Multiple columns inside a minipage?
Rowland McDonnell
environment.
The standard twocolumn environment doesn't produce helpful output (and
seems to cause other problems - see output of example file below), and
while I can get the multicol package to give me two columns, it refuses
to give me unbalanced columns with the message:
Package multicol Warning: multicols* inside a box does not make sense.
(multicol) Going to balance anyway on input line 55.
I can't see what's nonsensical about twocolumn setting inside a
minipage, but aside from that: does anyone know how I can get two
columns inside a minipage without having to have the columns balanced?
Rowland.
Minimum example file:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
\documentclass[10pt,a4paper,landscape]{article}
\usepackage[pdftex]{graphics}
\usepackage{multicol}
% Just some text[1] - not nicely formatted, but adequate for
% demonstrating the problem
%
\def\CDtextri{%
String Quartet in d, Op 76 no.\ 2 'Fifths' I) Allegro
II) Andante o piu tosto allegretto
III) Menuetto
IV) Vivace assai
String Quartet in B-flat, Op 50 no.\ 1 I) Allegro
II) Adagio non lento
III) Poco allegretto
IV) Finale
String Quartet in C, Op 20 no.\ 2 I) Moderato
II) Adagio
III) Menuetto
IV) Fuga a 4 soggetti
String Quartet in D, Op. 64, no. 5 (the Lark)
Allegro moderato
Adagio cantabile
Menuetto; Allegretto
Vivace
String Quartet in D minor, Op. 42 --- Andante ed innocentamente
Menuetto allegretto
Adagio e cantabile
Presto
String Quartet in D, Op. 76, no. 5 --- Allegretto
Largo cantabile e mesto
Menuetto; Allegro
Presto}
\begin{document}
\fbox{%
\begin{minipage}[c][100mm][c]{100mm}%
%\begin{multicols*}{2}
\begin{twocolumn}
\CDtextri
\CDtextri
\end{twocolumn}
%\end{multicols*}
\end{minipage}}
\newpage
\fbox{%
\begin{minipage}[c][100mm][c]{100mm}%
\begin{multicols*}{2}
\CDtextri
\CDtextri
\end{multicols*}
\end{minipage}}
\end{document}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] If you're interested, this is the rough track listing from vols 1
and 2 of `Haydn string quartets' recorded by The Lindsays at the Wigmore
Hall in 1987. Released on ASV CD QS 6144 and CD QS 6145 (Vols 3 and 4
also exist and have the catalogue numbers you might expect). But the
blasted things come in four separate boxes and I want 'em two to a box -
with card inserts telling me what's on the CD, hence all this fiddling.
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Will Robertson
> I can't see what's nonsensical about twocolumn setting inside a
> minipage, but aside from that: does anyone know how I can get two
> columns inside a minipage without having to have the columns balanced?
I guess that multicol assumes that the box into which it's being placed
inside doesn't have a natural depth yet (which is seemingly incorrect
from the user's point of view with a minipage like you have). I've had
luck with the \newpage command (but not \columnbreak, go figure :)):
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{multicol}
\def\1{text }
\def\2{\1\1\1\1\1}
\def\3{\2\2\2\2\2}
\begin{document}
\fbox{%
\begin{minipage}{100mm}%
\begin{multicols*}{2}
1: \3
2: \3
\newpage
3: \3
\end{multicols*}
\end{minipage}}
\end{document}
I don't know if this is sufficient for your needs (your example was a
bit more complex), but I hope it helps...
Will
Rowland McDonnell
> Hi Rowland,
Hello :-)
> > I can't see what's nonsensical about twocolumn setting inside a
> > minipage, but aside from that: does anyone know how I can get two
> > columns inside a minipage without having to have the columns balanced?
>
> I guess that multicol assumes that the box into which it's being placed
> inside doesn't have a natural depth yet (which is seemingly incorrect
> from the user's point of view with a minipage like you have).
Ah! Yes, that might be why. A bit odd, mind.
> I've had
> luck with the \newpage command (but not \columnbreak, go figure :)):
[snip]
> I don't know if this is sufficient for your needs (your example was a
> bit more complex), but I hope it helps...
It'll do as a workaround. Thanks - what I'm doing might be more complex
in some ways, but not others: the CD covers I'm working on are meant to
fit on one sheet each: having to put a single \newpage on each one is
hardly a big deal.
Cheers,
Rowland.