Questions tagged [plain-tex]
Plain TeX is Knuth's original default format for TeX documents.
767
questions
1
vote
0
answers
33
views
Where is the reference point of a VBOX?
From the TeXbook,
Therefore, the actual rules for the depth of a constructed vbox a somewhat TeXnical. Here they are: Given a vertical list that is being wrapped up via \vbox, the problem is to ...
- 2,599
2
votes
1
answer
202
views
Why double curly brackets in `\long\def\bold#1{{\bf#1}}`
I'm reading The TeXbook by Knuth.
Page 205 has
If you actually want a control sequence to allow arguments with \par
tokens, you can define it to be a “long” macro by saying ‘\long’ just
before ‘\def’. ...
- 449
2
votes
2
answers
95
views
Plain TeX simple horizontal alignment in table
Beginner's question: Why doesn't horizontal alignment work as I expect in this simple table?
I just have a set of variables with values in the left column which I want to align under the heading "...
1
vote
0
answers
15
views
adding footnotes to columns in plain-tex / optex
Accorging to this answer, it's possible to add footnotes to columns in optex/plain tex.
Although I have a vague idea about what the author has in mind, where/how exactly do I add \penalty-10013 and \...
- 242
0
votes
1
answer
39
views
Under what circumstances does TeX produce a series of tokens with space after a control sequence?
On page 39 of The TeXbook, Knuth said,
Furthermore, spaces
are not ignored after control sequences inside a token list; the ignore-space rule applies
only in an input file, during the time that ...
- 2,599
0
votes
2
answers
62
views
How to use mlmodern fonts with Plain TeX or OpTeX?
I would like to systematically use mlmodern fonts with Plain TeX and even OpTeX, but I am unable to convert the code of mlmodern.sty into a code which could be understood by the tex or optex ...
- 501
3
votes
1
answer
129
views
\if compares text literal?
Knuth's tex book introduced \if<token1><token2>. I wrote the following to test it
\def\tOne{abc}
\def\tTwo{abc}
\ifx\tOne\tTwo
True
\else
False
\fi
\if\tOne{abc}
True
\else
False
\fi
\...
- 449
0
votes
0
answers
81
views
How to align = symbol of several equations vertically?
I want to do something quite particular with PlainTeX, though I'm not one hundred percent sure it's possible.
Say I have a few equations, each on a separate line, which represent the simplification of ...
- 1
4
votes
2
answers
80
views
How to typeset the numero sign in Plain TeX?
I want to typeset the numero sign № in Plain TeX.
My first guess is to use
\def\numero{$\rm N^{\underline o}$}
but the line under the o is too long and I don't really want to mess up with arbitrary ...
user227615
1
vote
1
answer
33
views
Table column spacing in Plain TeX with \settabs
In Plain TeX I need to reduce the space between 2 columns in a 2 column
table. How to do this? I am simply using \settabs 2 \columns, but one column is
at the left of the page, but the second is on ...
4
votes
2
answers
220
views
How to define a math bold font in Plain TeX?
Consider the following code:
\font\rm=ecrm1000\rm
\font\bf=ecbx1000
R{\bf R} $R{\bf R}$
\bye
The result I get is RR RR.
However I was expecting RR RR
Why the second R in the math formula not ...
user227615
-4
votes
3
answers
119
views
Left \mapsto arrow
I am looking for a way to make a command for left version of \mapsto arrow with (AMS)TeX
.
This is what I tried to do:
\mathchardef\mapstochar="322F
\def\leftmapsto{\leftarrow\mapstochar}
\def\...
- 215
4
votes
1
answer
96
views
Is this way of defining \section in Plain TeX correct?
I am relatively new to Plain TEX and I wanted to define a \section command to typeset a bold and centered text with some spacing around it.
Here is what I came up with.
\def\section#1{\bigbreak\...
user227615
0
votes
0
answers
48
views
Why doesn't \hfil work to right align?
I don't understand why
{\bf Title}\hfil A.\ Uthor
\bye
and
{\bf Title}\hfill A.\ Uthor
\bye
do not give the same result. Only \hfill works to right align text but there is not other infinity, I ...
user227615
1
vote
1
answer
61
views
Upper-case programmatic data with expl3 in TeX Live 2019
I use the following expl3 code to upper-case the first character of a programmatic string. The code is from the body of a control sequence definition and is not supposed to be fully expandable.
\...
- 1,017
0
votes
1
answer
53
views
Breaking lines of TikZ pictures
Doing a lot of pictures sequentially with TikZ, I would like a break line behavior, resulting in more uniform lines. But I couldn't.
\input{tikz}
\def\maxangle{30}
\pgfmathsetseed{7}
\foreach \...
- 809
0
votes
0
answers
49
views
How to use plain XeTeX for emoji and words of non-English alphabet?
I am trying to create documents with emojis and words of non-English alphabet (Farsi, Chinese, Korean etc), but I heard that plain TeX does not support this, but plain XeTeX does offer support. ...
- 339
0
votes
1
answer
61
views
Plain TeX input Tikz package not found
I ran
\input tikz.tex
\bye
and the Tikz package is not found
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.22 (TeX Live 2021/MacPorts 2021.58693_2) (preloaded format=pdftex)
restricted \write18 ...
- 339
3
votes
1
answer
62
views
Why do log files show only the first letter of a word?
If I create hello.tex thus:
\tracingcommands 1
Hello world
then hello.log contains
This is TeX, [etc]
**hello.tex
(./hello.tex
{vertical mode: the letter H}
{horizontal mode: the letter H}
{blank ...
- 207
3
votes
2
answers
89
views
Bad positioning of slanted (italic) math accents
The math accents are usually taken from textfonts (only \vec from the math italic font). I would like to have an italic accent over an italic letter also in math mode. To present the problem quickly I ...
- 804
1
vote
1
answer
52
views
Question about TeXBook Exercise 8.6
In exercise 8.6 the characters ^^A, ^^B, ^^C, ^^M are defined to belong to categories 0, 7, 10, and 11 respectively. The question ist what tokens are produced from the input line ‘^^B^^BM^^A^^B^^C^^M^^...
- 47
0
votes
1
answer
47
views
How to AMSTeX in TeXMaker
I am trying to TeX the following on texmaker in linux, however I'm running into errors, mainly for the first line. However I have pictex already downloaded. I used the default Quick Build in texmaker. ...
user263204
2
votes
2
answers
77
views
Line numbers for Optex
I tried to run this answer (using edmac) with optex but it failed. I know that Optex has the \ttline macro, but still couldn't find out how to number text lines.
I started creating a simple macro that ...
- 242
3
votes
1
answer
70
views
Modify footnote properties in optex
How do I modify the behavior of the footnote line and text with optex?
I'd like to change the width and height of the rule, and the footnotes to hang thus:
¹ Text text text
text text text
text ...
- 242
3
votes
1
answer
119
views
macros from plain TeX fail to work in xelatex
I find some macros from plain TeX fail to work in XeLaTeX. The following MWE for example. Why?
\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{geometry}
\geometry{showframe}
\geometry{left=1cm,right=1cm,...
- 2,189
0
votes
1
answer
38
views
Change rules for spacing in formulas
The following note is given in Donald Knuth 's TeXbook (page 170):
How can I change these rules? More specifically, I am interested in changing the Punct line from (1) (1) * (1) ... to 1 1 * 1 ....
...
- 269
3
votes
2
answers
90
views
Detect end of \input-file (not \read-file) in Knuthian TeX?
In Knuthian-TeX I'd like to have a macro which switches to verbatim-category-code-régime and then calls another macro which processes characters from the current input-file one by one until reaching ...
- 31
5
votes
3
answers
165
views
Testing "sequentiality" of \expandafter (plain Tex) - weird results
Trying to have a better understanding/controlling over \expandafter, I wrote this code.
\count100 = 0
\count101 = 1
\def\c{%
\the \count100
\advance \count100 by \count101\relax}%
%
\everypar{\...
- 809
1
vote
1
answer
48
views
What is causing punctuation to appear around my matrices?
I have an input file called mathchar.tex, which I rely on pretty heavily:
\mathchardef\Gamma="7400
\mathchardef\Delta="7401
\mathchardef\Theta="7402
\mathchardef\Lambda="7403
\...
- 257
3
votes
1
answer
129
views
why is latex's ltluatex.sty required for plain luaotfload?
I tried (successfully) to compile a sober Plain LuaTeX format and discovered, with some surprise, that loading the standard luaotfloader in Plain requires a piece of code, ltluatex.tex which requires ...
- 3,983
2
votes
1
answer
156
views
How to create a time line in plain TeX or ConTeXt?
I need to create a time line like this:
<----*----*----*--------*---->
1991 1992 1993 1995
It will sometimes skip numbers, e.g. it could go from 1993 to 1995 without having a mark at ...
- 12.4k
0
votes
3
answers
57
views
How to place an optional break with second line flushed to right?
I wrote a table of the \advance operator.
If the line is too long, I want a break, and the second line flushed to right.
I tried to get inspiration from the macro \signed presented in the TeXbook, ...
- 113
3
votes
6
answers
152
views
How are conditionals expanded in TeX?
I am typesetting a collection of mathematical problems, solutions and notes to them in Plain TeX. The simplified document is:
\def\problem{Problem. }
\def\solution{Solution. }
\def\note{Note. }
\...
- 33
8
votes
2
answers
111
views
How does \expandafter interact with } and \toks?
I know \expandafter can skip the token immediately after it, therefore I try to use it with some combinations of } , \toks and definitions with \def and \let.
The main question the puzzles me is why ...
- 83
8
votes
3
answers
549
views
When to use \nolimits when defining a math operator?
In plain TeX, \cos is defined as \mathop {\rm cos}\nolimits but \gcd as \mathop {\rm gcd}.
In what case to use \nolimits when defining a math operator to be typeset in roman?
user227615
4
votes
2
answers
266
views
How can I use a roman font for capital letters in math mode when using plain TeX?
The French style (see the frenchstyle option of the LaTeX kpfonts package) is to typeset capital letters in math mode in roman rather than in italic.
How can I achieve that in plain TeX without having ...
user227615
1
vote
1
answer
101
views
LuaTeX compiling
May someone can explain me how to compile the LuaTeX source files available here :
http://michel.quercia.free.fr/cours-MP.tgz
together with the macro's files
http://michel.quercia.free.fr/montchapet....
- 516
2
votes
2
answers
101
views
How to define a \bigplus operator in plain TeX?
How to define a big plus operator that behaves exactly like bigsum but uses the plus symbol instead of a capital sigma?
I know that the best option (or at least the way Don would do it) is probably to ...
user227615
1
vote
1
answer
79
views
How to write Arabic in plain luatex
I tried to write Arabic in plain Luatex but all letters in isolted mode
\input luaotfload.sty
\font\amiri={file:amiri-regular.ttf:mode=harf;script=arabic} at 12pt
\pagedir TRT \bodydir TRT \textdir ...
- 87
5
votes
1
answer
140
views
How can I use the AMS Euler font in plain TeX?
I want to use the AMS Euler font designed by Zapf in my document. I looked for packages on CTAN (e.g., the euler package), but they are specifically designed for LaTeX.
I took a look at the gkpmac.tex ...
user227615
3
votes
1
answer
96
views
What is the difference between using `\edef` with `\noexpand` and simply `\def`?
In this question: Automatically adding space before punctuation in old-style English texts, the accepted answer uses the following definition
\edef!{\unskip\noexpand\,\string!}
What is the difference ...
user227615
7
votes
1
answer
218
views
Does $$...$$ produces wrong spacing in plain TeX?
In the ConTeXt FAQ, one can read
Does $$...$$ work for display math, like in (La)TeX?
No; the spacing above and below the equation will be wrong, and maybe other aspects too.
Moreover in LaTeX, a ...
user227615
2
votes
3
answers
189
views
Macro working over a whole word (plain TeX)
I have spend a good time searching in references and forums for a answer to the question I'm raising here.
I would like to write a macro that gets a word as a parameter without needing to using braces ...
- 809
3
votes
1
answer
197
views
How to use the OldStandard fonts with plain TeX?
The CTAN fonts/oldstandard repository contains files for the OldStandard (OS) fonts but are intended to be used with LaTeX.
How could I define \tenrm, \tenbf, \tenit and same with other font sizes for ...
user227615
4
votes
2
answers
181
views
Are Donald Knuth's music sheets written in TeX? [closed]
Donald Knuth composed a work for pipe organ “Fantasia Apocalyptica”
He has published the sheets on his website but I was wondering if they were typesetted using TEX or some other software (lilypond or ...
user227615
3
votes
3
answers
537
views
How to typeset French quotation marks in plain TeX?
How to typeset French quotation marks in plain TeX?
<<~This is the {\LaTeX} way.~>>
I might need to use European Computer Modern (or Latin Modern?) but I'm not sure how to do so.
user227615
3
votes
1
answer
187
views
\let and \def differentiation in D. Knuth's commentary (plain TeX)
In the The TeX Book, in apendix B, I read
\def\obeyspaces{\catcode`\ =\active}
{\obeyspaces\global\let =\space}
{%
\catcode`\^^M=\active % these lines must end with ‘%’
\gdef\obeylines{\catcode`\^^M=\...
- 809
0
votes
0
answers
45
views
Before LaTeX editors were invented, how did plain TeX authors output their code? [duplicate]
"Output" doesn't just mean PDF files. It could also mean PostScript or plain paper (made from trees).
This might seem like a goofy question, but I couldn't find the answer with a search ...
- 63
10
votes
1
answer
475
views
What tools/advice/methods should I utlize to practice "The TeXbook by Donald Knuth"?
The short question is:
How do I progress with this book?
What tools should I download?
A step by step explanation would be deeply appreciated ..
The experience I had:
Am a computer science student and ...
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
81
views
Plain LuaTeX unicode letters with PiTeX
I'm trying to isolate fonts.ptxlua from pitex to access Open/True-Type fonts with the YaX interface. I can load the font correctly; however, as I tried to typeset some proofs, I found that now LuaTeX ...
- 3,983