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<context>
\setupbodyfont[rm, 9pt]
<context>
\setupbodyfont[9pt]
<texcode>
<context >\setupbodyfontcolor[9ptred]% rule color, but might influence also the color of other elements\startcolumns[n=23,rule=on]
\column
\input tufte
Column balancing fails in "lines" mode (e.g. for poetry).
% The width of the second paragraph is automatically calculated if unspecified.
It is hard to To put multiple columns in a frame (at least for me), but this one works.:
<texcode>\startuseMPgraphic{verticallineverticalrule} for i=1 upto NOfTextColumns-1 if CurrentColumn < NOfColumns : draw (rightboundary TextColumns[i]) OverlayBox shifted (2.5mm4mm,0) shifted -\MPxy\textanchor ; endfor ; setbounds currentpicture to OverlayBox enlarged 2.5mm; fi
\chapter{Chapter One}\startcolumnset[exampleTwoColumns] \starttextbackground[text] startlines % enforce line breaksStarlight, star bright,first star I see tonight;\stoplines \dorecurse {10}{column \input knuth} startlinesI wish I may, I wish I mighthave the wish I wish tonight.\stoptextbackgroundstoplines
small fixes (something about new/old columns still pending; text about floats doesn’t fit the current state)
< [[Visuals]] | [[Layout]] >
= Overview =
There are different possibilities to typeset text in two or more columns:
* paragraphs : if you need a table-like structure (translations, questionaires etc.)
* column sets : the flexible way for varying columns or other complex tasks
* page grids : new column sets implementation (MkIV)
* streams : set different text synchronized side-by-side (e.g. bilingual editions)
Columns and columnset columnsets are two different mechanism two mechanisms to produce a documentwith text and two or more columnsof text.
* The <code>columns</code> mechanism is the older one with limited control about the placement of figures but allows you to mix one column and multicolumns text on a page.
* <code>columnsets</code> is a new version of the column mechanism with more control about the placement of figures and other features like spanned columns etc. (look at the [[Columns#Column_Sets|manual]] for more); it is better than <code>columns</code> for magazine-like layouts.
=Columns=
<texcodecontext source=yes>\startcolumnssetuppapersize[n=3A5]\input knuth\stopcolumns</texcode>
\startcolumns[n=3]
\input knuth
</context>
You can add all the options of <{{cmd>|setupcolumns</cmd> }} to <cmd>startcolumn</{{cmd>|startcolumns}}. For example, simple ruled columns are easy:
<texcodecontext source=yes>\setupbodyfontsetuppapersize[9ptA5]\startcolumns[n=2,rule=on]\input knuth\stopcolumns</texcode>
\startcolumns[n=2,rule=on]
\input knuth
</context>
Normally, columns are automatically balanced with the text distributed over the number or of requested columns. You can provoke a column switch using <{{cmd>|column}}. </cmdcontext source=yes>.\setuppapersize[A5]
\startcolumns[n=2]
\input knuthward
\column
\input tufteweisman
\stopcolumns
</texcodecontext> Column balancing fails in "lines" mode (e.g. for poetry). Influencing the color of the separator rule is somewhat tricky: <context source=yes>\setuppapersize[A5]\setupcolors[textcolor=blue]
\input knuth
\stopcolumns
</context>
=Paragraphs=
For example:
<context source="yes">
\enableregimesetuppapersize[utfA5]
\defineparagraphs[TwoThird][n=2]
% The width of the second paragraph is automatically calculated if unspecified.
\setupparagraphs[TwoThird][1][width=.66\textwidth]
\startTwoThird
\quotation{...{\it why is there something rather than nothing?}
</context>
See "Paragraphs in Columns" section in the [[manualhttp:cont-enp//pmrb.free.fr/contextref.pdf|ConTeXt reference manual]]for further details.
=(Simple)Columns in a narrow frame=
<context source="yes">
\setuppapersize[A5]
\framed[width=0.9\hsize,location=middle]\bgroup
\startnarrower[2*middle] \setlocalhsize \hsize\localhsize \startsimplecolumns \input tufte \stopsimplecolumns \stopnarrower
\egroup
</context>
Another possibility is to use [[TextBackground|textbackground]] around the text. (The examples don't work in this wiki because, for security reasons, it has [[write18]] disabled. They should work for you, though, provided that [[write18]] is enabled on your local installation.)
<context source="yes">
\setuppapersize[A5]
\setupcolors[state=start]
\definetextbackground [book]
This method offers more possibilities than simple columns,
in particular in placing floats such as figures and in creating columnspans.
See [[manual:columns.pdf|Columns manual]] or [[source:page-set.texmkiv|column sets source]] for many examples.
If you don't need much more than the "normal" columns, but e.g. "lines" mode, try this:
<context source="yes">
\setuppapersize[A5]
\definecolumnset[TwoColumns][n=2]
==Vertical lines between columnsets (rules)==
Sometimes it is required to have a vertical line between the columns of your columnset. This code draws MetaPost lines in the right place (note that it uses textbackground): <context source=yes>\setuppapersize[A5]
\stopuseMPgraphic
\defineoverlay [verticallineverticalrule] [\useMPgraphic{verticallineverticalrule}]\setupbackgrounds[text][background=verticalline] \definecolumnset[exampleTwoColumns][n=32,distance=5mm]\setupcolumnset[example][1,2][balancebackground=yesverticalrule]
\starttext
\stopcolumnset
\stoptext
</texcodecontext> =Page Grids= Page grids are a new implementation of columnsets, intended to replace the old mechanism. From the [[source:page-cst.mkiv|source]]: Columnsets are kind of special. They are mostly meant for special products withmagazine like properties. They are normally not mixed with single column layoutsand not all features of ConTeXt might cooperate well with a mechanism likethis. We use the name page grid because (as with other reimplementations ofMkII features in MkIV, we need another namespace in order to migrate stepwise.This implementation is not neccessarily better than the previous one but it mightbe easier to extend it. It should be a bit more efficient.
=Streams=
This is useful for, e.g., typesetting bilingual books: have the original on the even pages, the translation on the odd pages, and synchronize at certain points.
Hans later re-implemented that mechanism in the core. For details see [[source:mpage-streamsstr.texmkiv|streams module the source]].
The module provides a rather low-lever interface. Hans suggested some handy shortcuts:
Beware, streams don't work in columns and not very good in columnsets.
==Examples of MkIV streams==
(copied from the source)
<texcode>
\enabletrackers[streams.flushing]
\setuplayout[grid=yes] \showgrid
\starttext
\input tufte
\startoutputstream[nl]
Wat doen we hier?
\enableoutputstream[en]
Are you sleeping, brother John?\footnote{xxx}
\dorecurse{4}{x \footnote{note \recurselevel}\input tufte \par \pushoutputstream}
\enableoutputstream[de]
Bruder Jakob, schläfst du noch?\footnote{yyy}
\dorecurse{4}{x \footnote{note \recurselevel}\input ward \par \pushoutputstream}
\disableoutputstream
\stopoutputstream
Vader Jacob, slaap je nog?\footnote{zzz}
\input tufte
\synchronizestreams[en,de,nl]
\page \flushoutputstream[en] \input knuth
\page \flushoutputstream[de] \input knuth
\page \flushoutputstream[nl] \input knuth
\stoptext
</texcode>
Posting by Wolfgang to the mailing list (2016-11-27):
<texcode>
\starttext
\startoutputstream[one]
\setupalign[flushleft]
\dorecurse{3}{Line \recurselevel\par}\pushoutputstream
\blank
\dorecurse{6}{Line \recurselevel\par}\pushoutputstream
\blank
\dorecurse{4}{Line \recurselevel\par}\pushoutputstream
\stopoutputstream
\startoutputstream[two]
\setupalign[flushright]
\dorecurse{5}{Line \recurselevel\par}\pushoutputstream
\blank
\dorecurse{2}{Line \recurselevel\par}\pushoutputstream
\blank
\dorecurse{7}{Line \recurselevel\par}\pushoutputstream
\stopoutputstream
\synchronizestreams[one,two]
\startoverlay
{\outputstreambox[one]}
{\raise2\strutdp\outputstreambox[two]}
\stopoverlay
\stoptext
</texcode>
(Wolfgang continued:)
The mechanism to create pages/columns for the stream content is
missing.
You can save text and flush it afterwards but there is no command which
places the content side by side (or in columns). Below is a simple example
but I had to write the splitter myself.
<texcode>
\starttext
\startoutputstream[one]
\startcolor[red]
\dorecurse{10}{\input knuth\par}
\stopcolor
\stopoutputstream
\startoutputstream[two]
\startcolor[green]
\dorecurse{10}{\input zapf\par}
\stopcolor
\stopoutputstream
\synchronizestreams[one,two]
\setbox\scratchboxone\outputstreambox[one]
\setbox\scratchboxtwo\outputstreambox[two]
\doloop
{\ifvoid\scratchboxone
\exitloop
\else
\setbox\scratchboxfour\vsplit\scratchboxone to \textheight
\vbox to \vsize{\box\scratchboxfour\vss}%
\setbox\scratchboxfive\vsplit\scratchboxtwo to \textheight
\vbox to \vsize{\box\scratchboxfive\vss}%
\fi}
\stoptext
</texcode>
{{todo|We need documentation and samples for Paragraphs, Streams and Column Sets}}
This has some limitations, too. If you put a float at the top of a column and there is another float that spans more than a column over all, the grid will be broken, so you have to put it in another page, but you can put more than one float of the same type together, as seen above.
== See also ==
* {{cmd|definemixedcolumns}}
{{Columns navbox}}
