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From: smith@zeus.harvard.edu (Steven Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: A sophisticated double column macro
Message-ID: <SMITH.90Sep5132229@zeus.harvard.edu>
Date: 5 Sep 90 17:22:29 GMT
Sender: news@husc6.harvard.edu
Distribution: comp.text.tex
Organization: Harvard Robotics Lab, Harvard University
Lines: 40

I occasionally submit the following problem in TeX circles in hopes
that someone has solved it so that I will have both a useful new
TeX macro and an excellent example of column manipulation within TeX.
Has anyone information or suggestions?

% I am looking for a sophisticated TeX or LaTeX double column macro capable
% of the following:
% 
%       i) Double/Single column capability on the same page (LaTeX
%          starts a new page each time its format is switched from
%          \doublecolumn to \singlecolumn).
% 
%      ii) The ability to split the opposing column of a large displayed
%          equation.  I.e.,
% 
%            The right column will be split   played equation  that  appears
%            when the equation                within it.   These  rules  are
%                                             ------------------------------
%               a^n = b^n + c^n +d^n + e^n + f^n + ... + z^n
%                                             ______________________________
%            appears  in  the left  column.   affected if the split  appears
%            Splitting  must   occur   with   on the top or bottom of a page.
%            horizontal  rules  to separate   The columns  must be  balanced
%            a split  column  from the dis-   and  may include single column
% 
%            material that spans the entire page.
% 
% 
% This format mimics that of many IEEE journals.  Is there an IEEE.sty
% LaTeX style file anywhere?  Have any TeX hackers attacked this problem?
% I currently use double column macros cannibalized from a Knuth paper on
% literate programming (included in TeX releases).  These provide
% balanced double columns with single column text on the same page,
% but have no fancy large displayed equation/split column capability.
% I must admit, examination of the TeX macros performing only i) proves
% a daunting experience for those wishing to embellish them with ii).


Steven Smith
smith@sandalphon.harvard.edu