[NTG-context] Opacity for screens?
I´ve got a layout where I have a background photo covering the page, and I would like to have a semi-transparent white screen behind the text column, for readability. Is it possible to have opacity in screens? Thanks, Corin ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] EuroTeX 2009 reports?
Wondering if there are any reports, papers, or videos from EuroTex and the ConTeXt meeting for those of us who couldn´t be there. Thanks, Corin ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] Opposite Blocks or Spread Based Layouts
Hi ConTeXt ComRaDes, Trying to design a travelogue book with photos on the left page, and text on the right. Tried \startopposite to get an opposite block, and turned it on with \setupoppositeplacing[state=start], to no discernable effect. Am I doing something wrong, or is there another way to do this? Any tips much appreciated. Corin Royal Drummond P.S. My poetry book is coming along nicely. I'll be sure to send along a link when it's finished. ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
Re: [NTG-context] Opposite Blocks or Spread Based Layouts
Oops, I did forget to mention I'm using a recent ConTeXt minimal and texexec --lua. Corin Royal Drummond wrote: Hi ConTeXt ComRaDes, Trying to design a travelogue book with photos on the left page, and text on the right. Tried \startopposite to get an opposite block, and turned it on with \setupoppositeplacing[state=start], to no discernable effect. Am I doing something wrong, or is there another way to do this? Any tips much appreciated. Corin Royal Drummond P.S. My poetry book is coming along nicely. I'll be sure to send along a link when it's finished. ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
Re: [NTG-context] Opposite Blocks or Spread Based Layouts
Wolfgang Schuster wrote:
\definestartstop
[leftpage]
[before={\page[yes,left]}]
\definestartstop
[rightpage]
[before={\page[yes,right]}]
\starttext
\startleftpage
...
\stopleftpage
\startrightpage
...
\stoprightpage
\stoptext
Wolfgang
Wolfgang,
Thanks for the solution. That pretty much get's me what I need.
Still wondering what's up with opposite blocks though, if any one
knows. \startopposite \setupoppositeplacing et al.
Cheers,
Corin Royal Drummond
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Re: [NTG-context] Opposite Blocks or Spread Based Layouts
Wolfgang Schuster wrote: Am 16.03.2009 um 14:17 schrieb Corin Royal Drummond: Still wondering what's up with opposite blocks though, if any one knows. \startopposite \setupoppositeplacing et al. I think the can be called broken and Hans hadn't needed them in the past so no one noticed it. In this case it shoudn't be a problem to replace the current definition with something working, tell use what do you need to do this. Wolfgang Ah, I see. No one ever used it, so opposite float placements died a lonely death from malnutrition. Seems like a lovely concept for laying out photo books with text, but I can route around. Thanks for the heads up, Wolfgang. Corin ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] switching layouts for a float
Hi Friends,
Still working on having a travelogue with a text column on one side, and
then a plate of color photos on the opposite page. Floats are working
well for this with \startcombination[2*2]. My problem is that the text
pages, have a wide margin to accommodate marginal graphics, and I don't
know how to switch to a wide layout with tiny backspace and margin just
for the combination floats. I'm trying:
...
\definepapersize[wide][width=9in, height=7in]
\setuppapersize[wide][wide]
\setuplayout [location=middle, marking=on, topspace=.5cm, height=6.5in,
width=4.5in, margin=3.5in, backspace= 2cm, footer=.9cm, header=.9cm]
\definelayout [photopage][width=7.5in, margin=.5cm, backspace=1.5cm, ]
...
\starttext
...lots of text in chapters...
\setuplayout[photopage]
\placefigure{none}
{\startcombination[2*2]
{\externalfigure[yucatan1][width=.5\textwidth]}{A old church on the way
from Merida to Celestun}
{\externalfigure[yucatan2][width=.5\textwidth]}{A gorgeous decaying
hacienda}
{\externalfigure[yucatan3][width=.5\textwidth]}{Typical Yucatecan
thatched adobe dwelling}
{\externalfigure[yucatan4][width=.5\textwidth]}{Thached house detail}
\stopcombination}
\setuplayout[reset]
...more text in chapters...
\stoptext
I suspect that this doesn't work because of the nature of floats, but
then how to slap the float into a new layout setup with appropriate margins?
Thanks,
Corin Royal Drummond
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Re: [NTG-context] Is there anything like developer's manual for ConTeXt?
Wei-Wei Guo wrote: Hi everyone, After fighting with ConTeXt one month, I find it's too difficult. I have two years experience of LaTeX. I never thought ConTeXt could be so difficult. Using ConTeXt is like climbing a steep mountain, every step need extensive searching, reading, and asking. Sorry for the useless complain. I'm stuck by so many problems. I might be lack of the basic knowledge of ConTeXt. Could someone tell me where I can find manuals or papers that describe the logic of ConTeXt design and basics of ConTeXt programming. Thanks in advance. Best wishes, Wei-Wei Many have voiced the same complaint. I understand that Hans and every one are occupied with building MKIV (aka LuaTeX), and that documentation is not their highest priority. There's the wiki, the wonderfully active mailing list, and what used to be decent docs from 2001/2002 timeframe. But yes, it's a steep hill to climb, made worth it only by the relative awesomeness of ConTeXt. If there is an existing strategy for creating documentation, I'd love to hear it. My feeling is it's it's time to pay someone to write some good docs. Someone who's not on the development team, who has experience writing technical documentation, and who can shepard list members into crowd sourcing some real documentation. MKIV is stabilizing into usefulness, and now is a good time to start. I suspect list members would donate to such a project, plus we could get some grant money (if that's not all dried up due to the global economy), and maybe some contribution from Pragma itself, and other orgs that depend on ConTeXt. A patchwork quilt of financing, and a project coordinator/writer who sees their work as a labor of love, and a side job, could make this happen. Even if we could only afford 10 hours of work a week, that could get a lot done. In terms of process, I think someone to comb the list archives for common problems and solutions, and wikify them would get the most bang for the buck initially. These wiki entries could later be ConTeXtified into printed (and screen) docs, like Hans' awesome old manuals. Honestly, we've got smart people wasting time answering the same questions in different ways on the list, when they could be plugging in some of that time into writing docs for everyone. And as useful as the list is, it's no substitute for manuals. If I understood ConTeXt I'd volunteer, but I'm a noob, so I'm feeling the same frustration as Wei-Wei. I feel bad having to bug developers and advanced users every time I have a basic question. It's inefficient and inelegant, though I much appreciate the access to great minds and the window into the development process this has given me. Pile on to this thread, if this is a burning issue for you, or you have some strategy or expertise to offer. Cheers, Corin ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
Re: [NTG-context] Help with book of poetry
Thanks Taco and Henning, The link to the Sample Documents was helpful, especially the biochem textbook. As a web developer, I'm used to learning by reading other people's code. I sure do hope other people will post their documents, with or without commentary. It's the quickest way for me to learn without bothering people. Cheers, Corin Royal Drummond ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] Help with book of poetry
Dear Friends, I'm down in Mexico recovering from a long illness, which explains my absence on the list. Recently I met a poet who writes in Spanish and Nahatl, and who would like to publish a book of his poems. I'm committed to using ConTeXt to layout his book, but I'm having problems. Here are the three most pressing ones, I wondered if anyone might help with. Until a publisher get's involved, I'd like for him to self-publish his book on double sided, letter sized paper, with half-letter pages folded over and stapled in the middle. I'm not sure which \setuparranging options to use to get this (2*2, 2UP?). The options I've tried seem right, except the pages are numbered all wrong. I've defined a "halfletter" pagesize, which works nicely, but I can't get the arranging right. Many of his poems are short, and I'd like to alternate between poems that are left aligned, and right aligned. I tried \startalignment[right] to switch a block of text (and heading) to one side or the other, but it didn't work. As I'm learning, it would be wonderful if there were a repository of real-world documents I could use to refer to, to see how other people solve their own problems. I know many of you have written many fabulous ConTeXt documents, and I wish there were a place on the wiki, maybe under "Examples" where people could post their source code, and the resultant PDF. Alternatively, people could mail me docs, and I could post them on the wiki. I'm using the latest context minimals, with the LUA engine (texexec --lua). Any assistance is most appreciated. Yours, Corin Royal Drummond ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] Ooh, Ahh: I successfully Hansified my Scite Editor on Linux
My life has taken a dramatic turn for the better since I figured out how to move Hans' Scite property files to my Ubuntu installation of Scite. Wow, it's like night and day between the distro defaults and Hans' setup where F7 builds my page and shows me the output in a side pane. Also get pretty line numbers, and a nice grey syntax highlighting scheme. Now I see why Hans like Scite. It's eminently pimpable. Anyone wanting to try this can copy any file name *.properties files from the scite directory on Hans' Context for Windows package off the Pragma server to /usr/share/scite (as root). It's that easy. Holler if you want me to post a zip of the property files. Cheers, Corin Royal Drummond ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] New Member Introductory Rant
Hello ConTeXt Users, I have become obsessed with ConTeXt since I found out about it while browsing through the TeX related software on my Ubuntu Linux box. I've been teaching myself web development in XHTML/CSS over the last couple years, and developed a passion for structured documents that separate presentation as much as possible. I'm starting to setup Drupal CMS installations for some friends in preparation for doing web publishing work for clients. It's been fun to learn, but so frustrating and difficult for my poor mind. I've long been curious about TeX but it seemed too ossified, fragmented, inflexible, and hard to learn. Later I discovered LyX and understood implicitly the style based markup idea, and it's power. I've always hated things like word, open office, and DTP programs. I'm fine doing the GUI for PhotoShop, but somehow I feel I should be able to just type text, and have it come out all pretty. ConTeXt seems to share that philosophy, so I'm giddy about it. I suppose I should learn InDesign too, but I don't really want to. I use a text editor for my web coding rather than dragging boxes around in DreamWeaver. I like that I can just cut paste other people's code and learn what they did. GUI programs are harder to learn in that way since someone has to write a whole step-by-step tutorial rather than just show you their commented code. I've been working my way through the documentation, ConTeXt Garden, and whatever I can find on Google searches. I've worked my way up to making a letter head with my address, a graphic logo, and couple of font switches, and some hanging punctuation. I made another version for my journal with two columns under each section heading. I'm using Scite as my editor, but I haven't set it up anyway special. Kile didn't seem to like ConTeXt much, and it's command completion facility kept spitting out LaTeX code as I typed. I like Scite as it starts fast, has nice colors, and is easy to get around. TexFont doesn't work on Ubuntu. It craps out saying it can't find it's TeX root. Even when I set the FontRoot with the command line switch, it fails to find it's map files. I filed a bug with Ubuntu about it as it seems like some files like the font maps got put in /var/lib. So I'm completely frustrated by the font situation. Don't understand why I can't just point TexFont at my directory of OTF, TTF, and PFB fonts and have it suck up every last glyph and variant like Scribus, InkScape, and InDesign do. It should configure a reasonable set of typescripts, and tell me what's available. All the other TeX fonts should just work out of the box. Why do I have to wrestle so vainly just to get the damn fonts to be available. Also, I can't for the life of me figure out how to change typefaces in headers and footers. I can change to italics, or sizes with style=\it\x but have no clue how to switch a header to say the Zaph Chancery caligraphic. I can switch the body font to it, so I'm part way there. I'm pretty pissed off about the state of the documentation for ConTeXt. Out of date docs, that were never finished, and full of holes. Small set of MyWay articles, old dead links on the wiki, no roadmap, no bug database. It's 2008, there's things like SourceForge, and LaunchPad for these sort of things. I don't understand why Pragma can't sell support for ConTeXt like other open source projects. That way Hans can afford a staff to handle people's questions, he can focus on building what he likes (and we all love), new users can be brought in, and a virtuous cycle of new contributors, new features, and new users. TexShow is missing tons of commands I've read about in the manual, and doesn't bother to explain what any command or option does. Nor do I understand how options are chained or structured into more than simple switches. Where are the screencasts of gurus showing off how to do cool things? Where are the tutorials? Where are the contributed templates, so I can read other people's code to learn from? You'd think that people who make structured document typesetting systems would spend some more time on their documentation. I'd be glad to help, but first I'd need to learn the system. Since the docs are so incomplete, I'm not sure how I'd do that. Catch 22. I've gotten as far as letter writing, and I'm pretty happy with that. My goal is to typeset my housemate's pirate novel that she's writing. I'm going to stick it out and see how far I can get. I hope I don't have to go running back to LyX and the memoir class. I'm home sick with Hepatitis and Diabetes so I've got some quality time with my six year old Ubuntu laptop. If there are any Bay Area ConTeXt users around, I'd love to meet you. And if any one wants help setting up a better community website, I could help with that, knowing Drupal. Hope to speak with some of you soon. Regards, Corin Royal Drummond San
Re: [NTG-context] New Member Introductory Rant
Hi Corin, Welcome. I will offer some brief comments, and maybe others will elaborate on things I skip, pass over, or inadequately discuss: Mojca is probably the main point person. Welcome again to ConTeXt and Best wishes Idris Dear Professor Idriss, and the Lovely ConTeXT Community, What a thoughtful and warm response to my late night introductory rant. You've most certainly gained a dedicated new user today. Your restraint and courtesy to my half-considered diatribe is most heartening. Amazingly, you managed to answer alot of questions I wasn't fully aware I was asking. Since I wrote to the list last night, I have continued learning ConTeXt at a frightening clip. Did my first drop caps, indentations, and messed around with setting width and height. I can't remember when my computer has brought me so much fun. I'm beginning to see that there is a fair amount of documentation, but it's sprayed all over and needs some TLC. I think what I'd like to contribute to ConTeXt is some more docs. I'm thinking of doing some web video screencasts (easy on Linux) showing off how to do specific things like Lettrines or multi-line headers, explaining the format of options and parameters, and generally helping people see and appreciate the ConTeXt way. I would seem that ConTeXt has a natural market in web developers who are used to writing structured documents for layout engines. Personally, I'd like to see a Drupal module that will ConTeXtify a person's website as a book or magazine for printing. How great would it be to have an automatically updating e-book for print and screen generated off your website's content based on your tags/taxonomy. Just add FortheBook tag to an article, and without one having to do any more, it will appear in the PDF available on the front page of your site. There is a LaTeX module for Drupal, but I haven't tried it. I think such a module would help to whet other web developer's appetite for ConTeXT. I think one of the joys of ConTeXt for me is that web development just sucks for typography. There are only a handful of fonts one can specify in any document unless you embed them in images (which God told me was a sin). By contrast, with ConTeXt, I feel like a kid in a candy store, with so many things I can do to my text. I nearly had a fit when I got hanging punctuation working. Thanks again for your kind counsel Idriss, I hope I can help you guys out by writing some new docs, and being an evangelist for ConTeXt. Never have I found a piece of software that so deserved wider recognition. I will definitely keep an eye out for Mojca and Luigi. Would be so excited to meet a local ConTeXt user. With deep gratitude, Corin Royal Drummond San Francisco ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] Offer of help with ConTeXt Wiki
Hi Mojka and Everyone, Seems like the ConTeXT Wiki is down again. Judging from the list it would seem this was a regular problem. I'd really like to give back to the community by helping Context Garden grow into a one-stop shopping site for all ConTeXt seekers. Currently, things are a bit too haphazard for my tastes. I think it makes the learning curve harder than it really should be. I'm a Linux system admin, and web developer, so I could help with troubleshooting, upgrades, hosting (have my own shared server), categorizing content, soliciting articles, fleshing out the FAQ, moving some answers from the list archives to the Wiki, creating screencasts and tutorials, and stuff like that. Now would be a good time for me to work on this, as I've been ill and have lots of free time in bed. It would be wonderful to help ConTeXt's bid for world domination by crafting the best experience possible for new and experienced users to find what they need quickly. Please do contact me and let me know how I might be useful. With warmest regards, Corin Royal Drummond San Francisco ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
[NTG-context] Server Mirror
Corin said: I'm a Linux system admin, and web developer, so I could help with troubleshooting, upgrades, hosting (have my own shared server), Arthur responded: The problem is really hosting. For some reason, the machine, a virtual server with approximately 20GB disk space, stops responding I'd certainly be happy to setup a US mirror with some help from you and Patrick. I'm not sure from your message whether the Context Garden itself is 20GB huge for some reason, or if the virtual server has 20GB of stuff from multiple customers clogging it up. I have Site5's Juggernaut plan, which gives me 1,500GB and 15TB of bandwidth a month. Hosting is cheap here. I think I paid a hundred dollars for a year. Can host unlimited websites domains Since I can't get to the Wiki today, I don't know what software it's running. If you let me know I'll start looking into it's requirements. Cheers, Corin Royal Drummond ___ If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki! maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context webpage : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net archive : https://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/ wiki : http://contextgarden.net ___
