6

Kindly have a look at this code 

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\defaultfontfeatures{Ligatures=TeX}
\usepackage[small,sf,bf]{titlesec}
 \setromanfont{Georgia}
\usepackage{amssymb} 
\newcommand{\checkbox}{$\square$}
\begin{document} 
If appropriate \checkbox  . Why appropriate, specify? ...........
If inappropriate \checkbox . Why inappropriate, specify? ..............
If appropriate \checkbox . Why appropriate, specify? ...........\\
If inappropriate \checkbox . Why inappropriate, specify? ...........
 \end{document}

How can I make a dotted like, of appropriate length so that it is depressed, fainter, has consistent length so that it occupies the remaining white space in the line or has specified length.

Vaibhav
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2 Answers2

17

What you are probably looking for is \dotfill. Like \hfill, it spreads as much as possible, but inserting dots instead of white space. If you lock \dotfill into a box of fixed width, you get dots of a specific width. The \fillin command takes this width as an optional argument; if it's missing, the width defaults to 3cm.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\newcommand{\checkbox}{$\square$}
\newcommand\fillin[1][3cm]{\makebox[#1]{\dotfill}}
\begin{document} 
If appropriate \checkbox  . Why appropriate, specify? \fillin\ 
If inappropriate \checkbox . Why inappropriate, specify? \fillin[4cm] 
If appropriate \checkbox . Why appropriate, specify? \dotfill\\
If inappropriate \checkbox . Why inappropriate, specify? \fillin[2cm]
\end{document}

enter image description here

gernot
  • 49,614
5

You can define a macro with an optional variable of the length. If it is not given the dotted line stretches as long as it can (to the end of line). 

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\newcommand{\checkbox}{$\square$}
%%%%%
\makeatletter
\newcommand\answerline{\@ifnextchar[%]
  \answerlinetowidth\answerlinetoeol}
\newcommand\answerlinetowidth[1][0pt]{\hbox to #1{\leaders\hbox to \answerdotsep{\hss.\hss}\hfill}}
\newcommand\answerlinetoeol{\leaders\hbox to \answerdotsep{\hss.\hss}\hfill\strut}
\newcommand\answerdotsep{6pt}
\makeatother
%%%%%
\begin{document}
\noindent
If appropriate \checkbox. Why appropriate, specify? \answerline[3cm]
If inappropriate \checkbox. Why inappropriate, specify? \answerline[3cm]
If appropriate \checkbox. Why appropriate, specify? \answerline\newline
If inappropriate \checkbox. Why inappropriate, specify? \answerline[3cm]

\end{document}

enter image description here

In the definition of \answerline there is a check if an optional argument is given, and then chooses one of the two following commands (first one with optional argument and the second without).

StefanH
  • 13,823