TeXhax Digest Sunday, September 6, 1987 Volume 87 : Issue 73 [SCORE.STANFORD.EDU]TEXHAX73.87 Editor: Malcolm Brown Today's Topics: question about BibTeX, AAp standard, etc. IEEE Transactions format on Tex LaTeX Notes (Re: TeXhax Digest V87 #71) Concatenating Token lists: brain damage IdxTeX TeX Source Re: TeX Source LaTeX question about table environment program structure diagram macros? Dynamic creation of TeX Macros. a request for a CTeX distribution address LaTeX Notes (Re: TeXhax Digest V87 #72) Re eth, thorn and yogh (TeXhax Digest V87 #68) Interline spacing in LaTeX tabular environment (and TeX!) Invisible fonts for SliTeX ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 30-AUG-1987 03:13 EST From: To: Subject: question about BibTeX, AAp standard, etc. I am considering switching over to using BibTeX for bibliographies and wonder if this would be wise. I would like to have a database where entries can be added in detailed form, where I can extract from that for information retrieval purposes, and where I can get bibliographies produced automatically in ACM, IEEE, CBE, MLA, etc. formats. We have TeX and LaTeX and BibTeX, but in looking at our files I only saw the following .bst files: abbrv, alpha, plain, unsrt. The .sty files were: clbiba, clbibr, opbiba, opbibr. Can I receive a direct reply to foxea%vtvax3.bitnet@wiscvm.wisc.edu telling how to get needed files for the various bibliography organiza- tions listed above, or others that are available. I would also welcome other comments on how to achieve my objectives. By the way, we are running TeX and related software on a VAX with ULTRIX, and plan to move our workload off to Mac II systems that will run both the Mac operating system and A/UX. We are open to advice on what software distributions would be best (and least expensive since we will have more than 25 systems). Finally, let me ask about tie-ins between TeX and the new AAP standard (based on SGML) for markup. Does anyone have software to allow files in the AAP form to be converted to TeX for printing? Thanks for your assistance - Ed Fox, Dept. of Computer Science, VPI&SU ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Aug 87 13:24 EDT From: Subject: IEEE Transactions format on Tex To: texhax@score.stanford.edu X-Original-To: texhax@score.stanford.edu, MRB Hi --- I enjoy reading the TexHAX digest, although some of it is a little beyond my level of comprehension right now. I wonder if a kind reader or tow could help me with my problem: I have a journal article all written up for the IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting. It is in Tex and formats/prints very nicely. Unfortunately, the journal style is "double-columns", and I don't know how to get Tex to do this without a LOT of experimenting. Is there a set of Tex commands I can put around my article which will produce the accepted format (or even something close). We can FTP files....I looked at one server mentioned on the net, but it only had one file which dealt with BibTEX and the bibliography (IEEETR.BST) Your help/guidance would be appreciated. MRB @ PSUECL via BITNET, or most other gateways eventually find their way here to Penn State ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 30 Aug 87 16:30:04 PDT From: Tomas Rokicki To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Here is an implementation of LIFE in TeX, on a 32 by 32 grid. Output goes to the screen; if anyone wants to hack it up to send output to a .dvi file in some pretty format, I would be interested. It's a true hack, but an interesting One. To run, simply run TeX over it, and enter the coordinates of the points, one by one. Enter a -1 for the last x coordinate. Try, for instance, 15, 16, 16, 15, 16, 16, 17, 16, 17, 15, -1. % Life in TeX by Tomas Rokicki \font\a=cmr10 at 11truept \fontdimen2246\a=0pt \newcount\p\newcount\q\newcount\x\newcount\y\newcount\t \newcount\qq\newcount\abase\newcount\bbase\newcount\g \abase=35\bbase=1158 \p=1 \loop \ifnum\p<23 \fontdimen\p\a=0sp \advance\p by1 \repeat \loop \read0 to\xcoord \x=\xcoord \ifnum\x>-1 \read0 to\ycoord \y=\ycoord \multiply\y by 33 \advance\y by\abase \advance\y by\x \fontdimen\y\a=5sp \repeat \def\yloop{{ \y=0 \def\w{} \loop \t=\fontdimen\p\a \ifnum\t>4 \ifnum\t<8 \qq=\q \advance\qq by-34 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by1 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by1 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by31 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by1 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by1\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by1 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by31 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by1 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \advance\qq by1 \t=\fontdimen\qq\a\advance\t by2\fontdimen\qq\a=\t sp \xdef\w{\w*} \else \xdef\w{\w.} \fi \else \xdef\w{\w.} \fi \fontdimen\p\a=0sp \global\advance\p by1 \global\advance\q by1 \advance\y by1 \ifnum\y<32\repeat \immediate\write0{|\w|} }} \def\dogeneration{{ \global\p=\abase \global\q=\bbase \immediate\write0{|--------------------------------| Generation \number\g} \x=0 \loop \yloop \global\advance\p by1 \global\advance\q by1 \advance\x by1 \ifnum\x<32\repeat \t=\abase \global\abase=\bbase \global\bbase=\t }} \loop \global\advance\g by1 \dogeneration \iftrue\repeat ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Sep 87 09:42:45 pdt From: lamport@src.DEC.COM (Leslie Lamport) To: TeXhax@Score.Stanford.edu Subject: LaTeX Notes (Re: TeXhax Digest V87 #71) Ramin Samadani writes I have some full page figures in my thesis (LaTeX suthesis) that I would like to have some control over. Specifically, I would like to have some of the figures be right hand pages. A feature to allow one to specify the parity of the page on which a floating figure should appear would require a considerable amount of hacking in LaTeX's output routine--definitely not recommended. Instead, simply position the figures "by hand" by moving the figure environment in the text. While something of a pain, the effort involved is miniscule compared to that of writing the document--assuming that you don't worry about figure placement until you've finished writing. (On the other hand, worrying about formatting while you're writing can double the length of time needed to produce a document.) Putting \typeout messages in the figures may allow you to do some correction of figure placement without having to print the output. Also, I would like to be able to have the back side of the page with the figure be blank. Is there any way to do this? If one full-page floating figures come right after another, the two figures should appear on consecutive pages. So, following the figure with \begin{figure}[f]\vspace*{\textheight}\end{figure} should produce the desired blank page. Leslie Lamport ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Sep 87 14:35:46 EDT From: oravax!norman@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu (Norman Ramsey) To: cornell!TeXhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: Concatenating Token lists: brain damage LAst week I sent in a queston asking how to concatenate the tokens in \toks variables \s and \t and assign the result to \r. Somehow I overlooked the obvious: \edef\temp{\the\s\the\t} \r=\expandafter{\temp} Norman ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Sep 87 14:36:52 EDT From: oravax!norman@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu (Norman Ramsey) To: cornell!TeXhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: IdxTeX Has anybody starting porting this to UNIX yet? I am thinking of getting the VMS source and writing a version in CWEB, but I don't especially want to duplicate somebody else's effort. Norman ------------------------------ Date: 2 Sep 87 09:49 EST From: HALLETT JEFFREY A Subject: TeX Source To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Hello, TeXHaX'ers! I have an interesting problem. I would like to port some TeX to the Mac. I would like to use it there, but find the commerical systems to expensive. If I could just get the TeX processor working to convert a text file -> dvi file, that would be good. I need to know the following: 1. Where can I get the C source to TeX? 2. What do I need in addition to #1 to run LaTeX? 3. Where can I find the information necessary to create a driver (future enhancement)? 4. Any other helpful odds and ends that I might need. To avoid glomming this group, I would appreciate mail sent to me: hallett@ge-crd.arpa, hallett@desdemona.uucp Thanks so much. Jeffrey Hallett ------------------------------ Mail-From: BEETON created at 2-Sep-87 07:32:11 Date: Wed 2 Sep 87 07:32:11-PDT From: Barbara Beeton Subject: Re: TeX Source (i'm posting this message to texhax as well as to the inquirer because it seems that some users and hackers are unaware of the "rules" of the tex game.) when don knuth put tex into the public domain, he also provided a system of supporting software (web) and an extensive test procedure to ensure that a program called tex would in fact do what is described in the texbook. all distributors of tex, whether academic or commercial, have taken pains to assure that their implementation passes the trip test, and is thus eligible to be referred to as tex; more recently, new implementors have obtained formal permission to use the name from the american math society, to whom knuth assigned the tex logo as a trademark, for this very purpose. web is based on pascal, and some implementors have found that c is more suitable than pascal in their particular environments; this has not eliminated the requirement that the resulting program pass the trip test. i know of no public-domain c implementation that passes the trip test yet (the several commercial versions do pass, and there is one public domain version that is close, but until i can verify its status, i won't identify it). conversion of a program of this size and complexity is non-trivial. this is not meant to discourage anyone who wants to undertake the task, only to request that knuth's wishes be recognized and adhered to. regarding documentation necessary for implementing tex output drivers, the formats of .dvi, .tfm, .gf and .pk files have all been published in tugboat (all but .pk are described in volumes b and d of computers & typesetting -- tex: and metafont: the program); see vol 7#1, p 17 for a list of references. barbara beeton ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Sep 87 11:10:15 EDT From: akk2@tut.cc.rochester.edu (Atul Kacker) To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Subject: LaTeX question about table environment I am trying to use \vfill within the LaTeX table environment without much success. What I want to be able to do is to move the caption down to the bottom of the page using the rubber length \vfill. LaTeX seems to ignore the \vfill command. Am I missing something ? Is there another way of doing the same thing ? My LaTeX file looks something like this : \documentstyle[12pt]{report} \begin{document} \begin{table}[p] \centerline{This is where the actual table will go} \vfill \caption[Test table]{This is the caption for the test table. It will contain a description of the salient features of the table} \end{table} \end{document} The \vfill command doesn't do anything. The caption stays 10pt below the table (or in this case the \centerline stuff). REPORT.STY defines a vskip of 10pt in its definition of @makecaption and I couldn't figure out how to change it to a rubber length. I also tried putting \caption in a \parbox but that did the same thing. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks ------------------------------------------------------------- Atul Kacker ...{seismo,topaz,nike}!rochester!ur-tut!akk2 OR akk2@tut.cc.rochester.edu ------------------------------ From: RCOPROB%HDETUD1.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu Date: Wed, 02 Sep 87 19:51:30 MET To: TEXHAX@score.stanford.edu Subject: program structure diagram macros? Is there a package of TeX macros available to do program structure diagram? I want to document a program logic manual with PSDs without having to cut and paste with other software output. I would LIKE to specify the control structure in a language similar to pascal (or any higher level language) and have the macro set create a figure for me. Is there a package that offers what pic does in unix, i.e. specifying picture elements on a higher level? Rob van Hoboken +31 15 78-3813 RCOPROB at HDETUD1 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Sep 87 13:25 CDT From: (MURALI KRISHNAMURTHI) Subject: Dynamic creation of TeX Macros. To: texhax@score.stanford.edu Howdy! I'm new to the TeXhax list. If someone on the list could help me with the following problem I have, I sure will appreciate it very much. In my TeX document, I would like to create macros dynamically as follows and have the following text use them immediately. \def\mahmacro#1#2{ \def \#1 {#2} } The above macro, as y'all know obviously doesn't work. But I would like to use something like the above macro as follows: \mahmacro{cowboys}{1} \cowboys (which will give me an 1) \mahmacro(niners}{9} \niners (which will give me a 9) Thank you. Murali Krishnamurthi - KDM2520@TAMSIGMA (on the BITNET) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Sep 87 10:53:48 +0200 From: Peter Verbeke Subject: a request for a CTeX distribution address To: texhax As a very novice TeX user I am still looking for version of TeX on my computer (my only experience is on a guest system). I have an offical distribution tape of TeX, but the problem is that out pascal compiler fails to eat the web output on many places. Lately I heard of a C version of TeX but no distribution address. If anyone of you ever heard wispering of such a beast send some mail thanks, peter verbeke : fgcba10@blekul11.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Sep 87 09:45:35 pdt From: lamport@src.DEC.COM (Leslie Lamport) To: TeXhax@Score.Stanford.edu Subject: LaTeX Notes (Re: TeXhax Digest V87 #72) James Alexander, in describing a solution to a problem he posed, asserts LaTeX's \parbox and minipage require an explicit width. While literally true, it is worth noting the following from page 100 of the manual: if a minipage environment consists of nothing but a tabbing environment, then TeX will set the width of the parbox to be either the width specified by the minipage environment's argument or the actual width of the longest line, choosing whichever is smaller. G|ran Uddeborg writes: The LaTeX "\newcommand" has an option to let the new command have normal arguments. But, as far as I can see in the manual, there is no way to let it have optional arguments. Is there any way to do this, without being proficient in raw TeX? No. However, the LaTeX internal command \@ifnextchar makes it easy to define a command with optional arguments if you're moderately proficient in raw TeX. Just look in latex.tex for the definition of any command with an optional argument. He also wants a command that will do ordinary linebreaking on a paragraph and then put a string at the beginning of each line. The lack of any simple way to do this represents a fundamental deficiency in TeX. The easiest way to hack it (in raw TeX, of course) is probably to typeset the paragraph in a \vbox, divide its height by \baselineskip to figure out how many lines of text there are, and put the beginning-of-line strings in another \vbox that gets put next to the first. This only works if there are no extra-tall lines and does not allow the paragraph to be split across pages. Leslie Lamport ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 04 Sep 87 00:29:03 BST From: JCB7%PHX.CAM.AC.UK@forsythe.stanford.edu To: TEXHAX@score.stanford.edu Subject: Re eth, thorn and yogh (TeXhax Digest V87 #68) I have preliminary versions of these letters for Computer Modern. They are rather hastily cobbled together from bits of real CM letters, so are not very robust at present; in particular my yogh is not yet very happy on lowres devices, though I hope to fix that soon. They look OK (to me!) in roman, italic, bold and sans-serif at 300 dpi, which is the highest resolution available to me. If you want to use them until something better comes along, mail me. Julian Bradfield. JANET: JCB7@UK.AC.CAM.PHX EARN/Bitnet: JCB7@PHX.CAM.AC.UK Letter: c/o Christ's College, CAMBRIDGE, U.K., CB2 3BU ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Sep 87 14:57 N From: Subject: Interline spacing in LaTeX tabular environment (and TeX!) To: TEXHAX@score.stanford.edu LAV@BRANDEIS.BITNET asked about interline spacing in LaTeX tabular env: You are not alone! Plain TeX does this when there are no descenders in a line (or no ascenders in the line below: if both are true it looks real bad). The problem is in TeX's handling of character heights: where they have no beard (the bit of a piece of metal type below the character), it assumes the character is finished. Don't know how to fix it, but I guess tricking around with \strut and \everycr would probably handle it, ie putting a strut in every line. Peter Flynn ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Sep 87 11:31:30 CDT To: From: "John Hauck" Subject: Invisible fonts for SliTeX I'm trying to get SliTeX running. Can anyone tell me how to generate the "invisible" fonts required for doing overlays? Also, what are the proper CM fonts to use? Our version came with AM fonts referenced in the code. Thanks in advance. John Hauck Systems prog./analyst Iowa State Univ. Computation Center gg.jph@isumvs ------------------------------ %%% %%% subscriptions, address changes to: texhax-request@score.stanford.edu %%% %%% submissions to: texhax@score.stanford.edu %%% %%% BITNET redistribution: TEX-L@TAMVM1.BITNET (list server) %%% %%%\bye %%% ------------------------------ End of TeXhax Digest ************************** -------