\settoheight ¶Synopsis:
\settoheight{\len}{text}
Sets the length \len to the height of box that LaTeX gets on
typesetting the text argument. The length name \len
has to be a control sequence (see Control sequence, control word and control symbol), and as such
must begin with a backslash, \ under normal circumstances.
This will print how high the characters go.
\newlength{\alphabetheight}
\settoheight{\alphabetheight}{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}
\the\alphabetheight
If no such length \len has been declared with \newlength, if
for example you mistype as
\settoheight{\aplhabetheight}{abc...}, then you get something
like ‘Undefined control sequence. <argument> \alphabetheight’. If
you leave the backslash out of \len, as in
\settoheight{alphabetheight}{...} then you get something like
‘Missing number, treated as zero. <to be read again> \setbox’.