Programmlisting Tab->Space and Tiny Spaces

[Bob Stayton <bobs@sco.com>]

Forwarding a request I received ...

----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Simon Rutishauser" <simon.rutishauser@gmx.ch>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 10:44 PM
> Subject: Programmlisting Tab->Space and Tiny Spaces
> 
> I've got two problems I'm sure you can help to solve:
> 
> - Tabs in Programlistings (external files included with
>   <programlisting><textobject><textdata  fileref="file.txt"/>
>   </textobject></programlisting>
>   are expanded to much too many spaces. How can I set this?
>   (I'd like to reduce it to about two or three spaces)

The behavior of Tab characters in XSL is not defined at all.
So different processors handle them differently.
There is nothing the stylesheet can do about it.
You would be better off replacing the Tab characters
in the files with the appropriate number of space characters.

> - In abbrevations such as the german z. B. it can happen that the produced
>   fo output inserts a line break just between the z. and the B. which looks
>   extremely ugly.
>   I'd also like to make the space between a little tinier if possible.
>   Now I tried &x2009; and &x200A; which - as I understand from the
> Definitive
>   DB Guide - should be Thin or Hair spaces. Both resulted in a normal Space
>   in FO which does not prevent line breaking.

It is possible that your FO processor does not format
thin space characters as thin spaces.  I suspect in either
case that they are not treated as non-breaking spaces.
think you could use &nbsp; to 
at least prevent the line from breaking.


Bob Stayton                                 400 Encinal Street
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