non-integer numbers support in afm files

[Vladimir Volovich]

"AJ" == Alan Jeffrey writes:

 >> are there plans [for fontinst] to support non-integers in afm
 >> files

 AJ> fontinst ought to be able to read fp numbers in afm files, it
 AJ> just truncates them to the nearest integer.

Hmm.. it does not seem to be able to read fixed-point numbers in afm
files though... Here is a proof. :-)

1) create a file "makefont.tex" which contains the following lines
   (this is just a test to show a bug; nothing really sensible in this
   example):

------------------
\input fontinst.sty

\installfonts
\installfamily{OT1}{test}{}
  \installfont{cm-test}{cmr10,latin}{OT1}{OT1}{test}{m}{n}{<10>}
\endinstallfonts

\bye
------------------

2) take the file CTAN:fonts/cm/ps-type1/bluesky/afm/cmr10.afm
   (yes, i know that one should create pl files for cm fonts from
   tfms, but this is to show a bug)

3) put these two files in the same directory and run "tex makefont".

At least I get the following error:

% tex makefont.tex
This is TeX, Version 3.14159 (Web2C 7.2)
(makefont.tex (/usr/TeX/texmf/tex/generic/fontinst/tex/fontinst.sty
(/usr/TeX/texmf/tex/latex/graphics/trig.sty)
No file fontinst.rc.
) (cmr10.afm
! Missing = inserted for \ifnum.
<to be read again>
                   .
<argument> 77.
              778
\afm-KPX ...se \if \first_char #2=.\else \ifnum #3
                                                  >\minimum_kern \relax \out...

\afm_line #1^^M->\afm_command #1 \end_of_line
                                              \afm_line
l.158 KPX ff quoteright 77.778

? x
No pages of output.
Transcript written on makefont.log.

	Best regards, -- Vladimir.