First, just guessing but maybe if more adds a line there might also be a less parameter. Anyway, this here works for me as well (adapted from Hans’s example, https://mailman.ntg.nl/archives/list/ntg-context@ntg.nl/message/6MRZEFJD5SGI...): \starttext \startlinenumbering \startparagraph \input ward Bla bla bla bla bla Bla. \stopparagraph \stoplinenumbering \blank \startlinenumbering \startparagraph\looseness=+1 \input ward Bla bla bla bla bla Bla. \stopparagraph \stoplinenumbering \blank \startlinenumbering \startparagraph \input ward Bla bla bla bla bla Bla. \looseness=+1\updateparagraphproperties\stopparagraph \stoplinenumbering \blank \startlinenumbering \startparagraph \input ward Bla bla bla bla bla Bla Bla. \stopparagraph \stoplinenumbering \blank \startlinenumbering \startparagraph\looseness=-1 \input ward Bla bla bla bla bla Bla. \stopparagraph \stoplinenumbering \stoptext Von: John Was Gesendet: Mittwoch, 25. Juni 2025 12:34 An: mailing list for ConTeXt users Betreff: [NTG-context] Re: Lengthening/shortening paragraphs Hello Wolfgang Thanks for that - I thought there would probably be a way of manipulating a paragraph through some other mechanism, and the temporary alignment setting does the job. (I'll investigate at some point how to do the reverse since sometimes one wants to lose a line, typically so that a footnote can be squeezed in.) Best wishes John Waś 🇪🇺 Слава Україні! 🇺🇦 http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail Virus-free. http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail www.avg.com On Tue, 24 Jun 2025 at 16:50, Wolfgang Schuster mailto:wolfgang.schuster.lists@gmail.com > wrote: Am 24.06.2025 um 17:00 schrieb John Was:

Hello. Is there a ConTeXt equivalent for plain TeX's \loosness (which allows the program to lengthening a paragraph, or shorten it if the number is negative). At the final stages of a book this is often useful for getting rid of unsightly gaps.

\showgrid \starttext \samplefile{zapf} \page \startalignment[normal,verytolerant,stretch,more] \samplefile{zapf} \stopalignment \page \startalignment[normal,verytolerant,stretch,2*more] \samplefile{zapf} \stopalignment \stoptext Wolfgang ___________________________________________________________________________________ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl mailto:ntg-context@ntg.nl / https://mailman.ntg.nl/mailman3/lists/ntg-context.ntg.nl webpage : https://www.pragma-ade.nl / https://context.aanhet.net (mirror) archive : https://github.com/contextgarden/context wiki : https://wiki.contextgarden.net ___________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks Mikail I'll look into this when I'm back at my desk. In XeTeX I'm used to looseness always working when the number is positive (generally just 1, of course), even if that produces horrible interword spacing, while if the number is negative it sometimes doesn't work at all if it simply can't squeeze the words together enough (I can force it if I really have to). But for now my concentration is on Mendelssohn and not matters typographical! Best wishes John *🇪🇺 * Слава Україні! * 🇺🇦* On Wed, 25 Jun 2025, 13:44 Mikael Sundqvist, wrote:

Hi John,

I don't know what you are doing, maybe an example is needed. Since you have used TeX for such a long time I assume that you know that looseness is bound to the current paragraph and that it does not always change the output of it.

Here is one example that shortens one line:

\setuplayout [width=15.55cm]

\showframe

\starttext

\looseness-1 \samplefile {tufte}

\stoptext

Here is one example that lengthens one line.

\setuplayout [width=14cm]

\showframe

\starttext

\looseness1 \samplefile {tufte}

\stoptext

If you have access to tugboat, there is in the latest issue a rather long and detailed article about working with paragraphs in ConTeXt lmtx.

/Mikael

On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 12:55 PM Denis Maier via ntg-context < ntg-context@ntg.nl> wrote:

...

First, just guessing but maybe if more adds a line there might also be a less parameter.

Anyway, this here works for me as well (adapted from Hans’s example, https://mailman.ntg.nl/archives/list/ntg-context@ntg.nl/message/6MRZEFJD5SGI... ):

\starttext

\startlinenumbering

\startparagraph

\input ward

Bla bla bla bla bla Bla.

\stopparagraph

\stoplinenumbering

\blank

\startlinenumbering

\startparagraph\looseness=+1

\input ward

Bla bla bla bla bla Bla.

\stopparagraph

\stoplinenumbering

\blank

\startlinenumbering

\startparagraph

\input ward

Bla bla bla bla bla Bla.

\looseness=+1\updateparagraphproperties\stopparagraph

\stoplinenumbering

\blank

\startlinenumbering

\startparagraph

\input ward

Bla bla bla bla bla Bla Bla.

\stopparagraph

\stoplinenumbering

\blank

\startlinenumbering

\startparagraph\looseness=-1

\input ward

Bla bla bla bla bla Bla.

\stopparagraph

\stoplinenumbering

\stoptext

*Von:* John Was *Gesendet:* Mittwoch, 25. Juni 2025 12:34 *An:* mailing list for ConTeXt users *Betreff:* [NTG-context] Re: Lengthening/shortening paragraphs

Hello Wolfgang

Thanks for that - I thought there would probably be a way of manipulating a paragraph through some other mechanism, and the temporary alignment setting does the job. (I'll investigate at some point how to do the reverse since sometimes one wants to lose a line, typically so that a footnote can be squeezed in.)

Best wishes

John Waś *🇪🇺 * Слава Україні! *🇺🇦*

http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail

Virus-free.www.avg.com http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail

On Tue, 24 Jun 2025 at 16:50, Wolfgang Schuster < wolfgang.schuster.lists@gmail.com> wrote:

Am 24.06.2025 um 17:00 schrieb John Was:

...

Hello. Is there a ConTeXt equivalent for plain TeX's \loosness (which allows the program to lengthening a paragraph, or shorten it if the number is negative). At the final stages of a book this is often useful for getting rid of unsightly gaps.

\showgrid

\starttext

\samplefile{zapf}

\page

\startalignment[normal,verytolerant,stretch,more] \samplefile{zapf} \stopalignment

\page

\startalignment[normal,verytolerant,stretch,2*more] \samplefile{zapf} \stopalignment

\stoptext

Wolfgang

___________________________________________________________________________________ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / https://mailman.ntg.nl/mailman3/lists/ntg-context.ntg.nl webpage : https://www.pragma-ade.nl / https://context.aanhet.net (mirror) archive : https://github.com/contextgarden/context wiki : https://wiki.contextgarden.net

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / https://mailman.ntg.nl/mailman3/lists/ntg-context.ntg.nl webpage : https://www.pragma-ade.nl / https://context.aanhet.net (mirror) archive : https://github.com/contextgarden/context wiki : https://wiki.contextgarden.net

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / https://mailman.ntg.nl/mailman3/lists/ntg-context.ntg.nl webpage : https://www.pragma-ade.nl / https://context.aanhet.net (mirror) archive : https://github.com/contextgarden/context wiki : https://wiki.contextgarden.net

___________________________________________________________________________________