columns and alignment at the bottom

columns and alignment at the bottom

[Alexander Klink]

Hi,

I am trying to typeset a text which should look roughly like that:

|-----|  |-----| |------|
|text |  |text | |text  |
|     |  |-----| |      |
|-----|          |      |     
         |-----| |      |
|-----|  |text | |      |
|text |  |-----| |------|
|     |          
|     |  |-----| |------|
|     |  |text | |text  |
|-----|  |-----| |------|  

So I have a frames with some text (actually, addresses - Hans, maybe
you remember the address booklet I showed you here in Darmstadt) in
three columns. So I tried something like:

\startcolumns[n=3]
\framed{first address...}
\vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
\framed{second address...}
\vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
\framed{third address...}
.
.
.
\stopcolumns

Which (obviously because I use TeX code inside ConTeXt - shame on me)
fails, the frames are not aligned at the bottom.
So I'm looking for a way to typeset them with a distance of at least
0.5cm and align at the bottom - the remaining space should be spread
equally...
I hope the question is understandable and I hope someone has already
done something like this...

Greetings,
		ALeX

P.S.: Hans, thanks again for the tutorial in Darmstadt - now I know
about the layer and overlay stuff, I use it extensively :-)

-- 
... Alexander Klink  ...   undergraduate in Mathematics with Computer Science
...  alech@alech.de  ...                at Darmstadt University of Technology
...  alech@3komma141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974.de

Re: columns and alignment at the bottom

[Willi Egger]

At 21:36 12.10.2003, Alex wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I am trying to typeset a text which should look roughly like that:
>
>|-----|  |-----| |------|
>|text |  |text | |text  |
>|     |  |-----| |      |
>|-----|          |      |
>          |-----| |      |
>|-----|  |text | |      |
>|text |  |-----| |------|
>|     |
>|     |  |-----| |------|
>|     |  |text | |text  |
>|-----|  |-----| |------|
>
>So I have a frames with some text (actually, addresses - Hans, maybe
>you remember the address booklet I showed you here in Darmstadt) in
>three columns. So I tried something like:
>
>\startcolumns[n=3]
>\framed{first address...}
>\vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
>\framed{second address...}
>\vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
>\framed{third address...}
>.
>.
>.
>\stopcolumns
>
>Which (obviously because I use TeX code inside ConTeXt - shame on me)
>fails, the frames are not aligned at the bottom.
>So I'm looking for a way to typeset them with a distance of at least
>0.5cm and align at the bottom - the remaining space should be spread
>equally...
>I hope the question is understandable and I hope someone has already
>done something like this...
>
>Greetings,
>                 ALeX
Now I haven't. But there is another approach to this. There is an arranging 
possibility which looks as follows:

\setuppapersize [XY][A4]
  \setuppaper     [topspace=5mm,backspace=5mm,dx=1mm,dy=2mm,nx=3,ny=4] %
  \setuplayout
      [page]
      [topspace=5mm,
      backspace=5mm,
      header=0pt,
      headerdistance=0pt,
      footer=0pt,
      footerdistance=0pt,
      location=middle,
      marking=on]
\setuppagenumbering[state=stop]
\setuparranging [XY]

\setupframedtexts
         [frame=off,
         leftframe=on,
         bottomframe=on,
         align=middle,
         location=middle,
         width=broad]

%\showframe

\startbuffer[Addresse1]
     \startframedtext
         ...
     \stopframedtext
     \page
\stopbuffer

\startbuffer[Addresse2]
     \startframedtext
         ...
     \stopframedtext
     \page
\stopbuffer

\starttext
     \dorecurse{6}{\getbuffer[Addresse\recurselevel]}%between first braces 
number of addresses you have in buffers
\stoptext

You will have to play with the different option parameters.
It is usefull to start texshow  :-)

Gruss Willi

Re: columns and alignment at the bottom

[Ed L Cashin]

Alexander Klink <alech@alech.de> writes:

> Hi,
>
> I am trying to typeset a text which should look roughly like that:
>
> |-----|  |-----| |------|
> |text |  |text | |text  |
> |     |  |-----| |      |
> |-----|          |      |     
>          |-----| |      |
> |-----|  |text | |      |
> |text |  |-----| |------|
> |     |          
> |     |  |-----| |------|
> |     |  |text | |text  |
> |-----|  |-----| |------|  
>
> So I have a frames with some text (actually, addresses - Hans, maybe
> you remember the address booklet I showed you here in Darmstadt) in
> three columns. So I tried something like:
>
> \startcolumns[n=3]
> \framed{first address...}
> \vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
> \framed{second address...}
> \vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
> \framed{third address...}
> .
> .
> .
> \stopcolumns
>
> Which (obviously because I use TeX code inside ConTeXt - shame on me)
> fails, the frames are not aligned at the bottom.

This isn't so obvious, IMHO.  I tried to do the same thing back in
1998 or 1999 to create a directory for a college.  I made the glue
between the boxes very stretchable, so that context would be able to
put as much space as necessary between the directory entries in order
to have the columns line up at the bottom.

From a user standpoint, it should work.  However, it turns out that
columns, from an implementation standpoint, are not easy at all in
tex.  It has to do with subtleties in the page output routine that I
don't really grasp.

> So I'm looking for a way to typeset them with a distance of at least
> 0.5cm and align at the bottom - the remaining space should be spread
> equally...
> I hope the question is understandable and I hope someone has already
> done something like this...

Some months ago another columns implementation came out, but if I
recall correctly, when you have columns of vboxes separated by very
stretchy glue, the new columns implementation can't bottom-align them
either.

-- 
--Ed L Cashin     PGP public key: http://noserose.net/e/pgp/

Re: columns and alignment at the bottom

[Hans Hagen]

At 22:50 12/10/2003, Ed L Cashin wrote:
>Alexander Klink <alech@alech.de> writes:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am trying to typeset a text which should look roughly like that:
> >
> > |-----|  |-----| |------|
> > |text |  |text | |text  |
> > |     |  |-----| |      |
> > |-----|          |      |
> >          |-----| |      |
> > |-----|  |text | |      |
> > |text |  |-----| |------|
> > |     |
> > |     |  |-----| |------|
> > |     |  |text | |text  |
> > |-----|  |-----| |------|
> >
> > So I have a frames with some text (actually, addresses - Hans, maybe
> > you remember the address booklet I showed you here in Darmstadt) in
> > three columns. So I tried something like:
> >
> > \startcolumns[n=3]
> > \framed{first address...}
> > \vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
> > \framed{second address...}
> > \vskip 0.5cm plus 1fill
> > \framed{third address...}
> > .
> > .
> > .
> > \stopcolumns
> >
> > Which (obviously because I use TeX code inside ConTeXt - shame on me)
> > fails, the frames are not aligned at the bottom.
>
>This isn't so obvious, IMHO.  I tried to do the same thing back in
>1998 or 1999 to create a directory for a college.  I made the glue
>between the boxes very stretchable, so that context would be able to
>put as much space as necessary between the directory entries in order
>to have the columns line up at the bottom.
>
> >From a user standpoint, it should work.  However, it turns out that
>columns, from an implementation standpoint, are not easy at all in
>tex.  It has to do with subtleties in the page output routine that I
>don't really grasp.
>
> > So I'm looking for a way to typeset them with a distance of at least
> > 0.5cm and align at the bottom - the remaining space should be spread
> > equally...
> > I hope the question is understandable and I hope someone has already
> > done something like this...
>
>Some months ago another columns implementation came out, but if I
>recall correctly, when you have columns of vboxes separated by very
>stretchy glue, the new columns implementation can't bottom-align them
>either.

got you:

\starttext

\startcolumnset

\dorecurse{100}
   {\framed
      [width=\hsize,height=fit,align=normal]
      {\getrandomnumber\whatever{1}{9}%
       \dorecurse\whatever{\strut test \recurselevel\endgraf}}
    \vfilll}

\stopcolumnset

\stoptext 

Re: columns and alignment at the bottom

[Ed L Cashin]

Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl> writes:

> At 22:50 12/10/2003, Ed L Cashin wrote:
...
>>Some months ago another columns implementation came out, but if I
>>recall correctly, when you have columns of vboxes separated by very
>>stretchy glue, the new columns implementation can't bottom-align them
>>either.
>
> got you:
>
> \starttext
>
> \startcolumnset
>
> \dorecurse{100}
>    {\framed
>       [width=\hsize,height=fit,align=normal]
>       {\getrandomnumber\whatever{1}{9}%
>        \dorecurse\whatever{\strut test \recurselevel\endgraf}}
>     \vfilll}
>
> \stopcolumnset
>
> \stoptext

Oh, I can't wait to see what that example does!  Does it show that I
am not recalling correctly?  I hope so.  

The example, though, doesn't result in a pdf file for me when I put it
into a file, "test.tex", and run "texexec --pdf test".

Acrobat Reader 4.0 says, "There was an error opening this document.
Could not repair file."


  ecashin@marblerye tmp$ PATH=/opt/teTeX-1.0.7/bin:$PATH texexec --pdf test
  
   TeXExec 3.3 - ConTeXt / PRAGMA ADE 1997-2003
  
              executable : pdfetex
                  format : cont-en
               inputfile : test
                  output : pdftex
               interface : en
            current mode : none
                 TeX run : 1
  
  This is pdfeTeX, Version 3.14159-13d-2.1 (Web2C 7.3.1)
  entering extended mode
...
  pdftex         : needs map file: original-vogel-symbol.map
  systems        : begin file test at line 1
  systems        : randomizer starts with 903229090
  [1.1[/opt/teTeX-1.0.7/share/texmf/dvips/config/pdftex.map]] [2.2]
             return code : 11
                run time : 2 seconds
  
          total run time : 2 seconds
  ecashin@marblerye tmp$ acroread test.pdf
  ecashin@marblerye tmp$ 


-- 
--Ed L Cashin            |   PGP public key:
  ecashin@uga.edu        |   http://noserose.net/e/pgp/

Re: columns and alignment at the bottom

[George N. White III]

On Wed, 15 Oct 2003, Ed L Cashin wrote:

> Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl> writes:
>
> > \starttext
> >
> > \startcolumnset
> >
> > \dorecurse{100}
> >    {\framed
> >       [width=\hsize,height=fit,align=normal]
> >       {\getrandomnumber\whatever{1}{9}%
> >        \dorecurse\whatever{\strut test \recurselevel\endgraf}}
> >     \vfilll}
> >
> > \stopcolumnset
> >
> > \stoptext
>
> Oh, I can't wait to see what that example does!  Does it show that I
> am not recalling correctly?  I hope so.
>
> The example, though, doesn't result in a pdf file for me when I put it
> into a file, "test.tex", and run "texexec --pdf test".

The example works for me, using TeX Live 2003 with a newer (beta)
cont-tmf.tex:

$ texexec --pdf context-align.tex
[...]
This is pdfeTeXk, Version 3.141592-1.11a-2.1 (Web2C 7.5.2)
[...]
ConTeXt  ver: 2003.9.26  fmt: 2003.10.14  int: english  mes: english
[...]
systems : begin file context-align at line 69
systems : randomizer starts with 995399654
[1.1{/opt/texLive/texmf-var/fonts/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map}] [2.2]
[3.3] [4.4] [5.5] [6.6] [7.7]
systems : end file context-align at line 82
){/opt/texLive/texmf/dvips/tetex/f7b6d320.enc}</opt/texLive/texmf/fonts/type1/
bluesky/cm/cmr12.pfb>
Output written on context-align.pdf (7 pages, 14051 bytes).
Transcript written on context-align.log.

--
George N. White III  <aa056@chebucto.ns.ca>
  Head of St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada

Re: Re: columns and alignment at the bottom

[Willi Egger]

At 19:21 15.10.2003, George N.White wrote:
>On Wed, 15 Oct 2003, Ed L Cashin wrote:
>
> > Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl> writes:
> >
> > > \starttext
> > >
> > > \startcolumnset
> > >
> > > \dorecurse{100}
> > >    {\framed
> > >       [width=\hsize,height=fit,align=normal]
> > >       {\getrandomnumber\whatever{1}{9}%
> > >        \dorecurse\whatever{\strut test \recurselevel\endgraf}}
> > >     \vfilll}
> > >
> > > \stopcolumnset
> > >
> > > \stoptext
> >
> > Oh, I can't wait to see what that example does!  Does it show that I
> > am not recalling correctly?  I hope so.
> >
> > The example, though, doesn't result in a pdf file for me when I put it
> > into a file, "test.tex", and run "texexec --pdf test".
>
>The example works for me, using TeX Live 2003 with a newer (beta)
>cont-tmf.tex:
>
>$ texexec --pdf context-align.tex
>[...]
>This is pdfeTeXk, Version 3.141592-1.11a-2.1 (Web2C 7.5.2)
>[...]
>ConTeXt  ver: 2003.9.26  fmt: 2003.10.14  int: english  mes: english
>[...]
>systems : begin file context-align at line 69
>systems : randomizer starts with 995399654
>[1.1{/opt/texLive/texmf-var/fonts/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map}] [2.2]
>[3.3] [4.4] [5.5] [6.6] [7.7]
>systems : end file context-align at line 82
>){/opt/texLive/texmf/dvips/tetex/f7b6d320.enc}</opt/texLive/texmf/fonts/type1/
>bluesky/cm/cmr12.pfb>
>Output written on context-align.pdf (7 pages, 14051 bytes).
>Transcript written on context-align.log.
The given example works also here with texlive7 and
ConTeXt  ver: 2003.9.25  fmt: 2003.9.25  int: english  mes: english

Willi 

Re: columns and alignment at the bottom

[Hans Hagen]

At 18:54 15/10/2003, you wrote:

>    TeXExec 3.3 - ConTeXt / PRAGMA ADE 1997-2003

this should be no problem but we have 4.0 now

   This is pdfeTeX, Version 3.14159-13d-2.1 (Web2C 7.3.1)
>   entering extended mode

but version 13d is asking for problems and around that ime column sets were 
not there

just pick up the zip mentioned in an earlier mail and try that one (new 
binaries, new tex)

Hans  

installation: "-jobname" pdfetex option (was Re: [NTG-context] columns and alignment at the bottom)

[Ed L Cashin]

Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl> writes:

> At 18:54 15/10/2003, you wrote:
>
>>    TeXExec 3.3 - ConTeXt / PRAGMA ADE 1997-2003
>
> this should be no problem but we have 4.0 now
>
>    This is pdfeTeX, Version 3.14159-13d-2.1 (Web2C 7.3.1)
>>   entering extended mode
>
> but version 13d is asking for problems and around that ime column sets
> were not there
>
> just pick up the zip mentioned in an earlier mail and try that one
> (new binaries, new tex)

I looked around a bit in the archives, but I'm not sure which zip that
is, so I decided to go ahead and upgrade my whole tetex to 2.0.2.  I
went to pragma-ade and followed the links to find pdftex 14h. 

By the way, I am a little confused about the stable pdftex numbering
scheme (like 1.11a) and how it relates to the 14h numbering scheme.

I got the cont-tmf-20030925.zip and unpacked it in my texmf directory.
I copied each foo.pl file in context/perltk to ../bin/foo (no ".pl"
extension), made sure /opt/tetex-2.0.2/bin was in my $PATH, made sure
texexec.ini was there, ran fmtutil --edit to activate the context
formats, ran fmtutil --all to generate the formats.

OK, but texexec was just showing the usage.  I read the minstall.pdf
document to see if I missed anything, but I couldn't find anything.

Just to see what would happen, I then got pdftex 14h and unzipped it
in the bin dir, moving the pool files to texmf/web2c.  Then I did
mktexlsr and fmtutil --all, but I see this error message in the
output: 

  running `pdfetex -ini   -jobname=cont-en -progname=context *cont-en.ini' ...
  pdfetex: unrecognized option `-jobname=cont-en'
  Try `pdfetex --help' for more information.
  Error: `pdfetex -ini  -jobname=cont-en -progname=context *cont-en.ini' failed
...
  
  This is a summary of all `failed' messages and warnings:
  `pdftex -ini -jobname=pdftex -progname=pdftex pdftex.ini' failed
  `pdftex -ini -jobname=pdflatex -progname=pdflatex pdflatex.ini' failed
  `pdfetex -ini -jobname=pdfetex -progname=pdfetex *pdfetex.ini' failed
  `pdfetex -ini -jobname=pdfelatex -progname=pdfelatex *pdfelatex.ini' failed
  `pdfetex -ini -jobname=cont-en -progname=context *cont-en.ini' failed
  `pdfetex -ini -jobname=cont-nl -progname=context *cont-nl.ini' failed
  `pdfetex -ini -jobname=cont-uk -progname=context *cont-uk.ini' failed
  `pdfetex -ini  -jobname=mptopdf -progname=mptopdf mptopdf.tex' failed
  root@marblerye texmf# 

I tried "texexec --make", but texexec is still just showing a usage
message and exiting.  The --verbose option doesn't change that.

Any suggestions or pointers would be most appreciated.  

-- 
--Ed L Cashin            |   PGP public key:
  ecashin@uga.edu        |   http://noserose.net/e/pgp/

Re: installation: "-jobname" pdfetex option

[Ed L Cashin]

Ed L Cashin <ecashin@uga.edu> writes:

...
> Just to see what would happen, I then got pdftex 14h and unzipped it
> in the bin dir, moving the pool files to texmf/web2c.  Then I did
> mktexlsr and fmtutil --all, but I see this error message in the
> output: 
>
>   running `pdfetex -ini   -jobname=cont-en -progname=context *cont-en.ini' ...
>   pdfetex: unrecognized option `-jobname=cont-en'

I hacked fmtutil and now all the formats get generated:

root@marblerye texmf# diff -u `which fmtutil`  `which fmtutil`.hack
--- /opt/tetex-2.0.2/bin/fmtutil        Thu Oct 16 12:03:07 2003
+++ /opt/tetex-2.0.2/bin/fmtutil.hack   Fri Oct 17 11:30:54 2003
@@ -555,7 +555,7 @@
     localpool=false
   fi
 
-  jobswitch="-jobname=$format"
+  jobswitch=""
   case "$format" in
     metafun) prgswitch=-progname=mpost;;
     cont-??) prgswitch=-progname=context;;


...
> I tried "texexec --make", but texexec is still just showing a usage
> message and exiting.  The --verbose option doesn't change that.

Texexec still just shows a usage message.  I bet I have to change
something in texexec.ini, but I couldn't find it last time I looked.
I'll look again.  

Now by doing "pdfetex \&cont-en test.tex" I'm able to see the example
that made me want to upgrade.  

Hey, Hans!  That is very impressive.  You were absolutely right when
you said, "Got you."  How did you do it?  It sounded like a hard
problem.

-- 
--Ed L Cashin            |   PGP public key:
  ecashin@uga.edu        |   http://noserose.net/e/pgp/

Re: installation: "-jobname" pdfetex option (was Re: [NTG-context] columns and alignment at the bottom)

[Hans Hagen]

At 16:26 17/10/2003, you wrote:

>I looked around a bit in the archives, but I'm not sure which zip that
>is, so I decided to go ahead and upgrade my whole tetex to 2.0.2.  I
>went to pragma-ade and followed the links to find pdftex 14h.

   http://www.pragma-ade.com/context/linuxtex.zip

to give you some bin only test bed i also put there:

   http://www.pragma-ade.com/context/linux.zip

Hans

Re: installation: "-jobname" pdfetex option

[Ed L Cashin]

Ed L Cashin <ecashin@uga.edu> writes:

...
> Texexec still just shows a usage message.  I bet I have to change
> something in texexec.ini, but I couldn't find it last time I looked.
> I'll look again.  
>
> Now by doing "pdfetex \&cont-en test.tex" I'm able to see the example
> that made me want to upgrade.  

It turned out that when I copied the new perl files to the bin
directory, there were some old symlinks there, and texutil was
overwriting texexec.

That was hard to figure out!  ... but only because I wasn't reading
the usage message carefully.  It did say "texutil".  :)

-- 
--Ed L Cashin            |   PGP public key:
  ecashin@uga.edu        |   http://noserose.net/e/pgp/