Re: problem: long descriptions

[Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>]

At 09:06 AM 11/9/2002 +0100, you wrote:

>Hi! I'm writing reference manual for a C/C++ library and I have the
>following problem: When I define a description, long prototypes are not
>line-broken. For example, I've set up
>
>\definedescription
>   [methref]
>   [location=top,headstyle=\tt]
>
>When I have
>\startmethref{a very long prototype.........................}
>blah blah blah
>\stopmethref
>
>the argument is not line-broken and it goes out of the page boundary. The
>text shows properly only in the next line. I have something like the following
>in mind, but I don't know how to do it:
>
>I'd like the typeset layout to look something like this
>
>a very long prototype proto..  Text describing the method
>proto proto proto proto proto  Text describing the method
>proto proto                    Text describinb the method
>More text describing the method. More text. More text
>More text.
>
>Prototype may be framed. The text widths should be 0.5 and 0.5 of textwidth
>for both the prototype and the description.
>
>I hope you understood what I want :) I was thinking something like typesetting
>prototype in the box and then using floating mechanism (\startXXXleft, would
>that work at all?), but is there a more straightforward way?

How about:

\definefloat[Prototype]
\setupfloat[Prototype][default={left,none}]

% default is a new parameter, you need a recent version fot this, else
% \placePrototype[left]{none}

\defineframedtext[Prototype][width=.5\textwidth,bodyfont=8pt]

\placePrototype\empty
\startPrototype
\input knuth
\stopPrototype
\input tufte

\def\StartPrototype{\placePrototype\empty\startPrototype}
\def\StopPrototype {\stopPrototype}

\StartPrototype
\input knuth
\StopPrototype
\input tufte

Hans
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE | pragma@wxs.nl
                       Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
  tel: +31 (0)38 477 53 69 | fax: +31 (0)38 477 53 74 | www.pragma-ade.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        information: http://www.pragma-ade.com/roadmap.pdf
                     documentation: http://www.pragma-ade.com/showcase.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------