% README for changebar macros 09 Apr 91 %------------------------------------------------------------ GENERAL NOTES These are my macros for producing changebars with Plain TeX. Please note that (1) these macros will not produce an optimal page breaking (i.e. vertical glue will disappear in many places) and (2) that there is still a problem with these macros: it is described in the last section of the chapter `Handling the Page Contents.' By the way, this problem is within the current LaTeX, too. The macros were written for TeX 2. In the meantime TeX 3 became available; new features (i.e., \holdinginsert) would now allow a better implementation. The macros are written for the usage with Plain TeX. I will not do the LaTeX adaption because I neither use LaTeX in my own documents nor do I need changebars... For me it was just a nice play to show what can be done with the \output routine of TeX. Therefore I will not put further work in these macros. But I will happily redistribute enhancements and will make them available on the usual TeX servers. So: If you enhance the macros, or if you adapt them to LaTeX, or if you incorporate the new features of TeX 3, send them to me so that others can share your work. NOTES ON THE DISTRIBUTED FILES The macro file chbars.doc can be LaTeXed (the result is not as readable as it should be---but this is due to the inflexibility of the \@startsection macro of LaTeX). The needed style files are included. Furthermore two test files (test1.tex and test2.tex) for the usage of change bars in vertical and horizontal mode are included, too. These macros are documented with my MAKEPROG processor. Perhaps I should mention why I don't use the doc-option of Frank Mittelbach: MAKEPROG has been written by me before I have heard of the existence of doc. But even then I would have written it: doc is a special documentation tool for TeX macros which heavily depends on LaTeX and the LaTeX coding conventions. It is not very easy to use it for the documentation of other stuff than LaTeX macros. In contrary, MAKEPROG is a {\it general documentation facility\/} which I use for all things where WEB is not available. (In fact, it was created to document lex and yacc programs...) Especially the changefile possibility I need very hardly. MAKEPROG has the disadvantage that a special care of the TeX environment (e.g. the indexing of macro names) can not be implemented. I'm still working on MAKEPROG, the next version 2.0 will have a code rearrangement ability like TANGLE. MAKEPROG may be fetched from LISTSERV@DHDURZ1 (for the Bitnet folks) and per ftp from Washington (where it is in the UNIX distribution). I would prefer if you get it from there so that I don't have to mail out so much stuff. If you have no access contact me. If you are working on an IBM(-compatible) PC you should nevertheless contact me: I have changefiles for Turbo Pascal available. I'm not really satisfied that I have not found the time to update the documentation of MAKEPROG to mention that progltx, the progdoc-equivalent LaTeX style option, exists. To get a documentation you must run LaTeX over progltx.doc and print the result. Because I print the whole stuff usually on A4 paper I have included a style option for A4 page layout, too. The macro file a4-9.sty assumes that the driver leaves a margin of 1 in. Please note, that this is not just ``one other'' A4 page layout -- it was designed by a typographer and I have only done the LaTeX realization---have a look at a4-9.doc! Perhaps it is of interest for you how the verbatim typesetting in progltx is done---the scheme is robuster than the one LaTeX uses, it works with tabs (are you working on a VAX or a PC?), but it's slower, too. In the last sections of the files you can have a look at the `great' internal design of the current LaTeX, too. Well, I hope that you will enjoy the macros Greetings Joachim Schrod current address: Technical University of Darmstadt Department of Computer Science Joachim Schrod Alexanderstr. 10 D-6100 Darmstadt FR Germany Email: xitijsch@ddathd21.bitnet ============================================================================== The following files are in the distribution: COPYING copy conditions, i.e. the GNU General Public License README this file you are reading chbars.doc The documented macro source (with MAKEPROG!) progltx.sty Style files needed to print it. a4-9.sty chbars.tex the macro version of chbars.doc test1.tex Test files for chbars.tex test2.tex a4-9.doc a non-arbitrary A4 page layout style option a4-marg.chf changefile for a4-9.doc, adaption to 1in driver margin --