Thanks, Hans, for the answer, but I'm not sure if I get the point. While this is possible in ConTeXt: \startsection[title={My Title}] \beginMyBlock bla bla \endMyBlock \stopsection The following won't work (end of file error): \startMyCommand[optional={Maybe}] \beginMyBlock bla bla \endMyBlock \stopMyCommand I had hoped for a simple command/modifier like \pleaseacceptblocks\def\startMyCommand[#1]#2\stopMyCommand to have #2 work in a similar way. But maybe, as Wolfgang stated here (https://www.mail-archive.com/ntg-context@ntg.nl/msg73956.html), buffers and blocks can't be used in commands. (To add: Even when passed as arguments during compilation?) Many Thanks again! Benjamin

On Jan 2, 2022, at 12:19, Hans Hagen wrote:

On 1/2/2022 11:47 AM, Benjamin Buchmuller via ntg-context wrote:

...

Hi list, I'm playing around with blocks and buffers again, realizing that I cannot use them inbetween a \start...\stop that I defined myself. Apparently, they work between \startsection...\stopsection and the like, so I was wondering how I should define or expand #2 in the MWE below to make TeX happily accept these useful features? buffers are stored as-is so no catcode magic stored, contrary to macros

you can use \setbuffer but that doesn't solve the argument passing

however, you can nest buffers so you can make other \start\stop commands buffers too and then do some at the start and (look for \defiebuffer) but it quickly becomes messy i think

Hans

----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | www.pragma-ade.nl | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------

Uff, this is indeed deep tex. Thanks a lot for the example, Hans! I still need to learn a lot. After a walk and a bit of fresh air, I found another (much easier) way around my problem. This works since I don't need to deal with #2 in any special way: \tolerant\def\startMyCommand[#1]% { \startallbeautifulcontextcommands % whatever #1 does } \tolerant\def\stopMyCommand% { \stopallbeautifulcontextcommands } Then one can do in the main files: \startMyCommand \beginMyBuffer bla bla \endMyBuffer \stopMycommand

On Jan 2, 2022, at 14:43, Hans Hagen wrote:

On 1/2/2022 2:14 PM, Benjamin Buchmuller wrote:

...

Thanks, Hans, for the answer, but I'm not sure if I get the point. While this is possible in ConTeXt: \startsection[title={My Title}] \beginMyBlock bla bla \endMyBlock \stopsection The following won't work (end of file error): \startMyCommand[optional={Maybe}] \beginMyBlock bla bla \endMyBlock \stopMyCommand I had hoped for a simple command/modifier like \pleaseacceptblocks\def\startMyCommand[#1]#2\stopMyCommand to have #2 work in a similar way. But maybe, as Wolfgang stated here (https://www.mail-archive.com/ntg-context@ntg.nl/msg73956.html), buffers and blocks can't be used in commands. (To add: Even when passed as arguments during compilation?)

You can bet that WS is right.

You really have to go dirty tex for this kind of magic:

\defineblock[MyBlock] \keepblocks[MyBlock]

\starttext

\tolerant\def\startMyCommand[#1]% {\begingroup \setcatcodetable\notcatcodes \dostartMyCommand[#1]}

\let\stopMyCommand\relax

\normalexpanded{\def\noexpand\dostartMyCommand[#1]#2\expandtoken\notcatcodes92 stopMyCommand}% {\endgroup % whatever #1 does \setbuffer[foo]#2\endbuffer \typebuffer[foo] \getbuffer[foo]}

or

\normalexpanded{\def\noexpand\dostartMyCommand[#1]#2\retokenized\notcatcodes {\stopMyCommand}}% {\endgroup % whatever #1 does \setbuffer[foo]#2\endbuffer \typebuffer[foo] \getbuffer[foo]}

\startMyCommand[optional={Maybe}]

\beginMyBlock bla bla \endMyBlock

\stopMyCommand

\stoptext

and then of course further nesting mess ...

Hans

----------------------------------------------------------------- Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands tel: 038 477 53 69 | www.pragma-ade.nl | www.pragma-pod.nl -----------------------------------------------------------------