we know that
\stop
will cause LaTeX to stop parsing and output what it has processed up to this command.
But then I discovered another way to use it, as demonstrated in this minimum working example:
\documentclass{article}
\def\demo#1-#2\stop{#2}
\begin{document}
\def\sample{foo-bar}
\expandafter\demo\sample\stop
There's the Word 'bar' above this text and
this made it into the output despite a stopping command.
\end{document}
How is \stop
used here and why didn't it actually interrupt the LaTeX?
Best Answer
The meaning of
\stop
is never actually read in the above. It is just used as a delimiter token. In this situation, absolutely anything will do:A simple
\show\StopInTheNameOfTeX
shows that this has no meaning, but in this context that meaningless is itself meaningless.