Conference vaxuum::document_ft

    
    Unfortunately you were bit by the inadvertent omission of the
    <preface> tag in the T1.0 User's Guide. You can specify a page
    number as an argument to the <preface> tag to specify what the
    page number should be. In your case, you would set:
    
    <preface>(7)
    
    since you would want it on the next odd-numbered page after the
    contents.
    
    patti anklam
    

    Shouldn't page numbering be automatic?
    
    If I understand the precepts of TeX and Document correctly, the
    writer should never have to worry about what a document looks
    like...that's the job of the document designer.  Once a ``style''
    is defined, the writer fills in the text and automagically, the
    output is correctly formatted (including numbwered correctly).
    
    As a result, I most respectfully would like to contend that
    <PREFACE>(NUMBER) rund directly counter to the philosophy of Document.
    
    
    BobW
    

    
    Yes and no. We still don't allow and user-modifications to what
    the Preface output looks like; it's all controlled by the style.
    Specifying the page number for the first page is preferable to
    having to use two or three passes through TeX to (1) find out
    what the page number is (2) get the page number correct in the
    table of contents and (3) process the whole thing with the table
    of contents in front of the preface with the right page number.
    
    

    Patti,
    
    I disagree that specifying a number is preferable to several passes
    through TeX.  It's neither my responsibility nor duty as an author
    to worry what pages what lands on.  That is the responsibility of
    the document designer and the document system.  If correct page
    numbering takes a gazillion passes through TeX, then so be it. 
    That's what computers are for.  That's what document processing
    systems are for - what Document is SUPPOSED to do.  Having to make
    sure that a preface lands on the odd numbered page following the
    last page number generated in the table of contents (a value you
    gain by experience, multiple frustrating runs, or prescience) can
    be most kindly called a real pain.
    
    How many other "secret" rules must we remember?
    
    BobW

    Although I'm not as strongly opposed to the current method as .4
    is, I do tend to agree that DOCUMENT should take care of this
    automatically.  How does this differ that much from cross referencing?
    Seems that if the symbol table stuff could get at the number of pages in
    a DVI file or some such thing, then GUTENTAG could take care of
    the whole thing.  If the number of pages in the contents file changes
    during the run (from the value saved in the symbol table file), a
    second pass through TeX would be needed to re-number the body of
    the document.

    -tl

    A bookbuild usually takes a long time anyway, and is done in batch,
    so would it significantly affect the performance to do the extra
    processing and get the page number correct?

    Marty

    
    will put this on the list for future; if we can what Todd suggests
    then we can also provide page-number referencing... 

    I can't speak for the originator of this note, but,  I appreciate your 
    efforts.  Thanks.  I also want to apologize if some of my notes
    seem strident - I tend to get pushy about the things I believe in
    (isn't that what being in CSSE means :-) ?)
    
    BobW

  Bob,
      Do you want me to say something?
      ->->-> I agreed with you on [That's Computer for and Software for].


  Patti,
      . Thank you very much indeed for help 


  rgs,
  gc

    If Preface page numbering can be done automatically in a "reasonable" 
    amount of time, then it would certainly be nice if Document could
    do it.  If, on the other hand, it's going to double the time for
    a book build I wonder if it's worth it.  Once the value is determined 
    it's probably not going to change, and I'd rather do a little work
    myself, once, and put in the number rather than pay an exhorbitant
    penalty in processing time each time I do the book build.  Others
    may be able to do such a good job that they can do a single book
    build and get everything right the first time, but I sure can't;
    I have to do several book builds anyway, so I can fix the preface
    page number at the same time.