[tex-live] tilde in file/folder names (again)

Philip Taylor P.Taylor at Rhul.Ac.Uk
Thu Oct 20 08:12:50 CEST 2016



David Carlisle wrote:
> actually before you do, let me check some of the tex expansion side,
> was just trying now and \protected not working quite as I thought,
> but it's late, someone else free to try
>
> I'll report back later
>
> but
>
>
> \catcode`A=13
>
> \protected\defA{x}
>
> \input xAb
>
>
> \bye
>
> looks like it is expanding A anyway so perhaps I'm just wrong about
> \protected, it happens:(
>
> ! I can't find file `xxb'.
The documentation says :
>
> \protected
>     is a prefix, analogous to \long, \outer, and \global; it associates with the macro being defined an attribute which inhibits expansion of the macro in expansion-only contexts (for example, within the parameter text of a \write or \edef); if, however, the parser or command processor (TeX's `oesophagus' and `stomach', in Knuth's alimentary paradigm) is currently demanding a /command/, then the \protected macro will expand in the normal way. This behaviour is identical to that displayed by the explicit expansion of a token-list register through the use of \the; the same model is used elsewhere in e-TeX to achieve a consistent paradigm for /partial expansion/. 
>
so the question is "is \input an expansion-only context or does its use cause the parser or command processor to expect a command ?  The TeXbook says "the expansion is null; but TeX prepares to read from the specified file ...".  I interpret the latter as indicating that expansion will be inhibited when \input expands to null, but not inhibited when TeX prepares to read from the specified file.

** Phil.
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