removed unnecessary last optional argument

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+grabbox: utilities to get an argument as a box
+
+Copyright (C) 2018 by Jonathan P. Spratte
+
+This package may be distributed and/or modified under the conditions of the
+LaTeX Project Public License (LPPL), either version 1.3c of this license or (at
+your option) any later version.  The latest version of this license is in the
+file
+
+  https://www.latex-project.org/lppl.txt
+
+The package provides
+
+ - `\grabbox<*>{<register>}[<pre>]{<mode>}[<post>]{<next>}`: grab the
+   next argument as a box in `<mode>` (`\hbox`, `\vbox` or `\vtop`) and save it
+   in box `<register>`. After the box is saved execute `<next>`. Inside of the
+   box one can inject `<pre>` before the contents and `<post>` after them. If
+   the star is not given spaces are stripped from the start and the end of the
+   box.

grabbox.dtx

@@ -60,15 +60,18 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
     \csname grabbox@date\endcsname\ 
     utilities to get an argument as a box%
   ]
+\expandafter\def\csname @classoptionslist\endcsname{}
+\RequirePackage[british]{babel}
 \documentclass{l3doc}
 \usepackage{duckuments}
+\usepackage{microtype}
 \usepackage{grabbox}
-\author{Jonathan P. Spratte\thanks{Email: jspratte@yahoo.de}}
-\title{The \pkg{grabbox} package}
-\makeatletter
-\date{\grabbox@date\ v\grabbox@version}
 \renewcommand*{\thefootnote}{\fnsymbol{footnote}}
-\makeatother
+\let\metaOrig\meta
+\renewcommand\meta[1]
+  {%
+    \texttt{\metaOrig{#1}}%
+  }
 \begin{document}
   \DocInput{grabbox.dtx}
 \end{document}
@@ -97,6 +100,12 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 %
 % \section{Introduction}
 %
+% Sometimes I happen to write macros and environments which don't care for the
+% exact contents of an argument but only for that contents typeset
+% representation and its dimensions. In that case I personally dislike the fact
+% that those arguments couldn't contain verbatim material if coded straight
+% forward. Thus the macros distributed hereby came into existence.
+%
 % This package provides \cs{grabbox} to grab an argument inside of a box. The
 % used mechanism allows category code changes in that argument as long as it is
 % used in a place allowing category code changes (so not inside of another
@@ -105,40 +114,41 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 % It is written as a docstrip file: executing |latex grabbox.dtx| generates the
 % \file{grabbox.sty} file and typesets this documentation; execute
 % |tex grabbox.dtx| to only generate \file{grabbox.sty}.
+%
+% \section{Acknowledgement}
+%
+% I want to thank Enrico Gregorio for helping me develop first versions of the
+% used mechanisms for the second iteration of my \pkg{ducksay} package. If he
+% hadn't helped me back then, I wouldn't have considered the used method further
+% and therefore this package wouldn't have been created.
 % 
 % \section{The macro}
 %
 % \begin{function}{\grabbox}
 %   \begin{syntax}
-%     \cs{grabbox}\meta{*}
-%       \marg{box register}\oarg{inject pre}\marg{box type}\oarg{inject post}
-%       \marg{next}\oarg{save args}
+%     \cs{grabbox}\meta{*}\marg{box register}\ignorespaces^^A
+%       \oarg{inject pre}\marg{box type}\oarg{inject post}\ignorespaces^^A
+%       \marg{next}
 %   \end{syntax}
-%   Grabs the next braced argument inside of the box \meta{box register}. The
-%   box is of \meta{box type}, which should be one of \cs{hbox} or \cs{vbox} or
-%   \cs{vtop}. \meta{inject pre} will be injected at the beginning of the box
-%   and can affect its contents, \meta{inject post} will be injected after the
-%   box but can't be affected by stuff inside of \meta{inject pre}. Unless the
-%   \meta{*} is given leading and trailing spaces will be stripped from the box.
-%   After the box is read in \meta{next} will be executed. The usage is
-%   therefore similar to the one of \cs{@ifstar}. You can specify arguments
-%   which should be given to \meta{next} using \meta{save args}. The stuff you
-%   provide in \meta{save args} will be given as is to \meta{next}, so if you
-%   want to give an argument you should delimit it with braces, like
-%   \verb|[{#1}]|, or if you want to give two arguments, like
-%   \verb|[{#1}{#2}]|.
+%   grabs the next braced argument and stores it inside of the box \meta{box
+%   register}. The box is of \meta{box type}, which should be one of \cs{hbox}
+%   or \cs{vbox} or \cs{vtop}. \meta{inject pre} will be injected at the
+%   beginning of the box and can affect its contents, \meta{inject post} will be
+%   injected after the box but can't be affected by stuff inside of \meta{inject
+%   pre}. Unless the \meta{*} is given leading and trailing spaces will be
+%   stripped from the box. After the box is read in \meta{next} will be
+%   inserted.
 % \end{function}
 %
 %   \smallskip
 %   All assignments are made local. Currently it is not safe to nest macros
-%   which use \cs{grabbox}. It should become save if you're macros use
-%   \cs{grabbox} inside of a group, so the local assignments don't affect the
-%   outer macro.
+%   which use \cs{grabbox}. It should become save if your macros use
+%   \cs{grabbox} inside of a group, so the inner \cs{grabbox} doesn't affect the
+%   outer one.
 %
 %   \cs{grabbox} uses \cs{afterassignment} and \cs{aftergroup} to do its magic.
-%   The \cs{afterassignment} should be safe where it is used, the
-%   \cs{aftergroup} is used inside of the boxed argument before any contents are
-%   inserted.
+%   The former should be safe where it is used, the latter is used inside of the
+%   boxed argument before any contents are inserted.
 %
 %   Since \cs{grabbox} works by setting a boxregister using \cs{setbox} (and a
 %   bunch of temporary macros), it is of course not expandable and defined
@@ -153,13 +163,13 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 % \newsavebox\ourbox
 % \end{verbatim}
 %
-% Next we define a macro which takes some arguments and uses our macro:
+% Next we define a macro which takes some arguments and uses \cs{grabbox}:
 %
 % \begin{verbatim}
 % \newcommand\examplecmd[2]
 %   {%
 %     \begingroup
-%     \grabbox\ourbox[\itshape]\hbox[ \sffamily is]\examplecmdOut[{#1}{#2}]
+%     \grabbox\ourbox[\itshape]\hbox[ \sffamily is]{\examplecmdOut{#1}{#2}}
 %   }
 % \end{verbatim}
 %
@@ -186,7 +196,7 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 % \newcommand\examplecmd[2]
 %   {%
 %     \begingroup
-%     \grabbox\ourbox[\itshape]\hbox[ \sffamily is]\examplecmdOut[{#1}{#2}]
+%     \grabbox\ourbox[\itshape]\hbox[ \sffamily is]{\examplecmdOut{#1}{#2}}
 %   }%
 % \newcommand\examplecmdOut[3]
 %   {%
@@ -200,9 +210,8 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 %   }%
 % \examplecmd{Hi,}{my}{\verb|name|}{Steve!}
 % \end{center}
-% One can see that the \verb|\sffamily is| of \meta{inject post} is not affected
-% by the |\itshape| in \meta{inject pre}. The used code to generate that table
-% was:
+% One can see that \verb|\sffamily is| of \meta{inject post} is not affected by
+% the |\itshape| in \meta{inject pre}. The used code to generate that table was:
 %
 % \begin{verbatim}
 % \examplecmd{Hi,}{my}{\verb|name|}{Steve!}
@@ -216,20 +225,21 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 % \begin{verbatim}
 % % Getting a box register:
 % \newsavebox\RectangleBox
-% % Defining the main macro
+% % Defining the main macro:
 % \newcommand\Rectangle[1][4]
 %   {%
 %     \begingroup
-%     \grabbox\RectangleBox\hbox\RectangleOut[{#1}]
-%   }
-% % Defining the secondary macro
-% \newcommand\RectangleOut[1]
-%   {%
-%     \begin{minipage}{\dimexpr\wd\RectangleBox/#1\relax}
-%       \parfillskip0pt
-%       \unhbox\RectangleBox
-%     \end{minipage}%
-%     \endgroup
+%     \grabbox\RectangleBox\hbox
+%       {%
+%         % Since we don't want to read more arguments after the box,
+%         % we don't need a second macro and can put the output routine
+%         % here.
+%         \begin{minipage}{\dimexpr\wd\RectangleBox/#1\relax}
+%           \parfillskip0pt
+%           \unhbox\RectangleBox
+%         \end{minipage}%
+%         \endgroup
+%       }%
 %   }
 % \end{verbatim}
 %
@@ -245,22 +255,21 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 %   \Rectangle[9]{\blindduck}
 % \end{center}
 % \end{verbatim}
-% Results:
+% Results in:
+% \begin{center}
 % \newsavebox\RectangleBox
 % \newcommand\Rectangle[1][4]
 %   {%
 %     \begingroup
-%     \grabbox\RectangleBox\hbox\RectangleOut[{#1}]
-%   }%
-% \newcommand\RectangleOut[1]
-%   {%
-%     \begin{minipage}{\dimexpr\wd\RectangleBox/#1\relax}
-%       \parfillskip0pt
-%       \unhbox\RectangleBox
-%     \end{minipage}%
-%     \endgroup
-%   }%
-% \begin{center}
+%     \grabbox\RectangleBox\hbox
+%       {%
+%         \begin{minipage}{\dimexpr\wd\RectangleBox/#1\relax}
+%           \parfillskip0pt
+%           \unhbox\RectangleBox
+%         \end{minipage}%
+%         \endgroup
+%       }%
+%   }
 %   \Rectangle[9]{\blindduck}
 % \end{center}
 %
@@ -276,7 +285,6 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
 %
 %    \begin{macrocode}
 \@ifdefinable{\if@grabbox@spaces@}{\newif\if@grabbox@spaces@}
-\newcommand*\grabbox@args{}%
 \newcommand\grabbox@def[2]
   {%
     \@ifdefinable#1{\protected\def#1{#2}}%
@@ -334,9 +342,9 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
   }
 \grabbox@def@step\grabbox@a\grabbox@name\grabbox@into@pre\grabbox@b
 \grabbox@def@step\grabbox@b\grabbox@type\grabbox@into@post\grabbox@c
-\grabbox@def@step\grabbox@c\grabbox@final\grabbox@args\grabbox@d
-\grabbox@def\grabbox@d
+\protected\long\def\grabbox@c#1%
   {%
+    \def\grabbox@final{#1}%
     \afterassignment\grabbox@intermediate
     \setbox\grabbox@name\grabbox@type
   }
@@ -361,12 +369,7 @@ and the derived files           grabbox.pdf and
           \grabbox@into@post
         }%
     \fi
-    \expandafter\grabbox@final@exp@args\expandafter{\grabbox@args}%
-  }
-\newcommand\grabbox@final@exp@args[1]
-  {%
-    \def\grabbox@args{}%
-    \grabbox@final#1%
+    \grabbox@final
   }
 %    \end{macrocode}
 %