Conference vaxuum::document_ft

92.0. "Table breaks and "(Cont.):" don't work" by DECWET::KOSAK () Wed Mar 11 1987 19:33

    I'm having a problem with tables breaking.  Here's what's up:
    I've got some tables that won't fit on what's left of a page, so
    DOCUMENT puts them on the following page (no problem).  However,
    what happens is that preceedding the table is one of two things.
    If it is a formal table I get the table number followed by "(Cont.):",
    the table title, and the table heads.  Then, I'll get the whole
    table as it should appear.  If it is an informal table I just
    get the table heads, and then the whole table.  This only occurs at 
    the top of a page, or following a figure.
    
    I've tried taking out all my <PAGE> tags, and using the tag 
    <TABLE_ATTRIBUTES>(MULTIPAGE), but to no avail (but then I really
    shouldn't have to do either of those things).
    
    Our guess is that DOCUMENT tries to build a table on a page, discovers
    it won't fit, then goes to the next page and starts over.  Somewhere
    along the line the program gets brain damaged, forgets it decided
    not to start the table on the previous page, and throws in the
    continued header before it goes ahead and builds the table properly.
    
    I'm using the GENERAL doctype. A file that shows this problem is:
    
    DECWET::DISK$WORK3:[KOSAK]TABLE_TEST.GNC
    
    Are we doing something wrong?  This problem is so fundamental I'm
    surprised no one else has mentioned it. I looked but could find
    no reference to it in the release notes, or elsewhere in this
    conference.  Hope I've just overlooked something.
    
    -- Craig

    
    The problems noted in this file were known bugs in Base Level 6
    and *were* fixed in Base Level 7. The problem here is that the
    DECWET cluster includes a local_elements file that redefines
    the DECTeX macro \starttable. That definition overrides the standard
    default definition, which contained the bug fix. This is a good
    example of why I'm wary of people copying and modifying macros.
    
    patti anklam
    

    ...thank you Patti, I thought it must have been something we overlooked.
    
   
    -- Craig