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From: ASND@TRIUMFRG.BITNET (Donald Arseneau)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: left equations and equation numbers
Message-ID: <9106192142.AA00971@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 19 Jun 91 21:01:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 23

Bronwen Heuerwas wondering about equation numbers and left equations.
The relevant text spans pp. 375,376 of the TeXbook.

However, the approach used there is based on macro syntax; it works
only if all the elements are typed explicitly.  What follows is my preferred
method, which relys on \aftergroup and redefining \eqno and \leqno.

----------------
\def\leftequations{\everydisplay{\hbox to\displaywidth\bgroup\indent
      $\aftergroup\endoflefteq\displaystyle}%
 \def\eqno{\hfill\textstyle\enspace}%
 \def\leqno{\hfill\hbox to0pt\bgroup\kern-\displaywidth$\aftergroup\endofleqno}%
}
\def\endoflefteq{\hfil\egroup$}% gets inserted between the ending $$
\def\endofleqno{\hfil\kern\displaywidth\kern-\parindent\egroup$}
----------------

Use \leftequations to turn on left justification of equations.
Warning: \eqalignno bombs with this...you may want to replace \eqalignno
with something that looks good left justified.

Donald Arseneau
asnd@triumfcl