[DSSSL] TeX's streching space (or rubber length) ?

[kubek <kubek@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

	I'm just beginning to try dsssl style language using Jade. I'm
in trouble with finding simple dsssl constructs to get some tex
effects and I'm needing some help.

1- Is it possible to get TeX's rubber length with dsssl, or more
exactly Jade. what I want is more precisely the following :

 |                                                                    |
 |Some text left justified<----------------->Some text right justified|
 |                           ^^^^                                     |
 |                             blank space of variable length         |

If there is no simple construct for that, i think the same effect may
be given by defining a dsssl function. This function should create an
empty space of length "(display-size) - (length<<left text>> +
length<<right text>>). But I'm afraid I will go into trouble with
ports here, any exemple of such a function ?

2- My texts will be output both in french and english. In theses
language the character ':' is treated differently (In french there is
a space before the ":"). Some of my dsssl literals contains this
character. Actually the only mean I have to take this fact into
account is to make an explicit test on the language used, eg

function my-: (left, right, language) is
	case language is
	   "fr" => " :";
	   "en" => ":";
        end case;
end display-:

OK, I should use an assoc list here, but ... :)

Does anybody know if there is another simpler mechanism for that ?

Thanks,
	J.-M.


 DSSSList info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/dsssl/dssslist