Hans Aberg wrote on these subjects and asks, for example: > Is this a question that LaTeX3 addresses? > But does LaTeX have any opinions on this? Since LaTeX and LaTeX3 have as yet no recognisable `thinking module' I shall personalise the answers. The LaTeX3 Team (aka They) are very much aware of this type of problem. These have been categorised as falling into (at least) two types: `local logical processing' and `input character stream processing' (some can perhaps be put into either category). We have spent a lot of time on investigating these areas. Becoming now even more personalised, my opinion is that some of the requirements of such processes are best built into `New Standard TeX': ie NST, an acronym I just invented; NST should not to be confused with NTS but should, at present, be confused with e-TeX and/or Omega and/or pdfTeX and/or any other exciting project of which I have not yet heard. Other(s?) (not connected with the LaTeX3 team or any of the above-named projects) are of the opinion that Active TeX can solve all such problems: it would be nice to see a well-documented, freely- available prototype demonstrating this. chris