https://github.com/settinger/selectric_typeballs ... why do I suddenly think the world needs a typewriter with ducks?
Er, yeah ... we thought about active-`$` but it didn't seem like a plan
It could go like this (typing the numbers from memory, I hope I don't screw up): `\` remains 0, `{}` remains 1 and 2, `%` remains 14, `[A-Za-z]` remain 11, everything else is active.
Sure, but I still hope that one day we might manage to sort out some 'fixed active list' in the kernel ..
Well, except when you don't provide any options, in that case, `expkv` is actually faster than `keyval`. So I can say that `expkv` *is* the fastest
it's "yet another key system", and it's one of the greatest of them for its peculiar syntax.
But yes, `keyval` is the fastest among them all: 
Also, `babel` shorthands are the reason I can claim that only 4 of the key=value parsers I tested work reliably (of which `expkv` is by far the fastest)
**Blog post:** A biased study with one individual finds that a user, who does not use babel shorthands, does not experience a lot of advantages from them, but sometimes finds funny problems they cause. :)
I'm considering starting a tally sheet with "Number of problems solved by babel shorthands" vs. "Number of problems caused by babel shorthands" :)
another implementation for form fields is in the pdfmanagement-testphase package, see all the files starting with `l3pdffield` here https://github.com/latex3/pdfresources
I want to create a very simple pdf file that allows an end user on a Windows computer to fill in some information using pdf forms. E.g, a form to type free text, choose from a combo box an option, and fill some additional long text that will wrap (i.e. have line breaks). My plan is to create the form using LuaTeX's `pdfextension literal` and `pdfextension object`. I just don't know how to do it. I started reading Leonard Rosenthol and John Witington books about the pdf format, but I think that I will have better progress by reading using a text editor an uncompressed pdf file with forms, preferably made by a person and not by a machine. All pdf files I came across until now were super difficult to read after uncompressing them. Can anyone send me or refer me to such "learn from example" pdf files?
That's a friendly, if uncomfortable, snuggle. Your bat has a very friendly face. I have a little velvet-winged bat in my zoo; his name is Dingbat, and he's a delightful character.

Date/location for Dante'26 is online: https://www.dante.de/veranstaltungen/fruehjahrstagung-2026/
TIL that I'm a time traveller. I will have answered your comment tomorrow, here's proof: 
