[Tex/LaTex] How to get a double column verbatim in a single column table, in a double column document

floatspositioningsourcecodetwo-column

I have a double column document in which I need to place two source code listings side by side. Naturally a two column document's single column is too narrow so the two listings need to span the page width.

\onecolum \twocolumn isn't an option because these need to be in the middle of a document and space is a premium.

I've tried several options of figure*, table* but can't get my head around how to get it to display properly.

In a single column document it was simple enough as I used {multicols}{2} and then used lstlisting to display the code, but switching to two column as expected, places the two columns in a single document column.

Any ideas on how to go about this?

Best Answer

Here's one possible solution using the twocolumn class option and figure* and two minipages to typeset the listings (since figure* was used, the listings will appear on the top of the next page):

\documentclass[twocolumn]{article}
\usepackage{listings}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\begin{document}

\lipsum[1-6]
\begin{figure*}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.5\textwidth}
\begin{lstlisting}
if (i<=0) then i := 1;
if (i>=0) then i := 0;
if (i<>0) then i := 0;
\end{lstlisting}
\end{minipage}%
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.5\textwidth}
\begin{lstlisting}
if (i<=0) then i := 1;
if (i>=0) then i := 0;
\end{lstlisting}
\end{minipage}%
\caption{Two  side-by-side listings}
\label{fig:listings}
\end{figure*}
\lipsum[1-6]

\end{document}

enter image description here

And here's now another option: instead of using the twocolumn document option, the multicol package is used to produce the text in two-column mode; the multicols environment is ended, the side-by-side listings are typeset using simple minipages (the caption package was used to produce a possible caption using \captionof), and then another multicols environment begins:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{listings}
\usepackage{caption}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\begin{document}

\begin{multicols}{2}
\lipsum[1-2]
\end{multicols}
\noindent\begin{minipage}{\textwidth}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.5\textwidth}
\begin{lstlisting}
if (i<=0) then i := 1;
if (i>=0) then i := 0;
if (i<>0) then i := 0;
\end{lstlisting}
\end{minipage}%
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.5\textwidth}
\begin{lstlisting}
if (i<=0) then i := 1;
if (i>=0) then i := 0;
\end{lstlisting}
\end{minipage}%
\captionof{figure}{Two  side-by-side listings}
\label{fig:listings}
\end{minipage}
\begin{multicols}{2}
\lipsum[1-2]
\end{multicols}

\end{document}

In this last option, the usual restriction of multicol with floats apply.

enter image description here

Update

Having said the above, I couldn't resist the challenge to implement at least a trivial implementation of this. The idea is simple: we offer a command that takes 3 arguments: a page number, a column number, and a float body, e.g.

\multicolfloat{1}{2}{\centering
                     \includegraphics{cat.eps}
                     \captionof{figure}{A test}
                    }

The above is using \captionof from the caption package as this isn't really a float so \caption would complain unless it gets modified which I didn't do.

This command can be used inside a multicols environment and asks for this float to be placed on top column 2 on page 1. So a lot of manual work if the amount of text is changing or the multicols environment is moved. This could be done differently and better, but that is more than I had time for.

So here is the code and a test file, a mixture of patching some hooks into multicol and implementing the new functionality as a LaTeX3 property list.

\begin{filecontents}{multicol-floats.sty}
% Author Frank Mittelbach, 2012, License LPPL
%
% Providing column floats for multicol (proto-type implementation)
%
% Document Interface:   
%
%   \multicolfloat <page-num> <col-num> <float-body>
%
% To be used inside a multicols environment. 
% Can only place floats on full pages not balanced pages.
% Should probably be an environment but didn't do that this time around.
%
% Subject to change and ... No support :-)

\RequirePackage{etoolbox}
\RequirePackageWithOptions{multicol}

% Patching multicol to get a few hooks in as needed

\patchcmd{\multi@column@out}%
  {\setbox\count@ \vsplit\@cclv to\dimen@}%
  {\create@split@column \count@ \dimen@}%
  {\typeout{*** SUCCESS ***}}{\typeout{*** FAIL ***}}

\patchcmd{\multi@column@out}
  {\setbox\mult@rightbox \vsplit\@cclv to\dimen@}
  {\create@split@column \mult@rightbox \dimen@}
  {\typeout{*** SUCCESS ***}}{\typeout{*** FAIL ***}}

\patchcmd\endmulticols
  {\output}{\mc@check@unset@floats\output}
  {\typeout{*** SUCCESS ***}}{\typeout{*** FAIL ***}}

\newcount\mc@column

\patchcmd\process@cols
  {\relax}{\relax\mc@column\@ne}
  {\typeout{*** SUCCESS ***}}{\typeout{*** FAIL ***}}

\patchcmd\process@cols
  {\advance}{\advance\mc@column\@ne\advance}
  {\typeout{*** SUCCESS ***}}{\typeout{*** FAIL ***}}

% Implementation of new functionality

\RequirePackage{xparse}

\ExplSyntaxOn

\DeclareDocumentCommand \multicolfloat { m m m }
   {
     \mc_float:nnn {#1} {#2} {#3} 
   }


% Implementation

\cs_generate_variant:Nn \prop_gpop:NnNT { NxNT }
\cs_generate_variant:Nn \prop_get:NnNTF { NxNTF }

\prop_new:N \__g_mc_float_prop
\tl_new:N   \__l_mc_float_tl

\cs_new:Npn \mc_float:nnn #1#2#3 {
% safe a float body under the property key "page,col"
% if there already exist a float, combine them
   \prop_get:NxNTF \__g_mc_float_prop {#1,#2} \__l_mc_float_tl
       {
         \prop_gput:Nno \__g_mc_float_prop {#1,#2}
            {\__l_mc_float_tl
             \vskip \floatsep
             \vbox{\hsize\columnwidth #3}
            }
       }
       {
         \prop_gput:Nnn \__g_mc_float_prop {#1,#2}
            {\vbox{\hsize\columnwidth #3}}
       }
}

\cs_new:Npn \create@split@column #1#2 {
% look up any saved floats for current page and current column and if they exist
% add them to the to the top of box 255 and then split  off a column
  \prop_gpop:NxNT \__g_mc_float_prop
        {\thepage, \the\mc@column }
        \__l_mc_float_tl
        { 
          \vbox_set:Nn \c_two_hundred_fifty_five
             { \__l_mc_float_tl
               \vskip \textfloatsep
               \vbox_unpack_clear:N \c_two_hundred_fifty_five
             }
        }
  \vbox_set_split_to_ht:NNn #1 \c_two_hundred_fifty_five {#2}
}

\cs_new:Npn \mc@check@unset@floats {
% if the property list is not empty we haven't typeset all floats for some reason
% give error message and a display of the property list content (crude ... but there you go)
  \prop_if_empty:NF \__g_mc_float_prop
     { \PackageError{xmulticol}{Unset~ column~ floats,~ details~ below}
                    { }
       \prop_show:N   \__g_mc_float_prop
       \prop_gclear:N \__g_mc_float_prop
     }
}

\ExplSyntaxOff

\end{filecontents}

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{lipsum,caption,graphicx}

\usepackage{multicol-floats}

\begin{document}

\begin{multicols}{2}

\multicolfloat{1}{1}{TEST 1-1}

\multicolfloat{1}{2}{\centering
  \includegraphics{cat.eps}
 \captionof{figure}{A test}
}

\multicolfloat{1}{2}{TEST \captionof{figure}{Another test}}

\multicolfloat{2}{1}{TEST 2-1}

\lipsum %\lipsum

\end{multicols}
\end{document}

As a result one gets the following output on the first page with the three floats placed in column one and two:

enter image description here

With only one \lipsum in the test file, the multicols ends on the next page and thus the float for page 2 column one isn't typeset and we get the following error message as well:

! Package xmulticol Error: Unset column floats, details below.

See the xmulticol package documentation for explanation.
Type  H <return>  for immediate help.
 ...                                              

l.136 \end{multicols}

? 
The property list \__g_mc_float_prop contains the pairs (without outer
braces):
>  {2,1}  =>  {\vbox {\hsize \columnwidth TEST 2-1}}.
<recently read> }

l.136 \end{multicols}

Not really great :-) but then this is just a proto-type anyway. In fact, if a multicols environment starts in the middle of a page then the float will appear on the top of the column of the multicol not at the top of the page. After all, the column sizes might differ, So that is rather a feature not a bug ... hey anything on this is a feature as I said totally unsupported in this shape --- enjoy nevertheless

[Tex/LaTex] break a table on two columns

While I was writing my question, I came out with the solution. If I understood correctly, it is encouraged for user of this (rather awesome) website to answer their own question, therefore, even if I think that my question is quite trivial, here I go:

The minipage construct is the solution: it just needs to be within the table environment. The correct code to achieve what I wished is:

\begin{table}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.5\linewidth}
    \begin{tabular}[t]{llp{0.1cm}p{0.1cm}p{0.1cm}p{0.1cm}lp{3cm}}
    \toprule
& & \multicolumn{4}{c}{Parameter} & & \\
ID & Schema & F & E & P & N & \multicolumn{2}{l}{Cluster}\\
    \midrule
1 & A & H & H & H & H & 1 & High performer\\
2 & B & H & H & H & L & 2 & Cash provider\\
3 & C & H & H & L & H & 3 & Alternative means of financing\\
4 & D & H & H & L & L & 4 & Doubtful case\\
5 & E & H & L & H & H & 5 & Low performer\\
6 & F & H & L & H & L & 5 & Low performer\\
7 & G & H & L & L & H & 6 & Possible AMF\\
8 & H & H & L & L & L & 5 & Low performer\\
    \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}%
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.5\linewidth}
    \begin{tabular}[t]{llp{0.1cm}p{0.1cm}p{0.1cm}p{0.1cm}lp{3cm}}
    \toprule
& & \multicolumn{4}{c}{Parameter} & & \\
ID & Schema & F & E & P & N & \multicolumn{2}{l}{Cluster}\\
    \midrule
9 & I & L & H & H & H & 7 & Cash flow optimization\\
10 & L & L & H & H & L & 7 & Cash flow optimization\\
11 & M & L & H & L & H & 8 & SCF needy\\
12 & N & L & H & L & L & 7 & Cash flow optimization\\
13 & O & L & L & H & H & 4 & Doubtful case\\
14 & P & L & L & H & L & 9 & Potential cash provider\\
15 & Q & L & L & L & H & 5 & Low performer\\
16 & R & L & L & L & L & 5 & Low performer\\
    \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}%
\end{minipage}
\caption{caption}
\end{table}

Of course small adjustments to properly fit the text are needed, but it works.

Best Answer

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Update

[Tex/LaTex] break a table on two columns

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