Re: multi-column spread control (was Re: beginner's questions)

[Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>]

At 09:49 AM 11/14/00 -0500, Ed L Cashin wrote:
>Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl> writes:
>
>> Kind of, either by multiple output per page or by making a page n times as
>> high as possible and then splitting. A painful programming process,
>> especially if you want spacing okey. 
>> 
>> \input tufte 
>> 
>> \startcolumns
>> \input tufte 
>> \stopcolumns 
>> 
>> \input tufte 
>> 
>> is far from trivial.
>
>Yes, I remember you saying that.  Is the problem with balancing
>columns something like this:
>
>given a sequence of vboxes and vglue with infinite stretchability,
>arrange the little vboxes into two big vboxes such that ...
>
>        - the two big vboxes have equal height
>
>        - the following distance must be the same for the two big
>          vboxes: the distance from the top of the big vbox to the
>          bottom of the last little vbox in the big vbox
>
>So the trick is to do something like what tex does with pagination,
>but I don't know what that is ... maybe ...
>
>        put as many little vboxes into big vbox 1 as will fit
>
>        discard glue after the last little vbox in big vbox 1
>
>        put as many little vboxes into big vbox 2 as will fit
>
>        discard glue after the last little vbox in big vbox 2
>
>        evaluate for penalty and re-try if necessary
>
>The glue between the little vboxes in each big vbox will expand, and
>the bottoms of the columns (big vboxes) will certainly align.
>
>Is that the kind of problem it is?

Right, something 

\newdimen\naturalvsize \naturalvsize=10cm

\vsize=2\naturalvsize
\hsize=10cm

\def\Split%
  {\setbox0=\vsplit255 to \naturalvsize \setbox0=\vbox to
\naturalvsize{\unvbox0} % left column
   \setbox2=\vsplit255 to \naturalvsize \setbox2=\vbox to
\naturalvsize{\unvbox2} % right column 
   \shipout{\hbox{\box0\hskip1em\box2} % page 
   \unvbox255 } % leftovers

\output{\Split}

plus compensations plus test plus balancing plus nightmares 

Hans
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