Sstrhsrtj

I using tikz together with package varwidth, I find myself playing out with different values for paragraph width, so as to achieve an "optimal" aspect ratio.
Ideally, I would have liked to have an environment similar to varwidth which would make a best effort attempt to produce a paragraph with a given aspect ratio.

begin{aspectparagraph}{2.5}

some text, which would automatically be formatted with 

different widths, so as to find the width which is closest

to (in this case) 2.5. This could be approximated by computing the total

text ``natural'' length, and then computing an approximate width based on the

line height.

end{aspectparagraph}

Here's an attempt: I compute the area and then with some math I set the box width.

documentclass{article}

usepackage{environ,expl3}



ExplSyntaxOn



box_new:N l_yossi_longline_box

box_new:N l_yossi_final_box

dim_new:N l_yossi_base_dim



NewEnviron{aspectparagraph}[1]

 {

  hbox_set:Nn l_yossi_longline_box { BODY }

  dim_set:Nn l_yossi_base_dim

   {

    fp_to_dim:n {

     sqrt (

      dim_to_fp:n { box_wd:N l_yossi_longline_box } * 

      dim_to_fp:n { baselineskip } * #1

     )

    }

   }

  vbox_set:Nn l_yossi_final_box

   {

    hsize = l_yossi_base_dim

    emergencystretch = hsize

    hyphenpenalty=0

    parindent = 0pt 

    strutBODYstrut

   }

  % the next two lines are just for debugging

  par Height~ = ~ dim_eval:n { box_ht:N l_yossi_final_box }

  par Width ~ = ~ dim_eval:n { box_wd:N l_yossi_final_box } par

  leavevmode box_use_drop:N l_yossi_final_box

 }



ExplSyntaxOff



begin{document}



begin{aspectparagraph}{2.5}

some text, which would automatically be formatted with 

different widths, so as to find the width which is closest

to (in this case) 2.5. This could be approximated by computing the total

text ``natural'' length, and then computing an approximate width based on the

line height.

end{aspectparagraph}



begin{aspectparagraph}{2}

some text, which would automatically be formatted with 

different widths, so as to find the width which is closest

to (in this case) 2. This could be approximated by computing the total

text ``natural'' length, and then computing an approximate width based on the

line height.

end{aspectparagraph}



begin{aspectparagraph}{1}

some text, which would automatically be formatted with 

different widths, so as to find the width which is closest

to (in this case) 1. This could be approximated by computing the total

text ``natural'' length, and then computing an approximate width based on the

line height.

end{aspectparagraph}



end{document}

Maybe one can imagine doing some tentative attempts and then choose the “best” one.