Command/setupinitial

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Last modified: 2025-01-14

Summary

Initials (also known as drop caps, dropped caps, or versals) can be made in ConTeXt using the \placeinitial command.

The command \setupinitial detailed here is used to customize this decorative first letter(s) at the start of chapters, sections, paragraphs, and so forth.

Settings

\setupinitial[...,...][...=...,...]
[...,...] name
n number
m number
before command
distance dimension
hoffset dimension
voffset line dimension
style style command
color color
font font
text text
location margin text
method first last auto none

Option Explanation
n
number of lines in the paragraph that the initial should occupy. It defaults to 3. The size of the initial is adapted accordingly, but it can be changed with font parameter.
m
number of letters to capitalize (gets ignored if you set text)
before
contains any commands that you would like to do prior to placing the initial. This parameter is empty by default.

For example, to insert 2 big space before placement of the initial,

before={\blank[2*big]}]
distance
the horizontal distance which initial line(s) of the paragraph should be indented beyond the space needed for the letter. It defaults to .125\emwidth, and it can be negative.
hoffset
the distance to the left (into the left margin), or to the right, that the initial should be shifted from its default position. This defaults to 0pt.
voffset
the distance downward, or upward (negative value), from its default position that the initial should be shifted. This defaults to 0pt. Value 0pt gives a "top" alignment, i.e. corresponding with the first line of the paragraph.
style
style of the initial, for example style=\it for italic.
color
for example color=darkred. It defaults to the current color.
font
font specification. It defaults to boldface scaled to the number of text lines that the initial occupies, but can be customized, for example: font=Bold at 32pt.
text
the text specified will be used as initial, instead of the letter following the \placeinitial command; m gets ignored.
location
default is text, but initial can be placed in the margin with location=margin
method
Affects the handling of quotation marks at the beginning. Doesn’t work with all languages, this is probably an oversight/bug. Under most circumstances, a leading quotation mark will get used as initial.
auto The first letter after the quotation mark is included in the initial.

Description

Examples

color, distance, before + variations on n, m , location

The following example produces an awful-looking initial, but it illustrates how some of these parameters work. 

  • \definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=200mm]
\setuppapersize[sheet]
\setuppagenumbering[location=]
\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm]

\starttext

\setupinitial
  [color=darkred,
   distance=10mm,
   before={\blank[big]\hairline\blank[big]}]

\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[color=darkred,distance=10mm,before={\blank[big]\hairline\blank[big]}]}

and

\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[n=2, m=2]}

\setupinitial[n=2, m=2]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]

or \type[option=context]{\setupinitial[n=3, m=4]}

\setupinitial[n=3, m=4]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]

or \type[option=context]{\setupinitial[location=margin,n=3, m=1,distance=5mm]}

\setupinitial[location=margin,n=3, m=1,distance=5mm]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\stoptext

hoffset 

  • \definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=200mm]
\setuppapersize[sheet]
\setuppagenumbering[location=]
\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm]

\starttext

Here is some text 1.

\setupinitial[color=darkred]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[hoffset=0mm]}

\setupinitial[hoffset=0mm]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[hoffset=5mm]}

\setupinitial[hoffset=5mm]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[hoffset=-5mm]}

\setupinitial[hoffset=-5mm]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\stoptext

voffset 

  • \definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=200mm]
\setuppapersize[sheet]
\setuppagenumbering[location=]
\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm]

\starttext

Here is some text 1.

\setupinitial[color=darkred]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[voffset=0mm]}

\setupinitial[voffset=0mm]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[voffset=5mm]}

\setupinitial[voffset=5mm]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[voffset=-5mm]}

\setupinitial[voffset=-5mm]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\stoptext

font 

  • \definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=150mm]
\setuppapersize[sheet]
\setuppagenumbering[location=]
\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm]

\starttext

Here is some text 1.

\setupinitial[color=darkred]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[font=Bold at 45pt]}

\setupinitial[font=Bold at 45pt]
\placeinitial
\input knuth

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[font=SansBold at 45pt]}

\setupinitial[font=SansBold at 45pt]

\placeinitial
\input knuth

\stoptext

text 

  • \definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=80mm]
\setuppapersize[sheet]
\setuppagenumbering[location=]
\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm]

\starttext

\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[text=Here]}

\setupinitial[color=darkred,text=Here]
\placeinitial
\input knuth


\stoptext

method

The method can control whether punctuation marks are included in the drop cap 

  • \definepapersize[sheet][width=120mm,height=150mm]
\setuppapersize[sheet]
\setuppagenumbering[location=]
\setuplayout[width=100mm,backspace=15mm,topspace=0mm,header=0mm,headerdistance=0mm,footer=0mm,footerdistance=0mm]
\startbuffer[merlinquote]
"Sir," quod he, "I shall not do nothinge that sholde
cause hym to be angry."  And the kynge hym graunted.  This
baron was right wise, and full of euell vyces.  And on a day he
come to court, and made Merlin grete chere, and called hym
be-fore the kynge in counseile, and wele xx\high{ti} knightes
\stopbuffer
\starttext

Here are examples with leading quotes

\setupinitial[color=darkred]
\placeinitial
\getbuffer[merlinquote]

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[method=auto]}

\setupinitial[method=auto]
\placeinitial
\getbuffer[merlinquote]

\blank[big]
\type[option=context]{\setupinitial[method={first,auto}]}

\setupinitial[method={first,auto}]

\placeinitial
\getbuffer[merlinquote]

\stoptext

Notes

  • By Garulfo on 2020-12-12T22:46:03+0100 :

Because the space carved out for the initial is rectangular, initials work best with a font with rectangular ornaments around the letter.

  • By Rik on 2021-12-16T02:10:09+0100 :

Named initials must be defined using \defineinitial.

See also

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