[texhax] about \skip\footins --eureka!

[Axel E. Retif]

On  25 Sep, 2008, at 22:15, Axel E. Retif wrote:

> I'm using the book class with no size option (therefore, 10pt
> with 12pt baseline skip); [but try]
>
> \documentclass{book}
> \usepackage[greek,english,spanish]{babel}
> \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
> \setlength{\skip\footins}{1.0\baselineskip plus0.5\baselineskip
> minus0.5\baselineskip}
>
> \begin{document}
>
> footins = \the\skip\footins
>
> \end{document}
>
> As such, you'll get ``footins = 10.0pt plus 5.0pt minus 5.0pt''.
>
> Now either delete greek in babel or comment out ``\usepackage[T1]
> {fontenc}'' and you'll get ``footins = 12.0pt plus 6.0pt minus  
> 6.0pt''.

Apostolos Syropoulos found out that setting \skip\footins before babel  
and fontenc you get the expected result (as a matter of fact, it's  
enough to set it *before* fontenc, between babel and fontenc). I can't  
understand why, but this works:

\documentclass{book}
\setlength{\skip\footins}{1.0\baselineskip plus0.5\baselineskip  
minus0.5\baselineskip}
\usepackage[greek,english,spanish]{babel}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}


\begin{document}

footins = \the\skip\footins

\end{document}


Best,

Axel