[OS X TeX] [ANN] MetaPost Scripts (aka MetaPost Engines 1.3.2b1)

[Franck Pastor]

Le 24 janv. 10 à 19:12, Nicola a écrit :

> Hi,
> version 1.3.2b1 of my MetaPost Engines for TeXShop is available for
> download at:
>
> http://users.dimi.uniud.it/~nicola.vitacolonna/home/metapost/download

Hello,

Thanks again for this update!

In the README for your MetaPost's engines, I notice this:

"Note. The TEXShop version bundled with MacTEX 2009 (and TEXShop 2.29)  
are shipped
with version 1.3.0 of my scripts. They are located in the Inactive  
folder. The script that
here is called nv-metapost.engine, however, can also be activated by  
choosing “mptopdf” in
Preferences ! Misc (while the “mpost” option selects the original  
TEXShop engine). That’s
unfortunate, because nv-metapost.engine is meant as a replacement for  
“mpost” and nvmetafun.
engine as a replacement for “mptopdf”.

Allow me to (partly) disagree: I think that the original "mpost"  
engine of TeXShop should remain what it is. Because it is the most  
relevant for the users of the mfpic package (from Dan Luecking), as I  
am.

If you have mfpic code embedded in your original LaTeX document, you  
only have to typeset it first with with LaTeX, then with MetaPost  
(settled with the original TeXShop engine), and then again with LaTeX,  
and it's done. Mpfic does not need any PDF version of the MetaPost  
pictures to include them in the document. Moreover, in this process  
you don't have to open different files. Only the original LaTeX file  
is needed to remain open (exactly as in a BibTeX processing). In the  
second step, TeXShop locates automatically the ".mp" document and  
typesets it with its relevant mpost engine. See the "ConTeXt and  
MetaPost" section in TeXShop's Help.

Your metapost engine is unfortunately not able to do that:  as I try  
to typeset the original LaTeX file, with your metapost engine (that is  
to say, with the "mptopdf" option cheched in TeXShop's Preferences),  
it does not go to the relevant .mp file, but it remains to the .tex  
file and delivers this error message: "Sorry, your source file must  
have a .mp or .mf suffix". This happens with your new metapost engine  
(nv-metapost.engine) too.

So I think that your metapost engine is in the right place with the  
"mptopdf" option of TeXShop's preferences, since it produces a pdf  
output, while the original TeXShop "mpost" engine only producees mps  
files (which are sufficient for mfpic, I repeat). Moreover, the new  
version of your metapost engine produces PDF version of each picture,  
which is exactly what the old mptopdf engine did.

As for the metafun engine, I do not think it should replace anything.  
It is good as it is, as a supplementary engine for ConTeXt and  
MetaFun's users.

I hope I was understandable enough (I am not  fluent in English),

Many thanks again,

Franck Pastor