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| author | Karl Berry <karl@freefriends.org> | 2005-12-29 00:31:48 +0000 |
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| committer | Karl Berry <karl@freefriends.org> | 2005-12-29 00:31:48 +0000 |
| commit | a9d59a2d83b345581f2eb0c6b7f08c091f5622f0 (patch) | |
| tree | 00fba7fbf3f00c16be8699398c6e4c2a256c68ac /Master/texmf-doc/doc/english/FAQ-en/html/FAQ-balance.html | |
| parent | 89caab08d62b22519b44acf582a5fc3d302cbd60 (diff) | |
doc/english/F-ca
git-svn-id: svn://tug.org/texlive/trunk@19 c570f23f-e606-0410-a88d-b1316a301751
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diff --git a/Master/texmf-doc/doc/english/FAQ-en/html/FAQ-balance.html b/Master/texmf-doc/doc/english/FAQ-en/html/FAQ-balance.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..6cbaf7f7400 --- /dev/null +++ b/Master/texmf-doc/doc/english/FAQ-en/html/FAQ-balance.html @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +<head> +<title>UK TeX FAQ -- question label balance</title> +</head><body> +<h3>Balancing columns at the end of a document</h3> +<p>The <i>twocolumn</i> option of the standard classes causes +LaTeX to set the text of a document in two columns. However, the last +page of the document typically ends up with columns of different +lengths - such columns are said to be "unbalanced". Many (most?) +people don't like unbalanced columns. +<p>The simplest solution to the problem is to use the <i>multicol</i> +package in place of the <i>twocolumn</i> option, as +<i>multicol</i> balances the columns on the final page by default. +However, the use of <i>multicol</i> does come at a cost: its +special output routine disallows the use of in-column floats, though +it does still permit full-width (e.g., <code>figure*</code> +environment) floats. +<p>As a result, there is a constant push for a means of balancing columns +at the end of a <i>twocolumn</i> document. Of course, the job can +be done manually: <code>\</code><code>pagebreak</code> inserted at the appropriate place on +the last page can often produce the right effect, but this seldom +appeals, and if the last page is made up of automatically-generated +text (for example, bibliography or index) inserting the command will +be difficult. +<p>The <i>flushend</i> package offers a solution to this problem. It's a +somewhat dangerous piece of macro code, which patches one of the most +intricate parts of the LaTeX kernel without deploying any of the +safeguards discussed in <a href="FAQ-patch.html">patching commands</a>. +The package only changes the behaviour at end document (its +<code>\</code><code>flushend</code> command is enabled by default), and one other command +permits adjustment of the final balance; other packages in the bundle +provide means for insertion of full width material in two-column +documents. +<p>The <i>balance</i> package also patches the output routine +(somewhat more carefully than <i>flushend</i>). +<p>The user should be aware that any of these packages are liable to +become confused in the presence of floats: if problems arise, manual +adjustment of the floats in the document is likely to be necessary. +It is this difficulty (what's required in any instance can't really be +expressed in current LaTeX) that led the author of +<i>multicol</i> to suppress single-column-wide floats. +<dl> +<dt><tt><i>balance.sty</i></tt><dd>Distributed as part of <a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/preprint.zip">macros/latex/contrib/preprint</a> (<a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/preprint.tar.gz">gzipped tar</a>, <a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/preprint/">browse</a>) +<dt><tt><i>flushend.sty</i></tt><dd>Distributed as part of <a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/sttools.zip">macros/latex/contrib/sttools</a> (<a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/sttools.tar.gz">gzipped tar</a>, <a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/sttools/">browse</a>) +<dt><tt><i>multicol.sty</i></tt><dd>Distributed as part of <a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/required/tools.zip">macros/latex/required/tools</a> (<a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/required/tools.tar.gz">gzipped tar</a>, <a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/macros/latex/required/tools/">browse</a>) +<p></dl> +<p><p>This question on the Web: <a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=balance">http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=balance</a> +</body> |