Re: Arguments query of \parbox

[Arash Esbati]

Ikumi Keita <ikumi@ikumi.que.jp> writes:

>>>>>> Arash Esbati <arash@gnu.org> writes:
>
>> minipage environment has the same issue, but I have to look closer.
>
> The above new function can serve for minipage environment, so I think
> its name should be something more general. Maybe TeX-arg-tbcs ?
> (Hmm, current LaTeX-env-minipage only asks one optional argument, but
> minipage environment acutually accepts three optional arguments just
> like \parbox. We can fully support them with your new function.)

Hi Keita,

Thanks for your response.  I had a closer look and I came up with the
following change:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
-> git diff latex.el
diff --git a/latex.el b/latex.el
index e361c214..225c6619 100644
--- a/latex.el
+++ b/latex.el
@@ -1290,16 +1290,45 @@ Just like array and tabular."

 (defun LaTeX-env-minipage (environment)
   "Create new LaTeX minipage or minipage-like ENVIRONMENT."
-  (let ((pos (and LaTeX-default-position ; LaTeX-default-position can
+  (let* ((pos (and LaTeX-default-position ; LaTeX-default-position can
                                         ; be nil, i.e. do not prompt
-                  (TeX-read-string "(Optional) Position: " 
LaTeX-default-position)))
-        (width (TeX-read-string "Width: " LaTeX-default-width)))
+                   (completing-read
+                    (TeX-argument-prompt t nil "Position")
+                    '("t" "b" "c"))))
+         (height (completing-read (TeX-argument-prompt t nil "Height")
+                                  ;; A valid length can be a macro or a length 
of
+                                  ;; the form <value><dimension>.  Input 
starting
+                                  ;; with a `\' can be completed with length
+                                  ;; macros.
+                                  (mapcar (lambda (elt) (concat TeX-esc (car 
elt)))
+                                          (LaTeX-length-list))))
+         (inner-pos (when (and height (not (string= height "")))
+                      (completing-read
+                       (TeX-argument-prompt t nil "Inner position")
+                       '("t" "b" "c" "s"))))
+         (width (TeX-read-string
+                 (TeX-argument-prompt nil nil
+                                      (concat "Width (default "
+                                              LaTeX-default-width
+                                              ")"))
+                 nil nil LaTeX-default-width)))
     (setq LaTeX-default-position pos)
     (setq LaTeX-default-width width)
     (LaTeX-insert-environment environment
                               (concat
                                (unless (zerop (length pos))
                                  (concat LaTeX-optop pos LaTeX-optcl))
+                               (when (and height (not (string= height "")))
+                                 ;; If the optional 'pos' was omitted,
+                                 ;; then we have to insert a pair of
+                                 ;; brackets incl. the default 'c'
+                                 ;; otherwise the 'height' is ignored:
+                                 (concat
+                                  (when (and pos (zerop (length pos)))
+                                    (concat LaTeX-optop "c" LaTeX-optcl))
+                                  LaTeX-optop height LaTeX-optcl))
+                               (when (and inner-pos (not (string= inner-pos 
"")))
+                                 (concat LaTeX-optop inner-pos LaTeX-optcl))
                                (concat TeX-grop width TeX-grcl)))))

 (defun LaTeX-env-tabular* (environment)
@@ -2697,14 +2726,24 @@ string."
                     nil t)
    optional))

-(defun TeX-arg-tb (optional &optional prompt)
+(defun TeX-arg-tb (optional &optional prompt poslist)
   "Prompt for a LaTeX side with completion.
 If OPTIONAL is non-nil, insert the resulting value as an optional
 argument, otherwise as a mandatory one.  Use PROMPT as the prompt
-string."
+string.  POSLIST contains the positioning characters offered for
+completion.  It can be the symbols `center', `stretch' or nil
+with the following completion list:
+center   t, b, c
+stretch  t, b, c, s
+nil      t, b"
   (TeX-argument-insert
    (completing-read (TeX-argument-prompt optional prompt "Position")
-                    '(("") ("t") ("b"))
+                    (cond ((eq poslist 'center)
+                           '("t" "b" "c"))
+                          ((eq poslist 'stretch)
+                           '("t" "b" "c" "s"))
+                          (t
+                           '("t" "b")))
                     nil t)
    optional))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

I figured out that the change to `LaTeX-env-minipage' is harder than I
thought, hence I didn't write a new function and changed the existing
one.  The breaking change above is that it uses the DEFAULT-VALUE
parameter from `read-string' and not the INITIAL-INPUT.  INITIAL-INPUT
is sort of deprecated by Emacs and it always bugged me as well that I
have to delete many chars if I don't want 1.0\linewidth.

Further, `TeX-arg-tb' is used only for \parbox and \suppressfloats, so I
think we can teach that function to do other combinations as well.

WDYT?

>> And while we're at it, I would delete the ("") entries in
>> `TeX-arg-corner' and `TeX-arg-lr' which are not necessary and were
>> always confusing to me.
>
> Fine with me.

👍

> BTW, I noticed that doc strings of TeX-arg-{lr,tb} is queer.
>   "Prompt for a LaTeX side with completion.
>                 ^^^^^^^^^^???
> I guess these are leftovers of incomplete revising of the doc string of
> TeX-arg-corner:
>   "Prompt for a LaTeX side or corner position with completion.

Thanks, I will change that as well once we have the rest sorted out.

Best, Arash