Set \strut height

Question

I'm using quite a few \colorbox and \colorfbox in a document but they weren't sitting at the same heights (because some words contained g and this seemed to push the box down.

The solution I found (in another stackoverflow question actually) was to use \strut.

Only problem with that is that it defaulted to being very high.

I couldn't figure out how to shrink the height (I'm very new to Latex) and was wondering if there's a simple way to specify the height of the \strut command?

For example I have \colorbox{newredred}{{\color{white}{\strut\tt fun}}}.

Is what I'm asking possible? Please remember, I'm very new to LaTeX and don't really understand much about the renewing commands or setting custom commands.

Answer 1

For example : #1 the height #2 the depth

\def\mystrut(#1,#2){\vrule height #1pt depth #2pt width 0pt}   

example :

\documentclass{scrartcl}

\begin{document}   
  \def\mystrut(#1,#2){\vrule height #1pt depth #2pt width 0pt}    
  \fbox{\mystrut(18,10) qk}  
\end{document}

Answer 2

The \strut command adds the maximal required height (.7\baselineskip) and depth (.3\baselineskip) of the current font size. Both together equal the current baselineskip, i.e. the distance between two lines. To explain this in short: There is an invisible line where all the letters sit on, the baseline, some letters like "g" have a depth and go below that line. Two lines are separated between there baselines by the baselineskip. With a normal 10pt font the baselineskip is 12pt. Added a \strut makes the whole box 12pt in size (inside the framebox + the frameboxsep).

You could insert a smaller \strut by changing the font size locally, e.g.:

\colorbox{newredred}{{\color{white}{\ttfamily{\small\strut}fun}}}

However then it isn't garanteed anymore that \strut will make all boxes have the same total height.

Answer 3

If the problem is exactly that some words contain g and some do not, then why not add \vphantom{g} to each box? This makes it as though each box contains g.

Answer 4

Besides Lev Bishop's suggestion (inluding aldo an f in the \vphantom to compensate the height), you could also control the separation between the text and the box using \fboxsep. The following code shows two new commands, both using a redefinition of \fboxsep; the first one uses the \vphantom approach and the second one, uses \strut:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xcolor}

\newcommand\MyColorBox[1]{%
  \setlength\fboxsep{2pt}% change according to your needs
  \colorbox{red}{\textcolor{white}{\ttfamily\vphantom{fg}#1}}
}

\newcommand\MyColorBoxT[1]{%
  \setlength\fboxsep{0pt}% change according to your needs
  \colorbox{red}{\textcolor{white}{\strut\ttfamily#1}}
}

\begin{document}

\MyColorBox{fun}\MyColorBox{gun}

\MyColorBoxT{fun}\MyColorBoxT{gun}

\end{document}

Answer 5

You could also use \mathstrut, which is slightly smaller, instead of \strut.