[NTG-context] Re: XML processing, unwanted indentation/alignment

The extra space is because you have a space between {first_name} and {\xmlatt... on line 9 of xml.tex.

On 15 Feb 2024, at 20:28, Michael Guravage wrote:

Greetings,

I'm typesetting an address book whose addresses are in XML. A typical entry has this structure:

<family surname=""> <address street="" housenumber="" postcode="1" city="" telephone="" /> <members> <member first_name="" initials="" maiden_name="" birthday="" email="" mobile="" /> <member first_name="" initials="" birthday="" email="" mobile="" /> <member first_name="" initials="" birthday="" /> </members> </family>

initials and birthday are required, first_name can be left blank and email, mobile and maiden_name are optional.

I've written a macro (name) to compose the name, i.e. initials, first_name (maiden_name), and another macro (nameemaillink) to make the name a link associated with an email address.

% Derive an individual's name \def\name#1% {\ifxmlattempty{#1}{first_name} {\xmlatt{#1}{initials}} \else {\xmlatt{#1}{initials}, \xmlatt{#1}{first_name}} \fi %%%% Remove the space after {first_name} here \ifxmlattempty{#1}{maiden_name} {} \else { \tfxx(\xmlatt{#1}{maiden_name})} \fi}

% Create a mailto:link that associates a individual's name with their email address. \def\nameemaillink#1% {\ifxmlattempty{#1}{email} {\name{#1}} \else {\goto{\name{#1}} [url(mailto:\xmlatt{#1}{email})]} \fi}

I thought I was done when I noticed that a composed name with an empty first name, with or without an email address, is slightly indented. In the mwe Moe and Curly, without first names, are indented; while Shemp and Michael aren't.

That the undesired indentation/alignment is dependent on the presence of a first name is baffling. After this long description, if someone would look at the code and tell me where I've gone wrong I would be very grateful. The interesting bits begin on lines 8 and 12 in xml.tex.

— Bruce Horrocks Hampshire, UK