[texhax] Alignment in a \newwrite file?

[Robin Fairbairns]

> Oleg Katsitadze wrote:
> 
> >If I got you right, the following does the job:
> >etc...
> 
> Rodolfo Meidina replies:
> 
> The first solution you suggested,
> the one I prefer because it only uses plain TeX commands,
> seems to work fine.
> 
> But I actually need bluefile.tex to be input *before* the \putstuffoverthere
> occurrencies.
> I tried with:
> 
> %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%begin of
> myfile.tex%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
> \newwrite\blue
> 
> \outer\def\putstuffoverthere#1#2{\immediate\write\blue{#1,& #2!\cr}}
> 
> {\catcode`@=11
> \halign{#&#\cr \input bluefile }%
> }
> 
> \immediate\openout\blue=bluefile
> 
> \putstuffoverthere{Hallo}{folks}
> \putstuffoverthere{Goodbye}{folks}
> \putstuffoverthere{Goodbye}{folks}
> 
> \immediate\closeout\blue
> 
> \bye
> %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%end of myfile.tex%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
> 
> , but it doesn't work: I get a message of `Missing \cr inserted'.
> Possible to work this problem out?

you've got an empty bluefile

in any case, i would write:

%%%%%%%%%%%%
\newread \testin

...

\openin \testin bluefile
\ifeof\testin
  \closein \testin % file didn't exist
\else
  \read\testin to \temp
  \ifeof\testin
    \closein \testin % file empty
  \else
    \closein \testin
    {\catcode`@=11
    \halign{#&#\cr \input bluefile }%
    }
  \fi
\fi
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%