Message-Id: <9302051139.AA27056@sc.zib-berlin.dbp.de>
Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
In-Reply-To:  Your message of Wed, 03 Feb 93 14:13:47 +0000.
Date:         Fri, 5 Feb 93 11:21:36 +0000
From: Peter Abbott <p.abbott@ASTON.AC.UK>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
To: Multiple Recipients of <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
Subject:      Re: Baselines and multicols
Status: R


>A tall order. i spend my entire life (it sometimes seems) trying to
>solve this (and I know FMi had a go once). Just for starters, consider
>the case of the section heading at the top of column 2; normally the
>section heading has nnnpt of white space above of it, but this is
>removed, so the nnnpt of white space below the header, carefully
>designed to balance the above, breaks the baseline alignment.
>Obviously, this can be solved algorithmically *if* LaTeX 3 gives us
>more explicit control over headings (as I think it will) *and if* we
>have a reliable test of `are we at the top of column'. What a>re
>suggestions for the latter?
>
>There is discussion of this is the last TUGboat in a paper about ZzTeX
>where the author mentions the other problems he had to solve.
>
>Lots of this is just style file programming of course, like being
>aware of the space above and below lists and quotes.
>
>Sebastian
>
>

Whilst I accept Sebastian's comments, my problem is slightly different.

I use (in this context) A5 pages with 2 columns and point size 9 on 9.67.
Therefore when I include an image of say 50mm, I can accept a small amount of
whitespace above or below to ensure the baselines of the two columns are
aligned.

I accept that there are wider issues but would like to think that LaTeX3
could address the general principle of providing aligned baselines
(perhaps as on option which can be switched on/off).

Peter