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Joseph Wright <[log in to unmask]>
Sun, 2 Jan 2011 22:48:23 +0000
text/plain (44 lines)
On 02/01/2011 21:25, Joseph Wright wrote:
> On 02/01/2011 21:03, Philipp Stephani wrote:
>> Am 02.01.2011 um 21:07 schrieb Joseph Wright:
>>
>>> If the idea is that you can use LaTeX3 without needing to know all of
>>> the underlying TeX
>>
>> still it would be great if the behavior of the L3 macros were formally
>> defined in TeX terms: I often experience that I cannot use certain L3
>> macros because it is not documented whether they expand to, say,
>> an<internal integer> or an<integer denotation>. \dimexpr ... \relax is
>> guaranteed by the e-TeX manual to be an<internal integer>, but what
>> \int_eval:n does is undocumented—in fact, it expands to an<integer
>> denotation> without trailing space, making things like
>>
>> \documentclass{minimal}
>> \usepackage{expl3}
>> \begin{document}
>> \newcount\x
>> \ExplSyntaxOn
>> \x = \int_eval:n { 1 + 1 } 1
>> \ExplSyntaxOn
>> (\the\x)
>> \end{document}
>>
>> possible. 2e's counters and length were designed to make such effects
>> impossible, but L3 reintroduces them :-(
>> \dim_eval:n, on the contrary, expands to an<internal dimen>. I think
>> that is the right choice because it is faster and leads to fewer
>> problems. I think a formal description like the following would be nice:
>
> One of the jobs which definitely needs doing for expl3 is tightening up
> the documentation. On this one, at least, I would point out that you are
> abusing \int_eval:n here, as there is a perfectly good, documented
> function for setting int variables (\int_set:Nn).

I should add that, where there is a working and documented LaTeX3 
interface, then that is what is supported, and arbitrary TeX routes 
really are not. One of the points of expl3 is that we can be clearer on 
that: where things are right, then direct TeX 'is not supported'. That 
of course does not let us off proper documentation.
-- 
Joseph Wright

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