[OS X TeX] Card Format

[Ross Moore]

Hi Alain,

On 07/05/2009, at 5:23 AM, Alain Schremmer wrote:

> Is there a way to get something like the following look for each  
> single page of a book? (Hence the name "card format")? The idea is  
> that the outer lines are always on the margins and the inner lines  
> can be changed to accommodate the contents of the boxes.

How about not including the outer lines as part of your {tabular}  
environment,
but as a frame that is added around it later.
That is, setup your {tabular} with only the inner lines, then
place this inside a box of fixed size, framed using \fbox or \framebox
having no margin between the frame and the contents, so the inner lines
meet snugly with the outer lines.

>
> In other words, the line between Example and Solution should be  
> easily changeable from page to page, ditto for the line between  
> Exercises and Answers and same for the horizontal double line  
> between top and bottom. (No need for such a separation as in the  
> sample)
>
> I was thinking of minipages with the contents done as usual but I  
> don't see how to ensure that each "card" is exactly on one page nor  
> how to make the sum of the widths of the boxes equal to the width  
> of the page,

The above method should get the widths correct.

> nor how to make the sum of the heights of the boxes equal to the  
> height of the page.

To get the heights correct you'll need to do some adjustment
of where the extra vertical space goes, when the page is not
filled naturally. That is a lot harder to do, and may be best
done by hooking in to the \output routine.

First you'll need to decide which vertical spaces are flexible;
e.g.
      do we have more flexibility within the tables,
      or of the space between their boxes ?


>
> From a quick read of Companion 2ed, the geometry package does not  
> seem to deal with that, tabulars are not fixed and Companion 2ed  
> does not seem to address this type of stuff at all.
>
> Very hopeful regards
> --Regards

I hope this gives you some ideas to explore.


Cheers,

	Ross

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Ross Moore                                       ross at maths.mq.edu.au
Mathematics Department                           office: E7A-419
Macquarie University                             tel: +61 (0)2 9850 8955
Sydney, Australia  2109                          fax: +61 (0)2 9850 8114
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