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Date:         Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:04:16 +0930
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From: Will Robertson <wspr81@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: template vs template-alt
To: LATEX-L@LISTSERV.UNI-HEIDELBERG.DE
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Status: R

On 28/08/2009, at 10:43 PM, Lars Hellström wrote:

> Well, why use a syntax that needs a separate parser at all?

[...]

>  \DeclareTemplate{caption}{lesssimple}{4}{
>     \Variable {above-skip}           {\l_caption_above_skip}
>     \Variable {below-skip}           {\l_caption_below_skip}
>     \Function {number-format}     {2}{\caption_number_format:nn}
>     \Function {nonumber-format}   {2}{\caption_nonumber_format:nn}
>     \Function {single-line-format}{1}{\caption_single_line_format:n}
>     \Function {caption-font}      {0}{\caption_set_font:}
>     \Instance {caption-hj-setup} {hj}{\caption_hj_instance}
>  }
>
> The \Variable, \Function, and \Instance commands above need not  
> exist in general; they can be locally redefined "within the  
> parameter declarations". (Philologically it is not unheard of in  
> other languages to have special sets of commands available within  
> declaration blocks.) Besides avoiding the overhead of a special  
> parser, the above also has the advantage of being more robust by  
> virtue of simplicity and adherence to the general language syntax  
> and semantics, which tend to have their corner cases better worked  
> out than something invented for a special purpose.

Bonus points for the word "philologically" :)
I quite like this approach.

I'm going to be a bit quiet over the next little while, but after that  
I may try to put together a "template-alt-alt" along these lines to  
see how things turn out.

Thanks,
Will