Re: [Groff] Question re: Appending to a diversion

[Werner LEMBERG]

> I am attempting to create a set of footnote macros for a book
> I am typesetting for a friend.  I am including a segment from the
> macro code to show how I am trying to create the diversion on each
> page.  [...]

Appended is something which works.  There were a few problems:

  . If-else clauses look like this:

       .ie ... \{\
       ...
       .\}
       .el \{\
       .\}

    Note the trailing backslashes!  I think this was the reason of
    not getting more than a single footnote.

  . Hard-coded environments are bad.  You should used named ones like

      .ev env-footnote

  . Hard-coded font positions are bad.  Use named fonts like

      \f[B] ... \f[]

  . It's not necessary to double backslashes for escape sequences
    which don't expand.

      \u, \f, \d, \|, \c

  . Arguments at the end of a line should be protected with an
    immediately following comment escape to avoid trailing whitespace.

      . ft B
      \\$1\"
      . ft

  . Incrementing a number register has simpler syntax:

      .nr foo +1

  . I've used the `.nop' request to have proper indentation -- this is
    a matter of taste.


Note that the solution you are trying is not optimal.  You have to
pass the whole footnote as an argument to the `.footnote' macro.  A
much better solution is to provide two macros, `footnote-start' and
`footnote-end', to open and close the footnote diversion:

  .footnote-start
  footnote text
  footnote text
  ...
  .footnote-end

Hope this helps.


    Werner


======================================================================


.de footnote
.  ev 4                      \" Set up using environment 4
.  ps 9                      \" Point size
.  vs 10                     \" Line spacing
.  ll 4i                     \" Specify line length
.  in .1i                    \" Footnote paragraph indent
.                            \" If footnote flag is set, not first note:
.  ie \\n[footnote_flag] \{\
.    da foot_text            \" Append footnote number & text arg
.    sp .5v                  \" Space between footnotes
.    ti -.1i                 \" Unindent for footnote number
.    nop \u\f3\\$1\fP\d\|\c
.                            \" Process footnote text string
.    nop \\$2\"
.    br                      \" Break collected line
.    da
.  \}                        \" End diversion append
.                            \" If footnote flag is not set, first note:
.  el \{\
.    di foot_text            \" Start new diversion
.    ti -.1i                 \" Unindent for footnote number
.    nop \u\f3\\$1\fP\d\|\c
.                            \" Process appended footnote text string
.    nop \\$2\"
.    br                      \" Break collected line
.    di
.  \}                        \" End diversion
.
.  ev                        \" Return to previous environment 0
.
.  nr footnote_flag +1
..
.
Text before the footnote.
.
.footnote 1 "\
This is a first try of a footnote.  \
This is a first try of a footnote.  \
This is a first try of a footnote.  \
This is a first try of a footnote.  \
This is a first try of a footnote."
.footnote 2 "\
This is a second try of a footnote.  \
This is a second try of a footnote.  \
This is a second try of a footnote.  \
This is a second try of a footnote.  \
This is a second try of a footnote."
.
Text after the footnote.
.
.sp 2
.
.nf
.foot_text
.fi
.
.\" eof