Editing ConTeXt (section)

{{Short description|General-purpose document processor, derived from TeX}}
{{Infobox software
| name = ConTeXt
| logo = [[Image:ConTeXt Unofficial Logo.svg|The Unofficial ConTeXt logo (contextgarden.net logo)|200px]]
| author = Mainly Hans Hagen and [http://www.pragma-ade.com/ Pragma ADE]
| developer = Mainly Hans Hagen, [[Taco Hoekwater]],<ref>[http://www.tug.org/interviews/hoekwater.html Dave Walden interview with Taco Hoekwater. TeX User Group 2006.]</ref> [[Aditya Mahajan]], [[Mojca Miklavec]], [[Wolfgang Schuster (programmer)|Wolfgang Schuster]]
| latest_release_version = Mark IV 0.61
| latest_release_date = {{start date|2015|05|24}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Release_Notes |title=Release notes of ConTeXt at contextgarden |access-date=2009-03-09 |archive-date=2005-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051226203050/http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Release_Notes |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://foundry.supelec.fr/frs/?group_id=14 |title=List of releases of ConTeXt |access-date=2009-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061124101941/https://foundry.supelec.fr/frs/?group_id=14 |archive-date=2006-11-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://foundry.supelec.fr/gf/project/contextrev/frs/ |title=ConTeXt files in Supelec |access-date=2009-10-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106003346/http://foundry.supelec.fr/gf/project/contextrev/frs/ |archive-date=2010-11-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| operating_system = Multiplatform ([[TeX]])
| genre = Document processor, Document markup language
| license = Program code under [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html GPLv2] and Documentation under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ CC BY-NC-SA 3.0]<ref>[http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Read_Me Read Me] (license of ConTeXt code and documentation)</ref>
| website = [http://wiki.contextgarden.net contextgarden]
}}

'''ConTeXt''' is a general-purpose [[document processor]]. Like [[LaTeX]], it is derived from [[TeX]]. It is especially suited for structured documents, automated document production, very fine typography, and multilingual typesetting. It is based in part on the TeX [[typesetting]] system, and uses a [[document markup language]] for manuscript preparation.  The typographical and automated capabilities of ConTeXt are extensive, including interfaces for handling [[microtypography]], multiple footnotes and footnote classes, and manipulating [[OpenType]] fonts and features. Moreover, it offers extensive support for colors, backgrounds, hyperlinks, presentations, figure-text integration, and conditional compilation. It gives the user extensive control over formatting while making it easy to create new layouts and styles without learning the low-level TeX macro language.

While comparisons can be made between ConTeXt and [[LaTeX]], the primary objectives of the two systems are distinct. From the onset, ConTeXt has been a typography and typesetting system designed to give users straightforward and consistent access to advanced typographical control, which is crucial for general-purpose typesetting. LaTeX's original vision, on the other hand, was to insulate the user from typographical decisions—an approach particularly useful for tasks such as submitting articles to a scientific journal. Although LaTeX has evolved from this original vision, ConTeXt's unified design prevents the package clashes often experienced with LaTeX.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=context |title=FAQ of the UK TeX Archive |access-date=2009-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100518111729/http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=context |archive-date=2010-05-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="whatiscontextwiki">[http://wiki.contextgarden.net/What_is_ConTeXt "What is ConTeXt" page at contextgarden]</ref>

ConTeXt provides a multilingual user interface with support for markup in English, Dutch, German, French, and Italian and support for output in many scripts including western European, eastern European, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It also allows the user to use different TeX engines like [[LuaTeX]] (MkIV) and [[LuaMetaTeX]] (LMTX). Older versions (MkII) worked with [[pdfTeX]] or [[XeTeX]].<ref name="whatiscontextwiki"/>

As its native drawing engine, ConTeXt integrates a superset of [[MetaPost]] called [[MetaFun]],<ref name="whatiscontextwiki"/> which allows users to draw page backgrounds and ornaments with MetaPost. MetaFun can also be used directly with MetaPost. ConTeXt also supports the use of other external drawing engines, like [[PGF/TikZ]]<ref>[http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/graphics/pgf/base/doc/generic/pgf/pgfmanual.pdf PGF/TikZ official manual. Version 2.0] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109090729/http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/graphics/pgf/base/doc/generic/pgf/pgfmanual.pdf |date=January 9, 2011 }}. Section 9.1.3 "Using the ConTeXt Format". p. 88</ref> and PSTricks.<ref name="list-modules">[http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Modules List of ConTeXt modules at contextgarden]</ref>

ConTeXt also provides a [[Macro (computer science)|macro]] package for typesetting [[chemical structure]] diagrams with [[TeX]] called [https://www.ctan.org/pkg/ppchtex PPCHTeX],<ref>[http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Chemistry PPCHTeX Module for ConTeXt reference page at contextgarden]</ref> as well as many other modules.<ref name="list-modules"/><ref>[http://modules.contextgarden.net/ List of ConTeXt modules (static page)]</ref><ref>[http://dl.contextgarden.net/modules/ List of ConTeXt modules in web server for downloading]</ref> This package can also be used with plain TeX and LaTeX.

Originally entitled pragmatex, ConTeXt was given its name around 1996<ref>[https://tug.org/interviews/hagen.html Hans Hagen Interview, 2006]</ref> by [[Hans Hagen (typographer)|Hans Hagen]] from [http://www.pragma-ade.com/ PRAGMA Advanced Document Engineering] (Pragma ADE), a Netherlands-based company.