[XeTeX] Proposal : that TeX engines generating PDF directly should be able to close the output file without terminating.

[Ross Moore]

Hi Philip.

On 3 Jul 2020, at 9:46 pm, Philip Taylor <P.Taylor at Hellenic-Institute.Uk<mailto:P.Taylor at Hellenic-Institute.Uk>> wrote:

Zdenek Wagner wrote:

I have never tried but could not you use \write18 to run XeTeX from XeTeX? I am not sure whether it is supported.

It would seem that adding the command-line qualifier "--shell-escape" is required in order that \write 18 be permitted, but then we run into the problem that (with the benefit of hindsight) we should have foreseen at the outset :  the PDF file is incomplete at this point —


Then the main file should be the TeX job that *requires* something else to be available,
not the one that is required.
If the other PDF is not yet up-to-date then you use a  \write 18  call to process it
at the *beginning* of the job that requires it, not at the end.

Alternatively, use a  makefile  and run  ‘make'  from the command-line.
This is like a ‘batch’ command that runs all dependent jobs before doing
the final one, with everything up-to-date.


XeTeX --shell-escape "Hoi-An TA menu (separate pages).tex"
This is XeTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-0.999992 (TeX Live 2020/W32TeX) (preloaded
 format=xetex)
 \write18 enabled.
entering extended mode
(./Hoi-An TA menu (separate pages).tex (./Hoi-An TA menu.xlsx.tex omnivore
omnivore omnivore omnivore omnivore omnivore vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan
omnivore omnivore omnivore vegan vegan vegan omnivore omnivore omnivore
omnivore omnivore vegan vegan vegan vegan vegan omnivore omnivore vegan
omnivore vegan omnivore omnivore omnivore omnivore vegan vegan vegan vegan
vegan [1] omnivore omnivore omnivore omnivore vegan vegan omnivore omnivore
vegan vegan vegan omnivore [2]) [3] [4] [5] [6]This is XeTeX, Version 3.14159265
-2.6-0.999992 (TeX Live 2020/W32TeX) (preloaded format=xetex)
 restricted \write18 enabled.
entering extended mode
(./Hoi-An TA menu (combine pages).texSyntax Error: Couldn't find trailer diction
ary
Syntax Error: Couldn't find trailer dictionary
Syntax Error: Couldn't read xref table

! Unable to load picture or PDF file '"Hoi-An TA menu (separate pages).pdf"'.
<to be read again>
                   }
l.28 ... - 0,666 \rulewidth \relax height \vsize }
                                                  \relax
?

Philip Taylor


Hope this helps.
Stay safe.

Ross


Dr Ross Moore
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
12 Wally’s Walk, Level 7, Room 734
Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
T: +61 2 9850 8955  |  F: +61 2 9850 8114
M:+61 407 288 255  |  E: ross.moore at mq.edu.au<mailto:ross.moore at mq.edu.au>
http://www.maths.mq.edu.au
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