proposed convention for variation switching [wasRE:inheriting ...

[Idris Samawi Hamid <ishamid@lamar.colostate.edu>]

>===== Original Message From "Adam Lindsay" <atl@comp.lancs.ac.uk> =====

>I don't have time to really delve into the implementation details, but it
>looks like the difference is that ConTeXt isn't so responsive with user-
>defined alternatives with more than two characters. Compare the stripped
>down version with your own. Your \scsb has been changed to \SB, effectively.

Hmm, I was a little worried at first about >2-char switches at first, till I 
noticed that type-siz.tex uses some four-letter switches as well, e.g.

============line-575==============
  \definebodyfont [12pt] [mm]
    [mrbf=xcmb12,
     exbf=cmex10 at 12pt,
     mibf=cmmib10 at 12pt,
     sybf=cmbsy10 at 12pt]
=====================================

So I assumed that such a scheme would work.

My suggestion: Either
a) the \*a(b)(c) etc mechanism needs modification to accomodate >2-char 
switches, or
b) an official 2-char switching convention for dealing with semibold and the 
standard five variants of small caps in ConTeXt is needed. Ideally users 
should not have to define switches for these standard variants anyway.

Here is an idea (further discussion needed):

a) Let's assume no change to the ConTeXt internals to accomodate >2-char 
switches.

b) There are twelve basic style variants in a professional modern serif font 
(math, greek, etc excluded): six for lower case and six for small caps.

On this basis, here is my suggestion for an official ConTeXt convention for 
professional fonts:

%% lowercase
% medium \tf
% semibold \sb
% bold \bf
% italic \it
% semibold italic \st
% bold italic \bi

%% small caps
% medium \TF
% semibold \SB
% bold \BF
% italic \IT
% semibold italic \ST
% bold italic \BI

The small caps versions are identical to the lowercase versions, with the 
difference that the small caps versions use caps. This serves as a mnemonic 
device.

We also need some long-winded control sequences:

  \definestyle [semiboldroman,semibold]                         [\sb][]
  \definestyle [semibolditalic]                                 [\st][]
  \definestyle [smallcapssemibold,semiboldsmallcaps]            [\SB][]
  \definestyle [smallcapsbold,boldsmallcaps]                    [\BF][]
  \definestyle [smallcapsitalic,italicsmallcaps]                [\IT][]
  \definestyle [smallcapssemibolditalic,semibolditalicsmallcaps][\ST][]
  \definestyle [smallcapsbolditalic,bolditalicsmallcaps]        [\BI][]

An identical or similar analysis may work for sans-serif, but I have to 
check...

Thank you very much for pinning down the source of this!
Best
Idris

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