[tex-live] [OT] landscape class option

[Morten Høgholm]

On Thu, 05 Jan 2006 15:09:47 +0100, Norbert Preining <preining at logic.at>  
wrote:

> On Don, 05 Jan 2006, Rolf.Niepraschk at ptb.de wrote:
>> Does the following helps?
>
> Of course, but that was *not* the question.
>
> What I want is from some LaTeX master to tell me either that it is
> necessary to use geometry or set the textwidth/height manually, or that
> there is a problem with the implementation, or that I need something
> else.

The implementation in the standard classes does not try to maximize  
\textheight and \textwidth. On the contrary, it tries so see if the  
predefined ``optimal'' values fit on the paper, and if it doesn't, reduces  
them to fit the margin specifications. Here are the comments from  
classes.dtx.

%    First, we calculate the maximum |\textwidth|, which we will allow
%    on the selected paper and store it in |\@tempdima|. Then we store
%    the length of a line with approximately 60--70 characters in
%    |\@tempdimb|. The values given are more or less suitable when
%    Computer Modern fonts are used.
% \changes{v1.1a}{1994/03/12}{Have old values for width in native mode}
%    \begin{macrocode}
   \setlength\@tempdima{\paperwidth}
   \addtolength\@tempdima{-2in}
%<10pt>  \setlength\@tempdimb{345\p@}
%<11pt>  \setlength\@tempdimb{360\p@}
%<12pt>  \setlength\@tempdimb{390\p@}
%    \end{macrocode}
%
%    Now we can set the |\textwidth|, depending on whether we will be
%    setting one or two columns.
%
%    In two column mode each \emph{column} shouldn't be wider than
%    |\@tempdimb| (which could happen on \textsc{a3} paper for
%    instance).
%    \begin{macrocode}
   \if at twocolumn
     \ifdim\@tempdima>2\@tempdimb\relax
       \setlength\textwidth{2\@tempdimb}
     \else
       \setlength\textwidth{\@tempdima}
     \fi
%    \end{macrocode}
%
%    In one column mode the text should not be wider than the minimum
%    of the paperwidth (minus 2 inches for the margins) and the
%    maximum length of a line as defined by the number of characters.
%    \begin{macrocode}
   \else
     \ifdim\@tempdima>\@tempdimb\relax
       \setlength\textwidth{\@tempdimb}
     \else
       \setlength\textwidth{\@tempdima}
     \fi
   \fi

So yes, if you want terribly overlong lines in a one-column, landscape  
document, then you have to either manually set \textwidth or use a package  
that will do it for you.
-- 
Morten