Re: [Texmacs-dev] desiderata, following

[Giovanni Piredda]

Am 12.06.2021 um 01:55 schrieb vincent douce via Texmacs-dev:
> -----------------------
> well, of course, it is maybe a pure personal wish : but, i would like 
> to say, if one can think it shouldn't be a implemented by default 
> because fits only for Vincent, then i would answer that the ability to 
> create an objet and to record it under a name, and the possibility, 
> then, in any future .tm doc, to open this object with a syntax of the 
> form \myobject : that would be a great step for the ability given to 
> the user to customize easily TeXlacs without deep knowledge of Scheme.
> ------------------------

This already exists, although in a different form to what you have in 
mind and it involves one step more with respect to your wish.

For reference: 
https://www.texmacs.org/tmweb/manual/webman-style.en.html, paragraph 
starting with "By combining the above constructs". Referring to that, 
the difference is that you need to figure out yourself what are the 
variables in the macro.

I think a part what you have in mind (place an object in the document, 
which corresponds in the language of the TeXmacs format to "place a 
subtree in the buffer") is also possible, but it also takes a bit of 
programming, so it is not as automated as you wish. I never tried to do 
this "properly" (I tried using macros, but Joris and Massimiliano told 
me that is not the way to do it).

For your a) I can try writing a macro (and post it in the forum, where 
we can have a longer discussion).

For your b) I have the feeling that a macro would be ok (if you want to 
write in all cells, you need as many variables) but an "object to throw 
into the buffer" could also good, and perhaps there are ways to do this 
that I do not see. I have written a macro, posted in the forum at 
http://forum.texmacs.cn/t/a-table-macro-from-texmacs-dev/471, where 
maybe we can discuss more.

For your c) is it with a fixed number of rows or with an arbitrary 
number of rows?

Said this, the details on how to do these things we could probably 
discuss either on the forum or on the texmacs-user mailing list, but 
also the strategy is a useful discussion in my opinion, good for here 
maybe (Is a visual macro composition possible for "objects to throw into 
buffers"? Are there downsides?). Does anyone have any opinions on this 
topic?