December 2009 - ntg-context - NTG Mailing Lists

file-contents module
by Peter Münster 22 Feb '10

22 Feb '10

Hello, It would be nice, if this module could be integrated in the distribution: http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Filecontents Cheers, Peter -- Contact information: http://pmrb.free.fr/contact/

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Left, right, top, bottom margins in a \framed box
by Oliver Buerschaper 21 Feb '10

21 Feb '10

Dear all, I'm wondering how I can get different margins between the contents of a framed box and its left, right, top or bottom border. Somehow "offset" affects all margins simultaneously ... Best wishes, Oliver

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XML - creating a list by hand (mkiv)
by Peter Rolf 13 Jan '10

13 Jan '10

Hi, can someone give me a helping hand with the following example. I still have no general survey over the XML related code in ConTeXt (donno what functions to use). The last time I played with it is one and a half year ago and many things have changed (meaning that the old examples no longer work). I simply want to create a XML document and insert some elements. My main problem is to insert an element at root level. I can insert an element before and after another element, but not into the element. I'm not sure, if I have understood the meaning of the pattern parameter correctly. Is this equal to XPath? %----- \starttext \startluacode local xmp = xml.convert("<?xml version='1.0' standalone='yes'?>\n<root>\n<bar>bla</bar>\n</root>") --xml.before(xmp,"/root/bar","foo") --xml.delete(xmp,"bar") --xml.inject(xmp,"/sub","bar")-- only for xml-files? xml.insert(xmp,"/root/bar","") --xml.inject(xmp,"/*/bar","") --xml.sprint(xml.filter(xmp,"/root/sub")) xml.save(xmp,"test.xml") \stopluacode \stoptext %----- Best wishes, Peter

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Verbatim Text with Embedded Formatting Commands (MkIV)
by Tad Ashlock 11 Jan '10

11 Jan '10

As noted at http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Verbatim_text#Embedded_formatting_commands, the embedded formatting commands in verbatim text don't work in MkIV. Are there any plans to fix this capability soon? I'm planning on working on a project on over the holiday break that will need it. I'm not pushing to change your priorities. If it's not going to be fixed soon, then I'll implement a simple verbatim module that supports embedded formatting commands that will do until the official module works. I just don't want to waste that effort if verbatim is going to be fixed soon anyway. Thanks, Tad Ashlock

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Natural Tables Cell Borders
by Curiouslearn 06 Jan '10

06 Jan '10

Help needed! The fifth \setupTABLE command below reduces the rulethickness of the bottomframe in cells (2,5) and (3,5). Is there a way to avoid that? I just want the rightframe to be thin in these cells, but the bottomframe to be thick. Thanks a ton! \starttext \start \setupTABLE[frame=off] \setupTABLE[column][align={middle,lohi}] \setupTABLE[2,3,4,][1,5][bottomframe=on,rulethickness=1pt] \setupTABLE[1,4][2,3,4,5,][rightframe=on,rulethickness=1pt] \setupTABLE[2,3][2,3,4,5][rightframe=on,rulethickness=0.2pt] \bTABLE \bTR \bTD \eTD\bTD \eTD\bTD[nc=2] {\bf 2} \eTD \eTR \bTR \bTD \eTD\bTD \eTD \bTD a2 \eTD \bTD b2 \eTD \eTR \bTR \bTD[nr=3] 1 \eTD \bTD a1 \eTD \bTD 2,2 \eTD \bTD 4,5 \eTD \eTR \bTR \bTD b1 \eTD \bTD 5,4 \eTD \bTD 3,3 \eTD \eTR \bTR \bTD c1 \eTD \bTD 6,6 \eTD \bTD 4,4 \eTD \eTR \eTABLE \stop \stoptext

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Thoughts on ConTeXt: ditched
by Manuel P. 04 Jan '10

04 Jan '10

ConTeXt is a good software. I was impressed with a manual typesetted with it and decided to give it a try. After some small documents, despite my ridicously small knowledge of it I decided to use ConTeXt for my thesis. Bad move. ConTeXt is beautiful because it's very configurable, for the most uses doesn't need any external module (unlike LaTeX), and gives me more power on the presentation of the document. But in a few days of work I've come to realize that it's not suited for me and this project. I've had some unpleasant surprises: - Bibliography doesn't work the way it should on MKIV. Unlike MKII. - MKIV, unlike MKII, doesn't setup any background color: ---- \setupcolors[state=start] \setupbackground[background=screen] \setupbackground[state=start] \def\quotebox#1#2 {\blank \midaligned{\startbackground \quotation{\em #1} \crlf --#2 \stopbackground} \blank} ---- - the above \quotebox command, in some cases, sends pdftex and luatex (MKII and MKIV) to the moon with an infinite loop (100% CPU). One reason for this is probably my very limited knowledge and experience with ConTeXt. It's extremely configurable, and this is a plus. But on the other hand if you don't know how to move, what to do, the system internals and how any configuration affect the typesetting, a lot of thing won't work. And worse, you won't know where to bump your head. I don't have time to read the reference manual (I've already read the excursion) because the deadline is too near, so I have to call defeat and go to the LaTeX camp. I've wasted days of work, now I can't afford more of that. It's a learning experience: don't use an "experimental" (new for me) tool for an important job. Stick to the tried&tested ones, and use new stuff only in a safe context (without a near hard deadline). Maybe, in some future, I'll take again ConTeXt and try to learn it the proper way. But for now, it's "fired". For your patience, time and help: thanks to all of you! A little wish: I hope that when I'll return here there'll be good documentation (user-oriented) and a single (througly tested, see TDD/BDD approaches) reference implementation. -- Manuel P.

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Columns within a layer
by Oliver Buerschaper 02 Jan '10

02 Jan '10

Dear all, how can I get columns within a layer? I tried --- \setupbackgrounds [page] [background=text] \definelayer [text] [width=\paperwidth, height=\paperheight] \startbuffer[test] \startcolumns[n=2] \input zapf \stopcolumns \stopbuffer \starttext \startstandardmakeup \setlayerframed [text] [x=1cm, y=3cm] [width=12cm, height=6cm, align=normal, offset=none, framecolor=gray] {\getbuffer[test]} \stopstandardmakeup \stoptext --- with no success :-( I'm running MkIV, by the way. Any help much appreciated! Best wishes, Oliver

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Metapost Font Question
by David Arnold 01 Jan '10

01 Jan '10

All, The attached Metapost file uses the statsmac package by Anthony Phan. http://www-math.univ-poitiers.fr/~phan/statsmac.html And the package: mps.tar.gz To compile the attached file I use: mpost Untitled.mp mptopdf Untitled.1 I've attached the resulting file. I am wondering why the "cm" label is set in a larger font than the ticklabels. Can anyone help? David.

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The problem with structure of heads in MkIV
by Yanrui Li 31 Dec '09

31 Dec '09

hi all, For example: %%%% \starttext \placelist[part,chapter,section,subsection][criterium=all] \part{first} \chapter{alpha} \section{a} \section{b} \subsection{x} \subsection{y} \chapter{beta} \part{second} \chapter{gamma} \section{a} \section{b} \subsection{x} \subsection{y} \chapter{delta} \stoptext %%%% how to get the following head structure in MkIV ? Part 1 first 1 alpha 1.1 a 1.2 b 1.2.1 x 1.2.2 y 2 beta Part 2 second 3 gamma 3.1 a 3.2 b 3.2.1 x 3.2.2 y 4 delta -- Best regards, Li Yanrui

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Random numbers in metapost
by David Arnold 31 Dec '09

31 Dec '09

Hi, Does anyone have any strategies for drawing random numbers from various statistics distributions in Metapost? For example, say, drawing 100 random numbers from a beta distribution? David

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