Re: [Docutils-develop] LaTeX writer, again

[<pf...@ar...>]

Hi,

David Goodger:
[...]
> In addition, I noticed the "--documentclass" option, default
> "article".  Are there a finite number of different document classes?
> If so, it would be best to add another entry to the dictionary for
> this option::
> 
>     'choices': ('article', ...)
> 
> But if document classes are user-definable, that won't work.

Most TeX/LaTeX distributions come with a set of standard document class
definitions: 'book', 'report', 'article', 'letter' and 'slides' even
found their way into textbooks handling LaTeX.  But the user may define 
her/his own classes where it is possible to inherit from the standard
classes.  I did this once (back in 1995 or so) to define a specific 
coporate design for our company user reference documentation.

The python documentation comes with the classes 'howto' and 'manual'.

> > - do you think it is sensible to add a ``stylesheet`` option for the
> >   LaTeX writer (implemented with e.g. ``\include{style.tex}``)
> 
> I'd say yes from a Docutils point of view, but I'm no TeXpert.

A LaTeX document is usually devided into two parts:

 1. a preamble (header) section containing meta information like 
    the document class to be used, calls to additional style packages 
    or intrinsic TeX commands to define page margins and so on.

 2. the real content of the document, which is introduced with 
    (followed by) a ``\begin{document}`` macro.

IMHO most future users of Juliens LaTeX writer will be also no TeXperts
and won't care at all about documentclass and packages, as long as the
output fits there expectations.  But a real TeXpert should have the 
following optional possibilities:
  
  * Define his own document preamble (including the choice to
    choose his own documentclass.  That would make the ``--documentclass``
    option superfluous).  I suggest to call this option ``--preamble``

  * Use two additional hooks to put additional stuff just behind the 
    ``\begin{document}`` and just before the ``\end{document}`` macros.
    Typical uses would be ``\tableofcontents``, ``\listoffigures`` and
    ``\appendix``, ``\makeindex``, ``\makeglossary`` and some such 
    for larger documents.

    I'm not sure what to suggest as option names for these hooks.  May 
    be these options could be called ``--preface`` and ``--appendix``?

Regards, Peter
-- 
Peter Funk, Oldenburger Str.86, D-27777 Ganderkesee, Germany
office: +49 421 20419-0 (ArtCom GmbH, Grazer Str.8, D-28359 Bremen, Germany)