% arabdoci.tex %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\section{Miscellaneous utilities}
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The following packages are not part of \ArabTeX\ proper,
and are not supported in any way,
but are distributed along with \ArabTeX\ as possibly a convenience to 
the users. There is no warranty whatsoever.

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\subsection{twoblks.sty}
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This 
%file, loaded as a 
\LaTeX\ option will define a command
\verb"\twoblocks {#1}{#2}" which will place the two parameters
\verb"#1" and \verb"#2", usually two paragraphs, into two boxes
side by side, separated by space of length \verb"\colsep". 
If necessary, the resulting boxes will be split across a page boundary.
                                                  \index{\twoblocks}
                                                  \index{option!twoblks}
                                                  \index{twoblks.sty}
                                                  \index{\colsep}


This feature is useful if two versions of a text are to be compared.
They may be in different languages, and one of them might be in Arabic
(if enclosed in \verb"\begin {arabtext}" $\cdots$
\verb"\end {arabtext}").

\input twoblks.sty

\leavevmode \par
\twoblocks
{This sentence has been written twice:
in the English language and in the Arabic language.}
{\setarab \fullvocalize
\begin {arabtext}
\spreadtrue
kutibat h_a_dihi al-^gumlaTu marratayni:
bi-al-llu.gaTi al-'in^gilIzIyaTi wa-bi-al-llu.gaTi al-`arabIyaTi. 
\end {arabtext}}

Otherwise this command does not depend on \ArabTeX\ in any way,
and indeed originated in a completely different context.

Beware that the two ``blocks'' should each not contain much more than one,
not too long, paragraph of text, otherwise \TeX's main storage
might overflow. There must be no \verb"\verbatim" text inside the
parameters of \verb"\twoblocks", nor any \verb"\catcode" changes;
and all \TeX\ groups and \verb"\if" $\cdots$ \verb"\fi" sequences
must be properly nested.

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\subsection{abjad.sty}
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This file, loaded as a \LaTeX\ option, will define a command 
\verb"\abjad {#1}" usable inside and outside of an {\em Arabic context.}
It %was designed by me but 
profited greatly from suggestions by
Dr.~Benno van~Dalen (Utrecht University).
                                                  \index{van Dalen, Benno}
                                                  \index{\abjad}
                                                  \index{option!abjad}
                                                  \index{numbers!.\abjad}
                                                  \index{.\abjad\ numbers}
                                                  \index{abjad.sty}

The command \verb"\abjad {#1}" will convert its argument, which has to be
a legal representation of a number between 1 and 1999, to the Arabic
\abjad\ notation used in some mediaeval manuscripts.
The result of the conversion will not look perfect, 
and the legal \abjad\ number~0 can presently not be generated.

Improving this routine needs a font revision, which is hard and tedious;
whenever this happens, the command might well become part of
\ArabTeX\ proper.

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\subsection{MLS2ARAB}
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This is an UNIX SED script, written by Prof. Nicholas Heer 
(University of Washington), and released for free distribution.
It will (almost) convert an ASCII file of Arabic text,
produced by Multi-Lingual Scholar, to the \ArabTeX\ input notation.
The conversion is not perfect so some manual corrections might be
necessary.
                                                  \index{Heer, Nicholas}
                                                  \index{MLS2ARAB}
                                                  \index{Multi-Lingual Scholar}

For operating instructions, see the file itself.
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\endinput
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