LaTeX Lengths
A length is a measure of distance. Many LaTeX commands take a length
as an argument.
\newlength
\newlength{\gnat}
The \newlength command defines the mandatory argument, \gnat, as a
length command with a value of 0in. An error occurs if a \gnat
command already exists.
\setlength
\setlength{\gnat}{length}
The \setlength command is used to set the value of a length command.
The length argument can be expressed in any terms of length LaTeX
understands, i.e., inches (in), millimeters (mm), points (pt), etc.
\addtolength
\addtolength{\gnat}{length}
The \addtolength command increments a length command by the amount
specified in the length argument. It can be a negative amount.
\settowidth
\settowidth{\gnat}{text}
The \settowidth command sets the value of a length command equal to
the width of the text argument.
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