X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil t nil]
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Date:         Mon, 19 Feb 90 09:21:01 MET
Reply-To: Victor Eijkhout <U641000@HNYKUN11.uucp>
Sender: LaTeX-L Mailing list <LATEX-L@DHDURZ1.uucp>
From: Victor Eijkhout <U641000@HNYKUN11.bitnet>
Subject:      Startsection proposal
To: Rainer Schoepf <BK4@DHDURZ1.uucp>
Status: R
X-Status: 
X-Keywords:                  
X-UID: 8


Proposal for \@startsection layout:
(non run-in only)

\def\@startsection#1% vertical list above heading
                  #2% commands to be executed left of heading
                  #3% commands to be executed with heading
                  #4% vertical list below heading
                  #5% heading
  {#1\relax
   {\noindent\setbox0=\hbox{#2}\dimen0=\wd0\relax
    \box0 \vtop{\advance\hsize-\dimen0\noindent#3#5}\@@par}
   #4\relax}



Examples:

Standard LaTeX style
\@startsection{\Aboveskip}%
      {\Big\thesection.\hskip1em}%
      {}%
      {\Belowskip}%

Ntg style
\@startsection{\Aboveskip}%
      {\hbox to \unitindent{\notquitesoBig\thesection.\hfil}}%
      {\raggedright}
      {\Belowskip}%

Innocent variation
\@startsection{\Aboveskip\hrule}%
      {}%
      {\big\thesection.\hskip.5em\relax}%
      {\hrule\Belowskip}%

Unnumbered appendices
\@startsection{\hbox{\Big Appendix}\smallskip}%
      {}%
      {\medskip}%

Et cetera. I think this is reasonably flexible, and not too
taxing on the abilities of a style designer.

Oh, and while I have the stage: would it be possible to
(meaning: could we pleeeeease) have
in the next LaTeX a file structure where LaTeX.tex
inputs both Lplain and Lfonts? It is so unnatural having that
strange name 'lplain' for the format.
But of course that's only one man's opinion.


Victor Eijkhout                     Department of Mathematics
                                    University of Nijmegen
                                    Toernooiveld 5
  "Far out in the uncharted         6525 ED Nijmegen, the Netherlands
   backwaters of the unfash-
   ionable end of the               +31 80  61 3169
   western spiral arm               (switchboard: 61 1111)
   of the galaxy"
                                    u641000@HNYKUN11.BITNET