[Tex/LaTex] list of symbols with glossaries package: space between symbol and description

glossariesspacing

I am using the glossaries package to make a list of symbols. Is there a simple way to manipulate the space between the symbol and the description?

\documentclass{scrreprt}

\usepackage{glossaries}
\usepackage{glossary-mcols}
\newglossary[slg]{symbolslist}{syi}{syg}{List of Symbols}
\makeglossaries
\renewcommand*{\glspostdescription}{}

\newglossaryentry{symb:band_energy}{
name=\ensuremath{\epsilon_k},
description={Band energy in momentum space.},
type=symbolslist
}

\begin{document}

We will refer to the band structure as \gls{symb:band_energy}.

\printglossary[type=symbolslist, nonumberlist]

\end{document}


I like to increase the space between \epsilon_k and the description.

Best Answer

One way is to define a new glossary style and use it instead of the predefined you are using (list).

So you can define a new style based on list in this way:

\newglossarystyle{mystyle}{%
  \glossarystyle{list}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossaryentryfield}[5]{%
    \item[\glsentryitem{##1}\glstarget{##1}{##2}]%
       \hspace{1cm}##3\glspostdescription\space ##5}%
}

Note \hspace{1cm}. Change that value to modify the spacing.

At printing time, now you have to use

\printglossary[style=mystyle,type=symbolslist, nonumberlist]

Thus, modifying your MWE to

\documentclass{scrreprt}

\usepackage{glossaries}
\usepackage{glossary-mcols}
\newglossary[slg]{symbolslist}{syi}{syg}{List of Symbols}

\renewcommand*{\glspostdescription}{}

\newglossarystyle{mystyle}{%
  \glossarystyle{list}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossaryentryfield}[5]{%
    \item[\glsentryitem{##1}\glstarget{##1}{##2}]%
       \hspace{1cm}##3\glspostdescription\space ##5}%
}

\makeglossaries


\newglossaryentry{symb:band_energy}{
name=\ensuremath{\epsilon_k},
description={Band energy in momentum space.},
type=symbolslist
}

\begin{document}

We will refer to the band structure as \gls{symb:band_energy}.

\printglossary[style=mystyle,type=symbolslist, nonumberlist]

\end{document}

will give:

enter image description here

Remark

If you need \glspostdescription to be empty only for the newly defined style, you can incorporate \renewcommand*{\glspostdescription}{} in the new style definition:

\newglossarystyle{mystyle}{%
  \glossarystyle{list}%
  \renewcommand*{\glspostdescription}{}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossaryentryfield}[5]{%
    \item[\glsentryitem{##1}\glstarget{##1}{##2}]%
       \hspace{1cm}##3\glspostdescription\space ##5}%
}

or even better, since we are redefining \glossaryentryfield, completely remove \glspostdescription from its definition:

\newglossarystyle{mystyle}{%
  \glossarystyle{list}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossaryentryfield}[5]{%
    \item[\glsentryitem{##1}\glstarget{##1}{##2}]%
       \hspace{1cm}##3\space ##5}%
}
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