[XeTeX] XeTeX, XeTeXpicfile, and counter-intuitive behaviour

[Heiko Oberdiek]

On Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 03:58:10PM +0100, Zdenek Wagner wrote:

> 2011/12/1 Heiko Oberdiek <heiko.oberdiek at googlemail.com>:
> > On Thu, Dec 01, 2011 at 11:49:30AM +0000, Philip TAYLOR wrote:
> >
> >> Typesetting a restaurant menu, I have run into two problems :
> >> one I can work around, one is completely defeating me.  Here
> >> is the relevant fragment of code --
> >>
> >>       \XeTeXpicfile Resources/Images/IMG_2206.JPG width \hsize \relax
> >>       \XeTeXpicfile Resources/Images/TAR-2.pdf width \hsize \relax
> >>       \vfil \eject
> >>
> >> Problem 1 (work-aroundable) : the \vfill \eject has no effect,
> >> and the image appears above the \halign that follows.
> >
> > D.E. Knuth, "The TeXbook": "Chapter 15: How TeX Makes Lines into Pages":
> >
> > | Whenever TeX is moving an item from the top of the "recent
> > | contributions" to the bottom of the "current page," it discards
> > | a discardable item (glue, kern, or penalty) if the current
> > | page does not contain any boxes.
> >
> > Solution, for example: put \XeTeXpicfile ... in an \hbox.
> >
> That's what I wrote about discardable items but it does not explain
> why \XeTeXpicfile is discarded.

It is not discarded. Only the glue and penalty of "\vfil\eject".
The picture is still there.

Yours sincerely
  Heiko Oberdiek