Re: notation, manual

Re: notation, manual

[pragma]

Hi, 

>Hmm, I find it served its purpose. But I agree that we can have
more
>manuals, one with lots of examples would be nice. Usually I 

It's on the to do list. 

Hans

Re: notation, manual

[Berend de Boer]

siepo@client44-3.kabelA.oprit.rug.nl wrote:

> (sorry Berend, het vorige bericht aan jou was voor de lijst bedoeld;
> dit is een uitgebreidere versie ervan)

Yes, I also hate it that reply replies to the sender instead of the
list. That doesn't facilitate list communication.

> Are you meaning that in general you can't combine `value keywords', or
> that in some cases you can and in others you can't?

Exactly.

> Also some remarks about the manual: since it is intended as reference
> manual, it should facilitate quick lookup and not require close
> reading of an entire chapter.

Hmm, I find it served its purpose. But I agree that we can have more
manuals, one with lots of examples would be nice. Usually I test with a
small test file or look in the source of the manual is not clear, but
usually the manual is clear enough. Perhaps you need to get adjusted to
its style.

Groetjes,

Berend. (-:

notation, manual

[siepo]

(sorry Berend, het vorige bericht aan jou was voor de lijst bedoeld;
dit is een uitgebreidere versie ervan)

Berend de Boer writes:
 > siepo@client44-3.kabelA.oprit.rug.nl wrote:
 > 
 > > So the number of brackets doesn't necessarily mean anything?
 > 
 > Some brackets are optional (they're in italics).
 > 
 > 
 >  
 > > Another obscure point is when you want to apply more than one
 > > `value-keyword', e.g. if you want a small bold sectionhead. I tried
 > > the following constructs:
 > > 
 > > \setuphead[mysection][style=bold]
 > > \setuphead[mysection][style=small]
 > > 
 > > This produces small headers. Apparently, values for a single keyword
 > > are not accumulated. Well, this is more or less what Berend was
 > > saying.
 > > 
 > > \setuphead[mysection[style={bold,small}]
 > 
 > The style is really a single macro and really is an alias for a font
 > switch. What you want it to do is:
 > 
 > \def\style{\bold\small}
 > 
 > But it doesn't work that way. Say something like:
 > 
 > \setuphead
 > 	[mysection]
 > 	[style={\switchtobodyfont[small]\bf}]
 > 
 > Groetjes,
 > 
 > Berend. (-:
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > > 
 > > Doesn't work either; it puts the text `bold,smallbold,small' before
 > > both the section number and the section title. I seem to remember that
 > > in some other cases such a construct DOES produce the desired
 > > effect. Am I missing something? (Of course, in this particular case
 > > there are other ways to do it.)
 > > 
 > > Siep

So this is the TeX command as value. Other alternatives: {\bfx} or
\bfx or bfx.

Are you meaning that in general you can't combine `value keywords', or
that in some cases you can and in others you can't?

Also some remarks about the manual: since it is intended as reference
manual, it should facilitate quick lookup and not require close
reading of an entire chapter.

For quickly locating examples, the side-by-side display of code and
their output as in the LaTeX books (Lamport and the LaTeX companion)
could be very effective.

Different settings for some typographic parameters would also help:

-> Reserving vertical space only for displayed material and for
sectioning.  Using it to separate paragraphs detracts too much from
its effectiveness in making displayed material stand out.

-> Indenting of displayed material. The measure of the manual is wide
enough for it. In general, indenting is overused in TeX manuscripts,
and in a multicolumn layout indenting it can look very awful very
quickly but that is no reason not to use it at all.

Siep