Re: How to avoid a page break?

[Wolfgang Schuster <schuster.wolfgang@googlemail.com>]

Am 04.11.2008 um 23:42 schrieb Marcin Borkowski:

> Dnia Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 11:25:17PM +0100, Wolfgang Schuster  
> napisał(a):
>>
>> Am 04.11.2008 um 22:39 schrieb Marcin Borkowski:
>>
>>> Dnia Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 10:17:51PM +0100, Wolfgang Schuster
>>> napisał(a):
>>>>
>>>> Am 04.11.2008 um 21:21 schrieb Marcin Borkowski:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>> I have the following in my code:
>>>>>
>>>>> \def\doPutTitle#1{%
>>>>> \startalignment[middle]
>>>>>  \bfb
>>>>>  \page[bigpreference]
>>>>>  \blank[2*big]
>>>>>  #1%
>>>>>  \page[no]%
>>>>>  \blank[big]%
>>>>>  \page[no]%
>>>>> \stopalignment
>>>>> \page[no]%
>>>>> }%
>>>>>
>>>>> Why is it still possible that I have a page break after, say,
>>>>> \doPutTitle{some title} (in MkII, in MkIV page breaks fall in
>>>>> different
>>>>> places).  Which percentage signs and \page[no]'s are unnecessary
>>>>> here?
>>>>
>>>> \def\doPutTitle#1%
>>>>  {\page[bigpreference]
>>>>   \vbox\bgroup
>>>>   \raggedcenter
>>>>   #1%
>>>>   \egroup
>>>>   \nobreak\blank[big]}
>>>
>>> OK, though this looks rather low-level.  I was thinking about
>>> something
>>> more user-friendly;).
>>>
>>> This raises a philosophical question: is it the "ConTeXt way" to use
>>> low-level constructs in environments and high-level in documents?
>>> Or is
>>> it better to avoid low level whenever possible?  Also, your code  
>>> mixes
>>> low-level commands (\vbox, which is a TeX prmitive, \raggedcenter,
>>> which
>>> is a ConTeXt low-level command, I guess) and high-level ones  
>>> (\blank).
>>> I understand that this ensures a uniform vertical spacing  
>>> (\blank[big]
>>> is obviously better than \vskip 10pt;)), but I thought that it is
>>> against ConTeXt philosophy to use low-level stuff unless something
>>> really non-standard is needed.
>>
>> Here is a better method, there is nothing wrong with low level but
>> you should know what you do.
>
> Yes, that's obvious.  But high-level is better in one thing: when I  
> want
> to teach ConTeXt to non-TeX-maniacs;), it's the only possibility.
>
>>
>> \defineblankmethod [nobreak] {\nobreak}
>>
>> \def\doPutTitle#1%
>>   {\framed[frame=offwidth=\textwidth,align=middle]{#1}%
>>    \blank[nobreak,line]}
>
> OK, that's very nice, apart from the thing that the only two ways of
> learning it are: (1) studying sources or (2) asking here.  Also, the
> trick with \framed[frame=off,...] is neat, but I still don't get it:  
> why
> my \startalignment[middle] didn't work?  And how does exactly
> \blank[something] work?
>
> Don't think I need these answers *now*.  But it would be nice to
> understand ConTeXt a bit some day...
>
> You know, with plain TeX it's relatively easy to understand
> *everything* - it's so small and, well, primitive;).  With LaTeX  
> things
> get messy, but still I can read the sources - they are very  
> "plainy", I
> mean LaTeX does not have so much UI for developers/package/class
> writers, so it's not *that* difficult to understand parts of source
> code.  But ConTeXt baffles me a lot.  I guess that reading sources is
> the only remedy - but I don't have enough time now...  But some day, I
> *will* understand this;).
>
>>
>> Wolfgang
>>
>
> PS. Wolfgang, can I still subscribe to your fan club?  Do I get a free
> t-shirt;)?

Ask Mojca, she has the shirts.

Wolfgang

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