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From: Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>
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Subject: Re: multi-column spread control (was Re: beginner's questions)
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 18:12:11 +0100
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At 11:45 AM 11/14/00 -0500, Ed L Cashin wrote:

>I reviewed vsplit in the TeXbook, and it looks like by getting very
>fancy with low-level glues and penalties (like the fancy index
>example, "Paragraph Manuvers", number seven in Appendix D., but
>vertically instead of horizontally) one could control exactly how the
>columns balanced.
>
>But for a macropackage author like yourself, that would mean breaking
>open the box255 and changing the vertical glue between the elements.
>Maybe that's the kind of compensation and nightmare you're talking
>about?

Balancing is not that hard: 

loop 
  split box to height 
  if left over is larger than split off part 
  then 
   decrease height 
  else 
   exitloop
endloop

but you're right, there are a few gory details. If you want to manipulate
boxes:

  texexec --modu supp-box 

is your friend

Hans
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