Re: "mom": How to transition from two columns back to one?

[Peter Schaffter]

Steve --

On Tue, Dec 17, 2019, Steve Ross via wrote:
> Is there a way in "mom" to force it to (more or less) evenly fill
> both columns with text and then exit back to a single column mode?

Yes and no. :)

It's a little hard to grasp precisely what you want from your ASCII
representation, but assuming a page that has 2-column text at the
top with some single-column, full-measure text underneath, you first
have to balance the columns yourself using .COL_NEXT or .COL_BREAK.

At the spot you want to break out of column mode, enter

  .SP
  .rr #COLUMNS
  .L_MARGIN \n[#DOC_L_MARGIN]u
  .LL \\n[#DOC_L_LENGTH]u

Subsequent text will be over the full measure.

If you wish to return to 2-column mode *on the same page*, enter

  .SP
  .nr #COLUMNS 1
  .nr #COL_NUM 1
  .L_MARGIN \n[#DOC_L_MARGIN]u
  .LL \n[#COL_L_LENGTH]u
  .COL_MARK

If you wish to *break to a new page* after the full-measure text and
reinstate 2-column mode,

  .nr #COLUMNS 1
  .nr #COL_NUM 1
  .LL \n[#COL_L_LENGTH]u
  .NEWPAGE
  .rr #NEWPAGE

-- 
Peter Schaffter
http://www.schaffter.ca