Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!jarthur!euler.claremont.edu!dhosek
From: dhosek@euler.claremont.edu (Don Hosek)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: empty box sizeof another box
Message-ID: <1991May30.082655.1@euler.claremont.edu>
Date: 30 May 91 15:26:55 GMT
References: <1991May30.142228.18865@cs.utk.edu>
Sender: news@jarthur.Claremont.EDU
Organization: Harvey Mudd College
Lines: 33

In article <1991May30.142228.18865@cs.utk.edu>, woo@ornl.gov (John W. Wooten) writes:
> I am trying to create an empty box the same size as an existing box that  
> contains text.  The following shows my attempt.  It doesn't work.  How does one  
> get the length and use it.  I can't find anything like \widthof{} or similar.   
> Then it would be \savebox{\nulllabel}[\widthof{1990-}]{}

> \newlength{\gnat}
> \settowidth{\gnat}{1990-}
> \newsavebox{\nulllabel}
> \savebox{\nulllabel}[\value{gnat}]{}
> \begin{description}
> \item[1990-present:] Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
> 	Director, Office of Technology Transfer
> \item[\usebox{\nulllabel}] Responsible for establishing the first Office of  
> Technology Transfer for the
> university including developing role, function and procedure guidelines for all

Wouldn't it be easier to just start a new paragraph instead of
going through all this trouble?

Definining a new environment which calls list might not be a bad
approach to the problem either.

-dh

-- 
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