Started applying my new #LuaLaTeX package "lua-simple-wrap" to the small-format version of ‘Form & Number: A History of Mathematical Beauty’.

Previously, various figures that were placed in the margin of the large format (using my package "marginalia" [https://ctan.org/pkg/marginalia]) were placed as normal figures in the small format, but they often looked awkwardly small (see 1st attached image). I have started using "lua-simple-wrap" to place many of them at the side of the page with the text wrapped around them (see 2nd attached image).

The advantage of "lua-simple-wrap" over other packages for wrapping text is that the code for each figure is placed at the same natural point in the paragraph as in the large-format version. This is important because the different versions are built from the same source by changing a global setting.

‘Form & Number’ (#OA as always): https://archive.org/details/cain_formandnumber_ebook_large (large format); https://archive.org/details/cain_formandnumber_ebook_small (small format)

"lua-simple-wrap" Git repository: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/lua-simple-wrap (still in development, not yet available on CTAN)

#TeXLaTeX #typography

I've just published my first LaTeX package!

Countwords is a simple package for counting words in LaTeX documents. Words are counted into a standard LaTeX counter, which can then printed (or otherwise manipulated) in all the normal ways. You can stop and counting whenever you want, and have multiple independent counters.

It's on CTAN here: https://ctan.org/pkg/countwords

P.S. credit to Philipp Gesang @phgsng for the original lua wordcount code.

#TeXAndLaTeX #lualatex #luatex

I was already having misgivings about #CPython when I saw a required #Rust dependency coming up (although I know many here have no issues with this), but now that there have been #LLM commits to the project, I'd like to look at alternatives. It seems great that #Pypy exists, although I worry that it will end up replicating undesirable behavior from CPython in the future.

I had been learning C++ with the goal of writing extensions using CPython. As it happens, I already have a physical copy of a book on #Lua and many applications are written in C++ with Lua scripting on top, so I'm going to swap out Python for Lua in an upcoming project. I'm excited to be able to experiment with #LuaLaTeX or writing scripts for #GeanyIDE. The language shows up in way more places than I realized.

#Python #cpp #CPlusPlus #programming #Scripting #ScriptingLanguage #TexLatex

My new #LuaLaTeX package: lua-simple-wrap

This package allows easy wrapping of text around small figures, pull quotes, etc. (See attached image.)

Unlike (I think) all other LaTeX packages for wrapping text around things, the wrapped object can be specified at its natural place in the text, and the package works out where it should appear. Virtually all the processing happens on the Lua side.

The package is semi-experimental, and definitely requires more work before I submit it to CTAN, but the basic functionality is in place and seems to be working well. In particular, tagging support (for producing accessible PDFs) is already present.

Git repository: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/lua-simple-wrap

Download documentation and built package: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/lua-simple-wrap/releases

If you try it, feedback would be much appreciated!

#TeXLaTeX #typography #Lua #accessibility #TaggedPDF

I wish I could make a simple #staticwebsite using #lualatex that looked just as pretty as #html + #css sites.

I am aware of #HUGO to make static sites with markdown, but I still feel inclined to use #TeX and friends.

#webdevelopment #website #selfhosting

Update to my (unofficial) #LuaLaTeX package "minos".

The most noteworthy change is that the "garamond" font profile now uses both Garamontio and GaramontioSans (both beautiful fonts are by @mc_wiki); it previously used the older Ysabeau (of which GaramontioSans is an improved fork) for sans-serif.

Also: further adjustments to Minion 3 kerning; some documentation fixes.

Git repository: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/minos

Download documentation or source .zip/.tar.gz: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/minos/releases

To see what "minos" can do, look at ‘Form & Number: A History of Mathematical Beauty’ [https://archive.org/details/cain_formandnumber_ebook_large], ‘An Annotated Mathematician's Apology’ [https://archive.org/details/hardy_annotated], or ‘Nine Chapters on the Semigroup Art’ [https://archive.org/details/cain_semigroups_a4_screen]. (All freely available under #CreativeCommons licences.)

#TeXLaTeX #typography

is there a way to configure #lualatex to abort on non-existent input file (instead of dumping me in this annoying shell that is annoying to leave?)

#latex

Small update to ‘Form & Number: A History of Mathematical Beauty’ [https://archive.org/details/cain_formandnumber_ebook_large].

Trivial corrections to the text and index and some minor clarifications and additional citations following comments from others.

Sample pages attached from the two-sided print variant showing a spread about the contribution of François Le Lionnais, a chemist and writer, and one of the founders of the OuLiPo group of writers [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oulipo]. Le Lionnais wrote some important articles about mathematical beauty in the late 1940s.

I have released the #LuaLaTeX style I used for this book: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/minos (Git repository) https://codeberg.org/ajcain/minos/releases (Documentation and source .zip/.tar.gz)

#MathematicalBeauty #MathHist #MathArt #aesthetics #TeXLaTeX

Various minor improvements to my #TikZ reference card. (Images attached.)

Download PDF or #LuaLaTeX source .zip/.tar.gz: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/cain_tikzref/releases

Git repository: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/cain_tikzref

The card is information-dense, merely reminder of syntax, not an explanation of meaning. The PDF is A4+color but the source can be compiled for letter paper and/or greyscale (see the README).

#TeXLaTeX #typography #Cheatsheet

My former student lent me their printed and bound copy of ‘Nine Chapters on the Semigroup Art’, my lecture notes for a tour through semigroup theory, in which they had marked various typos and minor errors, and points where they thought more explanation was required, so that I could make some improvements.

This was actually the first time I had ever seen it printed in full (photos attached). I had only printed individual chapters while working on it.

I think it looks pretty good, although I have improved the typography in the years since this copy was printed. In particular, I tightened the letter spacing used for theorem headers.

I released the #LuaLaTeX style "minos" I first developed for these notes (much revised and extended since) a few weeks ago: https://codeberg.org/ajcain/minos (Git repository) https://codeberg.org/ajcain/minos/releases (Documentation and source .zip/.tar.gz)

‘Nine Chapters’ itself is (and has always been) #OpenAccess: https://archive.org/details/cain_semigroups_a4_screen

#mathematics #typography #TeXLaTeX #semigroups