RE: Curious instruction from Texfont

RE: Curious instruction from Texfont

[Idris Samawi Hamid]

>I should explain that I use Context for non-fiction but plain
>pdftex for novels etc.

I must ask: Why is that?
-)

Idris

============================
Professor Idris Samawi Hamid
Department of Philosophy
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523

Re: Curious instruction from Texfont

[John R. Culleton]

On Monday 03 October 2005 07:45 pm, Idris Samawi Hamid wrote:
> >I should explain that I use Context for non-fiction but plain
> >pdftex for novels etc.
>
> I must ask: Why is that?
> -)
>
> Idris
>
> ============================
> Professor Idris Samawi Hamid
> Department of Philosophy
> Colorado State University
> Fort Collins, CO 80523

For novels I find plain plus eplain easier to manipulate. I write my own
TOC macros a la eplain. My chapter heads often have odd
designs. All this can be done in Context with effort but just
hacking it out in plain requires (for me) less effort, less
research and fewer inquiries on mailing lists. 

For example for a recent TOC I wanted to put the Part items in
bold face, with the title and page number separator a "|", but
the chapters within each part in triple columns, using an em
dash for a separator (there are 150+ numbered chapters!) I know
how to do his in plain: 

\def\tocpartentry#1#2#3{\singlecolumn
\vskip 15pt\line{\hskip 1.25in\bf
\ #1 \ | \ #3\ \hfil \rm}
\triplecolumns}%
and
\def\tocchapterentry#1#2#3{l\line{#1\ #2 --- #3\hfil \rm}}%

There were three epilogues and I handled them in yet a third
way. 

All of this can be done in Context I am sure. But it would take me a bit 
of research to do it in Context.

OTOH for a conventional non-fiction book with illustrations,
numbered sections, sidebars and so on Context has the tools to
do it easily.

The philosophy of eplain is to provide the building blocks but
allow you to build the walls any way you want. Context does more
for you, but there is more to "undo" when you have a strange
variation.

This is of course dictated in large part by my own skill set (or
lack thereof). I have been working in plain for several years. 


John Culleton
Books with answers to marketing and publishing questions:
http://wexfordpress.com/tex/shortlist.pdf

Book coaches, consultants and packagers:
http://wexfordpress.com/tex/packagers.pdf

Re: Curious instruction from Texfont

[John R. Culleton]

On Monday 03 October 2005 06:05 pm, Taco Hoekwater wrote:
> John R. Culleton wrote:
> > Ran texfont and things seemed to go well. The test program
> > worked. But in the map file I find this curious instruction:
> > ---------------------------------
> > % Alternatively in your TeX source you can say:
> > %
> > %   \pdf    {+8r-nasa-nasal.map}
> > %
> > -----------------------------------------------
> >
> > Using pdftex the above statement just causes an error. What am I
> > misunderstanding here?
>
> Typo / replace error. It should say:
>
>   % Alternatively in your TeX source you can say:
>   %
>   %   \pdfmapfile    {+8r-nasa-nasal.map}
>   %
>
> Cheers, Taco


My friend you are helpful as always.

 Perhaps Hans could put this typo on his "fix when I
have some time" stack. It is indeed a handy trick for those of
us using pdftex. And texfont is a marvelous program. 

-- 
John Culleton
Books with answers to marketing and publishing questions:
http://wexfordpress.com/tex/shortlist.pdf

Book coaches, consultants and packagers:
http://wexfordpress.com/tex/packagers.pdf

Re: Curious instruction from Texfont

[Taco Hoekwater]

John R. Culleton wrote:
> Ran texfont and things seemed to go well. The test program
> worked. But in the map file I find this curious instruction:
> ---------------------------------
> % Alternatively in your TeX source you can say:
> %
> %   \pdf    {+8r-nasa-nasal.map}
> %
> -----------------------------------------------
> 
> Using pdftex the above statement just causes an error. What am I
> misunderstanding here?

Typo / replace error. It should say:

  % Alternatively in your TeX source you can say:
  %
  %   \pdfmapfile    {+8r-nasa-nasal.map}
  %

Cheers, Taco

Curious instruction from Texfont

[John R. Culleton]

Ran texfont and things seemed to go well. The test program
worked. But in the map file I find this curious instruction:
---------------------------------
% Alternatively in your TeX source you can say:
%
%   \pdf    {+8r-nasa-nasal.map}
%
-----------------------------------------------

Using pdftex the above statement just causes an error. What am I
misunderstanding here?

I should explain that I use Context for non-fiction but plain
pdftex for novels etc. 



-- 
John Culleton
Books with answers to marketing and publishing questions:
http://wexfordpress.com/tex/shortlist.pdf

Book coaches, consultants and packagers:
http://wexfordpress.com/tex/packagers.pdf