When I need to write a sequence of dots without using TikZ, I often define a simple macro based on \bullet or another symbol that produces two or three dots (which they can be increase and decrease in size). However, I would like to generalize this idea so that I can obtain a sequence of n dots (horizontal, diagonal, vertical).
In particular, I would like the solution I define to work well in different mathematical contexts: a sequence of dots arranged horizontally on a line, a vertical sequence for example under a brace or associated with \vdots, and even a diagonal arrangement for something like \ddots. I would also like this sequence of dots to automatically adapt to different math style sizes, meaning it should work properly in \displaystyle, \scriptstyle, \scriptscriptstyle, etc. Ideally, it should be possible to scale the symbols elegantly using packages like scalerel or equivalent techniques, so that the macro can be used in subscripts, superscripts, or expressions of different sizes without visual issues.
Another requirement is that these sequences of dots should be able to be grouped in pairs, triplets, quadruplets, etc., and that such groups can be represented under a brace or curly bracket to visually highlight those groupings within the formulas.
The goal is to have a parameterized macro that generates an arbitrary sequence of dots with uniform spacing and consistent behavior in various mathematical contexts, simple to use and not dependent on TikZ or other packages.
Is there a well-established way to approach this problem?
\documentclass{article}\usepackage{mathtools,amssymb}\newcommand{\Dots}[1]{% \mathpunct{\ifnum#1>0 \cdot\fi}% \ifnum#1>1 \mathpunct{\cdot}\fi% \ifnum#1>2 \mathpunct{\cdot}\fi% \ifnum#1>3 \mathpunct{\cdot}\fi% \ifnum#1>4 \mathpunct{\cdot}\fi% \ifnum#1>5 \mathpunct{\cdot}\fi%}\begin{document}$a\Dots{1}b$$\Dots{2}$$\Dots{3}$$\Dots{4}$$\Dots{6}$\end{document}Something like this where the size of the bullet can be changed:
