I need to insert a dot symbol, such as “•” or a METAPOST circle into my document, at different heights between the baseline and top of characters, like this example:
_____ _____ _____
* | | \ / |
* * * | | \ / |
* * * * | |____ \/ |
* * | | /\ |
* | | / \ |
* | |____ / \ |
The letters TEXT
appear as regular sized text, and the *
are circles placed at different heights. There are never dots above or below each other.
Using ^
and _
in math mode, I was able to place the dot at 3 different placements vertically, e.g.:
\math{^•} prints high
\math{•} prints in the middle
\math{_•} prints low
This has several problems though:
- The superscript and subscript dots are smaller than the middle dot, but I need a consistent radius.
- The superscript is too high, going beyond the top of characters in the same line. The subscript is also too low, going below the baseline. Ideally, the lowest dot will not fall below the baseline, and the highest dot will not go higher than the top of a capital letter.
- I need to draw the dots at 6 different levels.
If the dots are large, there can be overlap in their levels, e.g.:
__
/ \ __
\__/ / \
\__/
How can I control the vertical placement of a dot character, or similar METAPOST dots and ensure that the placement falls between the baseline and top of words on the same line?