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<cd:shortdesc>Initials (also known as drop caps, dropped caps, or versals) can be made in ConTeXt using the {{cmd|placeinitial}} command. The command <tt>\{{cmd|setupinitial</tt> }} detailed here is used for providing a to customize this decorative or ornate first letter to prose (s) at the start of chapters, sections, paragraphs, and so forth. 

<cd:paramdoc>number of lines in the paragraph that the initial should occupy. It defaults to 3. The size of the initial is adapted accordingly, but it can be changed with font parameter.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>number of letters to capitalize (gets ignored if you set `text`)</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>contains any commands that you would like to do prior to placing the initial. This parameter is empty by default. For example, to insert 2 big space before placement of the initial,<code>before={\blank[2*big]}]</code></cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>the horizontal distance which initial line(s) of the paragraph should be indented beyond the space needed for the letter. It defaults to <code>.125\emwidth</code>, and it can be negative.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>the distance to the left (into the left margin), or to the right, that the initial should be shifted from its default position. This defaults to 0pt.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>the distance downward, or upward (negative value), from its default position that the initial should be shifted. This defaults to 0pt. Value 0pt gives a "top" alignment, i.e. corresponding with the first line of the paragraph.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>style of the initial, for example <code>style=\it</code> for italic.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>for example <code>color=darkred</code>. It defaults to the current color.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>font specification. It defaults to boldface scaled to the number of text lines that the initial occupies, but can be customized, for example: <code>font=Bold at 32pt</code>.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>the text specified will be used as initial, instead of the letter following the <code>\placeinitial</code> command; `m` gets ignored.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>default is <code>text</code>, but initial can be placed in the margin with <code>location=margin</code></cd:paramdoc>

<cd:paramdoc>Affects the handling of quotation marks at the beginning. Doesn’t work with all languages, this is probably an oversight/bug. Under most circumstances, a leading quotation mark will get used as initial.</cd:paramdoc>

<cd:constant type="auto">The first letter after the quotation mark is included in the initial.</cd:constant>

<cd:examples><cd:example title="color, distance, before + variations on n, m , location">The following example produces an awful-looking initial, but it illustrates how some of these parameters work. <context mode="mkiv" source="yes">\definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=200mm]\setuppapersize[sheet]\setuppagenumbering[location=]\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm] \starttext \setupinitial [color=darkred, distance=10mm, before={\blank[big]\hairline\blank[big]}] \type[option=context]{\setupinitial[color=darkred,distance=10mm,before={\blank[big]\hairline\blank[big]}]} and \type[option=context]{\setupinitial[n=2, m=2]} \setupinitial[n=2, m=2]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big] or \type[option=context]{\setupinitial[n=3, m=4]} \setupinitial[n=3, m=4]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big] or \type[option=context]{\setupinitial[location=margin,n=3, m=1,distance=5mm]} \setupinitial[location=margin,n=3, m=1,distance=5mm]\placeinitial\input knuth \stoptext </context></cd:example><cd:example title="hoffset"><context mode="mkiv" source="yes">\definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=200mm]\setuppapersize[sheet]\setuppagenumbering[location=]\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm] \starttext Here is some text 1. \setupinitial[color=darkred]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[hoffset=0mm]} \setupinitial[hoffset=0mm]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[hoffset=5mm]} \setupinitial[hoffset=5mm]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[hoffset=-5mm]} \setupinitial[hoffset=-5mm]\placeinitial\input knuth \stoptext </context></cd:example><cd:example title="voffset"><context mode="mkiv" source="yes">\definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=200mm]\setuppapersize[sheet]\setuppagenumbering[location=]\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm] \starttext Here is some text 1. \setupinitial[color=darkred]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[voffset=0mm]} \setupinitial[voffset=0mm]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[voffset=5mm]} \setupinitial[voffset=5mm]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[voffset=-5mm]} \setupinitial[voffset=-5mm]\placeinitial\input knuth \stoptext </context></cd:example><cd:example title="font"><context mode="mkiv" source="yes">\definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=150mm]\setuppapersize[sheet]\setuppagenumbering[location=]\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm] \starttext Here is some text 1. \setupinitial[color=darkred]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[font=Bold at 45pt]} \setupinitial[font=Bold at 45pt]\placeinitial\input knuth \blank[big]\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[font=SansBold at 45pt]} \setupinitial[font=SansBold at 45pt] \placeinitial\input knuth \stoptext </context></cd:example><cd:example title="text"><context mode="mkiv" source="yes">\definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=80mm]\setuppapersize[sheet]\setuppagenumbering[location=]\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm] \starttext \type[option=context]{\setupinitial[text=Here]} \setupinitial[color=darkred,text=Here]\placeinitial\input knuth  \stoptext </context></cd:example></cd:examples><cd:notes><cd:note author="Garulfo" date="2020-12-12T22:46:03+0100">          Because the space carved out for the initial is rectangular, initials work best with a font with rectangular ornaments around the letter.             </cd:note><cd:note author="Rik" date="2021-12-16T02:10:09+0100">    Named initials must be defined using {{cmd|defineinitial}}.    </cd:note></cd:notes>

<cd:commandref name="defineinitial" originator="system">placeinitial </cd:commandref>

<cd:commandref name="placeinitial">placeinitial</cd:commandref><cd:commandref name="definefirstline">to apply specific style to the whole first line, or first words</cd:commandref></cd:seealso>