> Dekel Tsur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> | On Wed, Nov 27, 2002 at 04:16:16PM +0100, Jean-Marc Lasgouttes wrote:
> | >
> | > Probably not. I guess it is a consequence of our changing from
> | > \centering to center environments and friends.
> |
> | \begin{center} is bad as it adds space.
> | We need to change it to something else.
>
> Then tell us a better _LaTeX_ way.
>
I think the solution to this LaTeX problem is to move into plain TeX and use
the machinery more directly. Having said that I think this is a good solution
for lots problems that are difficult to solve in "pure" LaTeX. I solved one
page break problem in my (recently submitted) thesis by adding \looseness=-1,
to set a paragraph one line shorter. Put that in M$ word's pipe and smoke it.
Centering, ragged right, etc is all implemented by afjusting two parameters
called \leftskip and \rightskip, both of which can have some capacity to
stretch and shrink. Adjusting these does not add vertical space and does have
the desired effect (and can be used to achieve other, more esoteric, effects).
A more general GUI interface might be based on rulers, enhanced to also show
flexible lengths.
IF you need more complex effects then \parshape to specify an arbitary sequence
of indents and line lengths. See page 101 of the TeXbook for detials. AFAIK
using \parshapoe does not add vertical space either.
The TeXbook also has an example of ragged right and ragged left in the same
paragrph and implements it by rendering as an appropiate sequence of box/glue/
penalty items and changes the one used in the middle of the paragraph. (Plain
TeX can do almsot anything LyX users are likely to ask for modulo graphics).
--
Duncan (-:
"software industry, the: unique industry where selling substandard goods is
legal and you can charge extra for fixing the problems."
