December 2025 - ntg-context

{f'}^2 = {f^2}' ?
by Matthias Weber 24 Dec '25

24 Dec '25

Dear All, Here is another relic from my LaTeX days that behaves unexpectedly in ConTeXt: \starttext \startformula {f'}^2\ne {f^2}' \stopformula \stoptext One might argue that I should have written \starttext \startformula {f’(x)}^2\ne {f^2(x)}' \stopformula \stoptext But in complex formulas, there is not always enough room to add the argument. Any suggestions? Thanks, Matthias

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Tagging + \startalign + \text{blah} = problem
by Matthias Weber 24 Dec '25

24 Dec '25

Dear all, The combination of tagging and \startalign and \text leads to a compilation error. Minimal example: \setupbackend[format=pdf/ua-2] \setuptagging [state=start, preset=basic, level=2, option=interaction, ] \starttext \startformula \startalign \NC X^{\text{tan}} \NC = 0\NR \stopalign \stopformula \stoptext results in the attached error log. Commenting out the preamble or removing the alignment ot removing the \text{tan} compiles fine. Any workaround/fix will be much appreciated. Thanks, as always. Matthias tex error > tex error on line 1 in file ./Untitled.tex: lua error: registered function call [262]: ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:857: attempt to index a nil value (local 'a2') stack traceback: ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:857: in upvalue 'expandone' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:631: in upvalue 'expandfenced' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:769: in upvalue 'expandone' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:775: in upvalue 'expandone' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:1097: in upvalue 'expand' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:1044: in upvalue 'expandone' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:1113: in upvalue 'tomeaning' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lxml-mms.lmt:1193: in field 'verbose' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/math-tag.lmt:1168: in field 'gettextblob' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lpdf-tag.lmt:1193: in local 'action' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lpdf-tag.lmt:1553: in upvalue 'makeelement' ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/lpdf-tag.lmt:2131: in upvalue 'structures_tags_handler' [string "local tonut = nodes.tonut..."]:25: in function <[string "local tonut = nodes.tonut..."]:12> (...tail calls...) ...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/node-shp.lmt:38: in function <...-64/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/mkxl/node-shp.lmt:37> (...tail calls...) 1 >> 2 \setupbackend[format=pdf/ua-2] 3 \setuptagging 4 [state=start, 5 preset=basic, 6 level=2, 7 option=interaction, 8 ] 9 10 \starttext 11 mtx-context | fatal error: return code: 1

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Scaling issues with metapost and emwidth/exheight values
by Wolfgang Schuster 23 Dec '25

23 Dec '25

Hi, the EmWidth and ExHeight values for Metapost result always in the same result independant of the font size unlike the TeX values which change with different font sizes. The BodyFontSize value on the other hand behaves as expected and produces the same results as \bodyfontsize. \startbuffer[sizes-tex] draw fullcircle scaled \the\emwidth \space withcolor "red" ; draw fullcircle scaled \the\exheight \space withcolor "green" ; draw fullcircle scaled \the\bodyfontsize\space withcolor "blue" ; \stopbuffer \startbuffer[sizes-mp] draw fullcircle scaled EmWidth withcolor "red" ; draw fullcircle scaled ExHeight withcolor "green" ; draw fullcircle scaled BodyFontSize withcolor "blue" ; \stopbuffer \starttext \dontleavehmode \processMPbuffer[sizes-tex] \processMPbuffer[sizes-mp] \switchtobodyfont[20pt] \dontleavehmode \processMPbuffer[sizes-tex] \processMPbuffer[sizes-mp] \stoptext Wolfgang

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repositories
by Hans Hagen 22 Dec '25

22 Dec '25

Hi, As of last week, I'll try to keep https://codeberg.org/contextgarden in sync with github (has to be done manually because codeberg disabled the mirroring feature); before it just had occasional updates. At some point these might swap: codeberg being the official one and github the mirror (if at all). Hans ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | www.pragma-ade.nl | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------

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Cron <context@cgl> /var/www/aanhet.net/context/bin/cron/context-mirror
by root＠ntg.nl 21 Dec '25

21 Dec '25

receiving incremental file list ./ ctan.lsr document-2.htm download-1.htm download-2.htm logo-ade.png logo-cts.png logo-pod.png rss.xml show-fil.pdf context/latest/ context/latest/cont-lmt.zip context/latest/cont-mpd.zip context/latest/cont-ppc.zip context/latest/cont-sci.zip context/latest/cont-tmf.zip context/latest/cont-tst.7z context/latest/cont-tst.tar.xz context/latest/cont-tst.zip general/manuals/ general/manuals/luametatex.pdf sent 201,257 bytes received 52,889,219 bytes 5,056,235.81 bytes/sec total size is 667,472,809 speedup is 12.57 Running archiver: New dir: /var/www/aanhet.net/context//htdocs/archives/context-2025-12-21.00 307678593 /var/www/aanhet.net/context//htdocs/archives/context-2025-12-21.00/latest 126741221 /var/www/aanhet.net/context//htdocs/archives/context-2025-12-21.00/current 434419814 /var/www/aanhet.net/context//htdocs/archives/context-2025-12-21.00 434419814 total

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Extra space after \VL in math matrix
by Florent Michel 21 Dec '25

21 Dec '25

Hi, I have noticed what looks like an extra space after \VL in a math matrix, For instance, when compiling this example from the wiki with LMTX 2025.12.20 23:15, there is an extra space in the last column of each matrix: ________________________________________________ \definemathmatrix[mymatrix] [left={\left\lparent\thinspace}, right={\thinspace\right\rparent}] \starttext Here is $3 \times 3$ matrix with a column added to it \startformula \startmymatrix \NC 11 \NC 12 \NC 13 \VL 0 \NR \NC 21 \NC 22 \NC 23 \VL 1 \NR \NC 31 \NC 32 \NC 33 \VL 2 \NR \stopmymatrix \stopformula Here is a block matrix: \startformula \startmymatrix \NC A \VL B \NR \HL \NC C \VL D \NR \stopmymatrix \stopformula \stoptext ________________________________________________ I had a quick look at the code and it seems this can be resolved by replacing line 1944 in math-ali.mkxl: - \kern.5\d_math_eqalign_distance + \kern0\d_math_eqalign_distance (But I am definitely not familiar enough with the code to know if this change may have negative side effects.) Is this extra space intended behaviour? If not, is the change above ‘correct’ (in the sense that it will likely not break anything) or is there a better way? Cheers, Florent

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knitting typography
by Henning Hraban Ramm 19 Dec '25

19 Dec '25

Hi Taco, I remember your talk about embroidery patterns with Metapost. Here someone made a tool to use pixel fonts with a knitting machine:https://gitlab.com/ameliedumont/residence-green-fabric/-/tree/main/… (French) Thread with images, in English: https://mastodon.social/@ameliedumont/115424005857763426 An answer was about this project: https://github.com/marioangst/rayab-web / https://ayab.discourses.ch/ that produces data for AYAB, an open source controller for Brother knitting machines: https://www.ayab-knitting.com/ (I always wanted to try Inkstitch, an Inkscap plugin for embroidery, but none of the maker spaces nearby has such a machine.) Hans, please don’t write a ConTeXt module for that, I wouldn’t be able to test it. ;) Hraban

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form field issues
by Henning Hraban Ramm 19 Dec '25

19 Dec '25

Hi again, I checked some old form issues (e.g. in my Chaos Post complaints form, https://codeberg.org/fiee/context-examples/src/branch/master/form) Apparently they’re still the same: * \setupfields doesn’t set all defaults for all fields, e.g. I must set "frame=off" for each field type. * radiobuttons work only if you set a value for each – that makes sense, but the value is also used as displayed symbol. Support of viewers for that is horrible. But it’s not possible to just use the default symbol. Also, size settings of radiobuttons are not the same as with checkboxes; makes no sense IMO. I suggest to make the display of custom symbols configurable, or drop the support for them completely, so that the user interface of \field stays the same. * I didn’t yet check label/choice/popup/combo/signature fields. * The widgets chapter of the interactions manual is still empty. """ \setupinteraction[state=start] \setupfields[ option=printable, frame=off, height=2em, offset=0mm,frameoffset=0mm, align=bottom, style=bold, ] \setupfield[MMshortString][reset,horizontal][width=0.2tw,height=2em,frame=off,] \setupfield[MMcheck][height=1em,width=1em,align=bottom,offset=0mm,frameoffset=0mm,frame=on] \setupfield[MMradio][height=1.25em,width=1.25em,align=bottom,offset=0mm,frame=off,] \setupfield[MMtextfield][reset,horizontal][width=0.6tw,height=12.5em,frame=off,] \definefield[Nickname][line][MMshortString][][] \definefield[Agreement][radio][MMradio][doesAgree,doesntAgree][doesntAgree] \definesubfield[doesAgree][][Y] \definesubfield[doesntAgree][][N] \definefield[Urgent][check][MMcheck] \starttext \starttabulate[|r|l|] \NC Nickname: \NC \field[Nickname]\NC\NR \NC I agree: \NC \field[doesAgree] Yes \vl\ \field[doesntAgree] No\NC\NR \NC This is urgent: \NC \field[Urgent]\NC\NR \stoptabulate \stoptext """

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wiki question
by Jim 18 Dec '25

18 Dec '25

While adding some information (thanks to Wolfgang) to the wiki page Command/definetyping I realized that the format of that page is substantially different than that of, for example, Command/setupbuffer and that the facility for displaying the results of some ConTeXt code which works with the latter does not work with the former. Is the Command/definetyping an older (or deprecated) format? If so, is there some magic button one can press to have it transmogrified into the newer format? I read https://wiki.contextgarden.net/Help:Command but remain unenlightened. Cheers. Jim

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LMTX + TEI/XML buffer: difficulty mapping <app>/<lem>/<rdg> (namespace + setups)
by Jean-Pierre Delange 18 Dec '25

18 Dec '25

Hi fellows, I’m struggling with a TEI/XML processing task in LMTX. The goal is straightforward: load TEI XML into a buffer and intercept |<app>/<lem>/<rdg>| so that: |1.) <lem>| appears inline in the verse, and |2.) <rdg>| variants are printed separately (e.g. as a note or bracketed list). This already works using indirect approaches (tabular extraction, pre-processed XML, separate Lua routing, etc.), but I am trying to do it directly via |\xmlprocessbuffer| + |\xmlsetsetup| on the native TEI source, and I am consistently failing. _Observed issue_ :The compilation breaks systematically with an error like: |! You can'tuse'theletter U+0041A' in horizontal mode| which suggests that raw text is leaking into TeX at the wrong moment. Here below is the M(N)WE : % mwe-tei-app-lem-rdg-canonical.tex % ---Beginning of the MWE code \setuppapersize[A5][A5] \setupbodyfont[libertinus,11pt] \startbuffer[tei] <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"> <text> <body> <div type="poem"> <head>Test 1 — interception of <app></head> <lg type="stanza" xml:id="st1"> <l n="1"> Arma virumque <app> <lem wit="#A">cano</lem> <rdg wit="#B">canoe</rdg> <rdg wit="#C">cano</rdg> </app> </l> <l n="2">Troiae qui primus ab oris</l> </lg> </div> </body> </text> </TEI> \stopbuffer \startxmlsetups xml:tei:base \xmlsetsetup{tei} {*:TEI|*:text|*:body|*:div|*:head|*:lg|*:l|*:app|*:lem|*:rdg} {xml:tei:*} \stopxmlsetups \xmlregisterdocumentsetup{tei}{xml:tei:base} \startxmlsetups xml:tei:TEI \xmlflush{#1} \stopxmlsetups \startxmlsetups xml:tei:l \xmlflush{#1}\par \stopxmlsetups \startxmlsetups xml:tei:app \xmlfirst{#1}{/lem} \space[ \xmlall{#1}{/rdg}{ \xmlflush{##1} {\tfxx\space(\xmlatt{##1}{wit})}\space } ] \stopxmlsetups \startxmlsetups xml:tei:lem {\bf\xmlflush{#1}} \stopxmlsetups \startxmlsetups xml:tei:rdg {\it\xmlflush{#1}}{\tfxx\space(\xmlatt{#1}{wit})} \stopxmlsetups \starttext \xmlprocessbuffer{tei}{tei}{} \stoptext % ---end of MWE-- *Expected output *: Arma virumque cano [canoe (#B) cano (#C)] Troiae qui primus ab oris *Actual result* : "/! You can't use 'the letter U+0041 A' in horizontal mode/" *Suspected root cause :*Some interaction between: 1. TEI namespace matching (localname pattern |*:app|, |*:lem|, |*:rdg|), 2. setup registration via |\xmlregisterdocumentsetup|, 3. pipeline |\xmlprocessbuffer → xml:tei:*|, is leaking literal text into TeX where only commands/tokens are expected. *My question is :* What is the recommended minimal pattern in LMTX/MkIV to: 1. load TEI XML from a buffer, 2. properly match namespaced elements such as |<app>/<lem>/<rdg>|, and 3. process them conditionally during output, *without* external preprocessing or Lua scripting, and *without* converting the structure into a table? Any authoritative example or pointer would be extremely helpful — even if the conclusion is that a different interception strategy is necessary. Many thanks in advance, JP

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