mp-geo Metapost package with ConTeXt

[Gavin <gavinpublic@comcast.net>]

Hello ConTeXters,

I’d like to use the mp-geo Metapost package with ConTeXt to draw simple globes viewed from various directions. The package is here:

	https://melusine.eu.org/syracuse/poulecl/mp-geo/

It looks like the last update was 2008 and I don’t read French, so I though my chances of getting anything to work were pretty small. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this MWE found the mp-geo package, the necessary Metapost files in the ConTeXt installation, and the data files.

\starttext
\startMPcode
input mp-geo;
figure(-10u,-10u,10u,10u);
Mercator(3,48,30);
fin;
end
\stopMPcode
\stoptext

While all of the files were found, it did not produce a globe. Instead I got an error complaining about an invalid character in the data files. This error is repeated for about 20 files (a small fraction of the total). I put the first error and its data file below. All the others are identical with different .dat files.

Maybe it’s just an encoding mismatch or a hidden character I can easily delete or replace. On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't even be attempting this? 2008 is a long time ago in ConTeXt time. Feel free to tell me this project is crazy, but if you have an idea how I can make this work, I’d really appreciate it! It looks like a fun package.

Thanks!
Gavin


Error Log: (This error log below is actually from running Metapost directly on just the .mp file with the metapost code above. This error log is slightly more clear in its formatting than the ConTeXt log, but contains the same information.)

! Text line contains an invalid character.
<scantokens> ^^@
                
<to be read again> 
                   ;
Lecture->...nblec:=scantokens.readfrom.NomFichier;
                                                  for.w=1upto.nblec:if.proje...

Mercator->...((EXPR4));Lecture("Cameriquesud.dat")
                                                  ;Lecture("Ccaraibes.dat");...
l.3 Mercator(3,48,30)
                     ;
? 
! An expression can't begin with `;'.
<inserted text> 
                0
<to be read again> 
                   ;
Lecture->...nblec:=scantokens.readfrom.NomFichier;
                                                  for.w=1upto.nblec:if.proje...

Mercator->...((EXPR4));Lecture("Cameriquesud.dat")
                                                  ;Lecture("Ccaraibes.dat");...
l.3 Mercator(3,48,30)
                     ;


Data file Cameriquesud.dat is pretty short:

16
arborescence&"bresil.dat",vert
arborescence&"uruguay.dat",jaune
arborescence&"paraguay.dat",jaune
arborescence&"bolivie1.dat",bleu
arborescence&"bolivie2.dat",bleu
arborescence&"argentine1.dat",rouge
arborescence&"argentine2.dat",rouge
arborescence&"chili1.dat",violet
arborescence&"chili2.dat",violet
arborescence&"guineef.dat",jaune
arborescence&"surinam.dat",rouge
arborescence&"guyane.dat",orange
arborescence&"venezuela.dat",bleu
arborescence&"colombie.dat",rouge
arborescence&"perou.dat",rose
arborescence&"equateur.dat",jaune

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