math-modesymbols
I want to create boxes (\Box) and diamonds (\Diamond) with letter and other symbols insider them.
I've achieved something, but the result is ok-ish:
$\Box \!\!\! _ {^{_ {^{_{^a}}}}}$
$\Diamond \!\!\! _ {^{_ {^{_{^a}}}}}$
$\Box\!\!\! _{^{ _{^\heartsuit}}}$
Does anyone have a good tip to make it looks better?
While the fonts and the respective packages are being built, as pragmatic as it can be, one can get away with the following inline TikZ drawings
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\newcommand{\dflat}{\tikz[baseline=-1.2mm] \node {\reflectbox{$\flat$}};}
\newcommand{\sflat}{\tikz[baseline=-1.2mm] \node {\reflectbox{$\flat$}$\flat$};}
\newcommand{\dsharp}{\hskip3pt \tikz[baseline=-1.2mm] {%
\clip (-2pt,-6pt) rectangle (-.2pt,6pt); \node at (0,0) {$\sharp$};}\hskip3pt
}
\newcommand{\ssharp}{\tikz[baseline=-1.2mm] {%
\node[inner sep=0mm] at (0,0) {$\sharp$};\node at (1.7pt,0.55pt) {$\sharp$};}
}
\begin{document}
\parbox{5cm}{
This is some random text to use the symbols \dflat, \sflat,\dsharp and \ssharp inline.
It can be improved by assigning some input parameters and adjusting the kerning as
C~{\hskip-7pt\dflat}, A~{\hskip-6pt\dsharp} or D~{\hskip-6pt\ssharp}
}
\end{document}
I will not attempt to make stupid comments since I know almost nothing about typography and kerning but this can be automated at will. Also I am not sure if these commands I have defined are robust. Please consider this as a proof of concept.
Addition by Jake:
By using \tikz [baseline] \node [anchor=base, inner sep=0pt], the nodes will automatically be positioned on the text line like a character would, so the vertical position doesn't have to be adjusted manually.
When defining TikZ commands to be used in text lines, it is usually a good idea to specify lengths in terms of ex and em, since these depend on the surrounding font size. That way, the symbols will scale with the text.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\newcommand{\dflat}{\tikz [baseline] \node [anchor=base, inner sep=0pt] {\reflectbox{$\flat$}};}
\newcommand{\sflat}{\tikz [baseline] \node [anchor=base, inner sep=0pt] {\reflectbox{$\flat$}$\flat$};}
\newcommand{\dsharp}{\tikz [baseline] {%
\clip (-0.2em,-1ex) rectangle (-0.01em,2ex);
\node[anchor=base, inner sep=0pt] {$\sharp$};}
}
\newcommand{\ssharp}{\tikz[baseline] {%
\node[anchor=base,inner sep=0pt,name=leftsharp] at (0,0) {$\sharp$};
\node at (leftsharp.east) [xshift=-0.25em, yshift=0.1ex, inner sep=0pt,anchor=west] {$\sharp$};}
}
\begin{document}
\parbox{5cm}{
This is some random text to use the symbols \dflat, \sflat, \dsharp and \ssharp inline.
It can be improved by assigning some input parameters and adjusting the kerning as
C\dflat, A\dsharp or D\ssharp
}
\parbox{5cm}{\Large
The symbols scale with the text:
C\dflat, A\dsharp or D\ssharp
}
\end{document}
Well, those are font decisions so at first, I would decide which font you want to use. Here are some examples:
% arara: lualatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{unicode-math}
\renewcommand{\leadsto}{\rightsquigarrow}
\begin{document}
\setmathfont{Latin Modern Math}% this is default
$\leadsto\rightarrow\Rightarrow$
\setmathfont{XITS Math}
$\leadsto\rightarrow\Rightarrow$
\setmathfont{STIX Math}
$\leadsto\rightarrow\Rightarrow$
\setmathfont{Cambria Math}
$\leadsto\rightarrow\Rightarrow$
\setmathfont{Asana Math}
$\leadsto\rightarrow\Rightarrow$
\end{document}
Maybe there is something that fits and you do not have to design your own symbol.
But in order to really help you, you will have to give us an MWE which shows your setup. I am guessing that it looks like this for you:
% arara: pdflatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
$\leadsto\rightsquigarrow\rightarrow\Rightarrow$
\end{document}
There is also $\leadsto$ from the package latexsym but that is not what you want, I fear.
You could also check http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/font/fontlist.htm?text=%E2%87%9D+-+Unicode+Character+%27RIGHTWARDS+SQUIGGLE+ARROW%27+%28U%2B21DD%29 in order to see, which fonts on your system do provide this symbol.
Best Answer
A simple solution for single characters in the box and diamond. Play around with the setting
\setlength\fboxsep{2pt}inside macros