PATGEN(1)PATGEN(1)NAMEpatgen - generate patterns for TeX hyphenation
SYNOPSISpatgen dictionary_file pattern_file patout_file translate_file
DESCRIPTION
This manual page is not meant to be exhaustive. The complete documen‐
tation for this version of TeX can be found in the info file or manual
Web2C: A TeX implementation.
The patgen program reads the dictionary_file containing a list of
hyphenated words and the pattern_file containing previously-generated
patterns (if any) for a particular language, and produces the
patout_file with (previously- plus newly-generated) hyphenation pat‐
terns for that language. The translate_file defines language specific
values for the parameters left_hyphen_min and right_hyphen_min used by
TeX's hyphenation algorithm and the external representation of the
lower and upper case version(s) of all `letters' of that language. Fur‐
ther details of the pattern generation process such as hyphenation lev‐
els and pattern lengths are requested interactively from the user's
terminal. Optionally patgen creates a new dictionary file pattmp.n
showing the good and bad hyphens found by the generated patterns, where
n is the highest hypenation level.
The patterns generated by patgen can be read by initex for use in
hyphenating words. For a (very) long example of patgen's output, see
$TEXMFMAIN/tex/generic/hyphen/hyphen.tex, which contains the patterns
TeX uses for English. At some sites, patterns for several other lan‐
guages may be available, and the local tex programs may have them pre‐
loaded; consult your Local Guide or your system administrator for
details.
All filenames must be complete; no adding of default extensions or path
searching is done.
FILE FORMATS
Letters
When initex digests hyphenation patterns, TeX first expands macros
and the result must entirely consist of digits (hyphenation lev‐
els), dots (`.', edge of a word), and letters. In pattern files for
non-English languages letters are often represented by macros or
other expandable constructs. For the purpose of patgen these are
just character sequences, subject to the condition that no such
sequence is a prefix of another one.
Dictionary file
A dictionary file contains a weighted list of hyphenated words, one
word per line starting in column 1. A digit in column 1 indicates a
global word weight (initially =1) applicable to all following words
up to the next global word weight. A digit at some intercharacter
position indicates a weight for that position only.
The hyphens in a word are indicated by `-', `*', or `.' (or their
replacements as defined in the translate file) for hyphens yet to
be found, `good' hyphens (correctly found by the patterns), and
`bad' hyphens (erroneously found by the patterns) respectively;
when reading a dictionary file `*' is treated like `-' and `.' is
ignored.
Translate file
A translate file starts with a line containing the values of
left_hypen_min in columns 1-2, right_hyphen_min in columns 3-4, and
either a blank or the replacement for one of the "hyphen" charac‐
ters `-', `*', and `.' in columns 5, 6, and 7. (Input lines are
padded with blanks as for many TeX related programs.)
Each following line defines one `letter': an arbitrary delimiter
character in column 1, followed by one or more external representa‐
tions of that character (first the `lower' case one used for out‐
put), each one terminated by the delimiter and the whole sequence
terminated by another delimiter.
If the translate file is empty, the values left_hypen_min=2,
right_hyphen_min=3, and the 26 lower case letters a...z with their
upper case representations A...Z are assumed.
Terminal input
After reading the translate_file and any previously-generated pat‐
terns from pattern_file, patgen requests input from the user's ter‐
minal.
First the integer values of hyph_start and hyph_finish, the lowest
and highest hyphenation level for which patterns are to be gener‐
ated. The value of hyph_start should be larger than any hyphenation
level already present in pattern_file.
Then, for each hyphenation level, the integer values of pat_start
and pat_finish, the smallest and largest pattern length to be ana‐
lyzed, as well as good weight, bad weight, and threshold, the
weights for good and bad hyphens and a weight threshold for useful
patterns.
Finally the decision (`y' or `Y' vs. anything else) whether or not
to produce a hypenated word list.
FILES
$TEXMFMAIN/tex/generic/hyphen/hyphen.tex
Patterns for English.
SEE ALSO
Frank Liang, Word hy-phen-a-tion by com-puter, STAN-CS-83-977, Stanford
University Ph.D. thesis, 1983.
Donald E. Knuth, The TeX for nroffbook, Addison-Wesley, 1986, ISBN
0-201-13447-0, Appendix H.
AUTHORS
Frank Liang wrote the first version of this program. Peter Breiten‐
lohner made a substantial revision in 1991 for TeX 3. The first ver‐
sion was published as the appendix to the TeX for nroffware technical
report, available from the TeX Users Group. Howard Trickey originally
ported it to Unix.
Web2C 7.5.4 23 August 2004 PATGEN(1)
