[pdftex] insert a pdf comment

[ivo welch]

dear pdftexperts.

how do I insert a comment into the pdf file.
  \pdfliteral{
   \% this is a comment
  }

does not work, because the \ makes it into the pdf file, and
presumably wreaks havoc.  omitting it won't help, either.  probably
simple.  maybe add a primitive \pdfcomment{this file is a bad
attempt.}.

some more minor suggestions to the pdf team as I am reading the docs:

I believe most \pdf* variables are expanded at compile time.  for
example, \pdfuniformdeviate is such a variable.  if pdf had a random
number generator build in, it could be executed at pdf display time.
if some variables have actions at pdf-run time, maybe they should have
a slightly different name syntax (e.g., \Pdf... instead of \pdf).  so,
are there any variables that the pdf interpreter makes available?  A
pdfxform seems to be one such creature.

I am of course very pleased that the base set of compile-time variable
is becoming richer in pdftex.  Of course, far and away my biggest hope
is that we will get a \pdfexec that is nothing but a clean
"\write18+\input" combination, but without the need to write a file
and then reparse it back.  (I hope taco hoekwater will figure out how
to do this; he noted he had an idea after my pdftex feature
suggestion.)

I also just noted a new suggestion report that it should be possible
to define a \pdfxform that does not suffer compression (i.e., escape
the \pdfcompresslevel), perhaps \pdfxform*.  This would allow me to
create the equivalent of a post-latex but pre-run pdf variable (sed
's/myxformstring/withsomethingquick/'), and at very low cost---as long
as I make sure I do not change the byte count.  (I hope standard pdf
does not keep a checksum that I would also have to change.)

further, reading the pdftex docs, what is an article thread??

regards,

/iaw