Re: multitable widths problem

[Jacob Bachmeyer]

Werner LEMBERG wrote:
> > > In other words, we can't get the real width of the PDFs easily
> > > within the texinfo framework.  A variant of `@columnfractions` that
> > > accepts both fractions and sample strings would be thus ideal.
> > >       
> > What prevents `lilypond-book` from determining the widths and
> > inserting them?  Perhaps with a @lilypond-width placeholder in the
> > initial source?
> >     
>
> Assuming a LilyPond snippet
>
>   @lilypond
>   c4
>   @end lilypond
>
> you mean something like
>
>   @multitable {@lilypond-width
>                c4
>                @end lilypond-width} {foo} ...
>   ...
>
> ?

No, I mean something like:

@multitable {@lilypond-width} {foo} ...
@item
@lilypond
c4
@endlilypond
@tab
foo
@end multitable


The lilypond-book tool would replace {@lilypond-width} with something 
that has the correct width, sensitive to context.  That is, if prototype 
entries are used, generate a string that has the required width, if 
@columnfractions is used, calculate the proper fraction, etc.

This does require the lilypond-book tool to buffer the table contents 
until the width of the "stretchable Lilypond column" is known, then 
output the corrected @multitable line and the table contents.  Since 
@lilypond-width is a marker for a preprocessor substitution instead of 
an actual Texinfo command, a variant with an argument could be used to 
explicitly select which row should determine the column width, or to 
reference a previous table, or a previous definition, as in:

@lilypond-width as reference
c4
@end lilypond-width
...
@multitable {@lilypond-width{use reference}} {foo} ...
...
@end multitable
...
@multitable {@lilypond-width{use reference}} {bar} ...
...
@end multitable

where "reference" is an arbitrary name, which lilypond-book would 
translate to:

...
@multitable {XXX} {foo} ...
...
@end multitable
...
@multitable {XXX} {bar} ...
...
@end multitable

where XXX is some string that produces the appropriate column width.


-- Jacob