UKTeX V89 #04 Friday 27 January 1989 Determining the document style LaTeX error parser for GNU Emacs re: merging MF fonts with PostScript fonts Meeting GUTenberg Plain/raw tex: tolerance & pretolerance - how critical are they ? TeXmag character set KTalk publishing companion questions in UKTeX Editor Peter Abbott My thanks to Max Calvani (Italy) for TeXmag V2N6 the original of which never arrived (but see article later on in this issue). I am looking for troff -> TeX filters, converters or whatever they are called. Can anyone help please. Latest TeXhax in the Archive is #04 Latest TeXmag in the Archive is V2N6 --------------------------------- Received: from yale-eng-venus.arpa by NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK via Satnet with SMTP id aa08770; 20 Jan 89 22:07 GMT Date: Fri, 20 Jan 89 16:55 EST From: "Jerry Leichter (LEICHTER-JERRY@CS.YALE.EDU)" Subject: Determining the document style X-VMS-To: IN%"ABBOTTP%aston.ac.uk@NSS.Cs.Ucl.AC.UK",ALIEN Adrian Clark would like to know if a LaTeX style option can determine the style file it is being used with and adjust its behavior accordingly. There appears to be no way to do this. The \documentstyle command is very simple - about 3 lines of code or so - and it never saves the name of the style file anywhere: It uses its parameter directly in an \input. So any such information would have to be provided by the base style files themselves, which could of course define an appropriate macro. But the standard ones don't. It would probably be possible to find some parameter or set of parameters which is set in some recognizable way which is different in the different standard files - the secnumdepth counter is a good start - but I wouldn't recommend it. -- Jerry --------------------------------- Received: from lena by kestrel.Ukc.AC.UK with UUCP id aa00094; 23 Jan 89 9:18 GMT Received: from kernel by lena with netmail(8.4); Mon Jan 23 07:39:46 GMT 1989 From: "Mark J. Hewitt" Date: Mon, 23 Jan 89 07:26:34 (GMT) Message-Id: <25449.8901230726.marvin@kernel.co.uk> Subject: LaTeX error parser for GNU Emacs A little while ago, one {\em Tim Bradshaw\/} from Southampton placed an entry in this forum describing an error parser for LaTeX which ran inside GNU emacs. This sounds rather interesting, and I have tried several times to contact Tim (are you out there?!) without success. Did this ever find its way into the archive? Does anybody have it? Tim: Could you send me a copy if you see this please (apologies to Peter Abbott for making this request in so public a forum). Mark J. Hewitt usenet: ...!{mcvax,uunet}!ukc!kernel!mjh JANET: mjh@uk.co.kernel voice: (+44) 532 444566 other: mjh@kernel.co.uk fax: (+44) 532 425456 old style: mjh%uk.co.kernel@uk.ac.ukc paper: Kernel Technology Ltd, Development Centre, 46 The Calls, Leeds, LS2 7EY, West Yorkshire, UK --------------------------------- Received: from r3.cs.man.ac.uk (mucs-r3) by r1.cs.man.ac.uk; Mon, 23 Jan 89 13:07:41 GMT From: Mario Wolczko Message-Id: <28647.8901231307@r3.cs.man.ac.uk> Date: Mon,23 Jan 12:43:57 1989 Cc: rusty%edu.berkeley.garnet@edu.berkeley.violet Subject: re: merging MF fonts with PostScript fonts >> Also, they'll want their fonts to reach as wide an >> audience as possible, and I'm suggesting that PostScript is more >> likely to be their chosen medium. > > In your last sentence you're confusing the the issue of the output > format produced by metafont as opposed to its user interface. If > metafont produced its fonts in postscript would that make you any > happier? (Probably not.) Sorry for any confusion ... I never assumed that a font designer would work with raw PostScript, but use a "higher-level" tool. Thus, you are correct to say that we should be comparing GF with PostScript, and Metafont with tool X. Of course, if X=Metafont, so much the better (and yes, that would make me deliriously happy :-). But for the moment, Metafont and GF seem to be a tightly-bound pair. Anyone know of a printer that accepts GF directly? > Further, if such an editor generated a PostScript > description, I could use that symbol in many more applications than if > it were in a GF file. > > Again, in your last sentence you are confusing the format of font > files with a font designing program's user interface. The point is, by capturing a logo in PostScript, you can do all sorts of interesting things with it in the PostScript world (scale, rotate, fill, clip,...) that are precluded by having it in GF format. Lots of packages can import PostScript, lots of printers can execute it directly. The same cannot be said of GF. > Personally, I should think that logos would be easier to do with > metafont, especially the ones that are geometric since metafont is > such a geometry toolbox. A lot of dingbats are probably easier to do > with metafont; look at Zapf Dingbats, all those stars, arrows, and > such. I would also think that modifying an existing font would be > easier with metafont. I respect your preferences; I'm not suggesting that MF be banned! But I find the Metafont book daunting, and would not recommend investing the effort to learn Metafont just to design a logo. Mario ______ Dept. of Computer Science Internet: mario@ux.cs.man.ac.uk /~ ~\ The University USENET: mcvax!ukc!man.cs.ux!mario ( __ ) Manchester M13 9PL JANET: mario@uk.ac.man.cs.ux `-': :`-' U.K. Tel: +44-61-275 6146 (FAX: 6280) ____; ;_____________the mushroom project____________________________________ --------------------------------- Received: from UKACRL by UK.AC.RL.IB (Mailer X1.25) with BSMTP id 5903; Mon, 23 Jan 89 16:55:55 GM Received: from CDC.ENS.FR by UKACRL.BITNET (Mailer X1.25) with BSMTP id 4413; Mon, 23 Jan 89 16:55:53 G Received: by FRULM11 (Mailer X1.24) id 2673; Mon, 23 Jan 89 17:54:26 SET Date: Lundi 23 Janvier 1989 a 18H From: UCIR001@EARN.FRORS31 Sender: UCIR001@EARN.FRORS31 Reply-to: UCIR001@EARN.FRORS31 Subject: Meeting GUTenberg - -------------------- ------------------- Last CALL for PAPERS ** 1 week deadline ** GUTenberg's Meeting - -------------------- ------------------- GUTenberg's meeting will be held at PARIS in may, 16-17 1989. (GUTenberg is the TeX Users Group of French speaking people). Main topic : "How include graphics within TeX output?" This topic starts with graphics made in TeX (with LaTeX/PicTeX) continues with the \special TeX command and ends with METAFONT, POSTSCRIPT, etc. This is a very large subject opened to all aspects of graphics/methods and all micro/mini/maxi computers. Official language is French but English speakers are very welcome (immediate translation is on consideration). Abstracts (less than one page) must be sent to: UCIR001@FRORS31.BITNET before one week. Acceptance will be notified next week. Bernard GAULLE (GUTenberg president) PS: Besides traditional paper sessions, two tutorials will be organized (one for TeX/LaTeX beginners and one about METAFONT). Conference proceedings will be published after the conference in "Cahiers GUTenberg". The preliminary program will be sent to all people that will send me their network and postal address. SUMMARIZED DEADLINES : Abstract : This week Acceptance : Next week Preliminary AGENDA : February 28th Full paper due : April 15th Congress : May 16-17 PARIS - -------------------- ------------------- Last CALL for PAPERS ** 1 week deadline ** GUTenberg's Meeting - -------------------- ------------------- --------------------------------- Date: 23-JAN-1989 18:33:45 GMT From: CHAA006@UK.AC.RHBNC.VAXB Subject: Plain/raw tex: tolerance & pretolerance - how critical are they ? Sender: JANET"CHAA006@UK.AC.RHBNC.VAXB" Reply-to: Philip Taylor (RHBNC) Originally-to: $UK-TEX,$TEX-HAX Mailer: Janet_Mailshr V3.3 (14-Dec-1988) When setting text to a narrow measure, the Plain defaults for tolerance and pre-tolerance are rarely adequate. Occasionally I adjust their values by trial and error until I get the lowest possible values consonant with `correctly' filled lines (no overfull \hbox es); however, I wonder if this effort is justified ? Has anyone written a general \setparagraph macro, which performs a binary search on \tolerance and \pretolerance ? ** Phil. --------------------------------- From: Mr. A. O. V. Blanc Date: Thu, 26 Jan 89 15:56:32 GMT Message-Id: <$TDFQDGJXBTFJ at UMPA> Subject: TeXmag character set Thanks very much for the latest issue of TeXmag. I notice that the characters hat (^) and tilde(~) have been corrupted respectively to tilde (~) and percent(%). This means that hat can be recovered easily, but tilde cannot. Yours, A. V. Le Blanc, UMRCC +++Editor - The copy sent by Max Calvani came via EARN which accounts for the corruption. I have since had a copy from Max via the SPAN network on which I have an account. The copy in the archive should be OK. +++ --------------------------------- Received: from sot-cm.uucp by uk.ac.newcastle; Thu, 26 Jan 89 15:43:11 GMT Date: Mon, 23 Jan 89 10:42:25 GMT From: Sebastian Rahtz Subject: KTalk publishing companion the K-Talk converter from Wordperfect to TeX works (otherwise you could sue them!). But there is 'working' and there is 'working in a worthwhile way'. K-Talk generates plain TeX, and has a header definining a set of macros which it uses - what use is that to the sensible majority who want some kind of generic markup? i have almost no respect for Wordperfect (because of its ridiculously unhelpful use of function keys), but I am sure its an excellent editor. why not use it as such, and generate ASCII files (which I am sure it can do) with the (few) embedded commands that something like LaTeX uses? the exercise of all italics and bold being converted to TeX seems so trivial as to be not worth the candle. Or could not someone write a printer driver for wordperfect (like Flynn's for PC-Write) which, when you do a 'print to file' generates TeXery instead of Epson codes or whatever? Anyway, it all seems easier than a complicated conversion program. sebastian rahtz --------------------------------- From: Sebastian Rahtz Date: Thu, 26 Jan 89 17:13:56 GMT Message-Id: <1493.8901261713@hilliard.ecs.soton.ac.uk> Subject: questions in UKTeX a) the source for BibTeX 0.99c is at Aston where one (might) expect to find it, in [PUBLIC.SCORE.BIBTEX]. It is well worth upgrading b) Phil Taylor optimistically asks for an uptodate Unix dvi2ps. As has been said many times in texhax, the whole thing is a mess, with everyone and his sister having their own versions. And it isnt helped by this business over what PS tfms to use, and what mappings. If I were Phil, I'd use James Clark's DVITOPS, since it is at least cleanly written and incorporates good PostScript practice; as an example of what to avoid, the dvi2ps we use here can generate rounding errors in its relative positioning of characters, which means rules are not always right. James Clark absolutely positions each letter. The dvi2ps which Mario Wolcsko (spelling?) uses in his PSLATEX directory at Aston would be a start if you want to enter the awful world of the original Unix dvi2ps. sebastian rahtz --------------------------------- !! !! Files of interest [public]000aston.readme !! [public]000directory.list !! [public]000directory_dates.list !! [public]000directory.size !! [public]000last30days.files !! !! Editor - I have a tape labelled TeX 2.9 LaTeX 2.09 Metafont 1.3 !! Unix 4.2/3BSD VAX SUN 2/3 Pyramid Sequent SYS V: 3B2 Tar 1600 bpi blocked !! 20 1 file dated 30 November 1988 (from washington.edu). !! !! I have the facility to copy this tape for anyone who sends the following !! 1 2400 tape with return labels AND RETURN postage. !! !! Send to !! !! P Abbott !! Computing Service !! Aston University !! Aston Triangle !! Birmingham B4 7ET !! !! A VMS backup of the archive requires 2 (two ) 2400' tapes at 6250bpi. !! Remaining details as above. !! Other tape options in the pipeline. !! !! Replies/submissions to info-tex@uk.ac.aston please !! distribution changes to info-tex-request@uk.ac.aston please !! !! end of issue