Hi all, cleaning up the code in my module, I run into a very interesting problem. I want to pass a user-defined value to Metapost. Until now, the value "scale" had to be numeric, and I used it like this: draw fullcircle scaled \MPvar{scale}mm and Metapost was happy, and I was too. Now Aditya made the reasonable suggestion that users should be allowed to input any dimension and not be restricted to "mm." Easy enough. However, I also want a fallback just in case they input a number, in that case, I want to fall back to mm as a default. So I tried (after Taco's excellent explanation on the wiki): \expandafter\processaction\expandafter[\CVERscale]% [\v!unknown=>{\doifdimensionelse% {\CVERscale}% {\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=\CVERscale]}% {\doifnumberelse% {\CVERscale}% {\newdimen\CIscale \global\CIscale=\CVERscale mm {\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=\the\CIscale]}}% {\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=10mm\relax]% \message{Please give a proper value for the "scale" argument!}}}}, \v!default=>{\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=10mm \relax]}] So what I want: first check if \CVERscale is a dimension; if it is, assign it to the "scale" parameter. If it isn't, check if it is a number; if this is the case, append the unit "mm" to it and put it into a dimension register. If it isn't a number either, make the value sufficiently absurd for the user to realize and write a message to the terminal. This is all fine and dandy and works, sort of: it works perfectly with dimensions, but when I try with a number as input, it doesn't fall back to the unit "mm," but to "pt," AFAICS. That's nice too, but I have no clue why, and I would prefer mm. If it helps, I can try to give you a minimal test file tomorrow, but maybe somebody spots what I'm doing wrong? (I tried both with mkii and mkiv, and always get the same result.) All best Thomas
Thomas A. Schmitz wrote:
Hi all,
cleaning up the code in my module, I run into a very interesting problem. I want to pass a user-defined value to Metapost. Until now, the value "scale" had to be numeric, and I used it like this:
draw fullcircle scaled \MPvar{scale}mm
and Metapost was happy, and I was too. Now Aditya made the reasonable suggestion that users should be allowed to input any dimension and not be restricted to "mm." Easy enough. However, I also want a fallback just in case they input a number, in that case, I want to fall back to mm as a default. So I tried (after Taco's excellent explanation on the wiki):
\expandafter\processaction\expandafter[\CVERscale]% [\v!unknown=>{\doifdimensionelse% {\CVERscale}% {\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=\CVERscale]}% {\doifnumberelse% {\CVERscale}% {\newdimen\CIscale \global\CIscale=\CVERscale mm {\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=\the\CIscale]}}% {\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=10mm\relax]% \message{Please give a proper value for the "scale" argument!}}}}, \v!default=>{\setupMPvariables[CircleSomething][scale=10mm \relax]}]
So what I want: first check if \CVERscale is a dimension; if it is, assign it to the "scale" parameter. If it isn't, check if it is a number; if this is the case, append the unit "mm" to it and put it into a dimension register. If it isn't a number either, make the value sufficiently absurd for the user to realize and write a message to the terminal. This is all fine and dandy and works, sort of: it works perfectly with dimensions, but when I try with a number as input, it doesn't fall back to the unit "mm," but to "pt," AFAICS. That's nice too, but I have no clue why, and I would prefer mm. If it helps, I can try to give you a minimal test file tomorrow, but maybe somebody spots what I'm doing wrong? (I tried both with mkii and mkiv, and always get the same result.)
\startluacode document.mymodule = document.mymodule or { } function document.mymodule.checkdimen(str) return (str:find("%a%a$") and str) or (str .. "mm") end \stopluacode \ctxlua{document.mymodule.checkdimen("#1")} or more fancy: function document.mymodule.checkdimen(str) if not str:find("%a%a$") then str = str .. "mm" ctx.writestatus("mymodule","you forgot a dimension unit, so I made it up for you: %s",str) end return str end for mkii you can use \doifdimensionelse (it reminds me to implement that in mkiv) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | fax: 038 477 53 74 | www.pragma-ade.com | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------
On Aug 28, 2008, at 9:45 AM, Hans Hagen wrote: Hans, thanks a lot for your reply. Amazing - the lua code is so simple that even I can understand it! I'm certain to use it later; for the time being, I want to remain compatible for mkii and XeTeX as well.
\startluacode document.mymodule = document.mymodule or { }
function document.mymodule.checkdimen(str) return (str:find("%a%a$") and str) or (str .. "mm") end \stopluacode
\ctxlua{document.mymodule.checkdimen("#1")}
or more fancy:
function document.mymodule.checkdimen(str) if not str:find("%a%a$") then str = str .. "mm" ctx.writestatus("mymodule","you forgot a dimension unit, so I made it up for you: %s",str) end return str end
for mkii you can use \doifdimensionelse (it reminds me to implement that in mkiv)
Hey, I WAS using \doifdimensionelse and \doifnumberelse! :-) And it appears to be working in mkiv as well! I found out the error in my code (it was too complex, and I was overwriting a variable with the same name; it looks like Metapost assigns "sp" as default unit to \MPvar). Problem solved, but it took me half a day... All best Thomas
Hi,, I have been searching the documentation on natural tables (\bTABLE), but haven't been able to resolve the following issue: I would like to specify an internal padding in the table cells, e.g. text content should start 0.4cm from the left edge of the table cell. Also, it would be nice to specify the distance from the top border. (In HTML this is accomplished with the "padding" option.) The table is composed with horizontal lines only. I have tried the "distance" option for the table columns, but this gives ugly "broken" horizontal lines. What is the best solution - is there an undocumented parameter, or do I have to add a block within the cell and specify an external margin for that block? Best regards, Tommy Jensen
Sorry for "polluting" the mailing list with my question - I just discovered an "offset" property in the mail list archive that seems to do what I want. The TABLE package in Context is really powerful - it would be very nice to have an updated documentation for it, summarising all available options. Best regards, Tommy Jensen
Hi,, I have been searching the documentation on natural tables (\bTABLE), but haven't been able to resolve the following issue:
I would like to specify an internal padding in the table cells, e.g. text content should start 0.4cm from the left edge of the table cell. Also, it would be nice to specify the distance from the top border. (In HTML this is accomplished with the "padding" option.)
The table is composed with horizontal lines only.
I have tried the "distance" option for the table columns, but this gives ugly "broken" horizontal lines.
What is the best solution - is there an undocumented parameter, or do I have to add a block within the cell and specify an external margin for that block?
Best regards, Tommy Jensen
On Aug 28, 2008, at 5:04 PM, B. Tommy Jensen wrote:
Sorry for "polluting" the mailing list with my question - I just discovered an "offset" property in the mail list archive that seems to do what I want.
Glad you found what you were looking for. One little hint about "pollution": don't take an existing mail and use the "reply" function to start a new discussion; it confuses all mail clients which do proper threading. Best Thomas
B. Tommy Jensen wrote:
Hi,, I have been searching the documentation on natural tables (\bTABLE), but haven't been able to resolve the following issue:
I would like to specify an internal padding in the table cells, e.g. text content should start 0.4cm from the left edge of the table cell. Also, it would be nice to specify the distance from the top border. (In HTML this is accomplished with the "padding" option.)
The table is composed with horizontal lines only.
I have tried the "distance" option for the table columns, but this gives ugly "broken" horizontal lines.
What is the best solution - is there an undocumented parameter, or do I have to add a block within the cell and specify an external margin for that block?
there is a setups key and you can add settings to a setup then ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | fax: 038 477 53 74 | www.pragma-ade.com | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------
participants (3)
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B. Tommy Jensen -
Hans Hagen -
Thomas A. Schmitz