[pdftex] xfig -> pdftex/pdftex_t -> pdf

[Joseph Maher]

This didn't appear to be a FAQ. Apologies if this is documented and I
missed it... though I guess this is really a feature request rather than a
question:

If you make a picture in xfig (picture.fig) you can export it as a pair
(picture.pstex, picture.pstex_t), and then insert the picture into a latex
document using

\input{picture.pstex_t}

The point of this is that you can type formulae ($\alpha$) into the text
in xfig, and it gets compiled by tex and then stuck on top of the picture
in the right place.

xfig also allows you to export the picture as a (picture.pdftex,
picture.pdftex_t) pair, but when I input it in my document (using
\input{picture.pdftex_t}), I get the following error from pdflatex:

> ! LaTeX Error: Unknown graphics extension: .pdftex.
> 
> See the LaTeX manual or LaTeX Companion for explanation.
> Type  H <return>  for immediate help.
>  ...                                              
>                                                   
> l.2 \includegraphics{picture.pdftex}

This can be worked around by:

* changing the name of the pdf file from picture.pdftex to picture.pdf.
* editing picture.pdftex_t to replace picture.pdftex with picture.pdf in
the appropriate place.

A possible fix would be to change xfig to output (picture.pdf,
picture.pdftex_t), with an appropriate .pdftex_t file.

However, is it be possible to alter pdflatex so that it recognises
.pdftex as a valid ending for a pdf file? I would prefer this solution, as
it would enable me to create a picture.pdf file containing just the
compiled picture with text, so I could create stand-alone pdf picture
files without getting into name conflicts...

Joseph