Re: XYpic

["luigi.scarso" <luigi.scarso@logosrl.it>]

Vit, many thanks for your answer.

Vit Zyka wrote:

> 1. For a moment I set
>   shell_escape =            f
> in `kpsewhich texmf.cnf'
>
ok, done

> 2. Input file f.tex:
> \startuseMPgraphic{A}
>   draw unitcircle scaled\overlaywidth;
> \stopuseMPgraphic
>
> \defineoverlay
>   [B]
>   [\uniqueMPgraphic{A}]
>
> \starttext
>   \framed[background=B]{Hallo frame!}
> \stoptext
>
> 3a. classical run
>   texexec --pdf f
>
No circle under frame,  right? If not, I have a bad installation; please 
discard the rest
(and some hints to repair will be really appreciate :)  ).

> 3b. step by step
>   texexec --pdf --nomp f
>   mpost f-mpgraph
>   texexec --pdf --nomp f
>
>
A circle appear under the frame. But I   have 3  runs ( texexec, mpost, 
texexec).

Now, what is my goal ?
To achieve a circle under the frame  as quick as possible.

For 3.a, in f.log I find

  mpost  -progname=mpost -mem=metafun f-mpgraph
  system()...disabled.

An attempt to run mpost failed: no circle, goal unsatisfied.

For 3.b, I run manually mpost (and then again texexec): goal satisfied.

With shell_export=t, 3.a) is ok, but f.log says
system(mpost  -progname=mpost -mem=metafun f-mpgraph)...executed.

So it seems that my goal can be achieved only with  a run of mpost.

With XYPic, a similar result can be achieved without mpost:
%%
%% WARNING:: deprecated example
%% Don't use it !
%%
\input xy
\xyoption{frame}
\starttext
\xy
(0,0) *++=\hbox{\framed{Hallo frame}} *\frm{o} ;
\endxy
\stoptext

Of course this doesn't mean that XY is better/worse than mpost, nor that
using mpost coupled with context will be always slow than others ways;
but sometimes a faster alternative may be required.

Sure for XYPic, name spaces collisions, cpu/memory required, syntax are 
(some) items
to consider: but it also comes with a bunch of features and may be 
faster than mpost
in some circumstances.

[OT] XFIG: fig2dev can be export to metapost and in multi-metapost.
Hence, from the moon, I see that xfig can be used with context.

luigi