Am 16.06.2025 um 15:06 schrieb John Was:
Thanks - it's at least useful to know what I needn't waste my time on!
I see that I shall also have to master ConTexT's commands for tables, though I hope they are customizable (as per my training at OUP a lifetime ago, I like a half-point rule at the beginning and end but a quarter-point rule between headings and the data). Plain (Xe)TeX's \halign command works only for that generally useless item, a table with only one column - if you try add an extra column the setting halts and one is presented with the false information that there is more than one instance of # between instances of & in the setup of the table. They lie!
I'm disappointed that I can't use \catcode = \active to do anything useful - I do often use that, particularly to fetch a character not in the typeface. For example, if I want a yogh and am obliged to use a particular typeface (because of house style for a journal or book series) that doesn't have the character, I would give in the file header in XeTeX:
\catcode"0292=\active
\defʒ{\yogh}
(I have \yogh defined as 'put \char"0292 here, grouped within {}, from Junicode'.) That allows me to keep the character ʒ in the input file and leave it to TeX to carry out the appropriate instruction whenever it encounters it.
This is prohibited in ConTexT, I find, but I'll have to learn a new way of achieving the same thing.
The best solution is use a font which contains all characters needed for the document but it's possible to set fonts which are used as fallback for characters which are missing in the main font. %%%% begin example \definefallbackfamily [John] [serif] [Stix Two Text] [range=0x0292] \definefontfamily [John] [serif] [Latin Modern Roman] \starttext \setupbodyfont [modern] Latin Small Letter Ezh: ʒ \setupbodyfont [John] Latin Small Letter Ezh: ʒ \stoptext %%%% end example
But I /did/ promise not to bombard the list with silly newbie questions!
There is nothing wrong with asking question but you should start a new threat for each problem where you describe what you're trying to achieve. Forcing ConTeXt to work as a plain TeX machine is the wrong way because there are better solutions. Wolfgang