"Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

"Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

[dexterclarke]

Hi.

I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends
for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt).

The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as:

  (para "this is a paragraph")

The various backends then convert this statement in their own
way (using <p></p> tags in XHTML, for example).

There is one command that allows rendering of external files
based on whatever backend is selected:

  (render "file")

The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters
such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also
escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output -
$\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file"
directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object>
tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is
desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post...

The problem I am having is that one may do this:

  (para-verbatim (render "file"))

The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output.

For example, this becomes:

  <pre>contents of file</pre>

in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes
to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads
in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX
characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't
seem to be the equivalent of:

  \preservewhitespace
  contents of file
  \stoppreservingwhitespace

"\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters
rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped
by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a 
directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved 
TeX characters.

Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced
with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is.

--
dc
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Re: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

[Wolfgang Schuster]

2007/12/7, dexterclarke@safe-mail.net <dexterclarke@safe-mail.net>:
> Hi.
>
> I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends
> for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt).
>
> The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as:
>
>   (para "this is a paragraph")
>
> The various backends then convert this statement in their own
> way (using <p></p> tags in XHTML, for example).
>
> There is one command that allows rendering of external files
> based on whatever backend is selected:
>
>   (render "file")
>
> The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters
> such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also
> escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output -
> $\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file"
> directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object>
> tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is
> desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post...
>
> The problem I am having is that one may do this:
>
>   (para-verbatim (render "file"))
>
> The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output.
>
> For example, this becomes:
>
>   <pre>contents of file</pre>
>
> in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes
> to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads
> in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX
> characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't
> seem to be the equivalent of:
>
>   \preservewhitespace
>   contents of file
>   \stoppreservingwhitespace
>
> "\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters
> rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped
> by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a
> directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved
> TeX characters.
>
> Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced
> with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is.

\startlines
verbatin text
\stoplines

Wolfgang
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___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

[Aditya Mahajan]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:

> 2007/12/7, dexterclarke@safe-mail.net <dexterclarke@safe-mail.net>:
>> Hi.
>>
>> I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends
>> for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt).
>>
>> The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as:
>>
>>   (para "this is a paragraph")
>>
>> The various backends then convert this statement in their own
>> way (using <p></p> tags in XHTML, for example).
>>
>> There is one command that allows rendering of external files
>> based on whatever backend is selected:
>>
>>   (render "file")
>>
>> The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters
>> such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also
>> escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output -
>> $\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file"
>> directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object>
>> tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is
>> desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post...
>>
>> The problem I am having is that one may do this:
>>
>>   (para-verbatim (render "file"))
>>
>> The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output.
>>
>> For example, this becomes:
>>
>>   <pre>contents of file</pre>
>>
>> in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes
>> to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads
>> in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX
>> characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't
>> seem to be the equivalent of:
>>
>>   \preservewhitespace
>>   contents of file
>>   \stoppreservingwhitespace
>>
>> "\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters
>> rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped
>> by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a
>> directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved
>> TeX characters.
>>
>> Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced
>> with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is.

\setuplines[space=yes]

followed by

> \startlines
> verbatin text
> \stoplines

Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code.

Aditya
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Re: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

[Wolfgang Schuster]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:44:52 -0500 (EST)
Aditya Mahajan <adityam@umich.edu> wrote:

> On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:
> 
> > 2007/12/7, dexterclarke@safe-mail.net <dexterclarke@safe-mail.net>:
> >> Hi.
> >>
> >> I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends
> >> for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt).
> >>
> >> The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as:
> >>
> >>   (para "this is a paragraph")
> >>
> >> The various backends then convert this statement in their own
> >> way (using <p></p> tags in XHTML, for example).
> >>
> >> There is one command that allows rendering of external files
> >> based on whatever backend is selected:
> >>
> >>   (render "file")
> >>
> >> The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters
> >> such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also
> >> escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output -
> >> $\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file"
> >> directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object>
> >> tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is
> >> desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post...
> >>
> >> The problem I am having is that one may do this:
> >>
> >>   (para-verbatim (render "file"))
> >>
> >> The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output.
> >>
> >> For example, this becomes:
> >>
> >>   <pre>contents of file</pre>
> >>
> >> in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes
> >> to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads
> >> in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX
> >> characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't
> >> seem to be the equivalent of:
> >>
> >>   \preservewhitespace
> >>   contents of file
> >>   \stoppreservingwhitespace
> >>
> >> "\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters
> >> rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped
> >> by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a
> >> directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved
> >> TeX characters.
> >>
> >> Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced
> >> with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is.
> 
> \setuplines[space=yes]
> 
> followed by
> 
> > \startlines
> > verbatin text
> > \stoplines
> 
> Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code.

you mean start/stoplines need style and color keys.

> Aditya

Wolfgang
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Re: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

[Aditya Mahajan]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:

> On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:44:52 -0500 (EST)
> Aditya Mahajan <adityam@umich.edu> wrote:

>>> \startlines
>>> verbatin text
>>> \stoplines
>>
>> Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code.
>
> you mean start/stoplines need style and color keys.

That would not be bad :) but it is not what I meant. I meant that it is 
the author's (or in the case the convertor's) responsibility to make sure 
that everything inside is valid tex code. So something like

\startlines
\undefinedmacro blah blah
\stoplines

will not work.

Aditya
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Re: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

[Wolfgang Schuster]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 17:30:38 -0500 (EST)
Aditya Mahajan <adityam@umich.edu> wrote:

> On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:
> 
> > On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:44:52 -0500 (EST)
> > Aditya Mahajan <adityam@umich.edu> wrote:
> 
> >>> \startlines
> >>> verbatin text
> >>> \stoplines
> >>
> >> Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code.
> >
> > you mean start/stoplines need style and color keys.
> 
> That would not be bad :) but it is not what I meant. I meant that it is 
> the author's (or in the case the convertor's) responsibility to make sure 
> that everything inside is valid tex code. So something like

I know but setup keys are the best way to change the layout of
environemnts and keep the document clean. Using a converter is no
answer why you should't you this mechanism and write the styyle change
in the document and not in preamble.

> \startlines
> \undefinedmacro blah blah
> \stoplines
> 
> will not work.
> 
> Aditya

As Dexter? already mentioned, he writes the escaped commands in the
document \undefinedmacro will end up as \tex{undefinedmacro} or
\type{\undefinedmacro} in the output file.

Wolfgang

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