- ntg-context - Mailing Lists

resetting local footnote number (conversion = character)
by Bowen Alan C. 04 Jan '10

04 Jan '10

I have some local footnotes (conversion = character) and would like to set the counter to a specific value other than “a”. How can I do this? Alan

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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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\framedparameter
by Wolfgang Schuster 04 Jan '10

04 Jan '10

Hi Hans, in MkII the following is possible without problems: \setupcolors[state=start] \startuseMPgraphic{frameborder} drawoptions(withcolor \MPcolor{\framedparameter{framecolor}}) ; draw topboundary OverlayBox withpen pencircle scaled \the\dimexpr\framedparameter{toprulethickness}\relax ; draw bottomboundary OverlayBox withpen pencircle scaled \the\dimexpr\framedparameter{bottomrulethickness}\relax ; draw leftboundary OverlayBox withpen pencircle scaled \the\dimexpr\framedparameter{leftrulethickness}\relax ; draw rightboundary OverlayBox withpen pencircle scaled \the\dimexpr\framedparameter{rightrulethickness}\relax ; setbounds currentpicture to OverlayBox ; \stopuseMPgraphic \defineoverlay[frameborder][\useMPgraphic{frameborder}] \defineframed [mpframed] [ toprulethickness=\framedparameter{rulethickness}, bottomrulethickness=\framedparameter{rulethickness}, leftrulethickness=\framedparameter{rulethickness}, rightrulethickness=\framedparameter{rulethickness}, background=frameborder] \starttext \mpframed[width=4cm,height=4cm,toprulethickness=1pt,framecolor=red]{text} \stoptext In MkIV this is no longer possible because \framedparameter accepts only protected keys (e.g. \c!rulethickness) and on the fly key-value-pairs like 'toprulethickness=\framedparameter{rulethickness}' are also useless because you need now \c!toprulethickness to use the value in another command like metapost graphics. Can you provide a mechanism to access these values again on the user side, e.g. \userparameter{framed:toprulethickness}. Best regards, Wolfgang

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A thesis not just using, but on, ConTeXt.
by John Haltiwanger 04 Jan '10

04 Jan '10

I have narrowed down my subject options for a masters thesis (New Media at Universiteit van Amsterdam) and landed on a software study<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_studies>of TeX through the lens of ConTeXt/LuaTeX (the idea being to document the cutting edge). For instance, the many materialities of a TeX document, the fact that it exists as a source file, an evolving memory heap during compilation, a ready-to-print document, and (often) as a print document. Part of my thesis, and a good reason to investigate ConTeXt, is exploring the material aspects of texts generated specifically for on-screen use/how an interlinked PDF differs from a website/etc. Naturally, a materialist analysis leads to discussing liberational potential, and the entire assemblage of TeX will be examined in light of Benkler's 'virtuous software'. (See Benkler<http://www.nyu.edu/projects/nissenbaum/papers/jopp_235.pdf>or me<http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/2009/11/01/git-virtue-github-and-commons-b…>for more.) More, I'm sure, will arise. The second half of the thesis is an operational component: setting up an online collaborative web application (with Ruby Waves <http://rubywaves.com>) that is able to interweave git, reST/markdown/HTML (or a new one of my own that I convert to ConTeXt), pandoc (unless option 2), and ConTeXt to craft a system capable of outputting anything, not the least of which a PDF with layout and typesetting specific to that system (in this case, a new open, post/pure peer review journal of new media studies). I feel this must be possible because I've read that some of you folks are running highly automated typesetting jobs with ConTeXt. However, it occurs to me I should discuss the feasibility of at least the operational component with you folks before I end up trying to develop something impossible come March. The theoretical component relates to the operational component in as much as it seeks to justify it--this part is basically saying 'typesetting matters' but in the sense that a good typeset will a) make the journal feel much more established and allow an easy means to produce an on-demand print version, and b) liberate the information in as much as it is available in both PDF and machine-parsable ASCII, along with everything in between. Hmmm, maybe that _is_ taking a bit on.. Especially sense I don't know much ConTeXt at the moment (for instance, not using them on my final papers this semester). However, I will have significant time to dedicate to this thesis (all day every day starting March), and I've become something of an obsessive about TeX and typesetting, despite not having a lot of free time to dedicate right this second. For instance I find myself reading the Mark IV documentation (perfect for a software studies, btw!) rather than other, perhaps more pressing things. I guess I'm just sending a ping out to see what kind of response you folks have to such a project. I don't feel as if anything is set in stone, per se. The final proposal presentation is yet to happen, so I have time to make changes. Sincerely, John Haltiwanger

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Integrating ConTeXt into TL2009
by Vladimir Lomov 02 Jan '10

02 Jan '10

Hi. I'm newbie with ConTeXt. I followed instruction from contextgarden.net and integrated ConTeXt current into TL2009 (instruction talked about TL2008) http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Running_Mark_IV but that didn't work (simple example found on http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Russian gives not russian letters). Then I setup ConTeXt minimals following instruction on page http://wiki.contextgarden.net/ConTeXt_Minimals and that installation works fine on the same example. So my question: is a way to intergrate ConTeXt (current or the same as ConTeXt minimals provides) into TL2009 (distributed by tug)? I noticed that (TeX Live distribution root in /usr/local/opt/texlive, ConTeXt minimals root in /usr/local/opt/texlive/context): $ ls -lA /usr/local/opt/texlive/bin/x86_64-linux/luatex -rwxr-xr-x 1 lomov users 4689064 Дек 26 02:39 /usr/local/opt/texlive/bin/x86_64-linux/luatex $ ls -lA /usr/local/opt/texlive/context/tex/texmf-linux-64/bin/luatex -rwxr-xr-x 1 lomov users 4689064 Дек 26 02:39 /usr/local/opt/texlive/context/tex/texmf-linux-64/bin/luatex $ md5sum /usr/local/opt/texlive/{bin/x86_64-linux,context/tex/texmf-linux-64/bin}/luatex b59a929dfe2aff9ace6becad5120a340 /usr/local/opt/texlive/bin/x86_64-linux/luatex b59a929dfe2aff9ace6becad5120a340 /usr/local/opt/texlive/context/tex/texmf-linux-64/bin/luatex so seems that both executables are the same (I think that failure of my example in first case was because TL2009 has older files that ConTeXt requires and ConTeXt minimals has newer version of them).

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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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Happy Newyear
by Taco Hoekwater 01 Jan '10

01 Jan '10

Hi, For each of you, I hope that 2010 turns out better than what you are wishing for right now! Taco

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The problem with structure of heads in MkIV
by Yanrui Li 01 Jan '10

01 Jan '10

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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