present state of critical editions with ConTeXt MKIV ?
Dear all, My apologies for flooding the mailing list as I try to come up to speed quickly with some of the perhaps more arcane usages of ConTeXt over the weekend. I have come to understand that ConTeXt MKIV can indeed produce beautiful critical editions (including those of Arabic texts). I've spent some time scouring the mailing list and wiki with things related to critical editions and Arabic (from the early 2000's until now), including the developing CitTeXt project. However, I have some questions. From my (nascent) experiences and readings regarding critically editing texts, the following appear to be necessary tasks for any typesetting software used to produce critical texts [1] (I have placed an + next to those features which seem to already be implemented in MKIV, and a '?' next to those which I am unsure) : 1. Marginal line numbers + 2. Keying lemmas to linenumbers ? Footnote streams where the lemmas are referenced in connection with the line numbers (and thus not by puting a footnote reference number in the body of the text after the variant). I.e., functionality similar to ednotes or Ledmac in LaTeX. From what I've read, it seems this might remain the most problematic matter currently. 3. Formatting the lemma footnote streams in paragraph/block form OR in columnar form ? This mailing list provided direction to using \setupnote[footnote][n=x], where if x=0 makes the footnotes into a single paragraph, and if x=2 or more than 2 or more columns appear. I am unclear, due to my relative inexperience with ConTeXt, whether this is deemed robust enough as part of the solution of keying lemmas to linenumbers (#2 above). 4. Lemma abbreviations ? When the lemma is rather long, it should be displayed partially only preceding the note at the bottom of the page 5. Nested or overlapping lemmas ? 6. Cross references to lines ? 7. Line number switches + I.e. being able to turn line numbering on and off, restart, etc. 8. Multiple footnote streams + 9. Parallel typesetting ? I.e. It seems this was last recently discussed on this list in August 2010, and I assume it is naturally still in development, as these matters surely take time. Thus, the main issues seemingly remaining are related to lemmas. Issues number 2 to 5 are my main concern at the moment. Any advice on currently effecting these and other matters with a '?' after them (or being told that it is currently impossible) would be most appreciated. Alternatively, it would be nice just to know where things stand. Kind regards, Talal Al-Azem Oxford [1] Further discussion of these (and further) tasks can be quickly surveyed in Uwe Lück, "ednotes — critical edition typesetting with LATEX" (ednotugb.pdf, 2005) -- which discusses in section 2.1 the task(s) of digitally-produced critical editions.
On 4-10-2010 12:14, Talal Al-Azem wrote:
My apologies for flooding the mailing list as I try to come up to speed quickly with some of the perhaps more arcane usages of ConTeXt over the weekend. I have come to understand that ConTeXt MKIV can indeed produce beautiful critical editions (including those of Arabic texts). I've spent some time scouring the mailing list and wiki with things related to critical editions and Arabic (from the early 2000's until now), including the developing CitTeXt project. However, I have some questions.
that's what this list is for
From my (nascent) experiences and readings regarding critically editing texts, the following appear to be necessary tasks for any typesetting software used to produce critical texts [1] (I have placed an + next to those features which seem to already be implemented in MKIV, and a '?' next to those which I am unsure) :
1. Marginal line numbers +
2. Keying lemmas to linenumbers ? Footnote streams where the lemmas are referenced in connection with the line numbers (and thus not by puting a footnote reference number in the body of the text after the variant). I.e., functionality similar to ednotes or Ledmac in LaTeX. From what I've read, it seems this might remain the most problematic matter currently.
probably possible (example needed)
3. Formatting the lemma footnote streams in paragraph/block form OR in columnar form ? This mailing list provided direction to using \setupnote[footnote][n=x], where if x=0 makes the footnotes into a single paragraph, and if x=2 or more than 2 or more columns appear. I am unclear, due to my relative inexperience with ConTeXt, whether this is deemed robust enough as part of the solution of keying lemmas to linenumbers (#2 above).
footnotes can be formatted in different ways (there are some examples in the test suite)
4. Lemma abbreviations ? When the lemma is rather long, it should be displayed partially only preceding the note at the bottom of the page
should not be too complex, example needed
5. Nested or overlapping lemmas ?
example needed
6. Cross references to lines ?
possible
7. Line number switches + I.e. being able to turn line numbering on and off, restart, etc.
8. Multiple footnote streams +
9. Parallel typesetting ? I.e. It seems this was last recently discussed on this list in August 2010, and I assume it is naturally still in development, as these matters surely take time.
Thus, the main issues seemingly remaining are related to lemmas. Issues number 2 to 5 are my main concern at the moment. Any advice on currently effecting these and other matters with a '?' after them (or being told that it is currently impossible) would be most appreciated. Alternatively, it would be nice just to know where things stand.
some things are not that hard to implmenent, but examples (and time) is needed ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | voip: 087 875 68 74 | www.pragma-ade.com | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Hans, Thank you once again for your response. I have attached a sample file showing examples of each of the matters discussed below which you requested. It was produced using LaTeX and Uwe Lück's excellent ednotes package. Of course, I couldn't produce an example of parallel texts, because to the best of my knowledge there is no robust system for that anywhere (my definition of 'robust' means it can handle RtL languages, like Arabic, as easily as ConTeXt does). Many thanks, Talal On 4 Oct 2010, at 01:15, Hans Hagen wrote:
On 4-10-2010 12:14, Talal Al-Azem wrote:
From my (nascent) experiences and readings regarding critically editing texts, the following appear to be necessary tasks for any typesetting software used to produce critical texts [1] (I have placed an + next to those features which seem to already be implemented in MKIV, and a '?' next to those which I am unsure) :
2. Keying lemmas to linenumbers ? Footnote streams where the lemmas are referenced in connection with the line numbers (and thus not by puting a footnote reference number in the body of the text after the variant). I.e., functionality similar to ednotes or Ledmac in LaTeX. From what I've read, it seems this might remain the most problematic matter currently.
probably possible (example needed)
3. Formatting the lemma footnote streams in paragraph/block form OR in columnar form ? This mailing list provided direction to using \setupnote[footnote][n=x], where if x=0 makes the footnotes into a single paragraph, and if x=2 or more than 2 or more columns appear. I am unclear, due to my relative inexperience with ConTeXt, whether this is deemed robust enough as part of the solution of keying lemmas to linenumbers (#2 above).
footnotes can be formatted in different ways (there are some examples in the test suite)
4. Lemma abbreviations ? When the lemma is rather long, it should be displayed partially only preceding the note at the bottom of the page
should not be too complex, example needed
5. Nested or overlapping lemmas ?
example needed
6. Cross references to lines ?
possible
7. Line number switches + I.e. being able to turn line numbering on and off, restart, etc.
8. Multiple footnote streams +
9. Parallel typesetting ? I.e. It seems this was last recently discussed on this list in August 2010, and I assume it is naturally still in development, as these matters surely take time.
Thus, the main issues seemingly remaining are related to lemmas. Issues number 2 to 5 are my main concern at the moment. Any advice on currently effecting these and other matters with a '?' after them (or being told that it is currently impossible) would be most appreciated. Alternatively, it would be nice just to know where things stand.
some things are not that hard to implmenent, but examples (and time) is needed
----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | voip: 087 875 68 74 | www.pragma-ade.com | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------
On 4-10-2010 3:12, Talal Al-Azem wrote:
Dear Hans,
Thank you once again for your response. I have attached a sample file showing examples of each of the matters discussed below which you requested. It was produced using LaTeX and Uwe Lück's excellent ednotes package. Of course, I couldn't produce an example of parallel texts, because to the best of my knowledge there is no robust system for that anywhere (my definition of 'robust' means it can handle RtL languages, like Arabic, as easily as ConTeXt does).
\starttext \definedescription[lemma] \setupdescriptions[lemma][before=,after=,location=serried,width=fit] % ln: will disappear when this is stable \setupnote [ln:linenote][paragraph=yes,numbercommand=,inbetween=\hskip.5em\vl\hskip.5em] \setupdescriptions[ln:linenote][display=no,location=serried,distance=.5em] % before=,after= \setuplinenumbering[align=flushleft] \startlinenumbering[100] test \linenote {\startlemma{oeps 1} \input tufte\stoplemma} test test test test test test test \startlinenote [well] {oeps X} test test test test test test test \linenote {oeps 2} test test test test test test test \linenote {oeps 3} test test test test test test test \linenote {oeps 4} test test test test test test test \linenote {oeps 5} test test test test test test test \stoplinenote [well] test test test test test test \stoplinenumbering \stoptext not entirely but somewhat similar best is to team with Idris and Thomas in writing down specs for what more needed Hans ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | voip: 087 875 68 74 | www.pragma-ade.com | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------
participants (2)
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Hans Hagen -
Talal Al-Azem