Inmargin command.

Inmargin command.

[John Culleton]

The Context Mamual describes the margin block suite of commands as 
"under construction" (p. 235.)

Have they in fact been improved and if so what additional usage notes
if any are applicable? What version of Context has the improvements?

John Culleton

Re: Inmargin command.

[Patrick Gundlach]

John Culleton <john@wexfordpress.com> writes:

Hello John,

> The Context Mamual describes the margin block suite of commands as 
> "under construction" (p. 235.)
>
> Have they in fact been improved and if so what additional usage notes
> if any are applicable? What version of Context has the improvements?

Since you didn't write what you want to achieve (and I don't know the
status of margin blocks), I have no direct answer to you; but did you
look into details.pdf? There are examples of floats in the margin. 

Patrick

Re: Inmargin command.

[Bill McClain]

On Sat, 5 Apr 2003 13:22:51 -0500
John Culleton <john@wexfordpress.com> wrote:

> The Context Mamual describes the margin block suite of commands as 
> "under construction" (p. 235.)
> 
> Have they in fact been improved and if so what additional usage notes
> if any are applicable? What version of Context has the improvements?

I found \inmargin pretty easy to use. You have to reserve your margin
space with \setuplayout and define characteristics with \setupinmargin.
I have an example at
http://home.salamander.com/~wmcclain/context-help.html.

The biggest problem is that margin notes do not automatically flow or
shift to the next page (and it would probably be bad if they did so), so
there is nothing to stop them from flowing past the bottom of the page.
You have to manually adjust the text and the insertion point to get it
just right.

-Bill
-- 
Sattre Press                            Curiosities of the Sky
http://sattre-press.com/                    by Garrett Serviss
info@sattre-press.com            http://csky.sattre-press.com/ 

Re: Re: Inmargin command.

[John Culleton]

On Sunday 06 April 2003 07:10 am, Patrick Gundlach wrote:
> John Culleton <john@wexfordpress.com> writes:
>
> Hello John,
>
> > The Context Mamual describes the margin block suite of commands as
> > "under construction" (p. 235.)
> >
> > Have they in fact been improved and if so what additional usage notes
> > if any are applicable? What version of Context has the improvements?
>
> Since you didn't write what you want to achieve (and I don't know the
> status of margin blocks), I have no direct answer to you; but did you
> look into details.pdf? There are examples of floats in the margin.
>
> Patrick

In non-fiction technical books published in the US it is common to
put a summary or side comment in the margin in a block, usually
with a grey background tint.

I was able to do this with the orginal implementation of inmargin but
two problems occurred:

1. Linebreaking was unstatisfactory so I had to hand justify the lines.
2. If the main body text had a paragraph break then a white line
appeared in the inmargin block in the tinted background. 

Confusingly, in the US we call this a sidebar. In Context a sidebar is
a mark in the margin. I just have to keep the terminology straight in
my own head :)

I will test my latest download following the suggestions you and Bill
offered for further references/examples. 

Thanks to all,

John Culleton

Re: Inmargin command.

[Patrick Gundlach]

John Culleton <john@wexfordpress.com> writes:

Hi,

> In non-fiction technical books published in the US it is common to
> put a summary or side comment in the margin in a block, usually
> with a grey background tint.

Oh I see, so my advice to look into details.pdf is of no use (for
this case).

Patrick