How can I remove the space between this
\newcommand{\deref}{\ensuremath{\rightarrowtriangle}\xspace}
$b\deref\mathbf{r}_S$
such that the arrow is as closest to the two surounding characters as possible?
[Tex/LaTex] Remove space between characters
kerningmath-modespacing
Related Solutions
That's not good style. The automatic spacing should be the right amount. But if you really want it: One way to do this would be to put everything in its own math mode:
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
$ 1 \land \lnot 2 \lor 3 $ % for comparision
$1$ $\land$ $\lnot$ $2$ $\lor$ $3$
\end{document}
(I put the numbers also in math mode to ensure that always the correct math font is used. By default this doesn't make any difference, though.)
To have the $s added automatically you can use a loop which reads every number, character or macro one by one. Simply group a number with multiple digits together:
\documentclass{article}
\makeatletter
\newcommand\equspacedmath[1]{%
\mbox{% to ensure text mode
\@tfor\L:=#1\do{%
$\L$\space
}%
}%
}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
\equspacedmath{1 \land \lnot 2 \lor 3}
\equspacedmath{1 \land \lnot {23} \lor 4}
$ \equspacedmath{1 \land \lnot 2 \lor 3} $
\[ \equspacedmath{1 \land \lnot {23} \lor 4} \]
\end{document}
This removes the space between 2 chapters only when they are just next to each other.
\documentclass{book}
\usepackage[titles]{tocloft}
\makeatletter
\newskip\old@cftbeforechapskip
\old@cftbeforechapskip\cftbeforechapskip
\let\old@l@chapter\l@chapter
\let\old@l@section\l@section
\def\l@chapter#1#2{\old@l@chapter{#1}{#2}\cftbeforechapskip3pt}% set your value here
\def\l@section#1#2{\old@l@section{#1}{#2}\cftbeforechapskip\old@cftbeforechapskip}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
\tableofcontents
\chapter{AAA}
\section{sss}
\chapter{BBB}
\section{ttt}
\chapter{CCC}
\chapter{DDD}
\end{document}
If you want to remove all the vertical spaces, you simply say the following instead of the long code in preamble:
\setlength{\cftbeforechapskip}{0pt}
Best Answer
Put one extra pair of braces around the arrow.
BTW, what is the intention of using
ensuremathand\xspacehere? It is better not to use them.