[texhax] fatal errors with footnote italics for critical edition

[Uwe Lueck]

<crebecca at uchicago.edu> schrieb am 30.06.2009 16:51:08:
> For a critical edition (Mac OS, ledmac, TeXShop, all latest versions) with double 
> footnotes, my B footnotes are vulnerable to random "fatal errors" when text is 
> italicized.  These fatal errors tend to happen when B footnotes follow A 
> footnotes, or when B footnotes reach some kind of length or formatting limit.  
> The error disappears when the italicization is removed.
> 
> Error first, preamble next.  Both \textit and my macro \I generate the same 
> error.    Other macros: \edt = \edtext  \A = Afootnote  \B = Bfootnote
> 
> \edt{ananas}{\A{\I{Ananasses} F; Anana's H}}{\B{pineapples (Fr. \I{ananas})}}, 
> \edt{which to my taste}{\A{\sout{I} to H; which, to my taste, F}}
> 
> (./Letter19final.aux)
> (/usr/local/texlive/2008/texmf-dist/tex/latex/psnfss/ot1ptm.fd) Section 1
> (./Letter19final.1)
> ! TeX capacity exceeded, sorry [input stack size=5000].
> \@nomath ...e \@font at warning {Command \noexpand #1
>                                                   invalid in math mode}\fi 
> l.43 ...nana's H}}{\B{pineapples (Fr. \I{ananas})}
>                                                   }, \edt{which to my taste}...
> 
> !  ==> Fatal error occurred, no output PDF file produced!
> Transcript written on Letter19final.log.
> 
> \documentclass[12pt]{article}
> \title{Turkish Embassy Letters}
> \author{ed. Rebecca Chung}   
>  \renewcommand{\rmdefault}{ptm} 
>  
> \newcommand{\A}{\Afootnote}
> \newcommand{\B}{\Bfootnote} 
> \newcommand{\edt}{\edtext}
> \newcommand{\I}{\textit}
> \newcommand{\U}{\uline}
> \newcommand{\OED}{(\I{OED})}  
> \newcommand{\CL}{\I{Complete Letters}} 
>                              
> \usepackage{ledmac}

<crebecca at uchicago.edu> schrieb am 01.07.2009 00:44:15:
> I'm wrong - it's not nested.  The double footnotes are set up to work like this.  I 
> can add multiple B footnotes to \edt with no trouble: \edt{} {\A{}}{\B}}{\B{}}.  
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:41:12 +0200
> >From: Uwe Lueck <uwe.lueck at web.de>  
> >Subject: Re: [texhax] fatal errors with footnote italics for critical edition  
> >To: crebecca at uchicago.edu, texhax <texhax at tug.org>
> >
> ><crebecca at uchicago.edu> schrieb am 30.06.2009 16:51:08:
> >> 
> >> Other macros: \edt = \edtext  \A = Afootnote  \B = Bfootnote
> >> 
> >> \edt{ananas}{\A{\I{Ananasses} F; Anana's H}}{\B{pineapples (Fr. \I{ananas})}}, 
> >
> >I cannot afford analyzing this in detail right now, but the footnote commands 
> must be in the second argument of \edtext=\edt, while here it ends before \B, 
> it looks as if \B were in a third argument of \edt, but it simply is a footnote 
> command in some braces group somewhere in the main text. You may avoid a 
> "fatal error" dropping italicization, but I expect that something strange will 
> happen even then, as long as you don't obey the proper syntax. 

I still don't understand what ledmac internally does, but if you append additional footnotes behind \edt{...}{...} instead of putting them into the second argument, this could be the reason for problems with italics. The second argument is subject to \no at expands within a group, and \no at expands especially suppresses expansion of font switching commands. I think it would be worth trying the following: 

1. Put all footnote commands into the second argument of \edt=\edtext

2. In your document preamble, place 

    \renewcommand{\let\textit=0}

This extends \no at expands. If you get problems with \uline as well: 

    \renewcommand{\let\textit=0\let\uline=0}

and so on when new problems appear. Or \let\I=0 if you really never use \textit. 

HTH -- Uwe.