Image Placement

< Using Graphics >

If you’re using ConTeXt for complex layout tasks, you need to calculate with image sizes. Often it makes sense to use Lua functions.

Beware, TeX calculates internally in "scaled points" (sp), 1 sp = 1/65536 pt.

Measures in pure ConTeXt

You can get at a picture’s dimensions with one line of TeX code:

\setupexternalfigures[location=default] % necessary to find pictures in tree
\getfiguredimensions[hacker.jpg]

This defines a bunch of variables:

Calculations in Lua

TEXpt = 65536 -- sp per pt
TEXptpi = 72.27 -- pt per inch

function sp2mm(n)
	-- convert sp into mm
	return math.floor(n * 35.28 / TEXpt)/100
end

function glue2num(glue)
	-- convert TeX glue (e.g. skips) into dimensions(? or numbers)
	return glue.width + (glue.stretch * glue.stretch_order) - (glue.shrink * glue.shrink_order)
end

function ImgSize(resolution)
	filename = figures.current().status.fullname -- current image
	local pic = img.scan{filename = filename}
	local picH = pic.ysize * TEXptpi * TEXpt / resolution  -- picture height in sp
	local picW = pic.xsize * TEXptpi * TEXpt / resolution  -- picture width in sp
	context("height=" .. picH .. ",width=" .. picW)
end

((WORK IN PROGRESS))