UKTeX V90 #18 Friday 8 June 1990
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Need to keep text on one page
Need to keep text together on a page
new for Aston: dvimswin, xfig, SeeTeX, cyrillic
storing Unix archives in the UK TeX Archive
\marks in LaTeX double column documents
Re: Problems using \markboth in LaTeX
Bug/Problem in spaceing with Plain TeX & CMR fonts
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Date: Fri, 01 Jun 90 16:36:10
From: Mike Piff <PM1MJP @ UK.AC.SHEFFIELD.PRIMEA>
Subject: Need to keep text on one page
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From Dr M. J. Piff, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Sheffield,
The Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, SHEFFIELD S3 7RH, England.
Tel. SHEFFIELD(0742) 768555 Extension 4431.
JANET PM1MJP@UK.AC.SHEF.PA or PM1MJP@UK.AC.SHEF.IBM
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Andrew Haylett writes:
Subject: Need to keep text together on a page
I'm trying to write a simple LaTeX environment that keeps everything within
it on the same page i.e. it places its contents into a \vbox, measures the
height and then starts a new page if the \vbox is higher than the vertical
space left on the current page. Similar to the figure environment in some
ways. So I wrote the following:
\def\window#1{\@need=#1\advance\@need\pagetotal
\if\@need>\textheight\vfil\newpage\else\fi}
\newbox\@keepbox
\newenvironment{keep}{%
\setbox\@keepbox=\vbox\bgroup
}{%
\egroup\window{\ht\@keepbox}\box\@keepbox
}
This works fine, except that if the \vbox is higher than textheight, it
overflows the page. So it needs to be broken up somehow. Any pointers?
I think you may need \ifdim rather than \if.
BUT there is a simpler way.
\newenvironment{Block}{\samepage}{\aftergroup\filbreak}
should work, reluctantly! I had a similar problem with question papers for
exams. Its main failing is that if the block is >\textheight in size, it still
starts a new page, even though it would be better to split it on the previous
page. Try experimenting with \vskip x \penalty y \vskip -x for various x and
y, instead of \filbreak.
The other solution is to use \vsplit to break the box if its height is >
\textheight.
Mike
--------------------------
From: Sebastian Rahtz <spqr@uk.ac.soton.ecs>
Date: Fri, 1 Jun 90 21:12:31 bst
Message-Id: <3468.9006012012@manutius.ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Subject: new for Aston: dvimswin, xfig, SeeTeX, cyrillic
A number of items in the UK TeX Archive at Aston have been updated or
installed for the first time. These are listed below. Sorry about the
sparse details, but these are mostly well-known:
1) dvimswin. Doug McDonald's previewer for Microsoft Windows. This
version is suitable for use with Windows 3.
[tex-archive.drivers.dvimswin]
2) xfig. To complement the transfig software, the current release of
the X windows version of the fig program.
[tex-archive.transfig.xfig]
3) SeeTeX. Dirk Grunwald et al's set of previewers/drivers etc.
Includes previewers for Sunview and X11, and dviselect. Should
replace anything previously called `umddvi'.
[tex-archive.drivers.seetex]
4) Cyrillic fonts. These were requested in a recent uktex. The
`russian' directory has been expanded to include some more macros,
conversion programs, notes on transliteration, and the University
of Washington Cyrillic fonts. *These are in Metafont source only*.
You will need to compile them for your printer.
[tex-archive.langs.russian]
5) font hints. A document edited by Jerry Sweet which explains what
the wretched thing *means* when its says `cant find font X at mag
666'; recommended reading!
[tex-archive.doc]font-hints.txt
Have fun with these, and report back any experiences you feel will be
helpful to others.
Sebastian Rahtz
---------------------
From: Sebastian Rahtz <spqr@uk.ac.soton.ecs>
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 90 20:44:29 bst
Message-Id: <8955.9006041944@escher.ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Subject: storing Unix archives in the UK TeX Archive
There have been several reasonable complaints about the unnatural
difficulty that Unix sites have in getting software from Aston
sometimes, compared to the well-developed tradition of tarred
compressed archives which Unix-only archives usually use. I have
therefore created a directory at Aston:
[tex-archive.src.unix-archives]
which will be useful *only* those with the wherewithal to deal with
large archives put through tar, compress and uuencode. New software
will never be installed *only* in there, but we will endeavour to put
the most popular stuff in that form. Suggestions to me
(spqr@uk.ac.soton.ecs). Don't suggest things that are useable on other
machines.
As a special case, I have put the the common Unix main TeX
distribution in this directory, as
web2c-50d.uue
web-50b.uue
collecting these two will give you the vanilla web2c distribution
which is distributed from Stanford.
Sebastian Rahtz
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From: Jon Warbrick <C20222 @ POLY-SOUTH-WEST.PRIME-A>
Subject: \marks in LaTeX double column documents
A couple of weeks ago I sent a question about a problem that I was
having with LaTeX two column documents and \marks. In the end I got a
very helpful reply from Joe Pallas in the States (after mailing my
question to LATEX-HELP) and I'm copying it to UKtex in case it's of
wider interest:
> From: Joe Pallas <pallas@edu.stanford.neon>
> To: C20222@uk.ac.poly-south-west.prime-a
> Subject: Re: Problems using \markboth in LaTeX
>
> The LaTeX output routine does mishandle marks in two-column mode, in
> the obvious way (that is, it simply ignores the marks from the first
> column). Rather than undertake significant surgery, I've cobbled
> together a patch which seems to work correctly. All it does is
> remember the top and first marks from the first column and replace
> them in the second column. (I don't think LaTeX uses \topmark, but I
> included it in case some unusual page style depends on it.)
>
> joe
>
> Put the following into a .sty file:
% Patch LaTeX's output routine to handle marks correctly with two columns.
\def\@outputdblcol{\if@firstcolumn \global\@firstcolumnfalse
\global\setbox\@leftcolumn\box\@outputbox
% Remember the marks from the first column
\xdef\@firstcoltopmark{\topmark}
\xdef\@firstcolfirstmark{\firstmark}
% End of change
\else \global\@firstcolumntrue
\setbox\@outputbox\vbox{\hbox to\textwidth{\hbox to\columnwidth
{\box\@leftcolumn \hss}\hfil \vrule width\columnseprule\hfil
\hbox to\columnwidth{\box\@outputbox \hss}}}\@combinedblfloats
% Override current first and top with those of first column
\let\firstmark\@firstcolfirstmark\let\topmark\@firstcoltopmark
% End of change
\@outputpage \begingroup \@dblfloatplacement \@startdblcolumn
\@whilesw\if@fcolmade \fi{\@outputpage\@startdblcolumn}\endgroup
\fi}
Jon.
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Jon Warbrick, Computing Service, Plymouth (0752) 233913 (ddi)
Polytechnic South West, --.
Drake Circus, `--> Polytechnic South West was formed from
Plymouth PL4 8AA UK. Plymouth Polytechnic on 1st April 1989
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From: Icarus Sparry <I.Sparry@uk.ac.bath.gdr>
Subject: Bug/Problem in spaceing with Plain TeX & CMR fonts
If you set
I.W.J. Sparry
then the spacing looks horrible! Would some expert care to comment?
I think it is a bug.
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Comments:
Icarus Sparry <I.Sparry@uk.ac.bath.gdr> writes:
>
> If you set
> I.W.J. Sparry
> then the spacing looks horrible! Would some expert care to comment?
> I think it is a bug.
I am not quite sure what sort of bug you think this might be; can you
define `horrible' a bit more precisely? Personally, I have never
understood why people say I.W.J. and not I. W. J., but thats style. I
hope its not as simple as that J. looks like the end of a sentence to
TeX so it inserts end-of-sentence spacing?
sebastian
---------
I think the only comment one can make on this is that it has been typed
wrong. It should have been typed as either
I.~W.~J.~Sparry
or
I.\ W.\ J.\ Sparry
Omitting the space between initials is a bad habit which hangs over
from the days of monospaced typewriters.
Adrian F. Clark
JANET: alien@uk.ac.essex ARPA: alien%uk.ac.essex@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
BITNET: alien%uk.ac.essex@ac.uk PHONE: (+44) 206-872432 (direct)
Dept ESE, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, C04 3SQ, UK.
---------
Adrian writes:
> I think the only comment one can make on this is that it has been typed
> wrong. It should have been typed as either
>
> I.~W.~J.~Sparry
>
> or
>
> I.\ W.\ J.\ Sparry
But the former is much to be preferred.
Chris Rowley
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