refcount

Enables manipulation of counters using values from cross-references and page numbers in documents.

Overview

Provides specialized functionality for working with LaTeX counters by extracting and utilizing values from labeled references. This package is particularly useful when document automation or dynamic counter management is needed.

Allows setting or modifying counters based on section numbers, equation numbers, or other labeled elements.
Supports operations with page numbers from references, enabling dynamic page-based calculations.
Commonly used in complex documents requiring automated numbering schemes, cross-referencing systems, or dynamic content generation.
Valuable for creating tables of contents, custom numbering sequences, or automated document tracking systems.

Getting Started

To use refcount, include it in your document preamble:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{refcount}

This allows you to access the numerical values of references and page numbers for use in counter operations.

Examples

Using refcount to set a counter based on a section number reference.

\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}

This is the introduction section.

\section{Methodology}

Now we want to reference the number of the introduction section.

% Set a counter to the value of the referenced section
\newcounter{mysection}
\setcounterref{mysection}{sec:intro}

The introduction is section \themysection.

Using refcount to set a counter based on a page reference.

\section{First Section}
This is some text on the first page.
\label{pg:first}

\newpage
\section{Second Section}

% Set a counter to the page number where the label is
\newcounter{firstpagenum}
\setcounterpageref{firstpagenum}{pg:first}

The first section appears on page \thefirstpagenum.

% We can also add to a counter based on a page reference
\newcounter{adjustedpage}
\setcounter{adjustedpage}{10}
\addtocounterpageref{adjustedpage}{pg:first}

Adjusted page number: \theadjustedpage

Using refcount to perform calculations with referenced values.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{refcount}
\usepackage{ifthen}
\begin{document}
\section{First Chapter}
\label{chap:first}

\section{Second Chapter}
\label{chap:second}

\section{Analysis}

% Get the section numbers using refcount
\newcounter{firstchap}
\newcounter{secondchap}
\setcounterref{firstchap}{chap:first}
\setcounterref{secondchap}{chap:second}

% Calculate the difference between section numbers
\newcounter{chapdiff}
\setcounter{chapdiff}{\value{secondchap}}
\addtocounter{chapdiff}{-\value{firstchap}}

The difference between chapter numbers is \thechapdiff.

% We can also make decisions based on referenced values
\ifthenelse{\value{firstchap} < \value{secondchap}}
{The first chapter comes before the second chapter.}
{The chapters are out of order.}

\end{document}