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From: spang@nbivax.nbi.dk (Karsten Spang)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: LaTeX figure \caption question
Message-ID: <482.26de2867@nbivax.nbi.dk>
Date: 31 Aug 90 07:05:42 GMT
References: <BJR.90Aug30155525@clarity.Princeton.EDU>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Niels Bohr Institute and Nordita, Copenhagen
Lines: 46

In article <BJR.90Aug30155525@clarity.Princeton.EDU>, bjr@clarity.Princeton.EDU (Brian J. Reiser) writes:
> Is there any simple way to modify the formatting of latex figure
> captions?
>...
>                              I would like to have the captions printed
> slightly smaller, and in a width indented from the width of the text.

This is how I use to do it, it is a simple minded approach that does not
change any existing definitions, you have to do some extra typing, but on 
the other hand, using an editor, you just copy your last figure.

After \begin{document} I insert the lines

    \newlength{\capwidth}
    \setlength{\capwidth}{\textwidth}
    \addtolength{\capwidth}{-2cm}

and each figure I make like

        \begin{figure}[htbp]
            \begin{center}
                \begin{picture}(x,y)
                    \put(a,b){...}
                        ...
                \end{picture}
                \parbox{\capwidth}{
                    \caption[Short caption for LOF]
                    {This is the long caption that I need to break over 
                    several lines, because it does not fit on one line.
                    Consequently, it would exceed TeX capacity, and it 
                    would look awful, if included in the list of tables}
                    \label{fig:something}
                }
            \end{center}
        \end{figure}

This scheme indents the caption 1cm from the left and right, but it does 
not change the point size of the caption.

                                 Karsten
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