Re: [Groff] Font Composition

[Werner LEMBERG]

> > Of all output formats groff is supporting, only PS has support for
> > font-based underlining.
>
>         I am not sure what this implies.  If PostScript provides a
> font-specific underline, it should be made available in groff devps
> fonts, and some simple requests to access those values at least can
> be provided.

IMHO it's not worth the trouble.  For example, TeX doesn't provide
access to PostScript's underlining values either, and I've never seen
a complaint about it in comp.text.tex and similar forums.

> Also, the features provided by groff (pseudo boldify/italicise etc.)
> now are bad, typographically speaking; but that is no justification
> for not providing features like underlining and strikethrough.  They
> are precise and require a powerful typesetting engine like groff,
> not PostScript macros.  The technique macro packages currently use
> for such effects (diverting text, measuring its length etc.) is very
> unreliable, especially across line breaks.

You apparently hasn't seen my underlining package which does exactly
what you want.  From ul.tmac:

  This file defines a macro `.Underline' which underlines its
  arguments continuously.  It is completely transparent to justifying,
  this is, the text to be underlined (and the text surrounding it) is
  typeset identical to normal text, without any distortion in filling.

  Note that you can use `.Underline' in diversions; it works also across
  page breaks and is robust against vertical position traps.

I've attached it since it is quite small.


    Werner

ul-1.2.tar.gz
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