Mixing underline and strike-out

Question

Word allows for all kinds of font formatting:

The above example combines strike-through/strike-out (like this) and underlining. I'd like to be able to do the same, but neither ulem nor soul allows for this in a convenient way.

• ulem:

  

  \documentclass{article}
  \usepackage[a6paper,showframe]{geometry}% Just for this example
  \usepackage{ulem}
  \begin{document}
  Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, \sout{consectetur adipiscing elit. 
  Praesent} in nisi magna. Mauris \sout{auctor gravida} fermentum. 
  Proin enim \uline{massa, \sout{\textbf{lobortis in} ligula} vel, convallis} fermentum 
  nulla. \uline{Nam in mattis nulla}. Vestibulum vel \uline{auctor orci. 
  Praesent \textit{\textbf{ornare, eros} ac} euismod} congue, turpis est facilisis 
  nisi, a sollicitudin massa lectus imperdiet tellus. Duis at 
  tempor velit. \sout{Nulla \uline{gravida}, dolor in cursus}. 
  \end{document}
  

• soul:

  The soul documentation explicitly states that "nesting soul commands don't work":

  

  As such, the following example does not compile without errors:

  \documentclass{article}
  \usepackage[a6paper,showframe]{geometry}% Just for this example
  \usepackage{soul}
  \begin{document}
  Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, \st{consectetur adipiscing elit. 
  Praesent} in nisi magna. Mauris \st{auctor gravida} fermentum. 
  Proin enim \ul{massa, \st{\textbf{lobortis in} ligula} vel, convallis} fermentum 
  nulla. \ul{Nam in mattis nulla}. Vestibulum vel \ul{auctor orci. 
  Praesent \textit{\textbf{ornare, eros} ac} euismod} congue, turpis est facilisis 
  nisi, a sollicitudin massa lectus imperdiet tellus. Duis at 
  tempor velit. \st{Nulla \ul{gravida}, dolor in cursus}. 
  \end{document}
  

Ideally I'd like to be able to use these font "effect" macros interchangeably: strike-out inside underline, or underline inside strike-out with no impact on the use of fonts (like italic or bold). Here's the output from Word:

(See also the followup question: Underline + strike-through using soul)

Answer 1

Here is an adaptation to Martin's answer at Cool Text Highlighting in LaTeX where I have defined \tikzst based on Martin's \tikzul.

This shows examples of

• strike out and underlining
• strike out and highlighting

Note:

• Usually, \tikzmark solutions require two runs. As there are nested uses of \tikzmark, this require at three runs. (Thanks @Werner for pointing this out).

  The additional run is required as the nested tikzmark's locations depends on the location of the parent's \tikzmark. So, the first run stabilizes the location of the "outer" \tikzmark, the second stabilizes the location of the "inner" \tikzmark, and the third to do the actual drawing.

• The \tikzmark is from Adding a large brace next to a body of text.

Code:

\documentclass[twoside,11pt]{book}

\usepackage{zref-abspage}
\usepackage{zref-user}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{atbegshi}
\usetikzlibrary{calc,decorations.pathmorphing}

\makeatletter
\newcommand{\currentsidemargin}{%
  \ifodd\zref@extract{textarea-\thetextarea}{abspage}%
    \oddsidemargin%
  \else%
    \evensidemargin%
  \fi%
}

\newcounter{textarea}
\newcommand{\settextarea}{%
   \stepcounter{textarea}%
   \zlabel{textarea-\thetextarea}%
   \begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture]
    % Helper nodes
    \path (current page.north west) ++(\hoffset, -\voffset)
        node[anchor=north west, shape=rectangle, inner sep=0, minimum width=\paperwidth, minimum height=\paperheight]
        (pagearea) {};
    \path (pagearea.north west) ++(1in+\currentsidemargin,-1in-\topmargin-\headheight-\headsep)
        node[anchor=north west, shape=rectangle, inner sep=0, minimum width=\textwidth, minimum height=\textheight]
        (textarea) {};
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}


\usepackage{lipsum}
\newcommand\xlipsum[1][]{{\let\par\relax\lipsum*[#1]}}

\tikzset{tikzul/.style={yshift=-.75\dp\strutbox}}

\newcounter{tikzul}%
\newcommand\tikzul[1][]{%
    \begingroup
    \global\tikzullinewidth\linewidth
    \def\tikzulsetting{[#1]}%
    \stepcounter{tikzul}%
    \settextarea
    \zlabel{tikzul-begin-\thetikzul}%
    \tikz[overlay,remember picture,tikzul] \coordinate (tikzul-\thetikzul) at (0,0);% Modified \tikzmark macro
    \ifnum\zref@extract{tikzul-begin-\thetikzul}{abspage}=\zref@extract{tikzul-end-\thetikzul}{abspage}
    \else
        \AtBeginShipoutNext{\tikzul@endpage{#1}}%
    \fi
    \bgroup
    \def\par{\ifhmode\unskip\fi\egroup\par\@ifnextchar\noindent{\noindent\tikzul[#1]}{\tikzul[#1]\bgroup}}%
    \aftergroup\endtikzul
    \let\@let@token=%
}
\newlength\tikzullinewidth


\def\tikzul@endpage#1{%
\setbox\AtBeginShipoutBox\hbox{%
\box\AtBeginShipoutBox
\hbox{%
\begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture,tikzul]
\draw[#1]
    let \p1 = (tikzul-\thetikzul), \p2 = ([xshift=\tikzullinewidth+\@totalleftmargin]textarea.south west) in
    \ifdim\dimexpr\y1-\y2<.5\baselineskip
        (\x1,\y1) -- (\x2,\y1)
    \else
        let \p3 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin]textarea.west) in
        (\x1,\y1) -- +(\tikzullinewidth-\x1+\x3,0)
        % (\x3,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
        (\x3,\y1)
       \myloop{\y1-\y2+.5\baselineskip}{%
           ++(0,-\baselineskip) -- +(\tikzullinewidth,0)
       }%
    \fi
;
\end{tikzpicture}%
}}%
}%


\def\endtikzul{%
    \zlabel{tikzul-end-\thetikzul}%
    \ifnum\zref@extract{tikzul-begin-\thetikzul}{abspage}=\zref@extract{tikzul-end-\thetikzul}{abspage}
    \begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture,tikzul]
        \expandafter\draw\tikzulsetting
            let \p1 = (tikzul-\thetikzul), \p2 = (0,0) in
            \ifdim\y1=\y2
                (\x1,\y1) -- (\x2,\y2)
            \else
                let \p3 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin]textarea.west), \p4 = ([xshift=-\rightmargin]textarea.east) in
                (\x1,\y1) -- +(\tikzullinewidth-\x1+\x3,0)
                (\x3,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
                (\x3,\y1)
                \myloop{\y1-\y2}{%
                    ++(0,-\baselineskip) -- +(\tikzullinewidth,0)
                }%
            \fi
        ;
    \end{tikzpicture}%
    \else
    \settextarea
    \begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture,tikzul]
        \expandafter\draw\tikzulsetting
            let \p1 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin,yshift=-.5\baselineskip]textarea.north west), \p2 = (0,0) in
            \ifdim\dimexpr\y1-\y2<.5\baselineskip
                (\x1,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
            \else
                let \p3 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin]textarea.west), \p4 = ([xshift=-\rightmargin]textarea.east) in
                (\x3,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
                (\x3,\y2)
                \myloop{\y1-\y2}{%
                    ++(0,+\baselineskip) -- +(\tikzullinewidth,0)
                }
            \fi
        ;
    \end{tikzpicture}%
    \fi
    \endgroup
}

% -------------------------------------------------------------- Additions by Peter Grill

\tikzset{tikzst/.style={yshift=0.5\dp\strutbox}}

\newcounter{tikzst}%
\newcommand\tikzst[1][]{%
    \begingroup
    \global\tikzstlinewidth\linewidth
    \def\tikzstsetting{[#1]}%
    \stepcounter{tikzst}%
    \settextarea
    \zlabel{tikzst-begin-\thetikzst}%
    \tikz[overlay,remember picture,tikzst] \coordinate (tikzst-\thetikzst) at (0,0);% Modified \tikzmark macro
    \ifnum\zref@extract{tikzst-begin-\thetikzst}{abspage}=\zref@extract{tikzst-end-\thetikzst}{abspage}
    \else
        \AtBeginShipoutNext{\tikzst@endpage{#1}}%
    \fi
    \bgroup
    \def\par{\ifhmode\unskip\fi\egroup\par\@ifnextchar\noindent{\noindent\tikzst[#1]}{\tikzst[#1]\bgroup}}%
    \aftergroup\endtikzst
    \let\@let@token=%
}
\newlength\tikzstlinewidth


\def\tikzst@endpage#1{%
\setbox\AtBeginShipoutBox\hbox{%
\box\AtBeginShipoutBox
\hbox{%
\begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture,tikzst]
\draw[#1]
    let \p1 = (tikzst-\thetikzst), \p2 = ([xshift=\tikzstlinewidth+\@totalleftmargin]textarea.south west) in
    \ifdim\dimexpr\y1-\y2<.5\baselineskip
        (\x1,\y1) -- (\x2,\y1)
    \else
        let \p3 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin]textarea.west) in
        (\x1,\y1) -- +(\tikzstlinewidth-\x1+\x3,0)
        % (\x3,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
        (\x3,\y1)
       \myloop{\y1-\y2+.5\baselineskip}{%
           ++(0,-\baselineskip) -- +(\tikzstlinewidth,0)
       }%
    \fi
;
\end{tikzpicture}%
}}%
}%


\def\endtikzst{%
    \zlabel{tikzst-end-\thetikzst}%
    \ifnum\zref@extract{tikzst-begin-\thetikzst}{abspage}=\zref@extract{tikzst-end-\thetikzst}{abspage}
    \begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture,tikzst]
        \expandafter\draw\tikzstsetting
            let \p1 = (tikzst-\thetikzst), \p2 = (0,0) in
            \ifdim\y1=\y2
                (\x1,\y1) -- (\x2,\y2)
            \else
                let \p3 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin]textarea.west), \p4 = ([xshift=-\rightmargin]textarea.east) in
                (\x1,\y1) -- +(\tikzstlinewidth-\x1+\x3,0)
                (\x3,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
                (\x3,\y1)
                \myloop{\y1-\y2}{%
                    ++(0,-\baselineskip) -- +(\tikzstlinewidth,0)
                }%
            \fi
        ;
    \end{tikzpicture}%
    \else
    \settextarea
    \begin{tikzpicture}[overlay,remember picture,tikzst]
        \expandafter\draw\tikzstsetting
            let \p1 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin,yshift=-.5\baselineskip]textarea.north west), \p2 = (0,0) in
            \ifdim\dimexpr\y1-\y2<.5\baselineskip
                (\x1,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
            \else
                let \p3 = ([xshift=\@totalleftmargin]textarea.west), \p4 = ([xshift=-\rightmargin]textarea.east) in
                (\x3,\y2) -- (\x2,\y2)
                (\x3,\y2)
                \myloop{\y1-\y2}{%
                    ++(0,+\baselineskip) -- +(\tikzstlinewidth,0)
                }
            \fi
        ;
    \end{tikzpicture}%
    \fi
    \endgroup
}
% --------------------------------------------------------------

\def\myloop#1#2#3{%
    #3%
    \ifdim\dimexpr#1>1.1\baselineskip
        #2%
        \expandafter\myloop\expandafter{\the\dimexpr#1-\baselineskip\relax}{#2}%
    \fi
}

\makeatother

\begin{document}

text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text \tikzul[red]{text text text text \tikzst[black, ultra thick]{text text text text text
text text text text text text text text} text text text
text text text text} text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text

{\tikzset{tikzul/.style={yshift=1ex}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut purus elit,
vestibulum ut, placerat ac, adipiscing vitae, felis. Curabitur dictum gravida
mauris. Nam arcu libero, nonummy eget, consectetuer id, vulputate a, magna.
Donec vehicula augue eu neque. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus
et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Mauris ut leo. Cras viverra
metus rhoncus sem. Nulla et lectus vestibulum urna fringilla ultrices. Phasellus
eu tellus sit amet tortor gravida placerat. Integer sapien est, iaculis in, pretium
quis, viverra ac, nunc. Praesent eget sem vel leo ultrices bibendum. \tikzul[line width=1.5\ht\strutbox,semitransparent,yellow]{Aenean
faucibus. Morbi dolor nulla, \tikzst[black, ultra thick]{malesuada eu, pulvinar at, mollis ac, nulla. Curabitur auctor semper nulla. Donec varius orci eget risus. Duis nibh mi, congue
eu, accumsan eleifend, sagittis quis}, diam. Duis eget orci sit amet orci dignissim
rutrum.}
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
test
}

\begin{quote}
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text \tikzul[red]{text text text \tikzst[black, ultra thick]{text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text} text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text} text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
\end{quote}

{\tikzset{tikzul/.style={yshift=.5ex}}

\begin{quote}
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
\begin{quote}
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text \tikzul[green]{text text \tikzst[black, ultra thick]{text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text 
text text text text text text text}
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text} text text text text text text text
\end{quote}
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
\end{quote}

\large
new text text text text text text text text text text text
text text \tikzul[red]{first text text text text \tikzst[black, ultra thick]{text text text text
teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt
teXt teXt teXt} teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt
teXt teXt teXt last} teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt teXt
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text

text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text \tikzul[red]{text text text text text text text text text
text text\par\noindent text text text text text text text text text
text text text text} text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
}

\begin{itemize}
    \item \tikzul{test test test} test
    \item test \tikzul{test test test} test
    \item aa \tikzul{test test test} test
    \item b \tikzul{test test 
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
        test} test
\end{itemize}

text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text \tikzul[red]{text text text text text text text text text
text text

 text text text text text text text text text
text text text text} text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text

text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text \tikzul[red]{text text text text text text text text text
text text

\noindent text text text text text text text text text
\par text text text text} text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text text


\end{document}

Answer 2

There are several options -- all of the below supports line break:

• lua-ul: https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/533377/250119 (specific for highlight+underline, simplest solution to use, works by default)
• a custom answer using tikz: https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/176118/250119 (allows arbitrary nesting but requires ≥ 3 compilations if nest)
• soulpos: see my answer at https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/685471/250119 (specific for highlight+strikeout) -- need to know TeX programming to define the commands, and this requires 2 compilations.
• soul: https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/178701/250119 (specific for strikeout+underline) -- this package inherently uses \leaders, so the answer works by repeating 0.1pt-width boxes which results in heavy PDF.

These solutions does not support line break:

• censor: https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/178691/250119 (specific for strikeout+underline)
• soul with savebox etc.: https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/418106/250119 (specific for highlight+underline)

For completion, below is a solution using ulem instead (adapt from my answer defining \dwave) -- ulem does not have the "uniform horizontal" restriction, but does not support hyphenation either:

%! TEX program = lualatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{ulem}

\makeatletter
\protected\def\ulinesout{%
    \leavevmode \bgroup
    \UL@setULdepth
    \markoverwith {%
        \rlap{\rule[.55ex]{2pt}{0.4pt}}%
        \rule[-\ULdepth]{2pt}{0.4pt}%  \rule[-.673ex]{2pt}{0.4pt}
    }%
    \ULon 
}
\makeatother
\begin{document}

\uline{a}\ulinesout{b}\sout{c}

\uline{Producing a colored underline or strike-through is }\ulinesout{not supported by
regular uline}\sout{ or sout, but it is quite easy to colorize using the
markoverwith mechanism}

\end{document}

As remarked in ulem documentation, this is not a "truly flexible" rule, but it feels impossible in this case, and this draws the rule by repeating lots of small pieces.

This drawback is the same as that of the solution in the soul package linked above.