Re: \autoinsertedspace fails

[Rik Kabel via ntg-context <ntg-context@ntg.nl>]

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On 2023-01-05 04:35, Hans Hagen via ntg-context wrote:
> On 1/5/2023 4:21 AM, Rik Kabel via ntg-context wrote:

     [ snipped by rik]

> Here is a more lmtx-ish variant:
>
> \starttexdefinition tolerant protected BD #=#*#=
>    \removeunwantedspaces
>    \space % insert a space
>    (
>    \ifparameter#2\or
>        #1|–|#2
>    \orelse\ifparameter#1\or
>        #1–
>    \else
>        {\red I NEED A DATE OR DATES!}
>    \fi
>    )
>    \autoinsertedspace
> \stoptexdefinition
>
> Hans

Thank you for that. This works for me with \optionalspace, but fails in 
some cases with \autoinsertedspace.

I have now re-read lowlevel-macros.pdf and have a better understanding 
of what I read when first I approached it; I still have a way to go.

/Tolerant/ removes the need for /dodoubleempty/ and friends and the 
two-step /macro/ and /doMacro/ dance. There was a small advantage to the 
two-step, however. I had two separate macros, BD and BDNP (no parens), 
as shown.

The old code in full was:

    %-------------------- Birth and death dates -----------------------%
    % Ferdinand de Saussure\BD{1857}{1913}
    % Noam Chomsky \BD{1928}
    %
    % Perhaps this could be tied to an acronym-like database so that the
    %   dates are printed only once per person.
    % \removeunwantedspaces allows this to directly follow, or follow
    %   after whitespace, the associated name: Name\BD{1}{2} or
    %   Name \BD{1}{2}.
    % Using the compound indication (|–|) allows hyphenation after the
    %   endash. Omitting it and using a bare endash inhibits hyphenation
    %   ‘twixt the endash and the paren.
    % By default, add parens around the dates. If none are needed due to
    %   the context, use \BDNP.
    %
    \newif\ifBDParen
    \starttexdefinition unexpanded BD
       \BDParentrue
       \dodoublegroupempty
       \doBD
    \stoptexdefinition
    \starttexdefinition unexpanded BDNP
       \BDParenfalse
       \dodoublegroupempty
       \doBD
    \stoptexdefinition
    \starttexdefinition doBD #1#2
        \removeunwantedspaces\
        \ifBDParen(\fi
        \ifsecondargument
            #1|–|#2
        \else\iffirstargument
            #1–
        \else
            {\red I NEED A DATE OR DATES!}
        \fi\fi
        \ifBDParen)\fi
        \autoinsertedspace
    \stoptexdefinition

Both call the same doBD, but they set a flag (newif) to control 
insertion or not of the parens. While there is no performance benefit 
compared to having two fully separate macros, there is a maintenance 
benefit in having only one place, doBD, to make changes should they be 
required.

Can you suggest a way to do this under the new one-step scheme, or am I 
over-thinking this?

Finally, is there any reason to go back to previously written and 
properly functioning macros and convert them to the LMTX-only syntax? It 
does imply committing to LMTX-only (or

-- 
Rik


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