General ⇒ Alignment of Description List

[spee]

I want to change the alignment of a description list so I get the following.

Code: Select all

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Label is long   text 
lab2            blalballalaa
                possible second rule
label3          hello world
 
 
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Guess it's a \renewcommand option, but can't find it.

[gmedina]

Hi,

you can use some of the features provided by the enumitem package.

[spee]

Probably, but I prefer not adding an package (if possible).

[gmedina]

Hi,

you can use a list environment to define a new environment that behaves as you describe. Take a look at the following example code (a slight modification of an example given in The LaTeX Companion):

Code: Select all

Code, edit and compile here:

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\documentclass{article} 
\newenvironment{mydescription}[1]
  {\begin{list}{}%
   {\renewcommand\makelabel[1]{##1:\hfill}%
   \settowidth\labelwidth{\makelabel{#1}}%
   \setlength\leftmargin{\labelwidth}
   \addtolength\leftmargin{\labelsep}}}
  {\end{list}}
\begin{document}
\begin{mydescription}{longest label}
  \item[label1] text text text.
  \item[longest label] text text text.
  \item[lab2] text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text 
    text text text text text text text text text text text text text text.
\end{mydescription}
\end{document}
 
 
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Run LaTeX here

The argument of the mydescription environment specifies the width of the label field (in your case, it corresponds to the widest entry).

[hkarl]

Hi,

I've been trying to replicate this very behavior using enumitem (version 3.5.2), but abysmally. (Very confused by the enumitem manual).

This should be possible, shouldn't it?


Thanks a lot,

Holger
(Too ashamed to post my own trials, non worked...)

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi Holger,

I guess it's easier with the mdwlist package.

Stefan

[localghost]

[…] I guess it's easier with the mdwlist package. […]

The enumitem package should be preferred as mentioned in the CTAN entry of mdwlist.


Thorsten