Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[James Harkins]

Per the beamer user guide, the syntax of the overlayarea environment is:

\begin{overlayarea}{area width}{area height}
	environment contents
\end{overlayarea}

I can't figure out how to get the width and height in properly.

From the customize interface, I added overlayarea as follows:

 '(org-beamer-environments-extra (quote (("CJK" "Z" "\\begin{CJK}%a%H" 
"\\end{CJK}") ("onlyenv" "O" "\\begin{onlyenv}%a" "\\end{onlyenv}") 
("overlayarea" "Y" "\\begin{overlayarea}%o%a" "\\end{overlayarea}"))))

And I can plug text into %o using the BEAMER_OPT property:

*** Overlays						      :B_overlayarea:
    :PROPERTIES:
    :BEAMER_env: overlayarea
    :BEAMER_OPT: {0.9\textwidth}{0.7\textheight}
    :END:

-->

\begin{overlayarea}[{0.9\textwidth}{0.7\textheight}]

Oh, hello, BEAMER_OPT automatically adds square brackets, how charming.

I guess I can hack up a filter to remove the brackets after overlayarea.

.. 45 minutes after I started writing this email...

I copied someone else's ignoreheading filter and modified it for this 
purpose:

(defun hjh-overlayarea (contents backend info)
  "Remove brackets from options for overlayarea."
  (when (and (org-export-derived-backend-p backend 'latex 'html 'ascii)
          (string-match "\\\\begin{overlayarea}\\[\\(.*\\)\\]"
                (downcase contents)))
    (replace-match "\\\\begin{overlayarea}\\1" nil nil contents)))

Replace-match's handling of backslashes threw me at first, but this appears 
to work.

Still, I wonder if there shouldn't be, e.g., %O for 
options-without-brackets. Because that was 45 minutes I spent NOT writing 
my slides :-|

Also, side note, [1] seems not to document BEAMER_OPT for environments 
within a frame. Reading this page, you would think you could only use it 
for frames. I had to dig into the source code to find how to populate %o.

hjh

[1] http://orgmode.org/worg/exporters/beamer/ox-beamer.html

Re: Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[Sebastien Vauban]

Hello James,

James Harkins wrote:
> Per the beamer user guide, the syntax of the overlayarea environment is:
>
> \begin{overlayarea}{area width}{area height}
> 	environment contents
> \end{overlayarea}
>
> I can't figure out how to get the width and height in properly.

Have a look at
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-orgmode/2013-06/msg00922.html.

You see you could use ":options". HTH.

Best regards,
  Seb

-- 
Sebastien Vauban

Re: Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[Suvayu Ali]

On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 03:52:14PM +0800, James Harkins wrote:
> 
> Also, side note, [1] seems not to document BEAMER_OPT for environments
> within a frame. Reading this page, you would think you could only use it for
> frames. I had to dig into the source code to find how to populate %o.
> 
> hjh
> 
> [1] http://orgmode.org/worg/exporters/beamer/ox-beamer.html
> 

This page has not been updated in a long time.  It was written before
there was a section on the new beamer exporter in the manual.  I don't
have the time at the moment, I won't have time in the coming months
either.  So if you have ideas about how to improve the article, please
feel free to add.

Cheers,

-- 
Suvayu

Open source is the future. It sets us free.

Re: Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[Nicolas Goaziou]

Hello,

James Harkins <jamshark70@gmail.com> writes:

> Per the beamer user guide, the syntax of the overlayarea environment is:
>
> \begin{overlayarea}{area width}{area height}
> 	environment contents
> \end{overlayarea}
>
> I can't figure out how to get the width and height in properly.
>
> From the customize interface, I added overlayarea as follows:
>
> '(org-beamer-environments-extra (quote (("CJK" "Z" "\\begin{CJK}%a%H"
> "\\end{CJK}") ("onlyenv" "O" "\\begin{onlyenv}%a" "\\end{onlyenv}")
> ("overlayarea" "Y" "\\begin{overlayarea}%o%a" "\\end{overlayarea}"))))
>
> And I can plug text into %o using the BEAMER_OPT property:
>
> *** Overlays						      :B_overlayarea:
>    :PROPERTIES:
>    :BEAMER_env: overlayarea
>    :BEAMER_OPT: {0.9\textwidth}{0.7\textheight}
>    :END:
>
> -->
>
> \begin{overlayarea}[{0.9\textwidth}{0.7\textheight}]
>
> Oh, hello, BEAMER_OPT automatically adds square brackets, how
> charming.

Optional arguments are in square brackets in LaTeX. Try %r instead, so
you can write:

  *** {0.9\textwidth}{0.7\textheight}   :B_overlayarea:
      :PROPERTIES:
      :BEAMER_env: overlayarea
      :END:

> Still, I wonder if there shouldn't be, e.g., %O for
> options-without-brackets. Because that was 45 minutes I spent NOT
> writing my slides :-|

Options without brackets are not options anymore, but random arguments.

> Also, side note, [1] seems not to document BEAMER_OPT for environments
> within a frame. Reading this page, you would think you could only use
> it for frames. I had to dig into the source code to find how to
> populate %o.

Would you mind suggesting a better phrasing?


Regards,

-- 
Nicolas Goaziou

Re: Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[James Harkins]

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On Oct 21, 2013 6:12 PM, "Nicolas Goaziou" <n.goaziou@gmail.com> wrote:
> Optional arguments are in square brackets in LaTeX. Try %r instead, so
> you can write:
>
>   *** {0.9\textwidth}{0.7\textheight}   :B_overlayarea:
>       :PROPERTIES:
>       :BEAMER_env: overlayarea
>       :END:

Ah, OK, that's better.

It's not easy to grasp the correct terminology and structure from the
available documentation. I do appreciate the excellent help from the list
in such cases!

This part of the documentation might benefit from some examples of
generating different types of beamer syntax -- when to use properties, when
to use headline text, etc. I wouldn't have guessed to use the headline text
because I was thinking of parameters or arguments.

> > Also, side note, [1] seems not to document BEAMER_OPT for environments
> > within a frame. Reading this page, you would think you could only use
> > it for frames. I had to dig into the source code to find how to
> > populate %o.
>
> Would you mind suggesting a better phrasing?

Under "Block environments and overlay specifications," where it discusses
custom environments, I would add:

~~
- Environment options may be given using the BEAMER_opt property. They will
be enclosed in square brackets and inserted where %o appears in the
environment definition.
(with an example, but I can't think of one now)

- Additional arguments may be written into the environment's headline, and
inserted into the LaTeX string using %r (raw headline text, no processing).
~~

I think it's important to mention it in the section where it can be used.
My faulty conclusion was based on the fact that the only mention of _opt is
in a section about frames.

hjh
hjh

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Re: Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[Nicolas Goaziou]

Hello,

James Harkins <jamshark70@gmail.com> writes:

> Under "Block environments and overlay specifications," where it discusses
> custom environments, I would add:
>
> ~~
> - Environment options may be given using the BEAMER_opt property. They will
> be enclosed in square brackets and inserted where %o appears in the
> environment definition.
> (with an example, but I can't think of one now)
>
> - Additional arguments may be written into the environment's headline, and
> inserted into the LaTeX string using %r (raw headline text, no processing).
> ~~

There are two things to consider: what belongs to the manual, and what
belongs to `org-beamer-environments-extra' docstring.

I think it is reasonable for the manual not to talk about %o, %r... but,
instead, simply point to the variable name.

> I think it's important to mention it in the section where it can be used.
> My faulty conclusion was based on the fact that the only mention of _opt is
> in a section about frames.

Then what about changing

     Headlines also support 'BEAMER_ACT' and 'BEAMER_OPT' properties.  The
  former is translated as an overlay/action specification, or a default
  overlay specification when enclosed within square brackets.  The latter
  specifies options for the current frame.

into something like

   Headlines also support 'BEAMER_ACT' and 'BEAMER_OPT' properties. The
former is translated as an overlay/action specification, or a default
overlay specification when enclosed within square brackets.  The latter
specifies options for the current frame or block, and will automatically
be enclosed within square brackets.


Regards,

-- 
Nicolas Goaziou

Re: Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[James Harkins]

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On Oct 24, 2013 12:58 AM, "Nicolas Goaziou" <n.goaziou@gmail.com> wrote:
> There are two things to consider: what belongs to the manual, and what
> belongs to `org-beamer-environments-extra' docstring.
>
> I think it is reasonable for the manual not to talk about %o, %r... but,
> instead, simply point to the variable name.

OK.

>    Headlines also support 'BEAMER_ACT' and 'BEAMER_OPT' properties. The
> former is translated as an overlay/action specification, or a default
> overlay specification when enclosed within square brackets.  The latter
> specifies options for the current frame or block, and will automatically
> be enclosed within square brackets.

That would help.

I'd still like to see something more like a "for-dummies" explanation of
passing options and arguments to LaTeX entities. I'm not saying the
documentation is woefully inadequate (hardly that -- Suvayu's page got me
rather far, and I got stuck on a couple of details). My experience was: it
never would have occurred to me on my own to use the headline text for
LaTeX code, and if there was a hint anywhere in the docs to suggest that
this would be the way to go, I didn't find it. That's a conceptual leap
that passed me by.

FWIW, I often raise a similar point among SuperCollider devs, noting that
we generally do a decent job of documenting class interfaces, but not such
a great job of explaining to people who don't eat, breathe and sleep SC how
to put the pieces together. That leads to questions such as [1] on the
mailing list. Really basic use case, but this competent user is confused...
meaning, the collective docs aren't doing a thorough job.

This sort of doc would be appropriate for worg, but probably not the
manual. If I have time while traveling, I'll draft up a few paragraphs --
but I don't know all the implementation details so I'd certainly need
another pair of eyes.

hjh

[1] http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.audio.supercollider.user/102850

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Re: Beamer export: How to handle overlayarea

[Suvayu Ali]

Hi James,

On Thu, Oct 24, 2013 at 08:43:59AM +0800, James Harkins wrote:
> On Oct 24, 2013 12:58 AM, "Nicolas Goaziou" <n.goaziou@gmail.com> wrote:
> >    Headlines also support 'BEAMER_ACT' and 'BEAMER_OPT' properties. The
> > former is translated as an overlay/action specification, or a default
> > overlay specification when enclosed within square brackets.  The latter
> > specifies options for the current frame or block, and will automatically
> > be enclosed within square brackets.
> 
> That would help.
> 
> I'd still like to see something more like a "for-dummies" explanation of
> passing options and arguments to LaTeX entities. I'm not saying the
> documentation is woefully inadequate (hardly that -- Suvayu's page got me
> rather far, and I got stuck on a couple of details). My experience was: it
> never would have occurred to me on my own to use the headline text for
> LaTeX code, and if there was a hint anywhere in the docs to suggest that
> this would be the way to go, I didn't find it. That's a conceptual leap
> that passed me by.

I think I agree with you on this.  It is a conceptual leap.  I'll add a
TODO item on that Worg page about these kind of tricks.

Cheers,

-- 
Suvayu

Open source is the future. It sets us free.