summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex3/xor/xo-README.txt
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex3/xor/xo-README.txt')
-rw-r--r--Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex3/xor/xo-README.txt219
1 files changed, 219 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex3/xor/xo-README.txt b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex3/xor/xo-README.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..26135c36ebd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex3/xor/xo-README.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+%
+% $Id: xo-README.txt,v 1.1 2000/08/11 07:04:34 latex3 Exp $
+%
+%
+
+INTRODUCTION
+============
+
+This directory contains the first prototype implementation of the new
+output routine (OR) for LaTeX2e*.
+
+It is not a finished product, thus it is very likely that using it
+will result in errors or problems.
+
+Especially error recovery is more or less nil, eg, there are a lot of
+places which simply say \ErrorFooBar (which is undefined). So if this
+happens to you, you might have to search in the code to see why this
+is supposed to be a user error.
+
+Nevertheless, I hope that playing around with it will give you some
+idea about how the finished OR might look like and what it will be
+able to do.
+
+Suggestions, comments, ... are welcome, especially on the already
+available functionality or on missing functionality.
+
+enjoy
+Frank
+
+August 2000
+
+
+
+
+
+INSTALLATION
+============
+
+This set of packages builds on the basic packages
+
+ templates.sty
+ ldcsetup.sty
+ xparse.sty
+
+so you need to pick those up from the project web site as well.
+
+To unpack the distribution use one of the three distributed .ins
+files:
+
+ xo.ins % unpacks without any tracing code whatsoever
+ xoprogress.ins % unpacks with progress information code (recommended)
+ xotrace.ins % unpacks with tracing code (for those who like to see
+ % what the algorithm really does)
+
+
+DOCUMENTATION
+=============
+
+The sequence
+
+ pdflatex xoutput.drv
+ makeindex -s gind.ist xoutput
+ pdflatex xoutput.drv
+
+will produce a pdf file of roughly 150 pages with the (somewhat)
+documented code --- there is still a lot to do there.
+
+To produce some overview article on the OR run
+
+ latex xo-pfloat
+
+three times.
+
+There will be a question asked which you can answer with either
+
+ 0 % run with normal latex
+ 1 % run using the new OR
+
+
+There is also a sample file for you to play with:
+
+ xo-sample.tex
+
+but is is more or less a template file.
+
+There is also the file I used for the examples for my talk at Oxford:
+
+ oxford-trial.tex
+
+This file asks for a "trial" number:
+
+ 0-8 shows how the algorithm adds float after float to the page
+ 9 same as 8 but uses grid layout
+ 10 manual float control using an .fpc file
+
+
+
+IMPLEMENTED FEATURES
+====================
+
+Plenty I hope, for important ones see xo-pfloat and of course the
+documented code :-)
+
+
+MISSING FEATURES
+================
+
+Plenty I fear. Here are a few important ones.
+
+ - Interface for specifying spanning floats is missing
+
+ - Interface for specifying which areas are allowed for a float
+
+ - Interface for specifying the look and setup of a float page
+
+ - Most of the page layout things like folio, running headers, etc
+
+ - More float placement control (what is wanted, needed)
+
+ - Balancing of columns, what are the appropriate concepts with
+ respect to floats?
+
+ - page style concepts: how are page styles changed, how are they
+ specified?
+
+
+
+KNOWN BUGS
+==========
+
+Plenty I fear. Here are a few important ones.
+
+ - There are many footnotes in the code that say CHECK! or FIX! or
+ ... they are all places where further work is most likely
+ necessary, or known bugs are already documented.
+
+ - Because of the unfinished work in xo-final/xo-new there are two
+ hardwired lists \bot@areas and \top@areas. Top areas are mounted
+ first on the page, thus entries for list of figures etc, will be
+ sort of strangely ordered :-)
+
+ - If a special penalty such as the flush point penalty ends up at the
+ top of a column any glue after it isn't properly removed. This
+ needs fixing and while the way to proceed is clear it is not yet
+ implemented.
+
+ - If we have to relax the float placement conditions due to a flush
+ point the current code reverts to tight conditions the moment the
+ last affected float has been placed (the idea was to ensure that we
+ don't place too many floats on such a page since the relaxed
+ conditions do not have a restriction there). But the problem with
+ that approach is that in fact in most cases this will result in no
+ further floats being allowed at all since typically the already
+ placed floats make any further trials fail now. So this needs some
+ change, eg only to check columns after the flush point with the
+ tight conditions or ... for the moment it has only be partially
+ resolved by enabling basically only the restrictions on number of
+ floats per column or space available in columns (which are only
+ checked for areas under trial)
+
+ - If the design allows strange placements in various areas, then ".lot"
+ files etc will as a result always be ordered strangely. There is
+ not much you can do about that on this stage (even if the above
+ problem is fixed) other than ensuring that at some later stage such
+ files get sorted automatically.
+
+ - Float pages are at best strange. what are good concepts to
+ construct them in multi-column layouts? Are there any?
+
+ - Size of a here float is not properly calculated when it get
+ initialized
+
+ - Grid layout requires that \topskip=\baselineskip (or so it seems
+ --- it shouldn't but there is somewhere a bug lurking)
+
+ - Definition of grid layout point commands need one more indirection
+ to allow turning them off for a single page setup. Right now, the
+ moment they are disabled they are gone.
+
+ - Initialization of the various data structures is not yet properly
+ done --- this needs further sorting out. As a result it is likely
+ that some setups run into undefined variables.
+
+ - If \readfloatplacements is used (ie float are manually placed) then
+ the positioning of the float areas is done incorrectly because I
+ forgot to add the necessary code to that part of the processing
+ (just found out while finishing the examples for the Oxford talk)
+
+
+FOUND A BUG?
+============
+
+If you think you have found a real bug (not just something that is
+simply not yet implemented) I would be glad if you report it using
+
+ latex latexbug
+
+from the standard LaTeX distribution and select option
+
+ 7) expl3: Experimental packages for TeX programmers. (expl3)
+
+or alternatively by discussing it on LATEX-L (see below)
+
+
+
+DISCUSSION OF FEATURES (MISSING OR ELSE)
+========================================
+
+Discussion of features, either those implemented or those missing
+should be directed to the discussion list
+
+ LATEX-L
+
+so that others can participate in the discussion. You can subscribe to
+this list by sending a mail with the line
+
+ SUBSCRIBE LATEX-L Your Name
+
+to listserv@URZ.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE