Pretty cool! I knew ConTeXt can do it and thank you Hans
for teaching me so much.

Hi Arthur, I'm suffering a network problem so sometimes
mails may no be delivered correctly. But ignore my test
file and get Hans' one.

On Jan 9, 2008 1:04 AM, Hans Hagen <pragma@wxs.nl> wrote:
Zhichu Chen wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On Jan 7, 2008 11:52 PM, Aditya Mahajan <adityam@umich.edu> wrote:
>
>>
>> Something like this:
>> http://www.fauskes.net/media/pgftikzexamples/PDF/todo-notes.pdf
>>
>> It will be nice to have a ConTeXt module that can do this.
>
>
> I've made a test file which is somewhat like what it shows, but I
> still have many problems so it's far from perfect.

stacking is already present



\setupcolors   [state=start]
\definecolor   [marginback] [darkcyan]

\startMPpositiongraphic{mypos:underline}
  initialize_box(\MPpos{\MPvar{self}}) ;
  path p ; p := (llxy--lrxy) shifted (0,dxy) ;
  pickup pencircle scaled 1pt ;
  draw p withcolor .75red ;
  anchor_box(\MPanchor{\MPvar{self}}) ;
\stopMPpositiongraphic

\startMPpositiongraphic{mypos:ulcorner}
  initialize_box(\MPpos{\MPvar{self}}) ;
  path p ; p := llxy--ulxy--urxy ;
  pickup pencircle scaled 1pt ;
  draw p withcolor .75red ;
  anchor_box(\MPanchor{\MPvar{self}}) ;
\stopMPpositiongraphic

\startMPpositiongraphic{mypos:torightmargin}
  path pa, pb, pab ; numeric na, nb ; pair bxya, lxyb ;
  initialize_box(\MPpos{\MPvar{from}}) ;
  na := nxy ; pa := (llxy--lrxy) shifted (0,dxy) ; bxya := (center pa)
- (0 , \the\baselineskip/4) ;
  initialize_box(\MPpos{\MPvar{to}}) ;
  nb := nxy ; lxyb := .5[llxy , ulxy] - (\the\rightmargindistance/2 ,
0) ; pb := llxy--ulxy ;
  if na=nb :
    pab := center pa -- bxya -- (xpart lxyb , ypart bxya) -- lxyb --
center pb;
    pickup pencircle scaled 1pt ;
    draw pab withcolor transparent(1,.5,.625yellow) ;
    anchor_box(\MPanchor{\MPvar{from}}) ;
  fi ;
\stopMPpositiongraphic

\defineoverlay [margingraphics] [\positionoverlay{margingraphics}]

\setupbackgrounds
  [page]
  [background=margingraphics]

\starttext

\setupinmargin[stack=yes]

\defineframedtext
    [marginframe]
    [background=color,
%      backgroundcolor=marginback,
     offset=.25ex,
     frame=off,
     width=\the\rightmarginwidth,
     foregroundstyle=\bfx]

\def\marginstuff#1#2%
  {\doglobal\increment\currentmarginstuff
   \startpositionoverlay{margingraphics}%
      % can be drawn in one graphic which is more efficient
      \setMPpositiongraphic{mstuff:t\currentmarginstuff}{mypos:underline}%
      \setMPpositiongraphic{mstuff:m\currentmarginstuff}{mypos:ulcorner}%

\expanded{\setMPpositiongraphic{mstuff:t\currentmarginstuff}{mypos:torightmargin}{to=mstuff:m\currentmarginstuff}}%
   \stoppositionoverlay

\hpos{mstuff:t\currentmarginstuff}{#1}\inright{\hpos{mstuff:m\currentmarginstuff}{\marginframe{#2}}}}

First we have defined an \marginstuff {overlay}
{Just a test in a margin that could be multiple lines.}.
This overlay can be attached to some overlay layer, like, in our
case, the page. We define four small circles. These are drawn
as soon as the page overlay is typeset. Because they are located
in the background, they don't cover the text, while the lines do.
The previous paragraph was typeset by saying:

First we have defined an \marginstuff {overlay}
{Just a test in a margin that could be multiple lines.}.
First we have defined an \marginstuff {overlay}
{Just a test in a margin that could be multiple lines.}.
This overlay can be attached to some overlay layer, like, in our
case, the page. We define four small circles. These are drawn
as soon as the page overlay is typeset. Because they are located
in the background, they don't cover the text, while the lines do.
The previous paragraph was typeset by saying:

First we have defined an \marginstuff {overlay}
{Just a test in a margin that could be multiple lines.}.
First we have defined an \marginstuff {overlay}
{Just a test in a margin that could be multiple lines.}.
This overlay can be attached to some overlay layer, like, in our
case, the page. We define four small circles. These are drawn
as soon as the page overlay is typeset. Because they are located
in the background, they don't cover the text, while the lines do.

The previous paragraph was typeset by saying:
First we have defined an \marginstuff {overlay}
{Just a test in a margin that could be multiple lines.}.
First we have defined an \marginstuff {overlay}
{Just a test in a margin that could be multiple lines.}.
This overlay can be attached to some overlay layer, like, in our
case, the page. We define four small circles. These are drawn
as soon as the page overlay is typeset. Because they are located
in the background, they don't cover the text, while the lines do.
The previous paragraph was typeset by saying:

\stoptext


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                                          Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
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--
Best Regards
Chen
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         Zhi-chu Chen | Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility
        No. 2019 | Jialuo Rd. | Jiading | Shanghai | P.R. China
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