How come it's so tricky to get a robust way to capture the contents of nested lists ?
Before trying to understand the itemize or enumerate environments, I checked plain TeX definition of \item theTeXbook. I understand that \item is a function defined as
"Plain TEX uses hanging indentation in its ' \item macro, which produces a paragraph in which every line has the same indentation as a normal \indent. Furthermore, \item takes a parameter that is placed into the position of the indentation on the first line. Another macro called \itemitem does the same thing but with double indentation.
"
No mandatory argument but an optional argument as in \item[$\bullet$] in a list.
It seems difficult though to get the content of the text after \item in lists.
It would actually be easier for TeX to have \item{bla bla bla} (between braces) to retrieve this content. This is what's done here and here for non nested lists.
Other answers led to external languages. In python for instance, TeXsoup aims at organizing all the content of a .tex file into a dataframe and as such, handle this question.
I'd like to stay inside TeX.
beamer compatibility with \item<i-> as an option would be great...
Example of application : easily turn a boring list into a mindmap
NB : This question arose during this discussion in another nice TeX Community regarding how to create an environment that would render a nested list into a mindmap.
MWE
\documentclass{beamer}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{mindmap,shadows}
\definecolor{myuniversity}{RGB}{36, 0, 132}
%--------------------
% GrowCycle
% Till level 5
%--------------------
\makeatletter
\newif\ifmmap@debug
\mmap@debugfalse
\newcommand{\mmap@debug@message}[1]{\ifmmap@debug
\typeout{#1}%
\fi}
\def\tikz@mmap@store@aux#1#2{%
\immediate\write\@mainaux{\string\expandafter\xdef\noexpand\csname pgfk@/tikz/mmap/\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/name}/#1\string\endcsname{#2}}}%
\def\tikz@mmap@get@from@aux#1#2{%
\ifcsname pgfk@/tikz/mmap/\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/name}/#1\endcsname
\edef#2{\csname pgfk@/tikz/mmap/\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/name}/#1\endcsname}%
\else
\edef#2{0}%
\fi
}
\pgfmathdeclarefunction{MMapNodesAtLevel}{1}{%
\tikz@mmap@get@from@aux{n-\@roman{#1}}{\pgfmathresult}}
\newcount\tikzcountchildi
\newcount\tikzcountchildii
\newcount\tikzcountchildiii
\newcount\tikzcountchildiv
\newcount\tikzcountchildv
\newcount\tikzcountchildvi
\tikzcountchildi=0
\tikzcountchildii=0
\tikzcountchildiii=0
\tikzcountchildiv=0
\tikzcountchildv=0
\tikzcountchildvi=0
\tikzset{Julien growth/.style={%
growth function=\tikz@grow@Julien,
mmap/initialize counts,
/tikz/execute at end scope={%
\tikz@mmap@store@aux{n-i}{\the\tikzcountchildi}%
\tikz@mmap@store@aux{n-ii}{\the\tikzcountchildii}%
\tikz@mmap@store@aux{n-iii}{\the\tikzcountchildiii}%
\tikz@mmap@store@aux{n-iv}{\the\tikzcountchildiv}%
\tikz@mmap@store@aux{n-v}{\the\tikzcountchildv}%
\tikz@mmap@store@aux{n-vi}{\the\tikzcountchildvi}%
}},
mmap/.cd,
initialize counts/.code={\global\tikzcountchildi=0%
\global\tikzcountchildii=0%
\global\tikzcountchildiii=0%
\global\tikzcountchildiv=0%
\global\tikzcountchildv=0%
\global\tikzcountchildvi=0%
}
}
\def\tikz@grow@Julien{%
\pgftransformreset%
\pgftransformshift{\pgfpoint{\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/overall xshift}}%
{\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/overall yshift}}}%
\ifcase\tikztreelevel
\or
\pgfmathsetmacro{\pgfutil@tempb}{\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/overall rotation}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/offset angle}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/sibling angle}*\tikzcountchildi}%
\global\advance\tikzcountchildi by1\relax%
\or
\pgfmathsetmacro{\pgfutil@tempb}{\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/overall rotation}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/offset angle}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/sibling angle}*\tikzcountchildii}%
\global\advance\tikzcountchildii by1\relax%
\or
\pgfmathsetmacro{\pgfutil@tempb}{\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/overall rotation}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/offset angle}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/sibling angle}*\tikzcountchildiii}%
\global\advance\tikzcountchildiii by1\relax%
\or
\pgfmathsetmacro{\pgfutil@tempb}{\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/overall rotation}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/offset angle}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/sibling angle}*\tikzcountchildiv}%
\global\advance\tikzcountchildiv by1\relax%
\or
\pgfmathsetmacro{\pgfutil@tempb}{\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/overall rotation}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/offset angle}%
+\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/sign}*\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/sibling angle}*\tikzcountchildv}%
\global\advance\tikzcountchildv by1\relax%
\fi
\mmap@debug@message{level=\the\tikztreelevel,%
\the\tikzcountchildi,\the\tikzcountchildii,\the\tikzcountchildiii,
rotation=\pgfutil@tempb,sibling angle=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/sibling angle}}%
\pgftransformrotate{\pgfutil@tempb}%
\pgftransformxshift{\the\tikzleveldistance}%
}
\makeatother
\tikzset{%
mmap/.cd,
name/.initial=undef,
overall rotation/.initial = 0,
overall xshift/.initial = 0pt,
overall yshift/.initial = 0pt,
sign/.initial = 1,
child weight/.initial = 0.5,
rotation/.initial = 0.5,
shape angle/.initial = 180,
distance to 1/.initial = 4.5cm,
distance to 2/.initial = 7.5cm,
distance to 3/.initial = 10cm,
distance to 4/.initial = 12cm,
distance to 5/.initial = 14cm,
offset level 3/.initial = 0,
/tikz/.cd,
offset angle/.initial=0,
Xshift/.style={xshift=#1,mmap/overall xshift=#1},
Yshift/.style={yshift=#1,mmap/overall yshift=#1},
% branch color/.style={
% concept color=#1!80,
% ball color=#1!50,
% every child/.append style={concept color=#1!50},
% },
}
%----------------------------------------------
% Style of the mindmap
%----------------------------------------------
\tikzset{mymmstyle/.style 2 args={
text width=1.5cm,
align=flush center,
mindmap,
Julien growth,
mmap/overall rotation=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/rotation},
mmap/sign = 1,
mmap/name = semicirc, %<- you need unique names if you want to use several mindmaps
every node/.style={
concept,
circular drop shadow,
execute at begin node=\hskip0pt,
text=#2,
},
node font=\sffamily,
nodes={concept},
concept color=#1,
root concept/.append style={
ball color=#1,
line width=1.5ex,
text=#2,
font=\LARGE\bfseries\scshape,
minimum size=3.25cm,
text width=3.25cm
},
level 1/.style={%
level distance=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/distance to 1},%
font=\large,%
minimum size=2.5cm,%
text width=2.0cm,
fill= #1!70,
sibling angle/.evaluated={\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/shape angle}/max((MMapNodesAtLevel(1)-1),1)}
},
level 2/.style={%
level distance=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/distance to 2},%
font=\normalsize,%
minimum size=1.5cm,%
text width=1.5cm,
fill= #1!50,
sibling angle/.evaluated={\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/shape angle}/max((MMapNodesAtLevel(2)-1),1)}
},
level 3/.style={%
level distance=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/distance to 3},
font=\normalsize,
minimum size=1.5cm,
text width=1.5cm,
fill= #1!30,
sibling angle/.evaluated={\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/shape angle}/max((MMapNodesAtLevel(3)-1),1)},
offset angle=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/offset level 3}
},
level 4/.style={%
level distance=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/distance to 4},
font=\normalsize,
minimum size=1cm,
text width=1cm,
fill= #1!30,
sibling angle/.evaluated={\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/shape angle}/max((MMapNodesAtLevel(4)-1),1)},
offset angle=\pgfkeysvalueof{/tikz/mmap/offset level 4}
},
}
}
%\newcommand{\MyMindMap}[2][mymmstyle={blue}{white}]{
%\begin{tikzpicture}[#1]
%% \begin{scope}[#1]
%% \input{#2}
%{#2}
%% \end{scope}
%\end{tikzpicture}
%}
\begin{document}
\begin{frame}
\frametitle{Audience catching mindmap}
\resizebox{\linewidth}{!}{
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{scope}[mymmstyle={orange}{orange!50!black}]
\node[root concept] {Root}
child {node {level 1}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
}
child {node {level 1}
child {node {level 2}}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
}
child {node {level 1}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
child {node {level 2}
child {node {level 3}}
child {node {level 3}}
}
}
;
\end{scope}
\end{tikzpicture}
}
\end{frame}
\begin{frame}[allowframebreaks]
\frametitle{Audience killer list}
\begin{itemize}
\item level 1
\begin{itemize}
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\item level 1
\begin{itemize}
\item level 2
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\item level 1
\begin{itemize}
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\item level 2
\begin{itemize}
\item level 3
\item level 3
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\end{frame}
\end{document}
\itemis unrelated to the latex definition.