complex layout (was ConTeXt layout app)

[Henning Hraban Ramm <angerweit@gmx.net>]

Am Dienstag, 5. Februar 2002 09:41 schrieb Hans Hagen:
> >(My next big ConTeXt project is to transfer a magazine layout from
> >QuarkXPress, 
> ah, remind me then that i show you a few tricks; right now i'm implementing
> a (tricky but nice) quark design -)

The basic layout is not that difficult (ok, I must learn a bit of MetaPost to 
draw some boxes), but it's a very flexible design: It has a grid of 5 "layout 
columns" of which I use two-by-two or only-three together on a page, depending
how the article fits. The "unused" columns I use for marginals, notes, little
pictures etc. But pictures may use one of a triple column and the single 
beneath. Ehm, can you imagine?

(all are right pages)
grid:          two-column:    triple-column:
____________   ____________   ____________
|           |  |           |  |           |
| # # # # # |  | ### ### # |  | # ##### # |
| # # # # # |  | ### ### # |  | # ##### # |
| # # # # # |  | ### ### # |  | # ##### # |
| # # # # # |  | ### ### # |  | # ##### # |
| # # # # # |  | ### ### # |  | # ##### # |
| # # # # # |  | ### ### # |  | # ##### # |
| # # # # # |  | ### ### # |  | # ##### # |
------------   ------------   ------------

Titles go over   #######          #####     (plus margin for short texts)
Pictures use     ###     #      ###     #
or               #######          #####
or                   #####
or full width or even to the edge (with bleed).

All text is in grid and raggedbottom.
All pictures are in grid (sit on line and end at x-height).

It's a rather visual thing, but I think it's doable with ConTeXt.
But not quick and at the moment.

Grüßlis vom Hraban!