How to execute \LTXexample repeatitively with a looping macro such that its counter value gets rendered in both input/output parts?

Question

The following code is the simplified version of my real scenario. It might look trivial.

I forgot to say that the following code is the Minimal Not Working Example (MNWE):

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{showexpl}
\usepackage{graphicx}


\begin{document}
\newcount\counter
\counter=-1
\loop
    \advance \counter by 1
    \ifnum\counter<5
    \LTXexample
        \scalebox{\counter}{\counter}
    \endLTXexample
    \newpage
\repeat
\end{document}

When \counter=1, for example, I want the input part (source part) to get rendered as

\scalebox{1}{1}

rather than

\scalebox{\counter}{\counter}

.

Error messages when it is compiled with pdflatex, latex, xelatex:

(c:/texlive/2010/texmf-dist/tex/latex/listings/lstmisc.sty)

Package Listings Warning: Text dropped after begin of listing on input line 21.


(c:/texlive/2010/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/omscmr.fd))
*
! Emergency stop.
<*> counterlistings

!  ==> Fatal error occurred, no output PDF file produced!
Transcript written on counterlistings.log.

How to execute \LTXexample repeatitively with a looping macro such that its counter value gets rendered in both input/output parts?

Answer 1

The issue here is that \loop reads everything till \repeat as argument and therefore doesn't allow verbatim environments like LTXexample:

\loop:
\long macro:#1\repeat ->\def \iterate {#1\relax \expandafter \iterate \fi }\iterate \let \iterate \relax 

You need to look for a different way to loop over it. Note that showexpl uses listings which allows for escape characters. You could use these to escape around the counter value and have \number\counter there. This should write the number to the temp file.