Re: proposed convention for variation switching [wasRE:inheriting ...

["Adam Lindsay" <atl@comp.lancs.ac.uk>]

Hi Idris,

I've brought the subject up repeatedly on the list, and got not a lot of
response. I have to think that 1) people are happy with the standard 7
font styles, 2) people have their own hand-rolled solution (like
yourself, myself or Vit--see his Storm fonts support for some nice
ideas), or 3) as Hans keeps bringing up, there are other ways around it.
(Layered definitions, etc., which I'm coming around to think is a better
discipline with markup.)

I'd say take a look at Vit's and my typescripts (I don't directly address
semibold, because semibold markup in running text doesn't usually work):
<http://typokvitek.com/stormcontext/>
<http://homepage.mac.com/atl/tex/OpenType.zip>

The antykwa-torunska typescripts in the main distro also point at ways of
accessing smallcaps and semibold via \Var[] variants from the main seven
styles:
<http://source.contextgarden.net/tex/context/base/type-syn.tex>

It's not that I'm trying to rain on your parade, it's just that I've lost
a bit of enthusiasm for standardisation.

Cheers,
adam

Idris Samawi Hamid said this at Thu, 21 Apr 2005 12:36:55 -0600:

>My suggestion: Either
>a) the \*a(b)(c) etc mechanism needs modification to accomodate >2-char 
>switches, or
>b) an official 2-char switching convention for dealing with semibold and the 
>standard five variants of small caps in ConTeXt is needed. Ideally users 
>should not have to define switches for these standard variants anyway.
>
>Here is an idea (further discussion needed):
>
>a) Let's assume no change to the ConTeXt internals to accomodate >2-char 
>switches.
>
>b) There are twelve basic style variants in a professional modern serif font 
>(math, greek, etc excluded): six for lower case and six for small caps.
>
>On this basis, here is my suggestion for an official ConTeXt convention for 
>professional fonts:
>
>%% lowercase
>% medium \tf
>% semibold \sb
>% bold \bf
>% italic \it
>% semibold italic \st
>% bold italic \bi
>
>%% small caps
>% medium \TF
>% semibold \SB
>% bold \BF
>% italic \IT
>% semibold italic \ST
>% bold italic \BI
>
>The small caps versions are identical to the lowercase versions, with the 
>difference that the small caps versions use caps. This serves as a mnemonic 
>device.
>
>We also need some long-winded control sequences:
>
>  \definestyle [semiboldroman,semibold]                         [\sb][]
>  \definestyle [semibolditalic]                                 [\st][]
>  \definestyle [smallcapssemibold,semiboldsmallcaps]            [\SB][]
>  \definestyle [smallcapsbold,boldsmallcaps]                    [\BF][]
>  \definestyle [smallcapsitalic,italicsmallcaps]                [\IT][]
>  \definestyle [smallcapssemibolditalic,semibolditalicsmallcaps][\ST][]
>  \definestyle [smallcapsbolditalic,bolditalicsmallcaps]        [\BI][]
>
>An identical or similar analysis may work for sans-serif, but I have to 
>check...
>
>Thank you very much for pinning down the source of this!
>Best
>Idris
>
>============================
>Professor Idris Samawi Hamid
>Department of Philosophy
>Colorado State University
>Fort Collins, CO 80523
>
>_______________________________________________
>ntg-context mailing list
>ntg-context@ntg.nl
>http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context

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 Adam T. Lindsay, Computing Dept.     atl@comp.lancs.ac.uk
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