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I am using the memoir class to put together a bunch of (independent) projects, each of them as one chapter. Because each project has different authors and some sort of summary, I would like to add these below the title of the chapter. I wonder how this can be done using the memoir functionality.

I have gone through the memoir manual but I am not yet familiar with the terminology so every time I felt I found the right section (e.g., "chapter headings") I realized this is about something else. If anyone has a pointer to the correct keyword, I would also be happy.

Unfortunately, I am new to memoir and cannot post an MWE yet because I am still working in a code I have copied from the second answer in Painless Memoir Class Book Template and try to make adjustments. However, as far as I can see, this is the relevant section from the preamble into which I suspect an "author line" can be inserted.:

\makeatletter % define standard chapter style
\makechapterstyle{standard}{
  \setlength{\beforechapskip}{0\baselineskip}
  \setlength{\midchapskip}{1\baselineskip}
  \setlength{\afterchapskip}{8\baselineskip}
  \renewcommand{\chapterheadstart}{\vspace*{\beforechapskip}}
  \renewcommand{\chapnamefont}{\centering\normalfont\Large}
  \renewcommand{\printchaptername}{\chapnamefont \@chapapp}
  \renewcommand{\chapternamenum}{\space}
  \renewcommand{\chapnumfont}{\normalfont\Large}
  \renewcommand{\printchapternum}{\chapnumfont \thechapter}
  \renewcommand{\afterchapternum}{\par\nobreak\vskip \midchapskip}
  \renewcommand{\printchapternonum}{\vspace*{\midchapskip}\vspace*{5mm}}
  \renewcommand{\chaptitlefont}{\centering\bfseries\LARGE}
  \renewcommand{\printchaptertitle}[1]{\chaptitlefont ##1}
  \renewcommand{\afterchaptertitle}{\par\nobreak\vskip \afterchapskip}
}
\makeatother
\chapterstyle{standard} % apply chapter style

\setsecheadstyle{\normalfont\large\bfseries}
\setsubsecheadstyle{\normalfont\normalsize\bfseries}
\setparaheadstyle{\normalfont\normalsize\bfseries}
\setparaindent{0pt}\setafterparaskip{0pt}
bumblebee
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    I'm unclear as to what you mean by "heading of the chapter". Are you trying to add something adjacent to the chapter title or are you asking about the heading at the top of pages? If the former then consider \chapterprecis. If the latter then see chapter 7 Pagination and headers in the manual. – Peter Wilson Jun 12 '20 at 18:23
  • Apologies — as I said I am still confused by the terminology. I mean the former and have clarified this in the OP. \chapterprecis works great for the summary, thanks. However, I have not yet figured out how to add (and format) a line below the title to get the authors in there. – bumblebee Jun 12 '20 at 21:34
  • I have also added what I believe to be the relevant section from the preamble to the post. – bumblebee Jun 13 '20 at 09:31
  • I have now provided three examples of using the \chapterprecis macros which I believe answer your problem. I would appreciate it if you either accepted my answer or stated what was wrong with it while showing what the output you want to achieve. --- GOM – Peter Wilson Jun 15 '20 at 17:59

1 Answers1

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Use the memoir chapterprecis macro and friends to put something below \chapter titles.

% chapterprecisprob.tex  SE 549084
\documentclass{memoir}
\usepackage{lipsum}
% example macro for the contents of a \chapterprecis
\newcommand{\authorsummary}[2]{%
  \chapterprecishere{{\normalfont\large\bfseries #1} \newline 
  \mbox{}\hrulefill\mbox{} \newline
  {\normalfont #2}}}

% example macro for author/summary text without \chapterprecis
\newcommand{\authortext}[2]{%
  {\large\bfseries #1} \newline
   \mbox{}\hrulefill\mbox{} \newline
   {\normalfont #2}\vspace{\baselineskip}\par}


\begin{document}
\frontmatter
\tableofcontents
\mainmatter
\chapter{First chapter}
% this goes into the document and the ToC
\chapterprecis{Author \newline Something about the chapter}
\lipsum[1]
\chapter{Second chapter}
% change the font and just put the precis into the document, not the ToC
\renewcommand{\precisfont}{\scshape}
\chapterprecishere{Another Author \newline Different chapter content}
\lipsum[2]
\chapter{Third chapter}
\chapterprecishere{{\normalfont\large\scshape Third Author} \newline
{\normalfont Third chapter summary}}
\lipsum[3]
\chapter{Fourth chapter}
\chapterprecishere{{\normalfont\large\scshape Fourth Author} \par
   {\normalfont Fourth chapter content}}
 \lipsum[4]
\chapter{Fifth chapter}
\authorsummary{An Author, Another Author}{Fifth chapter summary \lipsum[1]}
\lipsum[5]
\chapter{Sixth chapter}
\authortext{The Writer}{The words}
\lipsum[6]
\end{document}

The above shows five examples of how you might use the \chapterprecis... commands. The first puts the precis into the document and into the ToC using the default font. The second changes the font for both the author and the summary and only puts the precis into the document. The third and fourth use different fonts for the author and the summary. The fifth uses a macro \authorsummary where you can define what is to go into the author and summary element; use this in each chapter to specify the \chapterprecis contents.

The sixth example defines the macro \authortext which you could use instead instead of \chapterprecis based code.

The above works with your change to the chapter styling but with a lot of space between the title and the precis. You will have to sort that out yourself if you don't like the result. Why so much space between the chapter title and the following text? --- GOM

Peter Wilson
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  • Thanks for the detailed answer. As I said, I use someone else's template but quite like the distance between the chapter title and the text/precis. Therefore, I had hoped for a solution that adds an author line outside of the precis. This also avoids re-formatting inside the precis. I have found a solution to include the author in the summary but in case someone else is interested in an author line, I felt I should be waiting for a more general solution. I could imagine separate authors for each chapter are needed more often. – bumblebee Jun 15 '20 at 22:33
  • @bumblebee I have now extended my answer. You still have not stated what you want the output to look like. In the fifth example I have defined a macro that takes two arguments, the authors and the summary, which you can then use for the \chapterprecis content. As I understand it you want to not to have to bother with changing the fonts used for the authors and summary and this lets you only specify them once. Please forget your initial thoughts and read your question and comments and think what you might suggest to answer their vaugenes. --- GOM – Peter Wilson Jun 18 '20 at 18:22
  • @bumblebee I have now added a sixth example to my answer. I feel that I have provided several general solutions. Goodbye. – Peter Wilson Jun 20 '20 at 17:22
  • Thank you for these examples. The sixth example is most useful but remains unsuitable with the large space between title and precis that you have commented on earlier. As I said, a more general solution that is independent of the precis would be most helpful. I also feel that the stressing undertone of your comments is inappropriate -- not everybody has the time to try out possible solutions as quickly as you can. – bumblebee Jun 20 '20 at 20:10
  • @bumblebee My sixth example is independent of the precis. It is you who specified the chapter style and the space that should follow it. You do something. – Peter Wilson Jun 21 '20 at 17:37