[texhax] How can I renewcommand \the

[Uwe Lück]

At 15:21 21.06.09, Philip G. Ratcliffe wrote:
> > > Why  I can renewcomman {\the} is there any way to do
> > renewcomman \the
> > > ? I want \the do my new command
> >
> > Don't do it. Use another name for your command.
>
>Just to explain the point: \the is part and parcel of TeX and will certainly
>be used by many packages and even by LaTeX itself,
>Here's an example:
>
>\edef\today{%
>   \the\year/\two at digits{\the\month}/\two at digits{\the\day}:%
>     \two at digits{\the\count@}:\two at digits{\the\count2}}
>
>It's always much much safer to use new and different names unless you really
>want to interfere with LaTeX's workings and then only if you really really
>know what you're doing.

I started working with LaTeX by creating a "definition" environment called 
"def" ... (almost)

Apart from this, it seems to me that Wawan is asking for an explanation of 
\renewcommand ... !?

-- Uwe.