Document Classes ⇒ Is it possible to suggest programming of a special new packa

[orphean]

Hello you all!

I'm French and I recently registered in a French Latex Forum. My aim was to do something very special, which I was absolutely unable to develop... I explained my needs and hopes on this Forum more than a month ago. About 50 persons have now read it, but none have answered, even a single word to say whether according to them it could be possible or not... This situation makes me think, that I would have more chance to get in touch with persons that are able to program Latex package on an English Latex Forum (since TeX and Latex have been invented and first developped by english-speaking-and-thinking persons), and of course, persons that would answer such a question: is it possible to program a package?

However, I wouldn't like to make twice the same error: I'm afraid that explaining immediately what I want would cause many/quite many/some people read this new topic and give no answer to it... I'm afraid that this new topic could occupy useless space on this forum and would lead to waste of time for readers... Could you first just tell me
- either: this forum is more user-oriented, I guess you won't get satisfaction here
- either: this forum involves technical or expert programers, please tell us, ask us, explain us, we'll see then

This would indicate whether my approach on this Forum is relevant or not.

If it should finally be relevant, then I'll try to explain in English (I'm not native English-speaking, therefore, forgive me if I'm not perfect at explanations). In this case, I have no doubt that some programers could ask to know about the function of this new desirable package... It would then be a great pleasure for me to explain... Then they would tell me whether they could do it or not... And so on...

I hope this sounding-like message has not been annoying...

Waiting for any answer, I hope than our exchanges won't be useless!

[sommerfee]

Maybe you should ask this question in news:comp.text.tex

(which is also available via Google Groups: http://groups.google.fr/group/comp.text ... pics?hl=fr )

HTH,
Axel

[bama_moss]

orphean,

It sounds as though your question may be closely related to mine. I posted a while ago on this forum and have yet to receive the answer I'm looking for.

I need to write a class in LaTeX and, as far as I can tell, there isn't any documentation on class/package syntax definitions. I've tried positng on several forums online and have come up empty handed over and over again.

My belief is that LaTeX isn't a well documented project and there does not exist any formal book/treatise/document that contains what we need to write a class/package. Our only hope is to contact someone who knows how to write classes/packages and hope they will enlighten us - or play with existing classes/packages and try and troubleshoot a working knowledge of the syntax. (poor programming paradigm!)

[orphean]

Thank you bama_moss. Your experience makes me face reality: it might be difficult to get satisfied...
In fact, I'm starting to be in despair. Though I'm patient: I'm looking for such a "knowing person", therefore, I'm waiting for such a person...

[sommerfee]

I need to write a class in LaTeX and, as far as I can tell, there isn't any documentation on class/package syntax definitions.

There are some, for example:

"LaTeX2e for class and package writers" from the LaTeX3 team itself. (named clsguide.dvi or clsguide.pdf, can be found in any TeX distribution which contains LaTeX, see also http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/help/Ca ... guide.html )

"How to Package Your LaTeX Package": http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/help/Ca ... txtut.html
(Well, this is not really about writing classes or packages but about how to publish and document them.)

And of course there is a lot of documentation regarding this topic in the book "The LaTeX Companion, 2nd Ed."

I've tried positng on several forums online and have come up empty handed over and over again.

For me this isn't a sign that there is no documentation and no qualification. But a sign that you have tried the wrong forums regarding your question. Give comp.text.tex a try (see my posting above). BTW: There is also fr.comp.text.tex which is in French.

HTH,
Axel

[bama_moss]

haha...I hope I didn't get you too upset by my comments. I knew that if I ruffled a few feathers I might get the results I was looking for - and I did! Thank you so much.

Don't hate me. I've been trying to get access to some deeper/more advanced documentation. I knew it had to exist somewhere but I had no idea where to look. Due to the lack of response I've gotten I decided to take a few jabs at LaTeX and sure enough...BAM!

If anyone else who is interested in class/package creation is reading this post please note the following documents that I have gathered from other responses to my 'hate' posts.

http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=writecls

http://www.tug.org/pracjourn/2006-4/flynn/flynn.pdf (very nice walkthrough tutorial)

[orphean]

Well, yes, I'll try comp.tex very soon... Thanks for the hint!
BTW, what does 'HTH' mean?

[sommerfee]

BTW, what does 'HTH' mean?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTH
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_slang