Re: [NTG-context] Simplified input for natural tables

8 Mar 2009

      Hans Hagen  writes:
...
John Devereux wrote:
...
Hans Hagen  writes:
[...]
Hi Hans,
Is there any possible way to use the wiki-style tables like:
^ Heading 1 ^ Heading 2 ^
| Item 1    | Item 2 |
| Item 3    | Item 4 |
(Probably with some wrapper)
Perhaps this boils down to asking if it is possible to (re)define
"special" characters, within a region of text.
doing that in the running text is asking for troubles (catcode mess)
if there is real interest in that kind of stuff we can make a module
that does something
\starttext
\startluacode
function commands.wiki_to_table(str) -- wrong namespace
    str = string.gsub(str,"%^ *[\n\r]","\\NC\\NR\n")
    str = string.gsub(str,"%^","\\NC ")
    str = string.gsub(str,"| *[\n\r]","\\NC\\NR\n")
    str = string.gsub(str,"|","\\NC ")
    tex.sprint(tex.ctxcatcodes,"\\startTABLE")
    tex.sprint(tex.ctxcatcodes,str)
    tex.sprint(tex.ctxcatcodes,"\\stopTABLE")
end
\stopluacode
\def\startwikitable
  {\bgroup
   \obeylines
   \dostartwikitable}
\long\def\dostartwikitable#1\stopwikitable
  {\ctxlua{commands.wiki_to_table([[\detokenize{#1}]])}%
   \egroup}
\startwikitable
^ Heading 1 ^ Heading 2 ^
| Item 1    | Item 2 |
| Item 3    | Item 4 |
\stopwikitable
\startTABLE
\NC Text 1 \NC Text 2 \NC \NR
\NC Text 3 \NC Text 4 \NC \NR
\stopTABLE
\stoptext
That appears to be exactly what I was after!

(Sorry I don't have MKIV set up right now but will try it when I can).

I don't know if it is of general interest.

I find that writing documents for context - once you get used to it -
is much nicer than using a wordprocessor.

But the process of entering tables remains tedious and error prone,
compared to e.g. the Word equivalent that many will be used to.

-- 

John Devereux