[XeTeX] Sigla for handscripts

[Jonathan Kew]

On 27 Feb 2008, at 4:45 pm, Benjamin Koppe wrote:

> Okay, I copied the file in the Engines Folder, but I don't know how  
> to choose it then. Is this something I do in TeXShop or do I go to  
> the command line?

You choose "XeLaTeX-xdvipdfmx" rather than "XeLaTeX" from the popup  
menu in TeXShop's toolbar.

Or put a line with the comment

%%!TEX TS-program = xelatex-xdvipdfmx

at the start of your file, and this will override the selection from  
the popup menu.

> I found out that this problem doesn't occur on my girfriend's  
> Windows machine, so I guess the windows version uses xdvipdfmx as  
> default...?

Right; xdv2pdf is Mac-only, all other platforms only have xdvipdfmx.

> What's the disadvantage of xdvipdfmx over xdv2pdf, i.e. why is  
> xdv2pdf default on the mac?

History; that was the first driver, back when xetex was Mac-only. The  
next release will change the default.

There are still some effects that xdv2pdf can do (shadows,  
transparency, certain Mac font formats) that aren't supported by  
xdvipdfmx, but for most purposes xdvipdfmx will be the better and  
more compatible choice; that's why I plan to change the default.

>
> As I did not choose xdvipdfmx there is yet no change. I made some  
> examples, one printing the characters I like and one with the whole  
> unicode-xelatex stuff...
>
> The ol style:
> \documentclass{scrartcl}
>
> \usepackage{yfonts}
>
>
> \begin{document}
>  \textfrak{M}
>  \textswab{G}
> \end{document}
>
>
> And now the new style which doesn't work as I want:
> TeXXeTstate=1 %braucht er für \beginR und \endR
> \documentclass{scrartcl}
>
> \usepackage{fontspec}% provides font selecting commands
> \usepackage{xunicode}% provides unicode character macros
> \usepackage{xltxtra} % provides some fixes/extras
>
> \defaultfontfeatures{Scale=MatchLowercase}
> \defaultfontfeatures{Mapping=tex-text}
> \setmainfont{Arial}
> \setromanfont[Mapping=tex-text]{Times New Roman}

\setmainfont and \setromanfont are synonyms, so this is redundant;  
your Arial choice is immediately overridden.

> \setsansfont[Mapping=tex-text]{Skia}
> \setmonofont{Courier}
> \newfontfamily{\grk}    [Scale=MatchLowercase]{Gentium} % pick a  
> font for Greek
> \newfontfamily{\heb}{Ezra SIL} % and one for Hebrew

You should add the [Script=Hebrew] option here, to get proper  
placement of the vowel marks, etc:

   \newfontfamily{\heb}[Script=Hebrew]{Ezra SIL}

> btw: I guess I'll have to install bidi and polyglossa t have a  
> nicer Hebrew output, right?

I'm not sure if you need polyglossia for Hebrew fragments in a mainly  
English or German document, but at least the bidi package will be  
useful if you're doing much with mixed directions.

JK