[texhax] about \skip\footins --footnoterule

[Axel E. Retif]

On  26 Sep, 2008, at 07:47, Barbara Beeton wrote:

>    On  25 Sep, 2008, at 18:09, Donald Arseneau wrote:
>
>> "Axel E. Retif" <axel.retif at mac.com> writes:
>>
>>>    \renewcommand{\footnoterule}{\vspace*{-3pt}}%
>>
>> That is an error!  \footnoterule must consume zero vertical space.
>
>    Thank you. I'll look into this. I took half the code from The LaTeX
>    Companion, 2nd ed., p. 112
> [...]
>
> you failed to notice that this is a three-part
> definition:
>  \renewcommand\footnoterule{\vspace*{-3pt}%
>     \hrule width 2in height 0.4pt
>     \vspace*{2.6pt}}
>
> the first part backs up three points;
> the second adds .4pt as a rule;
> the third adds 2.6pt of space.
> the total space occupied is 0pt (-3 + .4 + 2.6).
> so an equivalent definition without a rule would
> be either
>  \renewcommand\footnoterule{\vspace*{-3pt}%
>     \vspace*{3pt}}
> or just
>  \renewcommand\footnoterule{}

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain to me what should  
have been obvious in the very first place.

Best regards,

Axel