Thanks Taco.

>I am somewhat confused myself as to why this is generally considered to  be so confusing.

What's most confusing are the:

- wiki layout explanation at http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Layout
- \showsetups output
- excursion manual, table 33.2 page 74
- main manual page 24
- \setuplayout texshow page

each one listing the same thing similarly or differently using either arguments, parameters
and/or variables, the latter of which for the most have nothing to do with the \setuplayout
arguments ( or are these parameters, or variables ? )

Best,
Alan

On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 5:07 PM, Taco Hoekwater <taco@elvenkind.com> wrote:
Alan Stone wrote:
>
> CanItBeAnyMoreConfusingText ?

 From left to right, you have:

  (left)edge
  (left)edgedistance
  (left)margin
  (left)margindistance
  width
  (right)margindistance
  (right)margin
  (right)edgedistance
  (right)edge

The location of all this on the paper is defined by backspace, which
gives the distance between the appropriate (left or right) edge of the
text width and the physical paper edge.

Similar logic applies in the vertical direction. \showlayout will
give the current values and keys (put it after \starttext, it generates
four pages of typeset information).  I am somewhat confused myself as to
why this is generally considered to  be so confusing.

In vertical mode, it goes like this

   top
   topdistance
   header
   headerdistance
   textheight
   footerdistance
   footer
   bottomdistance
   bottom

"height" sets up the dimension that controls the inner five areas
(header ... footer). "topspace" is the distance between the vertical
top edge of the paper and the top of "header".

You can put \showlayout after \starttext. It will generate four pages
of settings (because of double-sided ness).

Best wishes,
Taco