Re: (XeTeX) trouble debugging a "Missing number" error

[Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl>]

On 12/5/2012 11:19 AM, Lars Huttar wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm working with some code that was developed by someone else.
> The document I'm typesetting is now giving the following error:
>
> ! Missing number, treated as zero.
> <to be read again>
>                     \otr:1:27
> \OTRSETdoifcellelse ...er #1:\number #2\endcsname
>                                                    \@EA
> \secondoftwoarguments...
>
> \@@ar@@1 ...ellelse {\mofcolumns }\columnlastcell
>                                                    {\global \advance
> \columnl...
>
> \redoloop ->\expandrecursecontent
>                                    \endofloop
> <to be read again>
>                     {
> <inserted text>
>                  28
> ....
> l.12 \startabblist
>                    {
> ?
>
> I haven't been able to figure out what's wrong or how to fix it.
>
> I had just made changes to refactor the definitions of fonts. (I
> confirmed that these changes really are a necessary cause of the error:
> when I back out just these changes, the error goes away.)
>
>>From the above error message I understand the error was detected during
> the expansion of \startabblist. Here's the definition of abblist:
>
> % Abbreviations
> \definestartstop
>    [abblist]
>    [before={\setupbackgrounds[text][background=verticalline]
> \starttextbackground[text]
> \setuptab[headstyle={\switchtobodyfont[SansB,\SansBsize]},width=20mm,location=left]
> \startcolumnset[abbcolumn] \startalignment[flushleft,nothyphenated]},
>     after={\stopalignment \stopcolumnset \stoptextbackground
> \setupbackgrounds[text][background=off]}]

you can try

\unexpanded\def\StartAbbList
   {\setupbackgrounds[text][background=verticalline]
    \starttextbackground[text]
 
\setuptab[headstyle={\switchtobodyfont[SansB,\SansBsize]},width=20mm,location=left]
    \startcolumnset[abbcolumn]
    \startalignment[flushleft,nothyphenated]}

\unexpanded\def\StopAbbList
   {\stopalignment
    \stopcolumnset
    \stoptextbackground
    \setupbackgrounds[text][background=off]}

\definestartstop
   [abblist]
   [before=\StartAbbList,
    after=\StopAbbList]

in such case best make a small example, for instance how is abblist used?

>>From that, one might guess that the font SansB or the font dimension
> \SansBsize were the problem. But those definitions haven't changed
> (though I would like to confirm that empirically with a run-time trace
> message).
>
> Here are the font settings changes that did occur:
>
> E16fonts.tex:
> changed this block:
>    \definefont[SerifXLI][name:GentiumBookBasic-Italic at 10pt]
>    \definefont[SerifXXL][name:GentiumBookBasic at 12pt]
>    \definefont[SerifXXLB][name:GentiumBookBasic-Bold at 12pt]
>
> to use size dimensions defined elsewhere:
> \definefont[SerifXLI][name:GentiumBookBasic-Italic at \XLfontsize]
> \definefont[SerifXXL][name:GentiumBookBasic at \XXLfontsize]
> \definefont[SerifXXLB][name:GentiumBookBasic-Bold at \XXLfontsize]
>
> E16settings.tex: I added these definitions:
> \define\XLfontsize{14pt}
> \define\XXLfontsize{16pt}
>
> There are modes involved, so things are a bit more complicated, but I
> believe that is the only effective difference.

and how about:

\def\XLfontsize{14pt}
\def\XXLfontsize{16pt}

> I also created a log file, which I'll attach.
> There is also a version with \tracingmacros=1, but it's 600K, so I'll
> put it at
> http://www.huttar.net/tmp/country-report-country_id-15-tracing.log
>
> Thanks for taking a look. Please let me know what further information I
> need to provide.
> I can provide the .tex files themselves upon request.
>
> I would especially like to know better techniques for debugging -- how I
> can induce TeX/ConTeXt to tell me more about what's going on. I realize
> that as a macro language, this is inherently difficult with TeX.

yes, it's not always easy ... best is to make small tests (while 
developing styles) and test those snippets ... due to tex's expansion 
there can always be nasty interferences in complex setups

> We are heavily invested in XeTeX, so switching to LuaTeX in the near
> term is not an option.

a pitty as it runs smoother (and context mkiv has some more features)

(i never used xetex in production and as in context it used the mkii 
macros there are not updates, so in principle old runs should still run)

Hans


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                                           Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
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