Re: [Docutils-users] Colon after definition term

[David G. <go...@py...>]

Beni Cherniavsky wrote:
 > I frequently (but not always) find the display of definition lists
 > in HTML (and in the reST source) unsatisfying unless I add a colon
 > at the end of the definition term::
...
 > The problem is with the LaTeX writer which always puts a colon
 > there.  So such reST results in double colons in LaTeX.  Could
 > something be done about it, e.g. not adding a colon in LaTeX if
 > there is already one there?

I think the LaTeX Writer should not be adding colons that weren't in
the source, at all.  ReStructuredText is supposed to be WYSIWYG after
all.  I don't think the Writer should even test for the presence of
colon.

How are definition lists formatted in LaTeX output?

     term: definition (tabular format)

     or

     term
         definition (outdent format)

?  If the former (tabular), the colon may be useful, but I'd argue
that some other indication (typeface or style change) would be better.
Or perhaps, consistent with the WYSIWYG principle, the latter format
(outdent) should be used.  The term in a definition list can be quite
long.  If a tabular output style is used, long terms would be awkward.

-- 
David Goodger    http://starship.python.net/~goodger
For hire: http://starship.python.net/~goodger/cv
Docutils: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/
(includes reStructuredText: http://docutils.sf.net/rst.html)