Create a capitalized macro token using \csname

Question

Two things I understand and one thing I don't:

I often use \csname to create user-defined tokens. For instance, the following code uses \expandafter to expand everything between \csname and \endcsname before \gdefing the result:

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{%
  \expandafter\gdef\csname #1\endcsname{Here is #1 printed.}%
}

\begin{document}
\mycommand{abc} % Creates a macro \abc
Demonstration: \abc % Prints Demonstration: Here is abc printed.
\end{document}

I wanted to do something similar by using \mycommand{abc} to create a macro \Abc (note the capital letter). Unfortunately, \uppercase cannot be used inside \csname. (I'm guessing some parts expand to TeX primitives?) But I found a somewhat related answer from Heiko Oberdiek (http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Comp/comp.text.tex/2006-02/msg01220.html) and created the following, which I don't entirely understand.

It should create a new uppercase token, and I think it is working, since I can then \let it to another macro and it does not error.

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{% 
  \uppercase\expandafter{\expandafter\csname #1}\endcsname% Creates token 
}%
\def\temp{if it worked}
\let\Abc\temp% Now \Abc expands to something other than \relax

\begin{document}
\mycommand{abc}% Creates \Abc
This lets you see \Abc.% Prints This lets you see if it worked.
\end{document}

So my question is: how can I create an uppercase token and define the expansion at the same time? (Basically, I want to combine both of the above approaches.) Here are two ways I have tried (both return Error: extra \endcsname).

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{% 
  \expandafter\gdef%   I think this tries to do \gdef\uppercase = bad 
  \uppercase\expandafter{\expandafter\csname #1}\endcsname{the macro #1 expanded}%  
}%
\mycommand{abc}
Use \Abc. % Should print Use the macro abc expanded.

or

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{% 
  \expandafter\gdef\expandafter{% 
  \uppercase\expandafter{\expandafter\csname #1}\endcsname}{the macro #1 expanded}% 
}%
\mycommand{abc}
Use \Abc. % Should print Use the macro abc expanded.

Answer 1

You have to isolate the first token in #1 from the rest and uppercase it; the fact that \uppercase doesn't expand anything and puts back the token list into the input stream after its operation can be exploited in the following way:

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{\mycommandaux#1\relax}
\def\mycommandaux#1#2\relax{%
  \uppercase{\expandafter\gdef\csname #1}#2\endcsname{the macro #1#2 expanded}%
}
\mycommand{abc}
\show\Abc

Of course an empty argument to \mycommand will result in an error.

If you want to provide a definition, say

\mycommand{abc}{Something else}

to be equivalent to \def\Abc{Something else}, just leave out the tokens after \endcsname

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{\mycommandaux#1\relax}
\def\mycommandaux#1#2\relax{%
  \uppercase{\expandafter\gdef\csname #1}#2\endcsname
}
\mycommand{abc}{Something else}
\show\Abc

---

The command \uppercase is a bit stranger than other TeX primitives. Indeed the <general text> it requires as argument first does a travel down TeX's stomach to be "regurgitated" after each character token has been transformed using the \uccode vector: if a character has positive \uccode, TeX will transform it into that character (the category code is unchanged). So, for instance, TeX is setup so that \uccode`a=`A and so an a becomes an A after regurgitation. Non character token are left unchanged and no expansion is performed.

Here's the working in slow motion (first version).

1. \mycommand{abc}
   Here #1 is abc

2. \mycommandaux abc\relax
   Here #1 is a and #2 is bc (argument #2 is delimited by \relax, while #1 is undelimited, so the only first token is grabbed)

3. \uppercase{\expandafter\gdef\csname a}bc\endcsname {the macro abc expanded}
   Tex executes the \uppercase and puts back

   \expandafter\gdef\csname A
   

   in the input stream.

4. \expandafter\gdef\csname Abc\endcsname{the macro abc expanded}

5. \gdef\Abc{the macro abc expanded}

Et voilà.

---

A variant with \newcommand instead of \gdef, that makes it easy to define macros with arguments:

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{\mycommandaux#1\relax}
\def\mycommandaux#1#2\relax{%
  \uppercase{\expandafter\newcommand\csname #1}#2\endcsname
}
\mycommand{abc}{Something else}
\show\Abc

\mycommand{uvw}[1]{Something else with #1}
\show\Uvw

With \gdef the standard parameter text should be used.

\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{\mycommandaux#1\relax}
\def\mycommandaux#1#2\relax{%
  \uppercase{\expandafter\gdef\csname #1}#2\endcsname
}
\mycommand{abc}{Something else}
\show\Abc

\mycommand{uvw}#1{Something else with #1}
\show\Uvw

Answer 2

The problem is that \uppercase is not expandable. You can't use it with \expandafter. I would expand the argument first, as good measure, then read the first letter using a second, internal macro, then use \uppercase to change that letter. Finally a second internal macro reads the new uppercase letter and the rest of the name and makes the definition. The original name can also be passed as a third argument if required:

\makeatletter
\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{% 
    \begingroup
    \edef\@tempa{#1}%
    \expandafter\endgroup\expandafter\@mycommand\@tempa\@nnil{#1}%
}
\def\@mycommand#1{%
    \uppercase{\@@mycommand{#1}}%
}
\def\@@mycommand#1#2\@nnil#3{%
    \global\@namedef{#1#2}{the macro #3 expanded}%%
}
\makeatother
\mycommand{abc}
\show\Abc

Answer 3

This is a good example of why LuaTeX is useful.

\def\defineuppercase#1%
    {\ctxcommand{defineuppercase("#1")}}

\startluacode
  function commands.defineuppercase(s)
      local upper = string.gsub(s, "^%l", string.upper)
      context.setgvalue(upper)
  end
\stopluacode

\defineuppercase{one}{Something}

\show\One
\end

I am using ConTeXt MkIV, but the code can be easily translated to LaTeX as well.

Answer 4

You can also do this with the xstring package. So after defining \mycommand{abc}, and \mycommand{dbc}, you can use \Abc, and \Def to get:

Note:

• The code below is not complete in that it only converts the letters a,...,f to A,...,F, but extending it should not be too difficult.

Code:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xstring}
\newcommand{\mycommand}[1]{%
    \IfBeginWith{#1}{a}{\StrSubstitute{#1}{a}{A}[\newMacroName]}{}%
    \IfBeginWith{#1}{b}{\StrSubstitute{#1}{b}{B}[\newMacroName]}{}%
    \IfBeginWith{#1}{c}{\StrSubstitute{#1}{c}{C}[\newMacroName]}{}%
    \IfBeginWith{#1}{d}{\StrSubstitute{#1}{d}{D}[\newMacroName]}{}%
    \IfBeginWith{#1}{e}{\StrSubstitute{#1}{e}{E}[\newMacroName]}{}%
    \IfBeginWith{#1}{f}{\StrSubstitute{#1}{f}{F}[\newMacroName]}{}%
    % ... complete this ...
    \expandafter\gdef\csname \newMacroName\endcsname{Here is #1 printed.}%
}%
\begin{document}
\mycommand{abc} % Creates a macro \Abc
Demonstration: \Abc % Prints Demonstration: Here is abc printed.
\mycommand{dbc} % Creates a macro \Dbc
Demonstration: \Dbc % Prints Demonstration: Here is abc printed.
\end{document}