dekunst.tex
> pause
> perl5 f:\context\texutil.pl dekunst --references
> rem texutil.exe dekunst /references
> pause
> pdftex &cont-nl dekunst.tex

Well, why not try: 

texexec --pdf dekunst.tex

Hans

-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
              Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
    tel: 038 477 53 69 | fax: 038 477 53 74 | mail: pragma@wxs.nl
-----------------------------------------------------------------

\em: real italics?

[Frans Goddijn]

said Hans Hagen  to All:

 HH> Taco Hoekwater wrote:

> Much, much better is to make these changes in the file cont-opt.tex, in

 HH> But beware! This file is overwritten by texexec (if you use that
 HH> script at all). 

Tricky business... ;=}

I followed Taco's advice. (PS: after reading the subsequent message from
Hans about yet another file to put such options in, I moved it a last
time...) 

In the past I read your advice to use texexec but never got as far as to
follow up on it. I compile the file "dekunst.tex" using this batch file:

pdftex &cont-nl dekunst.tex
pause
perl5 f:\context\texutil.pl dekunst --references
rem texutil.exe dekunst /references
pause
pdftex &cont-nl dekunst.tex

Met hartelijke groet!

 Frans Goddijn   | bbs: +31 (0)26 3217041
 Postbus 30196   | email: fg@fgbbs.iaf.nl
 6803 AD Arnhem  | tel: +31 (0)26 3219342
 The Netherlands | http://www.iaf.nl/Users/Meridian 
--
You are what you is

Re: \em: real italics?

[Hans Hagen]

Taco Hoekwater wrote:

> Much, much better is to make these changes in the file cont-opt.tex, in

But beware! This file is overwritten by texexec (if you use that script
at all). 

Hans

-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
              Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
    tel: 038 477 53 69 | fax: 038 477 53 74 | mail: pragma@wxs.nl
-----------------------------------------------------------------

\em: real italics?

[Frans Goddijn]

said Hans Hagen  to All:

 HH> From the source code font-ini.tex: 

 HH> %D \def\emphasistypeface {\it}
 HH> %D \def\emphasisboldface {\bi}

 HH> You can change these.

I see. Is this also the proper and clean place to do the change? When I
install a later version of ConTeXt I might lose these changes that I make,
so I must keep track of them.

> "small caps italic" font. But I think the chances of that happening 
> would be small if I watch out a little. Or maybe I could have a macro 
> preventing this, a variation of "\kap" that will set in small caps 
> even though the environment is italics?

 HH> Hm. Remind me to look into this one day ... Maybe an entry in the
 HH> font environment definition. 

Anything if it works! ;=}

> Why is it slanted in default? 

 HH> Well, I consider the computer modern italic to be rather ugly
 HH> (unreadable). 

I agree, but then again, if people take the trouble to use ConTeXt because
they want better documents they'd better look out for a better font as
well...

This is what I changed in font-ini.tex: (do I need to generate a new
format now? I think not)

%D \macros
%D  {em,emphasistypeface,emphasisboldface}
%D
%D The next macro started as a copy of Donald Arseneau's
%D \type{\em} (\TUGNEWS\ Vol.~3, no.~1, 1994). His
%D implementation was a bit more sophisticated version of the
%D standard \LATEX\ one. We furter enhanced the macro, so now
%D it also adapts itself to boldface mode. Because we favor
%D {\sl slanted} type over {\it italic}, we made the emphasis
%D adaptable, for instance:
%D
%D \starttypen
%D \def\emphasistypeface {\it}
%D \def\emphasisboldface {\bi}
%D \stoptypen
%D
%D But we prefer:

%\def\emphasistypeface {\sl}
%\def\emphasisboldface {\bs}

%FG But I still prefer (when NOT using Computer Modern):
\def\emphasistypeface {\it}
\def\emphasisboldface {\bi}

Met hartelijke groet!

 Frans Goddijn   | bbs: +31 (0)26 3217041
 Postbus 30196   | email: fg@fgbbs.iaf.nl
 6803 AD Arnhem  | tel: +31 (0)26 3219342
 The Netherlands | http://www.iaf.nl/Users/Meridian 
--
You are what you is

Re: \em: real italics?

[Hans Hagen]

Frans Goddijn wrote:
> 
> In ConTeXt, if I do {\em text} then the word "text" is set in slanted
> font. In this case, my normal roman upright Times font is faked into
> leaning over a bit. I'd rather have this default to real italics, since I
> have an italics Times font. The idea to have fakes in my text body makes
> me uneasy. What is a real typographer would se me hacking here?

>From the source code font-ini.tex: 

%D \def\emphasistypeface {\it}
%D \def\emphasisboldface {\bi}

You can change these.

> Of course, the trade off here would be that anything set in true small
> caps in the {\em ... } environment would me missing, since I don't have a
> "small caps italic" font. But I think the chances of that happening would
> be small if I watch out a little. Or maybe I could have a macro preventing
> this, a variation of "\kap" that will set in small caps even though the
> environment is italics?

Hm. Remind me to look into this one day ... Maybe an entry in the font
environment definition. 

> How and where could I flip a switch telling ConTeXt to use real italics
> for emphasized text?
> 
> Why is it slanted in default? Is that a technical necessity for possible
> missing fonts or do the programmers think it 's actually prettier? I could
> be wrong surmising that real italics is better, say, in an interview where
> questions are in italics, answers in roman font.

Well, I consider the computer modern italic to be rather ugly
(unreadable). 

Hans

-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
              Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
    tel: 038 477 53 69 | fax: 038 477 53 74 | mail: pragma@wxs.nl
-----------------------------------------------------------------

\em: real italics?

[Frans Goddijn]

In ConTeXt, if I do {\em text} then the word "text" is set in slanted
font. In this case, my normal roman upright Times font is faked into
leaning over a bit. I'd rather have this default to real italics, since I
have an italics Times font. The idea to have fakes in my text body makes
me uneasy. What is a real typographer would se me hacking here?

Of course, the trade off here would be that anything set in true small
caps in the {\em ... } environment would me missing, since I don't have a
"small caps italic" font. But I think the chances of that happening would
be small if I watch out a little. Or maybe I could have a macro preventing
this, a variation of "\kap" that will set in small caps even though the
environment is italics?

How and where could I flip a switch telling ConTeXt to use real italics
for emphasized text?

Why is it slanted in default? Is that a technical necessity for possible
missing fonts or do the programmers think it 's actually prettier? I could
be wrong surmising that real italics is better, say, in an interview where
questions are in italics, answers in roman font. 

Met hartelijke groet!

 Frans Goddijn   | bbs: +31 (0)26 3217041
 Postbus 30196   | email: fg@fgbbs.iaf.nl
 6803 AD Arnhem  | tel: +31 (0)26 3219342
 The Netherlands | http://www.iaf.nl/Users/Meridian 
--
You are what you is