Bug#100682: Environment "figure" generates sometimes a blank line
"C.M. Connelly" wrote:
>
> Eugen,
>
> What you've reported isn't a bug (at least not one that will ever
> be fixed in LaTeX 2e), but relates to the length of your sample
> line (and, probably, the length of the line in your original
> document) and the placement of the figure environment.
>
> If you add or remove some text from the end of your first
> paragraph, you will find that the paragraph will break with no
> blank line as you would expect.
>
> You can also eliminate the blank line in the typeset output by
> adding a blank line between the end of the paragraph preceding the
> figure environment and the ``\begin{figure}'' line in your source:
>
> [...]
> foo bar baz.
>
> \begin{figure}
> [...]
>
> Because figures are floats, and aren't necessarily typeset where
> they appear, there's no need to connect them to specific blocks of
> text. LaTeX interprets more than one blank line in the same way
> it interprets one blank line -- as a paragraph break -- so there's
> no worries there, either.
I have always used float environment immediately after the paragraph
which needs it (without a blank line). However, your argument, "no need
to connect them, because they float" is sufficient to say that a blank
line is needed in the LaTeX source. I have just looked at "LaTeX User's
Guide..." by Lamport and "LaTeX Companion" by Goosens et al., but I have
seen only one example (in the floating chapter) of use of float
environment, and it was used inside the text (without blank line before
or after the figure environment). Also, because you speak about
aesthetics, I would like to know where is generally the best place to
put float environment: after the paragraph which uses the figure (with a
blank line), or inside the text, immediately after \ref or immediately
after the end of the sentence with \ref?
> The ``bug'' here depends on whether you think LaTeX should need
> the extra blank line between the paragraph and the figure
> environment to get things right. You could make a strong argument
> that LaTeX should do the right thing regardless, but that argument
> is unlikely to convince the LaTeX maintainers, who are
> concentrating on long-term changes to the LaTeX system and only
> fix the most diabolical bugs.
Ok.
> I have a stylistic question for you, however: Why do you feel you
> need the a4wide package? Generally speaking, the reason people
> use LaTeX is that they want high-quality typesetting combined with
> the ability to abstract the appearance of their documents from the
> content of those documents. Appearance issues are left to LaTeX;
> you tinker with them -- if you must -- once your content is
> complete.
>
> If the text block seems too narrow to you, it's probably because
> you've spent too much time working with documents produced with
> wordprocessors. Most such documents have line widths that are
> *too wide* -- people have more difficulty reading such text,
> especially at smaller type sizes. Thus the proliferation of
> wordprocessed documents set in 12 pt Times Roman with ragged right
> margins.
>
> LaTeX's basic document classes have been designed to use a text
> block that is optimized for particular type sizes (thus the 10pt,
> 11pt, 12pt, etc., document-class options). LaTeX's basic type
> size is 10 pts, which is generally very readable.
>
> I suggest you try removing the 11pt document-class option and the
> a4wide package from your document, and work with it in the format
> LaTeX produces for a while. I suspect that you will, with time
> and experience, grow to appreciate the niceties of LaTeX's
> document designs (not that I think they're perfect). If you still
> think you're wasting too much space, try the ``twocolumn''
> document-class option, which will retain the short line widths
> while using more of the page for type.
Thank you very much for your ideas. Generally, in my opinion, you are
right. However, there are cases where some choices need to be changed
from their default value. Firstly, when writing a PhD thesis (as this
is my case), the people say to use 11pt, because it is more readable.
Secondly, I use a4wide because I want fewer pages. This is not for the
price of the paper, but for having more ideas into a same page, in order
to have a more global view of the ideas of the document. However, you
are right, twocolumn can be used instead.
> Please note that I haven't closed this bug yet -- I wanted to
> provide you with some feedback and give you a chance to experiment
> and consider before I do so.
It's ok, it can be closed.
Thank you a lot for your ideas and for your lengthy reply, which is
surely useful to me.
Eugen
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