[XeTeX] making a format file of ConTeXt using XeTeX

[Adam Lindsay]

[Gerben: suggested change to texmf.cnf below...]

Charles Doherty said this at Sat, 5 Mar 2005 11:01:34 +0000:

>> By the way, the new format file's name is also cont-en.fmt.
>> I have tested some files under the new installation.
>>
>I had upgraded as you have done some time ago and had the same problem. 
>I didn't have enough time to pursue it then. But now that Jonathan and 
>Hans have kindly given advice I also successfully created a 
>cont-en.fmt. I placed it in /usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/web2c/ 
>where it replaced the old file there and I could process XeTeX 
>documents successfully but when I attempted to process  a ConTeXt 
>document it could not use the format. My problem is if it now has the 
>same name as the cont-en.fmt in Web2c where should it be placed? I use 
>a G4Mac OSX 10.3.8 and most recent ConTeXt. Any advice would be 
>appreciated.

Yes, this is fallout from XeTeX moving to TeXLive2004 conventions, but
the web2c system not really being updated to fully accommodate those
conventions.

Briefly:

Add this line to your texmf.cnf after the TEXFORMATS definition:

 TEXFORMATS.xetex = $TEXFORMATS/{xetex,}//

And then make a xetex directory underneath your texmf.local/web2c directory.

Build XeTeX/ConTeXt in that directory.

Make sure the pdfeTeX-ConTeXt is still built in that original
texmf.local/web2c...

... and then "texexec --pdf" and "texexec --xtx" should both work again.

If Charlie and/or Dalyoung could cross-check and put the above
instructions in the ConTeXt wiki, I'd much appreciate it!

[Gerben, I'd like to request this line being added to the general
texmf.cnf files with your gwTeX. For bonus points, you could add:

 TEXFORMATS.pdfetex  = $TEXFORMATS/{pdfetex,}//
 TEXFORMATS.aleph    = $TEXFORMATS/{aleph,}//

...as well... thx, -atl]
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 Adam T. Lindsay, Computing Dept.     atl at comp.lancs.ac.uk
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