Re: [NTG-context] column woes

8 Feb 2003

      At 07:53 PM 2/4/2003 -0700, Idris S Hamid wrote:
...
bgroup
\tfx\setupinterlinespace
%\switchtobodyfont[10pt]
\placetable
[here][tab:cognition]{The three types of cognition.}
\starttable[|l|l|l|l|]
cleaner:

\startbuffer
\starttable[|l|l|l|l|]
\VL knowledge \VL bosom \VL forms or \VL  the universal \VL\SR
\stoptable
\stopbuffer

\placetable
   [here][tab:cognition]{The three types of cognition.}
   {\switchtobodyfont[10pt]\getbuffer}

this way you can also scale a table:

\externalfigure[buffer][...]

Your problem is related to parsing the preamble with ##'s.

Of course I should start rewriting table because ...

Anyhow, here's a patch you can try (goes into cont-new)

please test this (i must have had a reason for parsing the preamble instead 
of the template)

\unprotect

\def\thirdstagestartTABLE#1%
   {\global\setTABLEactiontrue
    \setTABLEaction\TABLEunknown
    \setTABLEforce\TABLEunknown
    \setTABLEerror\TABLEunknown
    \global\TABLEgraylinefalse
    \global\TABLEgraydonefalse
    \globalletempty\TABLEgrayline
    \globalletempty\nextTABLEgrayline
    \globalletempty\TABLEgraylineerror
    \globalletempty\TABLEgraylinestatus
    \resetVLvalues
    \appendtoks\popouterbarandquote\to\EveryTable
    \appendtoks\localTABLEsetup\to\EveryTable
    \BeginTable[\ifsplittables u\else b\fi]%
    \defineTABLEunits
    \defineTABLEsteps
    \defineTABLErules
    \defineTABLEdivisions
    \defineTABLEshorthands
    \defineTABLEbackgrounds
    \defineTABLEendings
    \forgetall % added
    \doifsomething{#1}
      {\def\TABLEformat{#1}%
       \getTABLEnofcolumns\TABLEformat
       \expandafter\BeginFormat\TABLEformat\EndFormat}}

\def\!ttDoHalign
   {\baselineskip \zeropoint
    \lineskiplimit\zeropoint
    \lineskip     \zeropoint
    \tabskip      \zeropoint
   %\expanded{\getTABLEnofcolumns{\the\!taPreamble}}% added
    \halign \the\!taTableSpread \bgroup
    \span\the\!taPreamble
    \ifx \!tfRowOfWidths \empty \else \!tfRowOfWidths \cr \fi}

\bgroup
\catcode`\|=\@@other
\gdef\getTABLEnofcolumns#1%
   {\bgroup
    \cleanupfeatures
    \expanded{\convertargument#1}\to\ascii
    \@EA\doglobal\@EA\counttoken\@EA|\@EA\in\ascii\to\maxTABLEcolumn
    \global\advance\maxTABLEcolumn \minusone
    \egroup}
\egroup

\starttext

\startbuffer
\definetabletemplate[xx][|l|l|l|l|]
\starttable[xx]% %[|l|l|l|l|]
\VL knowledge \VL bosom \VL forms or \VL  the universal \VL\SR
\stoptable
\stopbuffer

\placetable
   [here][tab:cognition]{The three types of cognition.}
   {\switchtobodyfont[10pt]\getbuffer}

\stoptext

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