tutorial Berend de Boer

[email protected]

LATEX in proper ConTEXt

1 ConTEXt for LATEX users 65
2 ConTEXt basics 66
3 Common LATEX Environments 68
4 Floats 74
5 Tables 76
6 Math 78
7 Changing the layout 79
8 References 85
9 Interactive documents 86
10 Other 87
11 Understanding ConTEXt 88
12 LATEX commands 89
13 ConTEXt commands 90
14 LATEX to ConTEXt reference 91

1 ConTEXt for LATEX users

1.1 For who is this document
If you are a LATEX user, switching to an entirely different macro--package is a very big
step. Everything you put so much effort in to learn, doesn’t work anymore.
I can’t help but quote from that famous book “The psychology of computer program-
ming” (chapter 11):

In making our adjustments to our particular programming language, we can easily

become attached to it simply because we now have to much invested in it. We often
listen to a man complaining about his nagging, slovenly, and prodigal wife, only to
find that when asked why he doesn’t leave her, he replies that he cannot live without
her. Most people would prefer almost any amount of pain to giving up the familiarity
of some constant companion for an unknown quantity. We see this effect when we try
to teach a programmer his second language. Teaching the first is no great problem, for
he has no investment in any other. By the time he has learned two or more, he is aware
that more things exist in this world than he has dreamed of. But letting go of the first
is, to him, just a promise of pain with no promise of compensating pleasure.

To help lessen the pain for users make the switch, this document shows short LATEX code
snippets and how you do the same in ConTEXt.
ConTEXt is a macro package that’s far more advanced than LATEX. You can enhance
LATEX with third party packages, but not all macro packages work together with each other.
ConTEXt is an integrated, powerful and flexible macro package for which you seldom
need third party packages. ConTEXt also has been used to create large and complex
on--screen documents, including hyperlinks, on screen buttons, forms, cross--document
links, and so on.
This document is not a reference to the ConTEXt manual. It only shows you the
ConTEXt macros for the familiar LATEX macros. It does not explain the ConTEXt

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macros in detail nor shows you the numerous options almost every command has. You
are referred to the http://www.pragma-ade.nl/general/manuals/beta/cont-nli.pdf
instead.
1.2 References
If you take up ConTEXt, you probably need help. You can find it at the following loca-
tions:
The ConTEXt support site is http://www.pragma-ade.nl.
There is a beginner’s manual in english at http://www.pragma-ade.nl/zipped
/bman-en.zip.
ConTEXt main reference however is still in dutch and can be found at http://www.
pragma-ade.nl/general/manuals/beta/cont-nli.pdf.
The 4TEX manual also contains much material on ConTEXt, see http://4tex.ntg.
nl/4tex5.
There is a ConTEXt mailling list. Subscribe by sending a message to mailto:ma-
[email protected]. In the body of the message type:
subscribe ntg-context [email protected]

1.3 Acknowledgements
Thanks to David Arnold, Wybo Dekker and Hans Hagen for offering suggestions and
sending corrections to this document.

2 ConTEXt basics
This chapter tells you ConTEXt’s basics.
2.1 A basic document
A basic ‘hello world’ kind of document in LATEX looks like:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Hello world.
\end{document}

In ConTEXt it looks like:

\starttext
Hello world.
\stoptext

ConTEXt does not have a special command to load the style for a certain document. If
you have them, you can load style files and such with the TEX macro \input.
2.2 Compiling your document
If your LATEX ‘Hello world’ document is called text.tex, you probably compile your
document with:
latex test.tex
In ConTEXt you use a wrapper around the TEX compiler to compile your document. Your
ConTEXt document is compiled with:
texexec test.tex
texexec also takes care of the table of contents, indexes, references and sorted lists (see
also section 11.1). It recompiles your document as many times as necessary to make sure
references in the document are ok.

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While you could use something as:

context test.tex
to compile your document, this is not advised. Learn to use texexec:
texexec test.tex
The first output of texexec should look like:
TeXExec 1.9 - ConTeXt / PRAGMA ADE 1997-2000
executable : pdfetex
format : cont-en
inputfile : test
output : dvips
interface : en
current mode : all
TeX run : 1
and then it starts compiling your document.
ConTEXt supports various language specific interfaces. This document presents the
english language interface but ConTEXt also has a dutch and german based interface. If
the default interface on your system is not correct, you can either change the initialization
file texexec.ini or give a parameter to texexec:
texexec -interface=en test.tex
ConTEXt supports also various output formats like .dvi and .pdf. To generate a .pdf
document instead of a .dvi document, change texexec.ini or call texexec with the
following parameter:
texexec -output=pdftex test.tex
Or even shorter with:
texexec --pdf test.tex
Probably the best option is to put the texexec parameters as the first line in your docu-
ment like:
% interface=en output=pdftex
\starttext
This example compiles with the english interface and
generates pdf output.
\stoptext

2.3 Chapters and sections

Chapters and sections in ConTEXt are very much like LATEX. In LATEX you write:
\documentclass{report}
\begin{document}
\chapter{One}
My first chapter.
\chapter{Two}
My second chapter.
\end{document}

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In ConTEXt this looks like:

\starttext
\chapter{One}
My first chapter.
\chapter{Two}
My second chapter.
\stoptext

Not much difference here. However, referencing to chapters or sections is done differ-
ently in ConTEXt, see section 8.1.
2.4 Table of contents
A table of contents in LATEX is done with the \tableofcontents command:
\documentclass{report}
\begin{document}
\tableofcontents
\chapter{One}
My first chapter.
\chapter{TwoOne}
My second chapter.
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you get a table of contents with the \completecontent command:

\starttext
\completecontent
\chapter{One}
My first chapter.
\chapter{Two}
My second chapter.
\stoptext

Remember to compile with texexec, or else you will not get the table of contents
(see section 11.1). Besides \completecontent, ConTEXt also has \placecontent.
\completecontent starts a new page, while \placecontent doesn’t.

3 Common LATEX Environments

In the following sections the most common LATEX environments are discussed and
ConTEXt alternatives are given. Environments are discussed in alphabetic order.
3.1 The abstract environment
With LATEX’s abstract environment you can mark one or more paragraphs in some special
way. It also depends on the documentclass you have loaded, either article or report. Its
layout is equal to the quotation environment.

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You use abstract as follows:

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{abstract}
This is an abstract of this article.
\end{abstract}
\end{document}

There is no abstract environment in ConTEXt, because it really is a style option. However,

you can get the same effect as LATEX’s article abstract environment with:
\starttext
\startnarrower\switchtobodyfont[small]
\midaligned{\bf Abstract}\par
This is an abstract of this article.
\stopnarrower
\stoptext

With \startnarrower you get a paragraph, left and right indented by some white space.
With \switchtobodyfont you get a font somewhat smaller than the current body font.
With \midaligned you get a centered line.
3.2 The bibliography environment
In LATEX you can create a bibliography within the bibliography environment environ-
ment:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\section{My life}
I’ve read only two books in my life \cite{Bekke92}, \cite{Brodie84}.
\begin{thebibliography}{Brodie84}
\bibitem[Bekke92]{Bekke92}
J.H.˜ter˜Bekke, \emph{Semantic datamodeling}, Prentice Hall, Hemel
Hempstead, ISBN˜0-13-806050-9, 1992.
\bibitem[Brodie84]{Brodie84}
L.˜Brodie, \emph{Thinking Forth, a language and philosophy for
solving problems}, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-917568-7, 1984.
\end{thebibliography}
\end{document}

Entries are started with \bibitem and appear in the bibliography environment environ-
ment. Entries are referred to with the \cite command.
In ConTEXt, bibliographies are supported by the bib module. This module is not yet in
the standard release, you have to download it separately at http://www.cybercomm.nl/
˜bittext/temp/m-bib.zip. See section 11.2 on how to generate the documentation for
this module. It seems the documentation is a bit ahead of the implementation, but expect
the module to improve over the course of the next few months.

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In ConTEXt, references have to be in a separate file. For this example it is easiest to

have them in a file with the same name, but with the .bbl extension.
An example of such a file is:
\startpublication[k=Brodie84,
t=article,
a=L.˜Brodie,
y=1984,
s=LB84]
\artauthor[]{Leo}[L.]{}{Brodie}
\arttitle{Thinking Forth, a language and philosophy for solving
problems}
\journal{Prentice Hall}
\pubyear{1984}
\stoppublication
\startpublication[k=Bekke92,
t=article,
a=J.H.˜ter˜Bekke,
y=1992,
s=JB92]
\artauthor[]{Johan}[J.H.]{ter}{Bekke}
\arttitle{Semantic datamodeling}
\journal{Prentice Hall}
\pubyear{1992}
\stoppublication

Entries are started with the \startpublication command.

Having this file, it is now possible to use them as follows:
\usemodule[bib]
\setuppublications
[numbering=yes,
sort=author]
\starttext
\section{My life}
I’ve read only two books in my life \cite[Bekke92,Brodie84]. But I’ve
admit that I no longer think Forth \cite[Brodie84].
\completepublications
\stoptext

The command \setuppublications is optional. It defines such things as which entries

to include, how to sort them or to include every entry or only the referenced ones. It
currently does not seem possible to mimick the way LATEX references things.
With \completepublications the list of publications is given. And of course there
is also a \placepublications command which does not add something to the table of
contents.
For bibTEX information, see section 8.4.

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3.3 The description environment

LATEX’s description environment produces a list where each label is a keyword instead
of a bullet or a number.
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{description}
\item[gnat] A small animal, found in the North Woods, that causes no
end of trouble.
\item[gnu] A large animal, found in crossword puzzles, that causes no
end of trouble.
\item[armadillo] A medium-sized animal.
\end{description}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you use the \definedescription command to setup an environment. A

description is not an enumeration like it is in LATEX. In the following code we first define
the environment, called animal. It’s also possible to define the environment description,
but that’s quite confusing. In the main text we show how this new environment is used:
\definedescription
[animal]
[location=hanging,
margin=standard,
headstyle=bold]
\definestartstop
[animals]
[before=\blank\startpacked,
after=\stoppacked\blank]
\starttext
\startanimals
\animal{gnat} A small animal, found in the North Woods, that
causes no end of trouble.
\animal{gnu} A large animal, found in crossword puzzles, that
causes no end of trouble.
\startanimal{armadillo}
A medium-sized animal.
\stopanimal
\stopanimals
\stoptext

Within \startanimals, descriptions (animals) can be given. You can use both \animal
or \startanimal to define a description. The start/stop pair is of course more robust. The
type \animal expects a \par (or empty line) to work.
The use of \definestartstop is optional, but this helps to clearly mark the definition
of animals and to have a common point of settings like white space before and after.
With \blank we get the default blank space before (the space between paragraphs). With
\startpacked we get paragraphs that do not have white space between them.
A different solution, however without the hanging indent feature, is:

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\starttext
\startitemize[4*broad,packed]
\sym{gnat} A small animal, found in the North Woods, that causes no
end of trouble.
\sym{gnu} A large animal, found in crossword puzzles, that causes no
end of trouble.
\sym{armadillo} A medium-sized animal.
\stopitemize
\stoptext

In this example, the text armadillo overlaps with its definition if the margin is not defined
sufficiently large. So the first solution is better.
This example also shows ConTEXt’s way of setting options. With 4*broad we set the
width of the symbol to four times the broad setting. With packed we specify that we
don’t want white space between paragraphs.
3.4 The enumerate environment
LATEX’s enumerate environment is used to produce a numbered list:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{enumerate}
\item First item.
\item Second item.
\end{enumerate}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt lists, both numbered and unnumbered, are started with \startitemize. You
use the n option to produce a numbered list:
\starttext
\startitemize[n]
\item First item.
\item Second item.
\stopitemize
\stoptext

See also the example in section 3.5. See section 7.9 for how to influence the layout of
lists.
3.5 The itemize environment
LATEX’s itemize environment is used to produce an unnumbered list:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{itemize}
\item First item.
\item Second item.
\end{itemize}
\end{document}

Every line starts with a bullet.

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In ConTEXt lists, both numbered and unnumbered, are started with \startitemize. If
you don’t use an option, you get an unnumbered list:
\starttext
\startitemize
\item First item.
\item Second item.
\stopitemize
\stoptext

See also the example in section 3.4. See section 7.9 for how to influence the layout of
lists.
3.6 The quotation environment
You can quote someone in LATEX with the quote environment:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{quote}
But letting go of the first is, to him, just a promise
of pain with no promise of compensating pleasure.
\end{quote}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you achieve the same effect with the \startquotation command:
\starttext
\startquotation
But letting go of the first is, to him, just a promise
of pain with no promise of compensating pleasure.
\stopquotation
\stoptext

LATEX also has a quotation environment used for quotations of more than one paragraph.
In ConTEXt you can always use \startquotation.
ConTEXt also has ‘inline’ quotes. Use either its \quote or \quotation command:
\starttext
This is a \quote{quote} and this is a \quotation{quotation}.
\stoptext

\quote surrounds your quote with single quote characters, \quotation surrounds your
quote with double quote characters.
3.7 The verbatim environment
Verbatim text (text not subject to macro expansion) in LATEX is done with the verbatim
environment:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{verbatim}
This is

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verbatim \LaTeX.
\end{verbatim}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you write this as:

\starttext
\starttyping
This is
verbatim \ConTeXt.
\stoptyping
\stoptext

4 Floats
Floats are pieces of text that do not follow the main flow, but can go on the same page or
elsewhere. ConTEXt has very extensive support for them.
4.1 Figures
In LATEX you can include a bitmap if you use the graphics or graphicx package. With
the \includegraphics command you can include a bitmap.
If you use pdftex, you can now define a figure as simply as:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[pdftex]{graphicx}
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics{test.png}
\caption{Test picture}
\label{fig:test}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

This figure also has a caption and it has a label so you can refer to it. In ConTEXt you do
this with:
\starttext
\placefigure
[]
[fig:test]
{Test picture}
{\externalfigure[test.png]}
\stoptext

Probably the size of the figure differs between LATEX and ConTEXt. In ConTEXt figures
have their natural size by default. You can influence the scaling of a figure with the scale
option:
\starttext

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\placefigure
[]
[fig:test]
{Test picture}
{\externalfigure[test.png][scale=2000]}
\stoptext

The default scale is 1000 (100%). Scale 2000 gives you a figure twice as large. You can
also specify the width of the figure in dimensions, for example half the text width (see
example below).
In ConTEXt you usually define your figures at the top of your file, above the \starttext
command. You can recall them when needed:
\useexternalfigure
[testone]
[test.png]
[scale=2000]
\useexternalfigure
[testtwo]
[test.png]
[width=.5\textwidth]
\starttext
\placefigure
[]
[fig:testone]
{Test picture: twice as large as it natural size}
{\externalfigure[testone]}
\placefigure
[]
[fig:testtwo]
{Test picture: half as large as the text}
{\externalfigure[testtwo]}
\stoptext

With \useexternalfigure the first command is the name of the macro you want to de-
fine, the next is the name of the file. The third parameter are scaling and sizing options.
In http://www.pragma-ade.nl/zipped/bman-en.zip you can find more things you
can do with figures like placing two figures together or placing text left or right of a
figure.
4.2 List of figures
A list of figures in LATEX can be given with its \listoffigures command:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[pdftex]{graphicx}
\begin{document}
\listoffigures
\begin{figure}
\includegraphics{test.png}

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\caption{Test picture}
\label{figure:test}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you use the \completelistoffigures command:

\starttext
\completelistoffigures
\placefigure
[fig:test]
{Test picture}
{\externalfigure[test.png]}
\stoptext

Just like \completecontent, besides \completelistoffigures their also is a

\placelistoffigures command which doesn’t start a new page.
Be aware that \completelistoffigures only works at the beginning of a document,
not at the end. There probably is a workaround, and as soon as I know it, I’ll say so here.

5 Tables
5.1 The tabular environment
In LATEX tables are defined with the tabular environment environment. A famous LATEX
example demonstrating many of its features is:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{tabular}{|r||r@{--}l|p{1.25in}|}
\hline
\multicolumn{4}{|c|}{GG\&A Hoofed Stock}
\\ \hline\hline
&\multicolumn{2}{c|}{Price}& \\ \cline{2-3}
\multicolumn{1}{|c||}{Year}
& \multicolumn{1}{r@{\,\vline\,}}{low}
& high & \multicolumn{1}{c|}{Comments}
\\ \hline
1971 & 97 & 245 & Bad year for
farmers in the west. \\ \hline
72 & 245 & 245 & Light trading due to a
heavy winter. \\ \hline
73 & 245 & 2001 & No gnus was very
good gnus this year. \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt tables are created within the \starttable environment:

\starttext
\starttable[|r|r|l|p(1.25in)|]
\HL

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\VL \FOUR{GG\&A Hoofed Stock} \VL\SR

\HL
\VL \LOW{Year} \VL \TWO{Price} \VL \LOW{Comments} \VL\SR
\DC \DL[2] \DC \DR
\VL \VL low \VL high \VL \VL\SR
\HL
\VL 1971 \VL \TWO{97--245} \VL
Bad year for farmers in the west. \VL\SR
\HL
\VL 72 \VL \TWO{245--245} \VL
Light trading due to a heavy winter. \VL\SR
\HL
\VL 73 \VL \TWO{245--2001} \VL
No gnus was very good gnus this year. \VL\SR
\HL
\stoptable
\stoptext

In ConTEXt you can use \starttables to create a table that can be split accross pages.. In
LATEX this is provided by the longtable environment, provided by an external package.
5.2 The tabbing environment
To align data vertically, one can use the tabbing environment in LATEX. It’s usage is quite
complex, only a simple example is given:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{tabbing}
Armadillo: \= \kill
Gnat: \> not edible \\
Armadillo: \> not edible\\
\end{tabbing}
\end{document}

The same example in ConTEXt using its \starttabulate environment:

\starttext
\starttabulate[|l|p|]
\NC Gnat: \NC not edible \NC\NR
\NC Armadillo: \NC not edible \NC\NR
\stoptabulate
\stoptext

In LATEX the first line more or less determines the format (but can be changed in lat-
ter lines). In ConTEXt the \starttabulate environment works more or less like its
\starttable environment. The header specifies the format of the columns. The width
of the columns will be equal to the row with the largest contents. You can also explicitly
specify the width.
Every row starts with \NC (next column). Every row ends with a \NC and \NR (next
row).
The difference between ConTEXt’s \starttabulate and \starttable environments
are that the former splits across pages. And the p column type is a bit smarter in the
\starttabulate environment. The drawback of \starttabulate is, that it does not sup-
port vertical lines.

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5.3 List of tables

In LATEX one gets the list of tables with the \listoftables command. Only tables placed
within the table environment environment are put in the table of contents.
In ConTEXt one uses the \placelistofoftables command. And as in LATEX, only
tables given as argument to \placetable are pu in the table of contents.

6 Math
6.1 General
Math in ConTEXt and LATEX is not that different. Both depend mostly on TEX. LATEX adds
some environments for doing math. ConTEXt is mostly very close to TEX. In ConTEXt
probably every TEX math command just works.
6.2 In-text formulas
In ConTEXt in-text formula’s are produced by surrounding the formula by the $ character.
6.3 Display style formulas
In ConTEXt display style formula’s are produced by surrounding the formula by two $
characters. You can also use the \startformula environment for exactly the same effect.
6.4 Numbered formulas
With LATEX numbered formula’s are made within the equation environment:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{equation}
E = mcˆ2
\end{equation}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt numbered formulas are produced to prefix the display formula command
with \placeformula.
\starttext
\placeformula $$ E = mcˆ2 $$
\stoptext

6.5 Multiline formulas

In LATEX multiline formula’s are produced with the eqnarray environment. A new line is
started after the \\ command.
In ConTEXt you use TEX’s displaylines command. A new line is started after the \cr
command.
\starttext
$$\displaylines{%
ZeroOrOne = ( ( Amount\ mod\ Currency_RoundingFactor )\cr
+\ Currency_Boundary )\cr
div\ Currency_RoundingFactor}$$
\stoptext

6.6 Theorems and such

LATEX has the \newtheorem command to define environments for theorems-like structures.
You would use it as follows:

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\documentclass{article}
\newtheorem{guess}{Conjecture}
\begin{document}
This is the first one:
\begin{guess}
All conjectures are interesting.
\end{guess}
\end{document}

With ConTEXt you would use the \defineenumeration command. This command has
many options, the following settings make it more or less equal to LATEX’s \newtheorem:
\defineenumeration
[guess]
[text=Conjecture,
location=left,
letter=it]
\starttext
This is the first one:
\guess All conjectures are interesting.
This is the second one:
\startguess Except this one. \stopguess
\stoptext

As can be seen both \guess and \startguess can be used. Also \subguess,
\subsubguess and so on are now available.
ConTEXt’s \defineenumeration can be used for any kind of thing you want to enu-
merate.
7 Changing the layout
As soon as you are able to write basic documents, you probably want to change their
appearance. This chapter documents the differences between LATEX and ConTEXt. As
ConTEXt is a very, very flexible macro package, this is one of the largest chapters. Almost
everything can be customized, you just call \setupsomething.
7.1 Page size
In LATEX you give the page size as an option to the \documentclass command:
\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\begin{document}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you use the \setuppapersize command.

\setuppapersize[A4]
\starttext
\stoptext

With ConTEXt it is possible to do far more advanced things. You can typeset in A5 and
print on A4 for example.

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7.2 Fonts
Changing the font size in LATEX is usually done with a document class option:
\documentclass[12pt]{report}
\begin{document}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you use the \setupbodyfont command:

\setupbodyfont[12pt]
\starttext
\stoptext

Use \setupbodyfont only to set the document font. To switch to another font during
typesetting, you should use \switchtobodyfont.
To switch to a postscript font in LATEX, you can use certain packages. To switch to a
Helvetica body font you would type:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{helvet}
\begin{document}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you accomplish the same with the \setupbodyfont command:

\setupbodyfont[ber,phv,ss]
\starttext
\stoptext

With the option ber you specify that you want to use Karl Berry fontnames. With phv
you specify that you want to load the Helvetica font definitions, and with ss you specify
that you want to use a sans-serif font as the body font.
To switch to the default postscript fonts times, helvetica and courier, you would say:
\setupbodyfont[ber,pos]
\starttext
\stoptext

7.3 Interline spacing

To change the interline spacing in LATEX you change the baselineskip variable:
\documentclass{article}
\setlength\baselineskip{12pt}
\begin{document}
\end{document}

This changes the distance between lines to 12pt, a good value for a 10pt font. As in
LATEX, if you change the size of the body font in ConTEXt, the line skip is automatically
recalculated. You can set it yourself with \setupinterlinespace:
\setupinterlinespace[line=1.2\bodyfontsize]

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\starttext
\stoptext

Be careful to always define the interlineskip in terms of the current \bodyfontsize, else
you get unexpected results when the \bodyfontsize changes, for example in chapter
headings.
7.4 Spacing between paragraphs
To change the interparagraph spacing in LATEX, you change the \parskip variable:
\documentclass{article}
\setlength{\parskip}{3pt}
\begin{document}
This is my first paragraph.
This is my second paragraph.
\end{document}

This gives you 3 extra points of white space between paragraphs. In ConTEXt you use
the \setupwhitespace command.
\setupwhitespace[3pt]
\starttext
This is my first paragraph.
This is my second paragraph.
\stoptext

However, instead of a fixed size specification, it is much better to use current font size
related specifications like medium or big:
\setupwhitespace[medium]
\starttext
This is my first paragraph.
This is my second paragraph.
\stoptext

7.5 Paragraph indentation

In LATEX every paragraph has some white space at the beginning of its first line. You can
disable this by setting the amount of white space to 0:
\documentclass{article}
\setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
\begin{document}
This is my first paragraph. This is my first paragraph. This is my
first paragraph. This is my first paragraph. This is my first
paragraph. This is my first paragraph.
This is my second paragraph.
\end{document}

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ConTEXt doesn’t start with white space. To start a paragraph with some white space say:
\setupindenting[medium]
\starttext
This is my first paragraph. This is my first paragraph. This is my
first paragraph. This is my first paragraph. This is my first
paragraph. This is my first paragraph.
This is my second paragraph.
\stoptext

7.6 Position of the page number

In LATEX the position of the page number can be set with the \pagestyle command. In
ConTEXt you use the \setuppagenumbering command.
There are four LATEX page styles. The corresponding ConTEXt settings are given below:
1. \pagestyle{plain}:
\setuppagenumbering[location={footer,middle}]

2. \pagestyle{empty}:
\setuppagenumbering[location=]

3. \pagestyle{headings}:
\setuppagenumbering[location={header,middle}]

4. \pagestyle{myheadings}:
\setuppagenumbering[location=header]

(see ....)
Note that in ConTEXt a page consists of much more than LATEX’s three default units head,
body and foot, so you have much more options.
7.7 Roman and arabic pagenumbers
In LATEX Roman and Arabic page numbers are specified with the \pagenumbering com-
mand.
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\pagenumbering{roman}
\tableofcontents
\chapter{Introduction}
\pagenumbering{arabic}
This is a test.
\end{document}

In ConTEXt you use the \setupnumbering command.

\startfrontmatter

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\setuppagenumbering[conversion=romannumerals]
\setuppagenumber[number=1]
\completecontent
\stopfrontmatter
\startbodymatter
\setuppagenumbering[conversion=numbers]
\setuppagenumber[number=1]
\chapter{Introduction}
This is a test.
\stopbodymatter

This example also shows a typical document structure by its use of \startfontmatter
and \startbodymatter. The front matter has roman page numbers, the body matter
arabic ones. We also use \setuppagenumber to start counting from 1 for each of the
sections. The first \setuppagenumber could be omitted, but typically you have a front
page and such, so page numbering starts a bit later than the first physical pages.
7.8 Setting up chapter and sections
In LATEX changing the format of chapters and sections is not possible unless you change
LATEX internal commands. Therefore, no examples of doing this in LATEX are given, but
only the ConTEXt options are demonstrated.
Every section heading can be setup with ConTEXt’s \setuphead command. Probably
one of the first things you want to change is the font used for the chapters and sections.
\setuphead[chapter][letter={\switchtobodyfont[20pt,ss]\bf}]
\setuphead[section][letter={\switchtobodyfont[16pt,ss]\bf}]
\starttext
\chapter{This is a chapter}
First sentence.
\section{This is a section}
First sentence.
\stoptext

This gives you a 20 points, bold, sans serif font for chapter headings.
It is possible to define that you want to start a chapter on a right page:
\setuppagenumbering[alternative=doublesided]
\setuphead[chapter]
[page=right]
\starttext
\chapter{First thought}
First sentence.
\chapter{Second thought}
Second sentence.
\stoptext

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You also need to turn doublesided pagenumbering on with \setuppagenumbering. Now

every chapter starts on an uneven numbered page.
The following example changes even more. The number is set in a different font, and
before and after the chapter is set, we execute our own commands.
\setuphead
[chapter]
[numberstyle=bold,
textstyle=cap,
before=\hairline\blank,
after={\nowhitespace\hairline\blank[line]}]
\starttext
\chapter{This is a chapter}
A sentence.
\stoptext

Note that almost any(!) setup command has before and after options, so really everything
in ConTEXt can be changed easily.
It is also possible to format the entire section heading yourself. The following example
formats the subsection heading. You need to write a macro which expects two param-
eters: the number of that section and the title of that section. And then you’re on your
own.
\setuphead
[subsection]
[command=\myhead]
\def\myhead#1#2{#2}
\starttext
\chapter{This is a chapter}
\section{Section}
\subsection{Yes}
A sentence.
\stoptext

Note that turning off the number is a standard option, so this setup can also be accom-
plished with:
\setuphead
[subsection]
[number=no]
\starttext
\chapter{This is a chapter}
\section{Section}
\subsection{Yes}
A sentence.
\stoptext

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7.9 Setting up lists

Enumerations in ConTEXt have white space between each items. You can disable this by
using the packed option.
\setupitemize[packed]
\starttext
\startitemize[n]
\item First line.
\item Second line, no white space above it.
\stopitemize
\stoptext

8 References
8.1 In document references

8.2 Cross document references

8.3 Index
In LATEX producing indexes is a two step process. In the preamble you put the \makeindex
command so an index file (.idx) is created. The contents of every \index command is
put into that file. Next the makeindex command is used to produce the actual index which
can be included in your document with the \input command.
\documentclass{article}
\makeindex
\begin{document}
Put \index{this} and \index{that} in the index.
\input{testlatex.ind}
\end{document}

In ConTEXt creating indexes is also a two step process, but this is transparant if you use
texexec to compile your documents. With the \index command you put entries in the
index, with \completeindex you get the entire index at that point.
\starttext
Put \index{this} and \index{that} in the index.
\completeindex
\stoptext

8.4 bibtex
You can use bibtex to produce .bbl files as usual. The new bib module (see section 3.2)
can read .bbl files fine. You can specify on or more databases in \setuppublications
after the database keyword.
\usemodule[bib]
\setuppublications
[database={mybibs},
numbering=yes,
sort=author]

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\starttext
\section{My life}
I’ve read only two books in my life \cite[laan95:_types_pascal].
But I’ve admit that I no longer think Forth \cite[wogan:73a].
\completepublications
\stoptext

However, bib support is not yet foolproof.

9 Interactive documents
9.1 Defining an interactive document

\usepackage{article}
\usepackage
[pdftitle={Test document},
pdfauthor={Berend de Boer},
pdfsubject={There is more than LaTeX},
pdfkeywords={LaTeX ConTeXt TeX},
colorlinks,
linkcolor=blue]
{hyperref}
\begin{document}
\end{document}

\setupinteraction
[status=start,
title={Test document},
author={Berend de Boer},
subtitle={There is more than LaTeX},
keywords={LaTeX ConTeXt TeX},
color=blue]
\starttext
\stoptext

9.2 References which are URLs

In LATEX the hyperref package provides hyperlinking support. To generate a URL refer-
ence, you use the \href command:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\begin{document}
The \href{http://www.freebsd.org}{greatest server OS} on this world.
\end{document}

\setupinteraction[state=start]

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\useURL
[contextsupport]
[http://www.pragma-ade.nl]
\starttext
The \ConTeXt\ support site is \from[contextsupport].
\stoptext

10 Other
10.1 Title page

10.2 Text in margin

10.3 Color
You can enable color with the \setupcolors command.
\setupcolors[state=start]
\starttext
\stoptext

10.4 Babel

10.5 Interfaces

10.6 Breaking lines

10.7 Vertical white space

If you need vertical white space, LATEX has the \vspace command. This command only
works between paragraphs. At the beginning and end of a page white space ‘disappears’,
use \vspace* for white space that does not disappear.
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\vspace*{5cm}
This line comes first.
\vspace{2\baselineskip}
This line comes second.
\vspace{.5\baselineskip}
And this is the third line.
\end{document}

In ConTEXt the \blank command gives blank space. It also ends the preceding paragraph.
Use the force option to force white space at the beginning and end of a page.
\starttext
\blank[5cm,force]
This line comes first.
\blank[2*line]
This line comes second.
\blank[medium]

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And this is the third line.

\stoptext

11 Understanding ConTEXt
11.1 texexec
ConTEXt uses the external program texexec to do lots of things which are more difficult
to do directly in TEX:
1. ConTEXt writes its table of contents entries to a .tui file. If the compilation went
fine, texexec copies this to the corresponding .tuo file.
This means that when a compilation does not run to completion (you cancel it
for example), the table of contents entries and references have not disappeared.
2. texexec sorts indexes and sorted lists.
11.2 Module documentation
Generate ConTEXt module documentation with:
texexec --module m-bib
You need to have the documentation styles which can be downloaded from http://www.
pragma-ade.nl, filename cont-doc.zip.

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12 LATEX commands
List of LATEX commands used in this document.
b \listoftables 78
\bibitem 69 longtable environment 77
bibliography environment 69
m
c \makeindex 85
\cite 69
comment environment 92 n
\newtheorem 78, 79
d
description environment 71 p
\documentclass 79 \pagenumbering 82
\pagestyle 82
e \parskip 81
enumerate environment 72
eqnarray environment 78 q
equation environment 78 quotation environment 73
quote environment 73
h
\href 86 t
tabbing environment 77
i table environment 78
\includegraphics 74 \tableofcontents 68
\index 85 tabular environment 76
\input 85
itemize environment 72 v
\vspace 87
l \vspace* 87
\listoffigures 75

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13 ConTEXt commands
List of ConTEXt commands used in this document.
b \placepublications 70
bib module 85, 91 \placetable 78
\blank 71, 87
\bodyfontsize 81 q
\quotation 73
c \quote 73
\completecontent 68, 76
\completeindex 85 s
\completelistoffigures 76 \setupbodyfont 80
\completepublications 70 \setupcolors 87
\cr 78 \setuphead 83
\setupinterlinespace 80
d \setupnumbering 82
\definedescription 71 \setuppagenumber 83
\defineenumeration 79 \setuppagenumbering 82, 84
\definestartstop 71 \setuppapersize 79
\setuppublications 70, 85
i \setupwhitespace 81
\index 85 \startbodymatter 83
\input 66 \startfontmatter 83
\startformula 78
m \startitemize 72, 73
\midaligned 69 \startnarrower 69
\startpacked 71
n \startpublication 70
\NC 77 \startquotation 73
\NR 77 \starttable 76, 77
\starttables 77
p \starttabulate 77
\placecontent 68 \switchtobodyfont 69, 80
\placeformula 78
\placelistoffigures 76 u
\placelistofoftables 78 \useexternalfigure 75

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14 LATEX to ConTEXt reference

14.1 Standard environments
A list of all LATEX environments and the corresponding ConTEXt environment is provided
below. Note that LATEX environments are written as:
\begin{environment}
\end{environment}

In ConTEXt you write this as:

\startenvironment
\stopenvironment

LATEX environment ConTEXt environment Remark

abstract no equivalent.
array no equivalent.
center alignment
description See section 3.3
displaymath
document text
enumerate itemize
equation placeformula
eqnarray displaylines Use the standard TEX commands.
figure Use placefigure.
flushleft alignment
flushright alignment
itemize itemize
letter no equivalent.
list itemize
math Use $ before and $ after the formula.
minipage no equivalent.
note no equivalent.
overlay no equivalent.
picture MPgraphic In ConTEXt you can include metapost code
to achieve the same and better effects.
quote citaat
quotation citaat
slide no equivalent.
sloppypar
tabbing tabulate
table table Use together with placetable
tabular table
titlepage no equivalent.
thebibliography publication Requires the bib module.
theindex Use completeindex.
trivlist itemize
verbatim typing
verse

14.2 Standard commands

Many LATEX commands come from third party packages. Most of the things they provide
(or fix) are standard features in ConTEXt.

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LATEX command ConTEXt command Remark

setlanguage Provided by the babel package.
14.3 Environments provided packages
Many LATEX environments come from third party packages. Most of the things they
provide (or fix) are standard features in ConTEXt.
LATEX package ConTEXt environment Remark
comment comment Comment out certain parts of your document
so it does not show up in the .dvi or .pdf file.
LATEX’s comment environment is part of Rainer
Schp̈f’s verbatim package.
longtable tables The longtable package provides tables that can
be broken accross page.

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