% -*- Mode: TeX -*-

\ifx\thisfileis\anUndefinedMacro\input maybeload \fi

\thisfileis{<eb.tex.texlocal>defstring} % abort loading if we're already loaded

\input redefine

% This file defines the top-level construction 
%
%       \defstring\foo "this is a string with \$% special characters"
%
% which defines the control sequence \foo so that it expands into
% a "{" begin-group symbol, a sequence of plain characters as given
% by the string, and a "}" end-group symbol.  \foo will then be
% suitable for \expandafter\index\foo within a footnote, and similar
% uses. 

% \defstring won't work right inside \footnote or any other
% construction that reads its argument before \defstring gets
% to expand, because it works by changing reader syntax.

\makeatletter

\newtoks\defstring@toks

\def\defstring#1{\def\@defstringdef{\edef#1{\the\defstring@toks}}\begingroup
    \let\do\@makeother \dospecials \defstring@read}

\def\defstring@read#1{\def\@tempa##1#1{\global\defstring@toks{{##1}}\endgroup
   \@defstringdef}\@tempa}

\makeatother

