TeXhax Yr86 Issue#5 texhax05.861109 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % A few people have urged that TeXhax switch to a "moderated" rather than % a "digest" format. A "moderated format" has each submission being mailed % out individually, whereas the digest format collects submissions into a % single file and then mails that file. % % I'm certainly willing to make such a change. My only reservation is that % it strikes me that it would take more time to do a moderated than a digest % format. TeXhax is already requiring a significant amount of time to do % just as it is. % % If you have an opinion one way or another, send a message to % texhax-request@score.stanford.edu % % Please note that I'll be out of town for the week of Nov 9/16 and expect % to be very busy once I get back. This will mean some delay in getting % out further issues. So don't be alarmed if issue six doesn't appear until % later in November. % % Malcolm Brown % 3-Nov-86 07:33:47-PST,994;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from C.CS.CMU.EDU by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Mon 3 Nov 86 07:33:44-PST Received: ID ; Mon 3 Nov 86 10:35:20-EST Date: Mon 3 Nov 86 10:35:18-EST >From: Roberto.Minio@C.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Infelicity in plain.tex To: unix-tex@WARD.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU, texhax@SU-SCORE.ARPA Message-ID: <12251994395.28.MINIO@C.CS.CMU.EDU> The following line appears in plain.tex (and lplain.tex): {\catcode`\_=\active \let_=\_} % _ is like \_ if not used for subscripts While it doesn't do any harm (or anything else), the \let should really be \global: {\catcode`\_=\active \global\let_=\_} % _ is like \_ if not used for subscripts (Note that \mathcode`\_="8000: this special meaning of _ should therefore not only take effect when _ is made \active, but also when _ is \catcode'd to \other but occurs in math mode. Well, with all this talk of reading files verbatim I wanted to do verbatim inside math mode!) ------- 3-Nov-86 10:30:32-PST,621;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from Cs.Ucl.AC.UK by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Mon 3 Nov 86 10:30:18-PST Received: from vaxa.rhbnc.ac.uk by mv1.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK via Janet with NIFTP id aa04731; 3 Nov 86 18:06 WET Date: 3-NOV-1986 18:10:22 >From: CHAA006%vaxa.rhbnc.ac.uk@Cs.Ucl.AC.UK To: TEXHAX <@Cs.Ucl.AC.UK:TEXHAX@su-score.arpa> Subject: The `Copyrightability' of TeX Could anyone tell me which parts (if any) of the Kellerman & Smith TeX distribution, and the Addison-Wesley MicroTeX implementation, I may legitimately distribute without infringing copyright ? 3-Nov-86 15:55:24-PST,3572;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from lindy.stanford.edu (FORSYTHE.STANFORD.EDU.#Internet) by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Mon 3 Nov 86 14:43:59-PST Received: by lindy.stanford.edu; Mon, 3 Nov 86 13:52:59 PST Date: Mon, 3 Nov 86 13:50:42 PST >From: Reply-To: OGAWA%SLACVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu To: TEXHAX@Score.Stanford.EDU Subject: LaTex macro gotcha Date: 3 November 86 13:47-PST >From: OGAWA@SLACVM To: TEXHAX@SU-SCORE Subject: LaTex macro gotcha Date: 3 November 1986, 13:06:54 PST >From: Arthur Ogawa (415)854-3300(x2698) OGAWA at SLACVM To: TEXHAX at SU-SCORE.STANFORD Subject: LaTex macro gotcha Date: Fri 17 Oct 86 18:41:58-MDT From: "Nelson H.F. Beebe" Subject: LaTeX Picture Mode gotcha, and workaround I have just spent the better part of two days trying to understand why portions of a complex figure in LaTeX picture mode were being mispositioned. The problem was traced to what I thought was harmless white space inside some macros defining portions of the picture. Nelson was tripped up by what I have come to call ``uncontrolled spaces'' within a macro definition. For an example, note the difference between the following two \def's: \def\testi{\hbox{A B} \hbox{C D}} \def\testii{\hbox{A B}% \hbox{C D}} The expansion of \testi will include {blank space} between the two \hboxes, while \testii will not. Nelson found that he could get what he wanted by putting \ignorespaces after each line of the macro definition, but (and I agree) that it looked ugly. A close examination of PLAIN TEX reveals that Knuth very carefully made sure that each line of the file either ended with a control sequence, like: 258 \expandafter\expandafter\expandafter or ended the line with a comment, like: 259 \edef\@if#1{true}{\let\noexpand#1=\noexpand\iftrue}% The reason this all comes up is that the newline character gets translated into a space upon input, and that the comment character causes TeX to ignore all remaining characters on the input line, including the newline. What ever TeXnique is used, one must cleave to the Rule of Controlled Spaces: ``All spaces must be intentional.'' I always put a % after a terminal } or {. This is the basic rule. I find that the special units of TeX don't need the comment character, however: \hrule height .5ex Finally, when specifying file names, be careful to DO follow the name by a space, e.g.: \def\inputit{\input myfile.stuff }% Another method that is possible, but that I have not used in the Psizzl macropackage, would be to change the \catcode of ^^M (the carriage return) within portions of the file containing macro definitons. One would change it to be ignored, perhaps. But this makes the code you write not work when it is cut out of your happy macro-defining environment and pasted into another document, say. Another point is that macro definitions are usually input in vertical mode, where the space character does not lead to any typesetting. So that's why you don't have to worry about the newline character at the end of the definitions shown above. You also don't need to worry about the \par's that emerge from all the blank lines that occur in many macro definition files. But just try putting that thing inside an \hbox! So, use those %'s, fellow wizards, and avoid the uncontolled Trolls of white space. Arthur Ogawa, SLAC 4-Nov-86 08:27:55-PST,1228;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from icst-cmr.arpa.ARPA (ICST-CMR.ARPA.#Internet) by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Tue 4 Nov 86 08:27:31-PST Received: by icst-cmr.arpa.ARPA (5.51/4.7) id AA02376; Tue, 4 Nov 86 11:25:55 EST Date: Tue, 4 Nov 86 11:25:55 EST >From: Root Boy Jim Message-Id: <8611041625.AA02376@icst-cmr.arpa.ARPA> To: Bryan@su-sierra.ARPA, info-graphics@ADS.ARPA, info-postscript@su-score.ARPA, laser-lovers@WARD.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU, unix-wizards@BRL.ARPA Subject: Re: typesetting previewers for Sun workstations Cc: scribe-hackers@UTAH-CS.ARPA, sun-spots.Rice@RELAY.CS.NET, texhax@su-score.ARPA, unix-tex@washington.ARPA, works@RUTGERS.RUTGERS.EDU > I'm looking for a TeX previewer for Sun-3 workstations. If anyone out there > knows of a previewer for TeX, DVI, Scribe, Impress, or PostScript, please > let me know. Try anonymous FTP to `sally.utexas.edu'. > Please reply to me directly since I am not on all of these mailing lists. > My apologies to those of you who are on more than one of the above mailing > lists. Me too. doug (Root Boy) Jim Cottrell I had pancake makeup for brunch! 4-Nov-86 10:43:50-PST,2687;000000000000 Return-Path: <@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA,@PANDA:D.BUERGER@SCU> Received: from SUMEX-AIM.ARPA by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Tue 4 Nov 86 10:40:41-PST Received: from PANDA by SUMEX-AIM.ARPA with Cafard; Mon 3 Nov 86 18:51:36-PST Received: from SCU by PANDA with Cafard; Mon 3 Nov 86 17:47:40-PST Date: Mon 3 Nov 86 17:28:35-PST >From: David John Buerger On-Terminal: 127 Subject: Line spacing, Banner/double columns, and \dotfill\ in tabbing mode To: texhax@SU-SCORE.ARPA cc: dave%SCU%PANDA@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA Message-ID: <12252102397.22.D.BUERGER@SCU> I'm just learning LaTeX and am pleased by its capabilities. I'm also confused about implementing some of these features. I'm using LaTeX and Addison-Wesley's MicroTeX on an IBM-XT, outputting to a QMS PS-800 laser printer. I have ques- tions in three areas: 1. Uneven line spacing within random paragraphs Several paragraphs in a four-page newsletter I just produced with LaTeX have, for some unknown reason, switched out of normal single-space mode into space- and-a-half or even double spacing mode. A following paragraph might then be in normal single space mode. Why is this happening? What can I do to control it? 2. How to produce a full banner and line(s) while in column mode I want to produce a full banner (left to right on an 8.5" wide sheet of paper) which has at least one full horizontal line separating it from text immediately below, produced in double column mode. Problem: I've been able to force such a line with \hline, but that forces my double column text to the top of the next page. The following "fake-out" works, but won't let me produce a line (I'd actually like to have a couple of them): \documentstyle[twocolumn]{article} \oddsidemargin 0in \evensidemargin 0in \marginparwidth 40pt \marginparsep 10pt \topmargin 0pt \headsep 0pt \textheight 8.7in \textwidth 6.5in \setlength{\parskip}{.5em} \begin{document} \title{\Large\begin{center}{\bf SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY}\\ \vspace{4 mm} \Huge {\bf INFO-SYSTEMS NEWS}\\ \end{center} \vspace{8 mm} \small The Information Systems newsletter published\hfill David J. Buerger, Editor\\ by the SCU Personal Computer Center \hfill November 1986} \author{} \date{} \maketitle Any suggestions on how to have LaTeX make this happen correctly? 3. \dotfill\ in tabbing mode Why doesn't the \dotfill\ command work when it's invoked in the middle of a tabbing environment? Any suggestions would be *greatly* appreciated. I've spent hours & hours. . . David J. Buerger Director, PC Center Santa Clara University Dave%SCU%Panda@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA ------- 4-Nov-86 12:51:02-PST,960;000000000000 Return-Path: Received: from lindy.stanford.edu (FORSYTHE.STANFORD.EDU.#Internet) by SU-SCORE.ARPA with TCP; Tue 4 Nov 86 12:48:31-PST Received: by lindy.stanford.edu; Tue, 4 Nov 86 09:43:15 PST Date: Tue, 4 Nov 86 09:44:33 PST >From: Reply-To: LAUER%YALEHEP.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu To: TEXHAX@score.stanford.edu Subject: TEX on LNO3 Date: Tue, 4 Nov 86 12:20 EST >From: Subject: TEX on LNO3 To: texhax@score.stanford.edu X-Original-To: texhax@score.stanford.edu, LAUER I would like some basic information (reassurance ?) on the viability of running TEX on the LNO3(plus). I have sent for the latest TEX tape, which I am told has a driver on it. Can anyone tell me what will need to be done to make it work. Thanks. Rochelle Lauer Yale University Physics Dept P O Box 6666 New Haven Ct 06511 BITNET lauer@YALEHEP -------