Ignoring pdftex primitives (Re: BOUNCE pdftex@tug.org: Non-member submission from [Michael John Downes <mjd@ams.org>])

[Hans Hagen]

Sebastian Rahtz forwarded:

>   \pdfimage <width-height-depth spec> ... from filename <space>

That one is better because it's more in tune with the annot specs (they
also take a width/height/depth.  
  
> 1. \interject{File Name}
> 
> Same as \input, but argument is enclosed in braces. This allows file
> names to include spaces. The main trouble here is deciding on the
> command name. [... goes off to consult a dictionary ...]
> \interleave, \interject, \incorporate, \interpolate, \intercalate,
> \digress.

As non native I would come up with: 

\include
\includefile
 
> Like \font but allows spaces in font file names.

Great, the bigger the mess, the happier we are. 
 
> 1-3 above would have saved me many puzzling moments and a lot of extra
> work over the years to save users from unnecessary or unapropos error
> messages.

Well, I admit that it can be annoying, but once wrapped in macros, those
primitives are not that bad. I can come up with more problematic ones -)
 
> Note that it is still possible to use unmatched { } characters in a
> file name as long as you make sure they don't have catcode 1 or 2. For
> example:
> 
>   \interject{Foo\string{bar}

Well, that { will certainly fail when burried deep inside a macro, which
is often the case. 

I don't like the interject. It does not ring a bell on files. 

Hans 

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