** Wolfgang Schuster [2010-05-20 13:04:15 +0200]:

'>'  = Wolfgang Schuster
'>>' = Vladimir Lomov

>>Hi.

>>(Sorry for unclear question in topic.)

>>I want to put a brace (right or left isn't matter now) in a TABLE (may
>>be another table environment) like in below scheme

>>a11 a12| a13
>>a21 a22| a23
>>a31 a32  a33
>>a41 a42  a43
>>a51 a52| a53
>>a61 a62| a63

>>Here '|' marks place and elements which should be grouped by a brace.

>>Thanks in advance, Vladimir Lomov.

>>P.S. I'm new in context and don't have any idea how to achieve this. I
>>thought about graphics (metapost) to draw a brace or join two cells and
>>draw big brace. And, yes I use mkiv and latest beta (context minimal).

> You can play with this:

> \def\linkeklammer
>   {\setbox\scratchbox\hbox{$\left\{\vrule height .5\vsize depth
> .5\vsize width 0pt\relax\right.$}%
>    \rightaligned{\hbox to
> .5\wd\scratchbox{\raise\dp\scratchbox\box\scratchbox\hss}}}

> \def\rechteklammer
>   {\setbox\scratchbox\hbox{$\left.\vrule height .5\vsize depth
> .5\vsize width 0pt\relax\right\}$}%
>    \leftaligned{\hbox to
> .5\wd\scratchbox{\hss\raise\dp\scratchbox\box\scratchbox}}}

> \defineoverlay[linkeklammer] [\linkeklammer]
> \defineoverlay[rechteklammer][\rechteklammer]

> \starttext

> \bTABLE
>   \bTR[align={middle,middle},frame=off,offset=1ex]
>     \bTD[background=linkeklammer] text \eTD
>     \bTD text\\text\\text \eTD
>     \bTD[background=rechteklammer] text \eTD
>   \eTR
> \eTABLE

> \stoptext

> and this:

> \startuseMPgraphic{accolade}
> z1  = (-233,0) ;
> z2  = (-220,22) ;
> z3  = (-155,211) ;
> z4  = (-200,690) ;
> z5  = (-142,1033) ;
> z6  = (-97,1106) ;
> z7  = (-71,1125) ;
> z8  = (-61,1104) ;
> z9  = (-80,1077) ;
> z10 = (-108,1002) ;
> z11 = (-129,666) ;
> z12 = (-117,207) ;
> z13 = (-197,19) ;
> z14 = (-208,0) ;
> z15 = (-197,-19) ;
> z16 = (-117,-207) ;
> z17 = (-129,-666) ;
> z18 = (-108,-1026) ;
> z19 = (-80,-1077) ;
> z20 = (-61,-1104) ;
> z21 = (-71,-1125) ;
> z22 = (-97,-1106) ;
> z23 = (-143,-1031) ;
> z24 = (-199,-673) ;
> z25 = (-155,-211) ;
> z26 = (-220,-22) ;
> fill z1 for i=2 upto 14: .. z[i] endfor & z14 for j=15 upto 26: ..
> z[j] endfor .. z1 & cycle ;
> \stopuseMPgraphic

> \defineoverlay[leftbrace] [\leftaligned
> {\scale[height=\overlayheight]{\useMPgraphic{accolade}}}]
> \defineoverlay[rightbrace][\rightaligned{\mirror{\scale[height=\overlayheight]{\useMPgraphic{accolade}}}}]


> \starttext

> \framedtext[frame=off,loffset=1em,roffset=1em,background={leftbrace,rightbrace}]{\input
> knuth\par}

> \setupTABLE[frame=off,offset=1ex]
> \setupTABLE[row][each][align={middle,lohi}]
> \bTABLE
>   \bTR
>     \bTD[nr=3,background=leftbrace] drei \eTD
>     \bTD[nr=2,background=leftbrace] zwei \eTD
>     \bTD f \eTD
>     \bTD o \eTD
>     \bTD u \eTD
>     \bTD r \eTD
>     \bTD [nr=3,background=rightbrace] three \eTD
>   \eTR
>   \bTR
>     \bTD [background=leftbrace] eins \eTD
>     \bTD null \eTD
>     \bTD [background=rightbrace] one \eTD
>     \bTD [nr=2,background=rightbrace] two \eTD
>   \eTR
>   \bTR
>     \bTD v \eTD
>     \bTD i \eTD
>     \bTD e \eTD
>     \bTD r \eTD
>   \eTR
> \eTABLE

> \stoptext

Thank you Wolfgang for examples. Now I got idea of background. Nice.

But actually I want something different. I couldn't describe this more
clearly than before so I attach PDF file that shows what I want to do.
(I made it with the help of asymptote: first I made a table in LaTeX,
then the table was put in background and after braces and letters were
placed on top of the table.)

I thought may be there is context (mkiv) way to do this, i.e. one
could specify which rows in a column to be grouped and what symbol will
be put after a brace.

If there is no simple (elegant, context-way?) solution then I have to
use "non-elegant" (imho, ugly) way: add an additional column with brace
and symbol.

---
WBR, Vladimir Lomov.

P.S. I'm impressed how you made a brace in metapost. I alway wonder how
people could write numbers that gives a nice figure (may be by triali
and error?).

-- 
The reason that every major university maintains a department of
mathematics is that it's cheaper than institutionalizing all those people.