X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil t nil]
	[nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil])
Date:         Wed, 27 Jun 90 15:01:40 CET
Reply-To: LaTeX-L Mailing list <LATEX-L%DHDURZ1@unido.bitnet>
From: PZF5HZ@RUIPC1E.bitnet
To: Rainer Schoepf <BK4@DHDURZ1.uucp>
Status: R
X-Status: 
X-Keywords:                  
X-UID: 142

    I have not seen any examples of the last two: ie actions to perform
    whenever a font is used.  Thus difficult to say anything definite,
    but the "out-of-math" alternative seems as useful as the "in-math
    alternative": is it impossible/impractical/useless to combine these
    two and let the user (of the scheme) make the distinction with
    \ifmmode  \else  \fi ???

We used the math action to set or reset accent characters
in certain math alphabets in the amstex option. of course it
would be possible to use \ifmmode; this is macros names versus
space and time. I vote for different storrage if I build this.


    Will the existence of such an extra slow it down a lot?  Obviously,
    actually doing a remapping will, but there is no way round that: if
    remapping is needed then the time has to be taken to do it.

If the action is performed for every \selectfont command it
will slow down things a lot. But of course one can build a
scheme where remapping (for example) is done only if something
has changed. In such a case every \selectfont would only add
one extra call to a hook which would be normally empty.


  ***************
  Some people like to change the \fontdimen parameters font the same
  font for different uses or add extra \fontdimen s.  the latter has to
  be done immediately the font is loaded, and the former is best done
  then.  Thus these font-scheme implementors could not use your scheme
  as it is now.  They could, of course, achieve the same by building
  different copies of the .TFM file with the differnt values, but should
  they have to??? ie. should you deny them access to some of TeX's
  adaptability if they use your scheme?
  ****************

The addition of extra fontdimen parameters could be done via
first argument of \extra@def provided the font wasn't loaded already.
But in this case there is no chance at all to add another fontdimen
(problem in TeX (misfeature)). This would apply to all fonts in a
family.
For those who saw the current versions of the macros: there is also
a (currently) unused #5 argument to \new@fontshape which was added
to extend the fontselection scheme to carry out this specific to
every fontshape.

I don't see why changing \fontdimen parameters can't be done with
the new scheme. On the fly it can be done by defining macros as
proposed by Sebastian (back to the world?) i.e., by saying

..\selectfont \fontdimen5\font 4pt ...

in a macro. If it is necessary only once it can also be done
in \extra@def of the corresponding family. (I did this for the euler
family in concrete.sty to use the fonts in normal text.


I see the above opinion as a sign that the new font selection
isn't explained enough. Maybe we can help by writing a better
interface description.

Frank

Would be fine to here some more opinions!!!!!