[OS X TeX] tex'ing newcommands

[Jonathan Kew]

On 26 May 2004, at 6:38 pm, William F. Adams wrote:

> On Wednesday, May 26, 2004, at 01:29  PM, Donal Day wrote:
>
>> Does there exist a tool that will read this file of definitions, 
>> strip out the definitions, put each on a line and render them into a  
>> latex document? I would then compile it and keep the output as a 
>> handy reference. If so, I could usefully share this file and the list 
>> of commands with my collaborators so we can all benefit.
>
> One can replace \def with your own command (say \mef) and then have a 
> switch at the beginning of the file which determines how \mef is 
> defined, whether it makes a command or typesets its argument.
>

No need to replace anything in the file. Create a file "printdefs.ltx", 
something like this:

% - - - - - printdefs.ltx - - - - -
\def\mydefsfile{mydefinitions.tex}

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}

\noindent Definitions in {\tt\mydefsfile}:

% redefine \def and \newcommand; note that we don't handle parameters!
\let\Def=\def
\def\def#1#2{{\let\def=\Def \noindent {\tt\string #1} : #2\par}}
\let\newcommand=\def

% lots of standard LaTeX macros will break now,
% so we go for more primitive methods...
\csname @@input\endcsname \mydefsfile

% need to restore this before \end{document}
\let\def=\Def

\end{document}
% - - - - - end of file - - - - -

Change the filename defined at the beginning, of course. Run this 
through LaTeX, and you should get a listing.

One warning: this won't work for definitions of commands with 
parameters; that would take quite a bit more effort, I'd think.

JK

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