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From: fj@iesd.auc.dk (Frank Jensen)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: Redefining a macro in terms of itself
Message-ID: <FJ.91Jan16191306@indigo.iesd.auc.dk>
Date: 16 Jan 91 19:13:06 GMT
References: <1991Jan15.061451@bcat1.prime.com>
	<6547.2794b1a0@csv.viccol.edu.au>
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Organization: Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Aalborg
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In-reply-to: Douglas.Miller@viccol.edu.au's message of 17 Jan 91 01:03:43 GMT

In article <6547.2794b1a0@csv.viccol.edu.au> Douglas.Miller@viccol.edu.au (Douglas Miller) writes:

   In article <1991Jan15.061451@bcat1.prime.com>, kjg@bcat1.prime.com (Ken
   Gartner) writes:

   > While trying to create a private LaTeX style file, I stumbled while attempting
   > to redefine \tableofcontents and \marginpar in terms of themselves. 

   > I think the \let is what I want since there is
   > an indication that it copies the current definition

   Yes --- here is what I do to atomatically insert a table of contents
   in a document style:

   \let\old@document=\document
   \def\document{\old@document\tableofcontents}

   > -- unfortunately
   > (again for me) the following generate some noise about
   > 
   > % Try to get table of contents tighter for article:
   > \let\k1\tableofcontents
   > \renewcommand{\tableofcontents}{\parskip 0in \k1}
   > 
   > 
   >    ! Missing \begin{document}.
   >    \@latexerr ...for immediate help.}\errmessage {#1}
   > 
   >    ...
   >    l.53 \let\k1\tableofcontents
   >    ? ^D

   Nearly right, but you used an invalid macro name "\k1" --- digits are not
   allowed!   The 1 got interpreted as text to be typeset, hence the error
   message.

Almost right!  \k is let equal to 1, and the \tableofcontents command
generates text to be typeset.