Received: by nummer-3.proteosys id <01C19442.D4CBA7EC@nummer-3.proteosys>; Thu, 3 Jan 2002 11:38:50 +0100 MIME-Version: 1.0 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]) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C19442.D4CBA7EC" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5 Content-class: urn:content-classes:message Subject: [XRASIMMIE@cs8700.ucg.ie: LaTeX v3 wish-list] Date: Mon, 15 Oct 1990 13:09:23 +0100 Message-ID: X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: From: "Rainer Schoepf" Sender: "LaTeX-L Mailing list" To: "Rainer M. Schoepf" Reply-To: "LaTeX-L Mailing list" Status: R X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 242 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C19442.D4CBA7EC Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I got the following message a while ago, as a reaction to a discussion I had with John Simmie after the talk at Cork. He's a chemist, so his focus of interest is different from the mathematicians one. I think = it's interesting to pass this on to the list. - Rainer ----------------------original message follows = ------------------------------ Hi: I enjoyed your presentation at TeX90 on LaTeX/3 ... it is very important work and I hope that it will soon be ready. Q4. in Tugboat vol.11 (1990) no.3 page 456 illustrates what is wrong = with the current LaTeX---it requires users to hack into the murky depths when an optional \caption could ask: do you want captions flushedleft/right or centred? In the same sense what I would like to see in version 3 is a user-definable environment which would parallel displaymath-mode. For example, in printing chemical equations the conventions are that the text is in roman not math-italic---ok this is easily done via \def\chem{\rm\everymath=3D{\rm}} and \chem can now be included inside $...$ or \[ ... \] or $$ ... $$ etc or outside as for {\chem\begin{eqnarray} ... \end{eqnarray}} Your virtual fonts approach will also work. Problems arise if mathematical and chemical equations are mixed in the = sense text text \begin{equation} pV =3D nRT \end{equation} text \begin{equation}\chem 2 H_2 + 2O_2 =3D 2H_2O \end{equation} text because the automatic numbering schemes assigns (1) to the first eqn and (2) to the second. Whereas one wants to number maths eqns and chemical eqns (reactions) independently---for example, (2.1) eqn 1 of chapter 2 and (1) reaction number 1, maybe in bold or oldstyle and maybe with <> brackets. At the moment the only solution is to hack into latex.tex and duplicate LL's \equation and \eqnarray environments with new counters and parameters---this I have done and it works fine for simple examples but failed for cases where the number of stacked eqnarray's exceeded the page size (hash size and other mysterious = errors). You suggested that AMSTEX might do but on reflection that involves even more maths---and what us chemists want is less! Another feature is the lack of a construct to do the following: catalyst 2H_ + O_2 -------------> 2 H_2O 300 K; 4 bar where the length of the arrow (---> or <--- or <=3D=3D=3D>) is determined by the amount of text over and under it. Note that we do not want to disable the equation environment just have a second customisable one. Regards, John. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C19442.D4CBA7EC Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable [XRASIMMIE@cs8700.ucg.ie: LaTeX v3 wish-list]

I got the following message a while ago, as a reaction = to a discussion
I had with John Simmie after the talk at Cork.  = He's a chemist, so his
focus of interest is different from the = mathematicians one.  I think it's
interesting to pass this on to the list.

 - Rainer

----------------------original message follows = ------------------------------

Hi: I enjoyed your presentation at TeX90 on LaTeX/3 = ...
it is very important work and I hope that it will = soon be ready.

Q4. in Tugboat vol.11 (1990) no.3 page 456 illustrates = what is wrong with the
current LaTeX---it requires users to hack into the = murky depths
when an optional \caption could ask:
        do you = want captions flushedleft/right or centred?

In the same sense what I would like to see in version = 3 is
a user-definable environment which would parallel = displaymath-mode.

For example, in printing chemical equations the = conventions are that
the text is in roman not math-italic---ok this is = easily done via
\def\chem{\rm\everymath=3D{\rm}}
and \chem can now be included inside $...$ or \[ ... = \] or $$ ... $$ etc
or outside as  for {\chem\begin{eqnarray} ... = \end{eqnarray}}
Your virtual fonts approach will also work.
Problems arise if mathematical and chemical equations = are mixed in the sense
text
text
\begin{equation}      pV =3D = nRT \end{equation}
text
\begin{equation}\chem
          &nbs= p;           2 H_2 + = 2O_2 =3D 2H_2O \end{equation}
text
because the automatic numbering schemes assigns (1) = to the first eqn
and (2) to the second.  Whereas one wants to = number maths eqns and
chemical eqns (reactions) independently---for = example,
(2.1) eqn 1 of chapter 2 and (1) reaction number 1, = maybe in bold or
oldstyle and maybe with <> brackets.

At the moment the only solution is to hack into = latex.tex
and duplicate LL's \equation and \eqnarray = environments with new
counters and parameters---this I have done and it = works fine for
simple examples but failed for cases where the number = of stacked
eqnarray's exceeded the page size (hash size and = other mysterious errors).

You suggested that AMSTEX might do but on reflection = that involves
even more maths---and what us chemists want is = less!

Another feature is the lack of a construct to do the = following:

          &nbs= p;            = ;         catalyst
          &nbs= p;         2H_ + O_2 = ------------->  2 H_2O
          &nbs= p;            = ;        300 K; 4 bar
where the length of the arrow (---> or <--- or = <=3D=3D=3D>) is
determined by the amount of text over and under = it.

Note that we do not want to disable the equation = environment just
have a second customisable one.

Regards, John.


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