[pstricks] Save a length for later use

[Ulrik Stervbo]

Hello everybody,

I'm trying to setup ease creating posters in latex. The idea is to let the macro
place textboxes in columns, and for that I need the total height of all boxes
placed.

The problem is scope, global and local variables (not really a pstrick question
i know). I've attached example code - anyone got any idea how I can solve my
problem and if it's possible at all?

Sincerely
Ulrik

And the code:
%--------------------------------------------------------------------------
%        File: ps-tricks_play.tex
%     Created: Wed May 18 11:38 2005
%  Maintainer: Ulrik Stervbo
% Last Change: Wed May 20 14:52 2005
%
% Description: Messing about with pstricks and the geometry package
%--------------------------------------------------------------------------
\documentclass[dvips]{article}

\usepackage{calc}
\usepackage{pstricks-add}
\usepackage{pstricks}
\usepackage[a4paper]{geometry}

% creating a grid
\newpsobject{showgrid}{psgrid}{subgriddiv=1,griddots=10,gridlabels=6pt}

\makeatletter
%--------------------------------------------------------------------------
% creating and setting a few lengths
\newlength{\fypos}
\setlength{\fypos}{\textheight}
\newlength{\sypos}
\setlength{\sypos}{\textheight}
%
\newlength{\fxpos}
\setlength{\fxpos}{0cm}
\newlength{\sxpos}
\setlength{\sxpos}{0cm}
%
\newlength{\curr at textboxheight}
%--------------------------------------------------------------------------
% This box is taken from the textbox example from http://tug.org/PSTricks/
% and slightly modified
\def\mytextbox{\pst at object{mytextbox}}
\def\mytextbox at i#1#2{{%
	\use at par                        % Local parameters
	\if at star\solid at star\fi          % Stared version
	\newdimen\d										  % The height of the box
	\pssetlength{\pst at dimc}{-\psframesep}
	\psaddtolength{\pst at dimc}{-\psframesep}
	\psaddtolength{\pst at dimc}{-\pslinewidth}
	\psaddtolength{\pst at dimc}{-\pslinewidth}
	\pssetlength{\pst at dima}{#1}
	\psaddtolength{\pst at dima}{\pst at dimc}
	\pssetlength{\pst at dimb}{\pst at dimc}
	\setbox\z@=\vbox{\hsize=\pst at dima \par\noindent\raggedright #2}%
	\d=\ht\z@\advance\d by\dp\z@
	\psframebox{\box\z@}
	% we need to get the value from the outside of this scope
	\pssetlength{\global\curr at textboxheight}{\d}
}}

%--------------------------------------------------------------------------
% Create a poster environment, which starts a pspicture environment with
% the width and height of the page. If we're in draft mode we'll draw a
% nice grid.
\newenvironment{poster}{\begin{center}
	\begin{pspicture}(0,0)(\textwidth,\textheight)
		\showgrid(0,\textheight)(\textwidth,0)
}{\end{pspicture}\end{center}}

%--------------------------------------------------------------------------
% The titlebox environment
% Three textboxes are defined
\newenvironment{titlebox}[2]{
	\newlength\titlebox at totalheight		% the total height of the textboxes
	\newlength\mytextbox at width				% the width of the textboxes within the titlebox
	\setlength{\mytextbox at width}{10cm}
	\addtolength{\mytextbox at width}{-#2}
	\addtolength{\mytextbox at width}{-#2}
	\newlength\textbox at fxpos					% the x-coor within the titlebox
	\setlength{\textbox at fxpos}{\fxpos}
	\addtolength{\textbox at fxpos}{#2}
	\newlength\textbox at fypos					% the y-coor within the titlebox
	\setlength{\textbox at fypos}{\fypos}
	\addtolength{\textbox at fypos}{-#2}
	%%%%
	\def\mytitle[##1]##2{%
		\rput[tl](\textbox at fxpos,\textbox at fypos){%
			\mytextbox[##1]{\mytextbox at width}{%
							##2%
		}}%
		\addtolength{\titlebox at totalheight}{\curr at textboxheight}%
		\addtolength{\textbox at fypos}{\curr at textboxheight}
		\rput[bl](12,19.5){titlebox at totalheight1 \the\titlebox at totalheight}%
	}%

	% The height of this psframe should be calculated from the height of mytitle
	\psframe[#1](\fxpos,\fypos)(10,18)%\textboxframe at sypos)%\textbox at fypos)
	\rput[tl](12,19){titlebox at totalheight2 \the\titlebox at totalheight}
}{}
% This text box should automatically be placed just below the previous
puttextbox
% In case of being the first puttextbox below the titlebox, so we need the
% \textbox at fypos
\def\puttextbox[#1]#2#3#4{%
	\rput[tl](#2,#3){%
		\mytextbox[#1]{10cm}{#4}%
	}
	\rput[tl](12,#3){titlebox at totalheight3 \the\titlebox at totalheight}
}
\makeatother

\pagestyle{empty}

\begin{document}
\begin{poster}
	\begin{titlebox}{framearc=0.2,fillstyle=solid,fillcolor=lightgray}{4mm}
		\mytitle[framesep=6pt]{Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, urna augue. Luctus
sollicitudin, accusantium nostrum. Scelerisque duis eget nonummy, rhoncus quis
nulla praesent}
	\end{titlebox}
	%
	\puttextbox[fillcolor=yellow, fillstyle=solid,linestyle=none]{0}{17}{Lorem
ipsum dolor sit amet, urna augue. Luctus sollicitudin}
\end{poster}
\end{document}