# \titlespacing* defaults using the compact option

Using the `titlesec` package with the `compact` option, what are the `\titlespacing*` defaults (for `\section`, `\subsection`, etc.) for the `article` document class? (I have the standard defaults from the package documentation but cannot find the `compact` version...)

Looking at `titlesec.sty`, one sees:

``````\DeclareOption{compact}{%
\gdef\ttl@space{1}%
\gdef\ttl@chapafter{30\p@}}
``````

the line `\gdef\ttl@chapafter{30\p@}` simple instructs the usage of `30pt` after a chapter title and `\gdef\ttl@space{1}` indicates `1\beforetitleunit` and `1\aftertitleunit` for the spacing before and after the tiles, respectively, for lower sectional units, so the `compact` option corresponds to the values

``````\titlespacing*{\chapter}
{0pt}{50pt}{30pt}
\titlespacing*{\section}
{0pt}{*1}{*1}
\titlespacing*{\subsection}
{0pt}{*1}{*1}
\titlespacing*{\subsubsection}
{0pt}{*1}{*1}
``````

The default values for `\beforetitleunit` and `\aftertitleunit` are:

``````\beforetitleunit=1ex\@plus.3ex\@minus.06ex
\aftertitleunit=1ex\@plus.1ex
``````
• @pff You're welcome. If my answer solved your problem, please consider accepting it; in case of doubt, please see `How do you accept an answer?`. – Gonzalo Medina Apr 3 '13 at 5:04
• One last thing, I'm not familiar with the {*1} syntax but I take it that it means 'default multiplied by 1'. Regarding best practice, if I wanted to stretch or contract the default spacing, could I say, e.g. \titlespacing*{\subsubsection} {0pt}{*0.8}{*0.8} or should I explicitly set the spacing, e.g. \titlespacing*{\subsubsection} {0pt}{0.8ex plus 0.24ex minus 0.048ex}{0.8ex plus 0.08ex} – user28325 Apr 3 '13 at 5:11
• @pff you're right: `*n` means multiplication by `n`, but with certain restrictions: in the `before-sep` argument this is equivalent to `n ex` with some stretchability and a minute shrinkability. In the `after-sep`, it will give some stretchability (smaller) and no shrinkability. So `*8`, for example, in the after-sep argument is not exactly `2ex plus .8ex`; the stretchability will be a little less. – Gonzalo Medina Apr 3 '13 at 5:17