Re: Questions/Comments

[Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>]

Hi Marco

- The \setuppagenumbering command should provide a "strut" option
>   to correctly cater for oldstyle digits: If no strut is
>   inserted, the digits "dance" from page to page.

Ah, interesting. Since the height of a digit is about the height of a 
strut, this has gone unnoticed! If you set the headertexts, you will notice 
that they have a strut and that pagenumbers also get strutted so this bug 
was rather obscured. Since i consider it a bug, i will default to struts 
but provide a way to turn it off.

Now, what you can do is to set the style (letter) to \oldstyle\strut. 
Alternatively you can add these lines to cont-new.tex (after \unprotect):

\unexpanded\def\@@plaatspaginanummer% called in empty tests
   {\doif{\@@nmstatus\@@pnstatus}{\v!start\v!start}
      {{\doif{\@@nmstrut}{\v!ja}{\strut}%
        \@@nmcommando{\doattributes\??nm\c!letter\c!kleur
          {\volledigepaginanummer}}}}}

\stelnummeringin
   [c!strut=\v!ja]

it wil go into the next beta.

>- Protruding information should be provided for all the different
>   quotation marks. (I understand that support for protrusion is
>   in an early state of development.)

indeed, the named ones f possible, any input is welcom

>- Is there a way to define custom itemisations? I mean, can one
>   define e.g. a enumeration inparaenum which transforms
>
>   We distinguish the following classes of problems:
>   \startinparaenum
>   \item neglectable problems,
>   \item easy problems,
>   \item hard problems,
>   \item interesting problems.
>   \stopinparaenum
>
>   into
>
>   We distinguish the following classes of problems: (a) neglectable
>   problems, (b) easy problems, (c) hard problems, (d) interesting
>   problems.

\defineitemize is definitely on the todo list [even mentioned in 
core-itm.tex -)] but i want to combine this with a redo of the itemize 
module [i have a couple of more wishes]

for the moment, you can use \definestartstop

>- When typesetting capitals (like in acronyms), one would like to
>   avoid "screaming" by decreasing the font size a little -- not
>   much, just one point or so. Is there a way to switch to, say, a
>   font with 90% the size of the current bodyfont? I could then
>   write a macro \versal{} for my purposes.

There are several ways to accomplish this

(1) use \kap/\cap
(2) use a small caps font
(3) use a smaller typeface

(1) is not robust and (2) not flexible enough so given that you have a 
recent context running you can create a new typeface.

Method (3) is the best since here you create a whole new instance of a 
typeface but 90% scaled down of the main one:

\starttext

\showbaselines

\definetypeface [mainface] [rm] [serif] [palatino]
   [default] [encoding=texnansi]

\definetypeface [versface] [rm] [serif] [palatino]
   [default] [encoding=texnansi,rscale=.9]

\setupbodyfont[mainface]

\definestartstop
   [Verse]
   [style=versface]

\input tufte

\startVerse \input tufte \par \stopVerse

\input tufte

\stoptext

A fourth method [quick and dirty] is to simply define a font:

\definefont [ABitSmaller] [Serif sa .9]

\definestartstop
   [Verse]
   [style=ABitSmaller]

\input tufte

\startVerse \input tufte \par \stopVerse

\input tufte

or, better lookwing

\definestartstop
   [Verse]
   [style={\ABitSmaller\setupinterlinespace[.8]}]

>- In German, there are a lot of abbreviations that end with a
>   colon, like usw. (und so weiter) etc. What is the correct way
>   to define a synonym \USW which inserts the trailing colon only
>   if no second colon is immediately following? I fiddled with
>   \doifnextcharelse, but were not successful.

This is kind of tricky because capitalizing interferes with look ahead. I 
can consider adding a hook but this is a delicate process
[not quickly hackable]

>- I suggest that the \digits mechanism should not trigger math
>   mode automatically: In my document, I want to use oldstyle
>   figures in text mode, while in math mode, upright figures shall
>   appear. (PS. The \digitpowerseperator macro used in
>   supp-num.tex should be named \digitpowerseparator, I guess.)

for the moment you can change:

\let\handlemathdigits\firstofoneargument
\let\handletextdigits\mathematics

\def\handledigits%
   {\ifmmode
      \handlemathdigits{\dohandledigits}%
    \else
      \dontleavehmode\hbox{\handletextdigits{\dohandledigits}}%
    \fi
    \egroup}

and

\let\handletextdigits\firstofoneargument

>- Do you think that the \digits mechanism can be generalised to
>   cater for phone numbers, bank account numbers, postal codes,
>   etc.? The correct typography for these is language dependent,
>   as well, so it seems to be plausible to merge the mechanisms.

the simple digits is on the to do list of language related things, but for 
phone numbers and alike, i need to wrap it into a high level interface. no 
problem, but others must make me the lists of conventions -)

Hans
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                                   Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE | pragma@wxs.nl
                       Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
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