[metapost] [ANN] textpath package preview

[Stephan Hennig]

Hi,

you can find a preview release of the textpath package at
<URL:http://home.arcor.de/stephanhennig/Downloads/textpath.zip> (~3 kB).

Low-level support would still be preferable, since the soul hack
is---well, just a hack.  This package has some limitations.  While
kerning is preserved, ligatures aren't.  Mathematical material is not
supported.

The archive contains the following files:

* textpath.mp: This is the MetaPost package.
* textpathmp.sty: This is a support style file for LaTeX that has to be
  included in the LaTeX preamble that is used by the MetaPost file.
* textpathdemo.mp: This is a demonstration application of the textpath
  package.
* textpathdemo.tex: This is the LaTeX preamble for textpathdemo.mp.
  Note that this file uses the textpathmp.sty package.

The textpath package currently needs the following packages:

* soul.sty
* latexmp.mp

The package provides a simple macro textpath that takes as parameters a
text string that is valid LaTeX input and a path the text should follow.
 The text is typeset by LaTeX using the latexmp package.  This is
hardcoded, currently.  You have to provide a proper LaTeX preamble that
includes the textpathmp.sty package.

Since the soul package doesn't like font selection commands in its
arguments a second macro is provided by textpath.mp that takes three
parameters.  Second and third are as before.  The first parameter now is
a string containing a valid LaTeX font selection command, such as \textit.

Here is an example file:
<URL:http://home.arcor.de/stephanhennig/Downloads/textpathdemo-1.pdf>
(~49 kB)

Enjoy!
Stephan Hennig