Re: silly newby graphics question

2010-03-25 Thread Helge Hafting

Richard Brown wrote:

This is a sily question, but my only excuse is I'm trying to understand.
Thanks for your patience, understanding and answers!

Up to now I've been inserting my photographs and other graphics in a float.
But what is the float actually  for? Can I just insert the graphics files
directly via the Insert > Graphics command? If I can, what are the
advantages and disadvantages of each system, that is with or without  a
float?


You can insert graphics directly without a float.
This has one disadvantage, which is the reason why
floats were invented:

You have probably noticed that text isn't broken into pages in LyX. That 
happens later, when you print (or make a PDF). The problem is - what 
happens when there is a rather big image, but it doesn't quite fit?


For example, half the page is full of text, but now there is an image
that need 2/3 of a page. There isn't room for it, so this page ends and 
the next page begins with the big image on top.


And the problem is that the previous page is now only half full. This 
wastes paper, and it looks ugly and unprofessional.


Of course, you can place the big image carefully to avoid this. (Using a 
pdf preview, and moving the image around.)
Now, consider a book manuscript with 50 such big images. Then you need 
to add half a page of text in the beginning - everything moves, and just 
about every image needs to be fixed again.


An automatic solution was needed - floats. With the image in a float, 
this happens during page layout:

* If the floating image fits, it goes right there.
* If it doesn't fit, it still moves to the next page. But the current
  page does *not* end. It is filled up with whatever text that comes
  after the big image. So, no half-full pages any more.
* The price for this is that the floats not necessarily appear exactly
  where you want them to be. (When they won't fit.)

As others have pointed out, floats also offers some niceties like cross
referencing and "list of floats". But the automatic and nice-looking 
page breaking in the precence of (big) images is the main thing.


Helge Hafting






Re: silly newby graphics question

2010-03-19 Thread Steve Litt
On Friday 19 March 2010 03:17:49 Richard Brown wrote:
> This is a sily question, but my only excuse is I'm trying to understand.
> Thanks for your patience, understanding and answers!
> 
> Up to now I've been inserting my photographs and other graphics in a float.
> But what is the float actually  for? Can I just insert the graphics files
> directly via the Insert > Graphics command? If I can, what are the
> advantages and disadvantages of each system, that is with or without  a
> float?

Floats provide a facility for a caption and placement in a table of 
illustrations, as well as the ability for LyX to govern the placement of the 
graphic, which usually comes out better than manual placement with regard to 
all the text fitting together with minimum blankage.

I usually don't use floats. I like to write "As you can see in the following 
illustration", rather than have LyX write "As you can see from graphic 3.4 on 
the opposite page". Floats theoretically offer a "here no matter what" 
facility which should place the graphic and its float exactly where it is in 
the text. "Ummm, maybe."

SteveT

Steve Litt
Recession Relief Package
http://www.recession-relief.US
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stevelitt



Re: silly newby graphics question

2010-03-19 Thread Julio Rojas
A float leaves to LaTeX the decision of where to put the image. This
is not a trivial decision and in most cases, LaTeX does a better job
than you at balancing text distribution when an image is inserted.
Even if you want to put an image in a particular place, a float allows
you to do it.
-
Julio Rojas
jcredbe...@gmail.com



On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 8:17 AM, Richard Brown
 wrote:
> This is a sily question, but my only excuse is I'm trying to understand.
> Thanks for your patience, understanding and answers!
>
> Up to now I've been inserting my photographs and other graphics in a float.
> But what is the float actually  for? Can I just insert the graphics files
> directly via the Insert > Graphics command? If I can, what are the
> advantages and disadvantages of each system, that is with or without  a
> float?
>
> TIA
>
> Richard
>


silly newby graphics question

2010-03-19 Thread Richard Brown
This is a sily question, but my only excuse is I'm trying to understand.
Thanks for your patience, understanding and answers!

Up to now I've been inserting my photographs and other graphics in a float.
But what is the float actually  for? Can I just insert the graphics files
directly via the Insert > Graphics command? If I can, what are the
advantages and disadvantages of each system, that is with or without  a
float?

TIA

Richard