Re: wrong font shape for `@var` in `@example`

[Werner LEMBERG]

[CCing `bug-texinfo` – this was lost by accident, right?]

> Slanted typewriter may be better in this context but there are at
> least two other contexts where slanted roman is better for @var (on
> definition lines, and in @table @code which is used for
> definitions).

Definition lines are a separate beast, and I agree that new semantics
are ok – as long as new Texinfo command names are used IMHO.

For `@table @code` I'm not sure that this is always true.

> It's not possible to tell just from what is visually appealing in an
> isolated example.  The context and purpose is important.  Why is the
> fixed-width spacing important here?

Two meta-ness levels meet in things like

```
Add command line option @code{--jobs @var{n}}, where @var{n} ...
```

* Input to be entered by the user is usually shown with a typewriter
  font – and IMHO, *everything* a user should type has to be shown in
  typewriter.

* Variables in user input should be recognizable as such – and at the
  same time still be recognizable as being user input.  For me, the
  solution is slanted typewriter, and Texinfo does the right thing
  since a looong time.

In a similar vein, stuff within an `@example` environment *must* be
completely typeset in typewriter; the normal use case is to show
terminal output, or the contents of a configuration file, which is by
default identified with a fixed-width font.  If, for whatever reasons,
some variables are shown, they must, again, be typeset in typewriter.

> Specifically, I felt that matching the font style between typewriter
> and non-typewriter environments was important, so that when
> documents referred to @var{flubb} in a paragraph it would look the
> same as @var{flubb} in the code, so that readers could easily look
> back and forth between the two.

This might be so if everywhere people would use `@samp` instead of
`@code`.  However, this is not the reality.

I suggest a global customization variable `@varinputstyle` that
selects the font style if used within `@code`, `@example`, and friends
(with the default set to the old behaviour for backward compatibility,
at least for the next version).  Alternatively, leave the behaviour of
`@var` as is and add a new command that has the new metaness
properties.

> Another option is to change your document to use @t{@slanted{...},
> which produces the slanted typewriter font.

Honestly, I don't like that – what I want *does* transport metaness!
Using `@t` would demote this to a 'fancy font change to make the
author happy', which is not true.

> Obviously, we don't want to be telling users to make lots of changes
> to documents...

Indeed.

> ...but maybe it is limited.

I don't think so.

> If fixed-width spacing is necessary for alignment, then we could use
> the alignment of the fixed-width font even if we used slanted roman.
> One effect of this would be that it would stop @var breaking across
> lines inside @example.

Thank you, but no :-)


    Werner