Plain TeX is Knuth's original default format for TeX documents.
2
votes
1answer
866 views
How to make a local variable in Plain TeX?
I want to simplify my code below by creating a local variable as a temporary container to save the value of \numexpr#1+#2+#3+#4+#5}.
\documentclass[dvips,dvipsnames,rgb,table]{book}
...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
Is there a good plain TeX tutorial that explains about doing automation and making layout?
I am interested in learning plain TeX especially in
automation: looping, conditional branching, jumping, iterating, etc.
layout: creating custom smart tables and boxes that can span cross pages.
...
28
votes
6answers
2k views
Reasons to use plain TeX
Given the active development in LaTeX and ConTeXt, and how LaTeX insulates the writer from typographical details and ConTeXt gives the user extensive control over formatting thus taking useful ...
7
votes
5answers
974 views
Can I see a plain TeX source file please?
all the LaTeX-tutorials tell me how LaTeX is an extention simplifying the building of TeX documents. Understandably, no one uses plain TeX anymore, right?
But I seem to learn better when I grasp the ...
23
votes
4answers
2k views
Is it actually illegal to TeX `texbook.tex`? [closed]
At the top of texbook.tex, it is written:
% This manual is copyright (C) 1984 by the American Mathematical Society.
% All rights are reserved!
% The file is distributed only for people to see its ...
5
votes
1answer
321 views
Figure-macro with TikZ: account for y-axis labels
How can I account for the space taken by the y-axis labels? Can I somehow \setbox the axis labels, or something similar? Because now, the y-axis labels stick out of the text block width (because I ...
11
votes
2answers
469 views
Is there a printable version of a reference manual for all TeX primitives?
Everywhere in the TeX community, I see suggestions like \parskip, \obeylines, \parindent, etc. I'd be surprised not to find them even in the most basic LaTeX packages. So I figured they must be deeper ...
5
votes
2answers
252 views
%& magic line has no effect
I am using the %&format magic line in a plain TeX file. On older versions of TeX the result produces the expected results. On TeXLive 2009 (under Gentoo), however, this line has no effect. When I ...
6
votes
2answers
965 views
3
votes
1answer
671 views
Horizontal braces with XeTeX take too much space
After some experiments and tests, I managed to create the following code for \upbracefill and \downbracefill in Plain XeTeX, which it seems is that used for \underbrace and \overbrace:
...
5
votes
2answers
661 views
Create my own mapping for XeTeX fonts
I'm trying to create mapping files, to make use of Cambria Math italic calligraphic and double stroke letters in Plain XeTeX. However, I'm unable to do so. This is what I tried to create for the ...
18
votes
1answer
618 views
Why do the definitions of \quad, etc. have \relax in them?
Plain Tex defines \quad so:
\def\quad{\hskip1em\relax}
Why is the \relax there? It's usually used as a token that can't be expanded, serving as a "do nothing" operation after macro expansion is ...
4
votes
2answers
277 views
How do I create a pdf file from old tex code?
How can I convert the old tex file below into a pdf?
I would very much like to know as I have a few other files that I would like to convert.
Thanks.
PS: I selected the shortest example I had to ...
