CTAN update: expl3

[CTAN Announcements]

This update should within a day reach your local mirror.

Jim Hefferon
Saint Michael's College

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The following information was provided by our fellow contributor:

Name of contribution: expl3
Version number: SVN 1509
Author's name: LaTeX3 Project
Location on CTAN: /macros/latex/contrib/expl3
Summary description: An Experimental LaTeX3 Programming Convention
License type: lppl

Announcement text: 
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The expl3 bundle: low-level LaTeX3 coding
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The files of the expl3 bundle provide a low-level API for TeX
programmers with special syntax conventions, completely 
separating it from document level syntax. Hence, the commands 
provided are not intended for use at the document level nor for
use in describing design layouts in document class files.

This API provides the foundation on which the LaTeX3 kernel 
and other advanced extensions are built. Special care has been
taken so that they can be used within a LaTeX2e context as 
regular packages.

The TeX and eTeX primitives are all given a new name according
to these conventions. However, in the main direct use of the 
primitives is not required or encouraged: the expl3 modules
define an independent low-level LaTeX3 programming language.

At present, the expl3 modules are designed to be loaded on top 
of LaTeX2e:

  \usepackage{expl3}
  
In time, a LaTeX3 format will be produced based on this code.
This allows the code to be used in LaTeX2e packages now while a
stand-alone LaTeX3 is developed.

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This release (SVN 1509)
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Most of the changes to expl3 since the last snapshot (SVN 1441)
are additions or documentation improvements. 

The documentation provided in expl3.pdf has been heavily 
revised to make it clearer which parts of the bundle are stable.
The terminology used has also been tightened up. Some of the
module documentation has had minor improvements to try to
ensure that all functions are documented.

The new functions added are:
 - \exp_args:NnV
 - \keys_if_exist:nn(TF)
 - \prop_put:NVn
 - \prop_put:NVV
 - \tl_head:V
 - \tl_tail:V
as these have proved useful to the team. These updated functions
are needed by the SVN version of the xpackages.

There has also been some One undocumented function has been 
removed:
 - \file_not_found:nTF
as this can now be handled using the l3file module.

Some minor internal logic changes have been made to a small
number of functions. This should not affect the functions in
use.
  
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The LaTeX3 Project
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This package is located at 
   http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/expl3
.  More information is at
   http://tug.ctan.org/pkg/expl3
(if the package is new it may take a day for that information to 
appear).  We are supported by the TeX Users Group http://www.tug.org .  
Please join a users group; see http://www.tug.org/usergroups.html .