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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-plninltx.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-plninltx.html b/Master/texmf-doc/doc/english/FAQ-en/html/FAQ-plninltx.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..423caff49b2 --- /dev/null +++ b/Master/texmf-doc/doc/english/FAQ-en/html/FAQ-plninltx.html @@ -0,0 +1,90 @@ +<head> +<title>UK TeX FAQ -- question label plninltx</title> +</head><body> +<h3>Using Plain or primitive commands in LaTeX</h3> +<p>It's well-known that LaTeX commands tend to be more complex, and to +run more slowly than, any Plain (or primitive) command that they +replace. There is therefore great temptation not to use LaTeX +commands when macro programming. Nevertheless, the general rule is +that you should use LaTeX commands, if there are seeming +equivalents. The exception is when you are sure you know the +differences between the two commands and you know that you need the +Plain version. So, for example, use <code>\</code><code>mbox</code> in place of <code>\</code><code>hbox</code> +unless you know that the extras that LaTeX provides in <code>\</code><code>mbox</code> +would cause trouble in your application. Similarly, use +<code>\</code><code>newcommand</code> (or one of its relatives) unless you need one of the +constructs that cannot be achieved without the use of <code>\</code><code>def</code> (or friends). +<p>As a general rule, any LaTeX text command will start a new +paragraph if necessary; this isn't the case with Plain TeX +commands, a fact which has a potential to confuse. +<p>The commands <code>\</code><code>smallskip</code>, <code>\</code><code>medskip</code> and <code>\</code><code>bigskip</code> exist both +in Plain TeX and LaTeX, but behave slightly differently: in Plain +TeX they terminate the current paragraph, but in LaTeX they +don't. The command <code>\</code><code>line</code> is part of picture mode in LaTeX, +whereas it's defined as "<code>\</code><code>hbox</code><code> to </code><code>\</code><code>hsize</code>" in +Plain TeX. (There's no equivalent for users of the Plain TeX command in +LaTeX: an equivalent appears as the internal command <code>\</code><code>@@line</code>). +<p>Maths setting shows a case where the LaTeX version <em>is</em> +essentially equivalent to the TeX primitive commands: the LaTeX +<code>\</code><code>(</code><code> ... </code><code>\</code><code>)</code> does essentially no different to the +TeX <code>$ ... $</code> +(except for checking that you're not attempting to open a maths +environment when you're already in one, or vice versa). +However, <code>\</code><code>[</code><code> ... </code><code>\</code><code>]</code> <em>isn't</em> the same as +<code>$$ ... $$</code>: the TeX version, used +in LaTeX, contrives to miss the effect of the class option +<code>fleqn</code>. +<p>Font handling is, of course, wildly different in Plain TeX and +LaTeX: even the LaTeX equivalent of the Plain TeX +font-loading command (<code>\</code><code>newfont</code>) should be avoided wherever +possible: the possibilities of confusion with constructs that vary +their behaviour according to the font size that LaTeX has recorded +are (sadly) legion. A really rather funny example is to be had by +saying: +<blockquote> +<pre> +\documentclass{article} +\begin{document} +\font \myfont=cmr17 scaled 2000 +\myfont +\LaTeX +\end{document} +</pre> +</blockquote> +(the reader is encouraged to try this). The "A" of LaTeX +has pretty much disappeared: LaTeX sets the "A" according to +<em>its</em> idea of the font size (10pt), but "<code>\</code><code>myfont</code>" is more +than three times that size. +<p>Another "<code>\</code><code>myfont</code>" example arises from an entirely different +source. The mini-document: +<blockquote> +<pre> +\documentclass{article} +\begin{document} +\font \myfont=ecrm1000 +{\myfont par\`a} +\end{document} +</pre> +</blockquote> +gives you "German low double quotes" in place of the grave accent. +This problem arises because <i>ecrm1000</i> is in a different +<a href="FAQ-whatenc.html">font encoding</a> than LaTeX is expecting - if you +use LaTeX font commands, all the tiresome encoding issues are +solved for you, behind the scenes. +<p>So, whether you're dealing with a one-off font or a major new family, you +are far more likely to be satisfied with the LaTeX file selection +system, so it's worth investing a small amount of effort to write +declarations of the font's family and how it should be loaded. For +details of the commands you need, see the LaTeX font usage guide, +<i>fntguide</i>: this may be viewed on the archive, but you should +find a copy of the document in your own system. + + + + +<dl> +<dt><tt><i>fntguide.pdf</i></tt><dd><a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/doc/fntguide.pdf">macros/latex/doc/fntguide.pdf</a> +<dt><tt><i>fntguide.tex</i></tt><dd>Distributed with <a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/base.zip">macros/latex/base</a> (<a href="ftp://cam.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/base.tar.gz">gzipped tar</a>, <a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/macros/latex/base/">browse</a>) +</dl> +<p><p>This question on the Web: <a href="http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=plninltx">http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=plninltx</a> +</body> |