Shareware Super Platinum 8/Shareware Super Platinum 8.iso/mac/EDITORS/WF310C.ZIP;1/WF310DOC.ZIP/DOCS/WF.018

Text File | 1992-01-31 | 13.7 KB | 356 lines

.f3                              - # -              Chapter 18 - Columns & Tables
.rm70
.tc
.tc 18. COLUMNS, TABLES & SNAKING COLUMNS .................#
CHAPTER 18   COLUMNS, TABLES & SNAKING COLUMNS

.imColumns
.imTables
.imNewspaper Columns
There are three methods of printing text in columnar format. These
are:-

  ˛ Multiple columns
  ˛ Tables
  ˛ Snaking columns or Newspaper columns

You would use the different methods depending upon the effects you
wish to achieve on the printed page.

Multiple Columns and Tables will display several columns of text on
the screen, while Snaking Columns only displays one column on the
screen.

.Tc    Multiple Columns ...................................#
Multiple Columns

.ixColumns;   Multiple Columns
These display on screen, and are used when each column is independent
of the other. Text that runs off the bottom of the page will start
again on the next page in the same column. Each column will wrap text
independently of the other columns.

.Tc       Activating ......................................#
Activating

For Multiple columns to be active, you MUST have column mode turned
ON. You do this by pressing Ctrl K N or from the Format Options sub
menu of the Options menu (F10 O F C)

.Tc       Defining ........................................#
Defining

Multiple Columns are indicated in the ruler line by < for the left
margin and > for the right margin or ] for the right justified margin.
When Word Wrap is active, text will wrap to stay within the margins
(both left and right). A column is independent of any other columns,
so text in a column will wrap downwards into blank lines in the
column. If no blank lines are available, a blank line will be inserted
at the end of the column to absorb the overflow. Each column may also
have its own wrap margin, where text will wrap to.

For example, the ruler line below defines three columns of different
widths. The ^ sign indicates the wrap margin for column 3 is different
from the left margin for that column.

   .RR     <          >   <         >     <  ^              >

           this text is   this is         this is the third
           in column      column 2           column, and text
           one, and is                       will wrap
           not related    the text           according to the
           to any other   will wrap          W margin
           column         if it does
                          not fit
   .RRL       !       !       !       !       !       !       R

You will note that each column has entries that end independently of
each other. Wrapping slides the text in one column up and down without
regard to the contents of other columns.

Multiple Columns are only active if Word Wrap is active, as well as
Column Mode or Column replace mode. You need to turn off the columns
when you have finished with them by placing your standard ruler line
after them, and also manually turning off column mode.

.Tc    Tables .............................................#
Tables
.ixTables;Tables

Tables display on screen, and are used when each column is dependent
upon the others. That is, data in one column must line up with that in
the others.

.Tc       Activating ......................................#
Activating

For Tables to be active, you MUST have column mode turned ON. You do
this by pressing Ctrl K N or from the Format Options sub menu of the
Options menu (F10 O F C)

.Tc       Defining ........................................#
Defining

Tables are delimited in the ruler line by { for the left margin and
either } or > for the right margin, or ] for the right justified
margin. The columns of a table are terminated by a blank line. When a
column of a table is wrapped, blank lines are inserted at the end of
the table entry. This means that a blank line is looked for, or a dot
command line, and blank lines are inserted before this line. This
means that adjacent columns never have blank lines inserted in the
middle.

For example, the ruler line below defines a table consisting of three
columns of different widths. The ^ sign indicates the wrap margin for
column 3 is different from the left margin for that column.

   .RR     {          }   {         }     {  ^              }
           This is text   this is         this text is column
           for the        text for           3 entry 1
           first column   entry 1
           of the table   column 2,
                          and inserts
                          lines
                          before the
                          next entry
                                         ƒƒƒƒƒ this is the end of the entry
           This text      this text
           belongs to     is for the
           the second     second entry
           entry for
           the first
           column of
           the table

   .RRL       !       !       !       !       !       !       R


You will note that a table has entries in adjacent columns, and the
end of the entry has a blank line across the entire table. Wrapping
slides the contents of one column up and down as required, but never
pushes the text down below the blank line, instead inserting new lines
before it as required to absorb the overflow of the column. Text that
overflows the bottom of a page continues on the next page in the same
column.

.Tc    Snaking Columns of Text ............................#
Snaking Columns of Text
.ixNewspaper Columns;
.ixSnaking Columns;

These are also known as newspaper columns, because when the text in
one column overflows the bottom of the page, it wraps around to the
top of the next column in the same page. Only when all columns on a
page are full does the overflow then wrap to the first column of the
next page.

You do not turn on column mode for this to be effective, but instead
mark newspaper columns by the use of dot commands:

.ixDot Commands;  .CO - Start newspaper columns
.ixDot Commands;  .CC - Conditional column break
.ixDot Commands;  .CB - Column break
.ixDot Commands;  .CW - Character width
.ixSnaking Columns;  .CO - Start newspaper columns
.ixSnaking Columns;  .CC - Conditional column break
.ixSnaking Columns;  .CB - Column break
.ixSnaking Columns;  .CW - Character width
.ixNewspaper Columns;  .CO - Start newspaper columns
.ixNewspaper Columns;  .CC - Conditional column break
.ixNewspaper Columns;  .CB - Column break
.ixNewspaper Columns;  .CW - Character width
.ixNewspaper Columns;
.ixSnaking Columns;
.ixCharacter Width;Character Width (.CW)
        .CO n,g / w,w,w ...       - start of snaking columns
           where
               n = number of columns
               g = width of the column gutter
               w = width for each column. This is optional.
                   default column width is 35 characters

        .CB  column break (like .PA) start a new column

        .CC n
           conditional column break (like .CP) if less than n lines
           remain in this column

        .CW r.r                  - character width
    or  .CW n
         where
           r.r is a real number (must have a decimal point) and is the
               character width ratio to normal (eg 2.0 means twice
               normal width)

           n   is an integer (no decimal point) and means character
               width in 1/120 of an inch (the Word star default)

.tc       Start Snaking Columns ...........................#
  Start Snaking Columns

  For this you use the .CO command to set the number of columns, the
  "gutter" width between them, and optionally the width of each
  column.

        .CO 2  5 
           where
               number of columns = 2
               number of characters between columns = 5
               default column width is 35 characters for each column.

   For example, the index to this manual is printed in 2 column format
   as specified above.

   If you want to have different column widths, you should follow the
   .CO command with a slash / and the column widths:

        .CO  3  5 / 30 20 25

  will set up 3 snaking columns of widths 30 characters, 20 characters
  and 25 characters.

        .CO  2  5 / 30 30   

  will set up 2 columns of 30 characters. If you over-ride one column
  width, you should over-ride all column widths.

  NOTE - It is your responsibility to ensure that text does not exceed
         the limits you set.

.tc       Set Up an Appropriate Ruler .....................#
.ixNewspaper Columns;
.ixSnaking Columns;
  Set Up an Appropriate Ruler

  You should set up a ruler line at the start of your snaking columns
  that sets the appropriate margins for one column:

    .RRL      !        !        R

   to set up text that will wrap within the 30 column format.

.tc       End Snaking Columns .............................#
  End Snaking Columns

  You end snaking columns by inserting another .CO command with the
  number of columns set to 1 or 0.

        For example
        .CO
    or  .CO 1

  will terminate snaking columns.

  You should also restore the ruler that was active before the snaking
  columns, so that the non columnar text will wrap appropriately.
  Naturally, you only need to do this if you intend to follow the
  columns of text with normal text.

.tc       The Column Break ................................#
  The Column Break

  Just as in ordinary text, you may want to ensure that certain
  lines appear together, so too in columnar text you may also want to
  ensure that lines appear together. There are 2 commands that cause
  one column to be terminated and a new one started:


        .CB  column break (like .PA) start a new column

        .CC n
           conditional column break (like .CP) if less than n lines
           remain in this column

  The standard column break .CB always starts at the top of a new
  column. That may be on the same page or it may be on a new page,
  depending on whether there was another empty column available on the
  current page. If you need to start at the top of a new page you
  should use the .PA command instead.

  The conditional column break .CC will start a new column if there
  are less than n lines remaining within the current column. Use this
  command for "Widow and Orphan" control, to ensure that the first
  line of a paragraph does not appear by itself in the preceding
  column, or that the last line does not appear by itself in the
  following column.

.CP6
.tc       Changing the width of Characters ................#
.ixNewspaper Columns;
.ixSnaking Columns;
  Changing the width of Characters

  If you use font commands within your columns that change the width
  of the text, you need to inform Word Fugue that the width has
  changed, otherwise the columns will not line up properly. Word Fugue
  needs to insert extra space characters if the width is less than normal,
  and remove blanks if the width is more.

  You can specify the changed width either as a decimal number that is
  a multiplier of normal width, or you can specify the new width in
  1/120 ths inch (the Wordstar default).

        .CW r.r
    or  .CW n
         where
           r.r is a real number (must have a decimal point) and is the
               character width ratio to normal (eg 2.0 means twice
               normal width, while 0.5 means half normal width)

           n   is an integer (no decimal point) and means character
               width in 1/120 of an inch (the Word star default)

  If you specify the width in 1/120 th inches, Word Fugue assumes
  that the standard character width is 12/120 inches = 1/10 inch or
  10 characters per inch. This later option is only supplied for
  compatibility with Wordstar commands.

  For example, the following heading is double width, so you would use

     .CW 2.0
     ^WDOUBLE WIDTH^w
     .CW 1.0

.tc       On Screen Display ...............................#
  On Screen Display

  Since the columns do not display as multiple columns on the screen,
  you need some mechanism for determining where you are in relation to
  the printed output. This is handled in the status line:

  For example

          Line 40:15  Col 2   Page 5

  Page 5 indicates that the screen is displaying page 5 of the file.
  Page number calculation takes into account the number of snaking
  columns defined, so it will be correct.

  Col 2 indicates that the current column is number 2 on page 5. The
  column number will reflect the column that the cursor is in
  currently. Col nn will only display if snaking columns is active.

  Line 40:15 indicates the cursor is in line 40 of the column, and
  character position 15 from the left edge.

.CP6
.tc       Printing Snaking Columns ........................#
.ixNewspaper Columns;
.ixSnaking Columns;
  Printing Snaking Columns

.imSnaking Columns
.ix  Printing Delays
  You do not need to do anything special in order to print snaking
  columns of text, simply print the file.

  Word Fugue will assemble a complete page in memory, and then send it
  to the printer. Once that page is printed, it will assemble the
  next. This assembly is necessary to ensure that the snaking columns
  snake properly, but it can cause some delays during printing. The
  length of the delay will depend on the speed of your processor and
  the speed of your disk drive, but you will notice a perceptible
  delay before the first page is printed, and that once it has been
  printed, there will be another delay before the next one begins
  printing.