diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'info/ltx3pub/vt05d01.tex')
-rw-r--r-- | info/ltx3pub/vt05d01.tex | 317 |
1 files changed, 317 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/info/ltx3pub/vt05d01.tex b/info/ltx3pub/vt05d01.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..557c7e3769 --- /dev/null +++ b/info/ltx3pub/vt05d01.tex @@ -0,0 +1,317 @@ +%%% ==================================================================== +%%% @LaTeX3-article{ LaTeX3-VT05-01, +%%% filename = "vt05d01.tex", +%%% archived = "ctan:/tex-archive/info/ltx3pub/", +%%% author = "Ed Sznyter", +%%% doc-group = "Volunteer task VT05", +%%% title = "Research on Syntax for Tables", +%%% version = "1.02", +%%% date = "02 April 1993", +%%% time = "22:48:49 GMT", +%%% status = "public, contributed", +%%% author-email = "ews@babel.babel.com", +%%% author-address = "", +%%% abstract = "This is a preliminary overview of the direction +%%% for further research on tables. Much research +%%% remains to be done; in particular, the +%%% bibliography needs to be expanded, especially +%%% to include input from graphic designers and +%%% SGML users. +%%% +%%% Commonly requested features are listed, but +%%% more are needed. Because of limitations in +%%% \TeX\ and the small systems it must run on, +%%% many capabilities necessary for high-quality +%%% typesetting are unmanageable or must be +%%% relegated to optional substyles. Nonetheless, +%%% this list should include even functions we can +%%% not implement, if only to document the reasons. +%%% ", +%%% keywords = "Tables.Syntax", +%%% project-address = "LaTeX3 Project \\ +%%% c/o Dr. Chris Rowley \\ +%%% The Open University \\ +%%% Parsifal College \\ +%%% Finchley Road \\ +%%% London NW3 7BG, England, UK", +%%% project-tel = "+44 171 794 0575", +%%% project-FAX = "+44 171 433 6196", +%%% project-email = "LTX3-Mgr@SHSU.edu", +%%% copyright = "Copyright (C) 1993 LaTeX3 Project +%%% and Ed Sznyter. +%%% All rights reserved. +%%% +%%% Permission is granted to make and distribute +%%% verbatim copies of this publication or of +%%% coherent parts from this publication provided +%%% this copyright notice and this permission +%%% notice are preserved on all copies. +%%% +%%% Permission is granted to copy and distribute +%%% translations of this publication or of +%%% individual items from this publication into +%%% another language provided that the translation +%%% is approved by the original copyright holders. +%%% +%%% No other permissions to copy or distribute this +%%% publication in any form are granted and in +%%% particular no permission to copy parts of it +%%% in such a way as to materially change its +%%% meaning.", +%%% generalinfo = "To subscribe to the LaTeX3 discussion list: +%%% +%%% Send mail to listserv@vm.urz.uni-heidelberg.de +%%% with the following line as the body of the +%%% message (substituting your own name): +%%% +%%% subscribe LaTeX-L First-name Surname +%%% +%%% To find out about volunteer work: +%%% +%%% look at the document vol-task.tex which can +%%% be obtained electronically, see below. +%%% +%%% To retrieve project publications electronically: +%%% +%%% Project publications are available for +%%% retrieval by anonymous ftp from ctan hosts: +%%% ftp.tex.ac.uk +%%% ftp.dante.de +%%% ftp.shsu.edu +%%% in the directory /tex-archive/info/ltx3pub. +%%% +%%% The file ltx3pub.bib in that directory gives +%%% full bibliographical information including +%%% abstracts in BibTeX format. A brief history +%%% of the project and a description of its aims +%%% is contained in l3d001.tex. +%%% +%%% If you only have access to email, and not ftp +%%% You may use the ftpmail service. +%%% Send a message just containg the word +%%% help +%%% to ftpmail@ftp.shsu.edu +%%% for more information about this service. +%%% +%%% For offers of financial contributions or +%%% contributions of computing equipment or +%%% software, contact the project at the above +%%% address, or the TeX Users Group. +%%% +%%% For offers of technical assistance, contact the +%%% project at the above address. +%%% +%%% For technical enquiries and suggestions, send +%%% e-mail to the latex-l list or contact the +%%% project at the above address.", +%%% checksum = "29156 317 1599 12926", +%%% docstring = "The checksum field above contains a CRC-16 +%%% checksum as the first value, followed by the +%%% equivalent of the standard UNIX wc (word +%%% count) utility output of lines, words, and +%%% characters. This is produced by Robert +%%% Solovay's checksum utility.", +%%% } +%%% ==================================================================== + +\documentstyle{l3ms001} + +\title{Research on Syntax for Tables} +\author{Ed Sznyter} +\date{02 April 1993 \\ +Version 1.02} + +\begin{document} + +\maketitle + +\begin{abstract} +This is a preliminary overview of the direction +for further research on tables. Much research +remains to be done; in particular, the +bibliography needs to be expanded, especially +to include input from graphic designers and +SGML users. + +Commonly requested features are listed, but +more are needed. Because of limitations in +\TeX\ and the small systems it must run on, +many capabilities necessary for high-quality +typesetting are unmanageable or must be +relegated to optional substyles. Nonetheless, +this list should include even functions we can +not implement, if only to document the reasons. +\end{abstract} + +\section{Functionality} + +Many desirable capabilities are already implemented in macro packages +such as lamstex, bigtabular.sty, longtable.sty, supertab.sty. Other +features are noticeably lacking. Many of the functions demand a high +price in performance. + +\begin{enumerate} + \item The `a', or alpha, column of tbl, which aligns left (with all + other 'a' columns) and centers on the longest width. This is + necessary for aligning column heads. + + \item A `d', or decimally-aligned column, that works as + automatically as tbl's. Current solutions require manually + counting the number of digits on either side of the decimal, or + heuristics that assume a certain width (which leads to possible + collisions or ridiculous bearoff). Most solutions assume + monospaced digits without punctuation (other than the decimal + point) and can't handle alpha entries. + + \item More complete control over column width balancing. You might + want to make a set of columns equal width, or equal to the width + of a selected columns. + + \item Table footnotes and sourcenotes. These usually depend on the + width of the table, so can not be formatted independently. + + \item Element shading. This seems hopeless in a printer-independent + world, but is too useful to exclude. + + \item A more complete pallet of rules---hairline, thick, thin, + colored, dashed, etc. I have been unable to get vertical leaders + to work properly across rows of an \verb|\halign|. + + \item A more complete version of \verb|\cline|; i.e., leaders that + span a subset of columns (or rows). For example, to group entries + below a spanning subhead I've used downbraces and a rule that + doesn't reach the intercolumn vertical rules. + + \item Entries that span vertical columns. Lamstex probably solves + this, but apparently at great compute cost. + + \item Better control over vertical placement of entries within the + row (i.e., top, center, bottom). + + \item Tables that continue on multiple pages (repeating headings). + It is {\em usually} required that multi-page tables preserve the + column widths across pages; memory limits would require multiple + passes or an external program (like tbl; even tbl has limits of + 200 lines and 20 columns). Note that the heading might not be + repeated on a spread. + + It is also common to have very wide tables extend horizontally + across the binding gutter, usually repeating the stub column. The + height of rows must preserved, especially on the same spread. + This isn't simply a transpose of vertically broken tables. + + Per-page subtotal lines are beyond the capabilities of TeX, but + one can envision some sort of communication with, e.g., a + spreadsheet program so subsequent runs can produce these entries. + If we are to formalize such communication, then why not offload + most of the work to a tbl-like program? + +\end{enumerate} + +Some issues, such as continuation captions, captions that are +integrated into the table structure, and being able to specify floats +that cover spreads are at least partially the domain of the ``Research +on figures and captions.'' + +\section{Syntax} + +Currently, tables specifications are completely procedural; column +designators and rules define the representation, not element type, of +table entries. + +Using single letters for column designations has been a standard in +both \LaTeX\ and tbl. This now seems restrictive---new column types +can be defined easily and assigned to single-letter column designators +(see newarray.sty), so mnemonic choices are quickly exhausted, forcing +unnatural choices. + +\verb|\multicolumn| is cumbersome and should only be used for rare +entries; there should be a better way to specify controls for +different parts of the table (heading, body, footing) as in tbl. + +There is not a clean mechanism for defining different styles of tables +within a single document. + +\section{Taxonomy} +A standard table may be broken up into the following elements. +\begin{itemize} +\item box head (contains all column headings) + \begin{itemize} + \item Spanning \{sub\}head + \item Column head + \item Stub head (above row heads) + \end{itemize} +\item Row heads +\item Panel (actual table entries) +\item Total line +\end{itemize} + +Some rules are +\begin{itemize} +\item head rule---above the box head +\item cutoff rule--below the box head +\item spanner rule---below a spanning head +\item foot rule---below the table +\item total rule---above the total row +\end{itemize} + + +\begin{thebibliography}{Rhe92b} +\bibitem[Bea85]{XEROX:RBe85} +Richard~J. Beach. +\newblock Setting tables and illustrations with style. +\newblock Technical Report CSL-85-3, Xerox Corporation, Research +Center, Palo Alto, Califonia 94304, May 1985. + +\bibitem[Bea86]{Nottingham:RBe86} +R.~J. Beach. +\newblock Tabular typography. +\newblock In J.~C. van Vliet, editor, {\em Text processing and document + manipulation}, British Computer Society Workshop Series, pages 18--33, + Cambridge, April 1986. Cambridge University Press. + +\bibitem[Car90]{unp:DCa90} +David Carlisle. +\newblock Some notes on the longtable environment. +\newblock Available from \TeX{} servers, December 1990. + +\bibitem[Chi82]{UCP:CMoS82} +{\em The Chicago Manual of Style}. +\newblock University of Chicago Press, Chicago, London, 13th edition, +1982. + +\bibitem[Duc90]{unp:DDu90} +Denys Duchier +\newblock bibtabular.sty +\newblock Available from \TeX{} servers, July 1990. + +\bibitem[Fra91]{:FTC91} +Frame Technology Corporation. +\newblock New Features in FrameMaker. +\newblock Part Number 41-01040-00, May 1991. + +\bibitem[Gor92]{unp:TGo92} +Tom Gordon. +\newblock The qwertz SGML Document Types. +\newblock Version 1.2, German National Research Center for +Computer Science, January 1992. + +\bibitem[Jur91]{unp:TJu91} +Theo Jurriens +\newblock supertab.doc +\newblock Available from \TeX{} servers, August 1991. + +\bibitem[Les]{USD:MLe} +M.E. Lesk +\newblock {\it Tbl---A Program to Format Tables}. +USD:28 + +\bibitem[Van92]{Lausanne:CVa92} +Christine Vanoirbeek. +\newblock Formatting structured tables. +\newblock In C.~Vanoirbeek and G.~Coray, editors, {\em Electronic +Publishing '92}, pages 291--309, Cambridge, April 1992. Cambridge +University Press. +\end{thebibliography} + +\end{document} |