Consider this MWE:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
% \gdef\myset{ %*
\tikzset{ %
mystyle/.style={rectangle},
mycode/.code n args={2}{%
\typeout{YEAH! #1 #2} %
},
} % end tikzset
% } % end gdef %*
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
% \myset %*
\node[mystyle,mycode={trying}{out}] (origin) at (0,0) {};
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
If you compile it as is, it will print "YEAH! trying out" to stdout. However, if you uncomment the lines marked with %*, then compilation fails with:
! Illegal parameter number in definition of \myset.
<to be read again>
1
l.9 \typeout{YEAH! #1
#2} %
?
... clearly, because Latex thinks the #1 is for the \gdef\myset, while I intend it to be for the \tikzset{ command inside it!
So, after checking out How to get the catcode of a token?, and doing texdef -t latex \makeatletter and texdef -t latex \makeatother, and \typeout{catcode of #: \the\catcode`#}, I came up with the following analog to \makeatletter, called \makehashletter:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\typeout{catcode of #: \the\catcode`#} %catcode of ##: 6
\def\makehashletter{\catcode`\#11\relax}
\def\makehashother{\catcode`\#6\relax}
\makehashletter
\gdef\myset{ %*
\tikzset{ %
mystyle/.style={rectangle},
mycode/.code n args={2}{%
\typeout{YEAH! #1 #2} %
},
} % end tikzset
} % end gdef %*
\makehashother
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\myset %*
\node[mystyle,mycode={trying}{out}] (origin) at (0,0) {};
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
... and this does compile - but it dumps YEAH! #1 #2 to stdout, which is not what I intended.
So my question is - is there a way to protect the # in a macro like the above, such that when the macro is ran and calls tikzset, the tikzset will see the previously protected #s as arguments?
Would it also be possible to somehow use that protection only on certain arguments (e.g. \myset could itself accept #1, which I would use "unprotected"; and I'd protect/escape the tikzset specific ones )?
(Note that I've tried:
\edef\hashmark{\string#}
... as in Match number sign inside plain TeX loop, and then using \hashmark1 instead of #1 where I want them "escaped", but that didn't work)
:)Cheers!