"Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters - ntg-context

"Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

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dexterclarke＠Safe-mail.net

7 Dec 2007 7 Dec '07

6:26 p.m.

Hi. I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt). The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as: (para "this is a paragraph") The various backends then convert this statement in their own way (using tags in XHTML, for example). There is one command that allows rendering of external files based on whatever backend is selected: (render "file") The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output - $\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file" directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object> tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post... The problem I am having is that one may do this: (para-verbatim (render "file")) The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output. For example, this becomes: <pre>contents of file</pre> in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of: \preservewhitespace contents of file \stoppreservingwhitespace "\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved TeX characters. Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is. -- dc

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Wolfgang Schuster

8 Dec 8 Dec

10:24 a.m.

New subject: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

2007/12/7, dexterclarke@safe-mail.net :

...

Hi.

I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt).

The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as:

(para "this is a paragraph")

The various backends then convert this statement in their own way (using tags in XHTML, for example).

There is one command that allows rendering of external files based on whatever backend is selected:

(render "file")

The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output - $\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file" directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object> tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post...

The problem I am having is that one may do this:

(para-verbatim (render "file"))

The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output.

For example, this becomes:

<pre>contents of file</pre>

in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of:

\preservewhitespace contents of file \stoppreservingwhitespace

"\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved TeX characters.

Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is.

\startlines verbatin text \stoplines Wolfgang

Aditya Mahajan

3:44 p.m.

New subject: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:

...

2007/12/7, dexterclarke@safe-mail.net :

...
Hi.

I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt).

The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as:

(para "this is a paragraph")

The various backends then convert this statement in their own way (using tags in XHTML, for example).

There is one command that allows rendering of external files based on whatever backend is selected:

(render "file")

The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output - $\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file" directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object> tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post...

The problem I am having is that one may do this:

(para-verbatim (render "file"))

The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output.

For example, this becomes:

<pre>contents of file</pre>

in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of:

\preservewhitespace contents of file \stoppreservingwhitespace

"\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved TeX characters.

Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is.

\setuplines[space=yes] followed by

...

\startlines verbatin text \stoplines

Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code. Aditya

Wolfgang Schuster

3:51 p.m.

New subject: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:44:52 -0500 (EST) Aditya Mahajan wrote:

...

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:

...
2007/12/7, dexterclarke@safe-mail.net :

...
Hi.

I'm working on a document processor that has multiple backends for different output formats (XHTML, nroff, plain text, ConTeXt).

The processor uses s-expression syntax with commands such as:

(para "this is a paragraph")

The various backends then convert this statement in their own way (using tags in XHTML, for example).

There is one command that allows rendering of external files based on whatever backend is selected:

(render "file")

The XHTML backend includes "file", escaping all 'illegal' characters such as <, >, & etc. The ConTeXt backend reads the file and also escapes characters, placing their TeX equivalent in the output - $\}$, $\backslash$ etc. Both backends place the contents of "file" directly in the output, they don't, for example, use the <object> tags in XHTML, or any ConTeXt file inclusion directives. This is desirable for many reasons that are out of scope for this post...

The problem I am having is that one may do this:

(para-verbatim (render "file"))

The para-verbatim tag is meant to preserve whitespace in the output.

For example, this becomes:

<pre>contents of file</pre>

in the XHTML output. Unfortunately, I've hit a wall when it comes to the ConTeXt equivalent: The ConTeXt backend reads in "file" and prints it to the output, escaping all reserved TeX characters, as mentioned earlier, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be the equivalent of:

\preservewhitespace contents of file \stoppreservingwhitespace

"\starttyping" is too heavy handed in that it also escapes characters rather than just preserving whitespace (they've already been escaped by my document processor, as mentioned earlier). What I need is a directive that says "preserve whitespace" but does not escape reserved TeX characters.

Does any such thing exist in ConTeXt? Unfortunately, I'm inexperienced with TeX so I don't know how feasible this is.

\setuplines[space=yes]

followed by

...
\startlines verbatin text \stoplines

Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code.

you mean start/stoplines need style and color keys.

...

Aditya

Wolfgang

Aditya Mahajan

11:30 p.m.

New subject: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:

...

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:44:52 -0500 (EST) Aditya Mahajan wrote:

...

...
...
\startlines verbatin text \stoplines

Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code.

you mean start/stoplines need style and color keys.

That would not be bad :) but it is not what I meant. I meant that it is the author's (or in the case the convertor's) responsibility to make sure that everything inside is valid tex code. So something like \startlines \undefinedmacro blah blah \stoplines will not work. Aditya

Wolfgang Schuster

11:59 p.m.

New subject: "Semi-verbatim" - preserve whitespace - don't escape characters

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 17:30:38 -0500 (EST) Aditya Mahajan wrote:

...

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Wolfgang Schuster wrote:

...
On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:44:52 -0500 (EST) Aditya Mahajan wrote:

...
...
...
\startlines verbatin text \stoplines

Note that everything between start-stop lines is normal tex code.

you mean start/stoplines need style and color keys.

That would not be bad :) but it is not what I meant. I meant that it is the author's (or in the case the convertor's) responsibility to make sure that everything inside is valid tex code. So something like

I know but setup keys are the best way to change the layout of environemnts and keep the document clean. Using a converter is no answer why you should't you this mechanism and write the styyle change in the document and not in preamble.

...

\startlines \undefinedmacro blah blah \stoplines

will not work.

Aditya

As Dexter? already mentioned, he writes the escaped commands in the document \undefinedmacro will end up as \tex{undefinedmacro} or \type{\undefinedmacro} in the output file. Wolfgang

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Aditya Mahajan
dexterclarke＠Safe-mail.net
Wolfgang Schuster