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From: mc3i+@andrew.cmu.edu (Martin Costabel)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: tabstop according to longest line
Message-ID: <cY78WFy00Xs1M8o0gC@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: 14 Mar 89 03:35:45 GMT
References: <16709@cisunx.UUCP>
Organization: Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 41
In-Reply-To: <16709@cisunx.UUCP>

> *Excerpts from ext.nn.comp.text: 13-Mar-89 tabstop according to longes..*
> *David Carson@cisunx.UUCP (1339)*

> I need a little simple advice on alignment.  I'm trying to make a letterhead
> where the address appears on the right side of the page, but is not right-
> justified.  It should be left justified so that the longest line of the
> address is flush with the right margin, like so:
>                                               John Doe             |
>                                               1600 Pennsylvania Ave|
>                                               Washington, D.C.     |
>                                               20002                |
>                                                              margin^
[Unsatisfactory solutions deleted]

Shortest answer: Use the LaTeX letter style.

From letter.sty one finds the explicit LaTeX solution:

{\raggedleft
\begin{tabular}{l}\ignorespaces
John Doe\\
1600 Pennsylvania Ave\\
Washington, D.C.\\
20002
\end{tabular}\par}

A corresponding Plain TeX solution would be

{\leftskip 0pt plus 1fill \parskip 0pt
\def\\{\egroup\par\hbox\bgroup}
\leavevmode
\hbox{\vbox{{\\
John Doe\\
1600 Pennsylvania Ave\\
Washington, D.C.\\
20002
}}}\par}

This solution leaves the computation of lengths of lines to TeX.

--Martin Costabel