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From: lambert@spectrum.eecs.unsw.oz (Tim Lambert)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: How do I "print" a TeX dimension?
Message-ID: <LAMBERT.90Jun15214047@nankeen.spectrum.cs.unsw.oz.au>
Date: 15 Jun 90 11:40:47 GMT
References: <MASS.90Jun14185802@garfield.caltech.edu>
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Distribution: comp.text.tex
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In-reply-to: mass@garfield.caltech.edu's message of 15 Jun 90 01:58:02 GMT

>>>>> On 15 Jun 90 01:58:02 GMT, mass@garfield.caltech.edu (Mass Sivilotti) said:

In article <MASS.90Jun14185802@garfield.caltech.edu> mass@garfield.caltech.edu (Mass Sivilotti) writes:

> I need to generate (in a \special) only the NUMERIC part of
> a TeX dimension.  For example, if \the\pagewidth gives 350.642pt,
> I would like something like \thenumber\pagewidth to give 350.642

Page 375 of the TeXbook shows you how to do this:

{\catcode`p=12 \catcode`t=12 \gdef\EATPT#1pt{#1}}
\def\thenumber#1{\expandafter\EATPT\the#1}

The tricky bit is that the `p' and the `t' that `\the' give you are of
category 12.

Tim