Hi there !
Like Pablo, I am sure that the Hraban's book will be very precise and
laid out in an extremely rigorous manner. If I understand correctly (and
unless I am mistaken), we should aim to achieve something like what is
suggested in the MWE below?
Best//JP
Note : I propose a commented MWE in order to better understand what may
be a difficulty in the case presented by Hraban. If this MWE is
functional but ends with a blank page, it is because the cause is almost
always one of these two mechanisms:
1. we artificially force a “fill” at the end of the chapter (|\vfill|)
and ConTeXt ends up with “empty but legitimate” content on the last
page;
2. a “finish” setting (or a block constraint) forces the front/back to
be completed at the end of the document.
% sectionblock-pageright_hraban-pablo-wolfg.tex
% ==========================================================
% FR : MWE — Démarrage des appendices sur une page gauche (even)
% tout en gardant les chapitres du corps sur une page droite (odd).
% EN : MWE — Start appendices on a left page (even) while keeping
% body chapters opening on right pages (odd).
%
% Key idea / Idée clé :
% - FR : \setupsectionblock[...][page=...] agit aux transitions de blocs
% (début ET fin). Si bodypart impose page=right, il "contamine"
% le bloc suivant (appendix) et peut générer des blancs.
% - EN : sectionblock "page=" is applied at block boundaries (begin+end),
% so bodypart[page=right] can force the NEXT block to start on right
% (and may yield extra blanks).
%
% Therefore / Donc :
% - FR : On met page=no sur les sectionblocks (transitions neutres),
% et on gère "open right" via \setuphead[chapter] dans bodypart.
% - EN : Use page=no on sectionblocks (neutral transitions), and enforce
% "open right" via chapter head setup inside bodypart only.
% ==========================================================
\setuppapersize[A5][A5] % FR : format quelconque pour test / EN : any
test size
\setuplayout[
backspace=12mm, topspace=12mm,
width=middle, height=middle,
header=8mm, footer=10mm,
]
% ----------------------------------------------------------
% FR : Recto/verso (pages left/right) + pagination en pied
% EN : Double-sided layout (left/right pages) + footer numbering
% ----------------------------------------------------------
\setuppagenumbering[
alternative=doublesided,
location=footer,
]
% ----------------------------------------------------------
% FR : Sectionblocks — ne PAS imposer de contrainte de page aux transitions
% (sinon un bodypart "open right" force le bloc suivant à droite,
% cf. remarque de Wolfgang).
% EN : Sectionblocks — do NOT enforce page constraints at block boundaries
% (otherwise bodypart "open right" can force the next block to the
right,
% cf. Wolfgang’s remark).
% ----------------------------------------------------------
\setupsectionblock[frontpart][page=no, number=no]
\setupsectionblock[bodypart] [page=no, number=yes]
\setupsectionblock[appendix] [page=no, number=yes]
% ----------------------------------------------------------
% FR : Dans le bodypart : chapitres "open right" (odd/right)
% EN : In bodypart: chapters open on right-hand pages (odd/right)
% ----------------------------------------------------------
\startsectionblockenvironment[bodypart]
\setuphead[chapter][page=right]
\stopsectionblockenvironment
% ----------------------------------------------------------
% FR : Dans l’appendix : neutraliser l’open-right du chapitre
% (Pablo propose page=yes ici : pas de forcing odd/right)
% EN : In appendix: neutralize chapter open-right
% (Pablo suggests page=yes here: no odd/right forcing)
% ----------------------------------------------------------
\startsectionblockenvironment[appendix]
\setuphead[chapter][page=yes]
\stopsectionblockenvironment
% ----------------------------------------------------------
% FR : Contenu garanti sur 2 pages (sans dépendre d’un remplissage
aléatoire)
% EN : Guaranteed two-page content (no reliance on accidental overflow)
% ----------------------------------------------------------
\def\TwoPages{%
\dorecurse{8}{\input knuth\par}%
\vfill \page
\dorecurse{8}{\input knuth\par}%
\vfill
}
\starttext
% ==========================================================
% FR : Frontmatter (optionnel)
% EN : Frontmatter (optional)
% ==========================================================
\startfrontmatter
\startchapter[title={Front}]
\TwoPages
\stopchapter
\stopfrontmatter
% ==========================================================
% FR : Bodymatter — chapitres sur page droite (odd/right)
% EN : Bodymatter — chapters open on right pages (odd/right)
% ==========================================================
\startbodymatter
\startchapter[title={Body 1}]
\TwoPages
\stopchapter
\startchapter[title={Body 2}]
\TwoPages
\stopchapter
\stopbodymatter
% ==========================================================
% FR : Appendices — FORCER le départ sur une page gauche (even/left)
% EN : Appendices — FORCE start on an even (left) page
%
% FR : On ne le fait QU’UNE FOIS (sinon risques de double-contrainte).
% EN : Do it ONCE only (avoid stacking constraints).
% ==========================================================
\page[even] % FR : page paire = gauche / EN : even page = left
\startappendices
\startchapter[title={Appendix A}]
\TwoPages
\stopchapter
\startchapter[title={Appendix B}]
\TwoPages
\stopchapter
\stopappendices
\stoptext
Le 14/02/2026 à 10:20, Pablo Rodriguez via ntg-context a écrit :
On 2/14/26 09:57, Henning Hraban Ramm wrote:
[...]
Thanks, that’s what I needed to know.
Unfortunately, the empty page is still there, now without header.
You may want to remove the `\startchapter` … `\stopchapter` (or
`\chapter`) right after `\startappendices` and see what happens.
But enjoy your guests now,
Pablo
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If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the
Wiki!
maillist : [email protected] /
https://mailman.ntg.nl/mailman3/lists/ntg-context.ntg.nl
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