Modules

< The ConTeXt Way

Modules are extensions to ConTeXt's core functions.

There are not as many modules for ConTeXt as packages for LaTeX, because a lot of LaTeX package features are in ConTeXt's core.

Included modules:

• t-bib: bibliography (maintained by Taco)
• m-arabtex: loading of Lagally's ArabTeX
• m-chart: Flow Charts
• m-chemic: PPCHTeX (chemical structure formulae)
• m-cweb: CWEB pretty printing
• m-edtsnc: support for editor synchronization, will replace m-pdfsync
• m-educat: educational additions (for settings school tests or questionaires)
• m-gamma: Omega support
• m-graph: support for Metapost graph module
• m-layout: defines some Layout presets
• m-level: module for catching nesting errors
• m-newmat: support for some AMSmath features, is loaded by amsl, see Math with newmat
• m-pdfsnc: editor/PDF synchronization support (used by iTeXMac and TeXShop)
• m-pictex: needed for PicTeX without eTeX
• m-plus: loads some extra features (side bars?)
• m-pstric: connection macros for PSTtricks (PostScript tricks)
• m-quest: dutch only module for questionaires(?)
• m-steps: Step Charts, see XML step charts
• m-subsub: Defines 5 extra sectioning levels
• m-tex4ht: will become a tex4html interface for ConTeXt
• m-tryout: (changing, temporary functions for tryout)
• m-units: units
• m-visual: Visual Debugging (described in This Way no.7 Faking Text and More)

Contributed modules:

For a list of contributed modules see the modules section on contextgarden.net.

• nath (natural math, see Math)
• amsl (AMSmath, see Math)

File names of included modules start with "m-", but third party (contributed) modules should start with "t-".

Modules writing guidelines

ConTeXt silently truncates all file names in \usemodule and \input commands to 8 characters long and lowercases them to "prevent cross platform problems with filenames". Thus, module files must have filenames that fit those restrictions, or they will (somewhat cryptically) not be found.

TODO

Each module should have an associated specification file (as in /tex/context/interface/cont-en.xml). Probably one day this will become a part of texshow and will also be easy-to-edit.