On Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 11:05 AM, R. Bastian <rbastian@free.fr> wrote:

What is the sense of \startPSTRICKS ... \stopPSTRICKS ?

A wrapper around \executesystemcommand,

\long\def\dostartPSTRICKS[#1]#2\stopPSTRICKS
{\doifelse{\jobsuffix}{dvi} % will some day move to app as switch
{\hbox{#2}}
{\startTEXapplication[#1]{\usemodule[pstric]}#2\stopTEXapplication}}

for \startTEXapplication see
page-app.tex

\long\def\dostartTEXapplication[#1]#2#3\stopTEXapplication
{\bgroup
   \bgroup
   \let\f!temporaryextension\c!tex
   \setbuffer[\@@texapp]%
     \starttext
     #2% preamble
     \startTEXpage[#1]%
       \topskip\zeropoint
       \setbox\scratchbox\hbox{#3}%
       \saveTEXapplication02% dimensions
       \box\scratchbox
     \stopTEXpage
     \stoptext
   \endbuffer
   \egroup
   \doifelse\jobsuffix{dvi}\donetrue\donefalse
   \executesystemcommand{texexec \bufferprefix\@@texapp.tex --once --batch}%
   \ifdone % eps
     \executesystemcommand{dvips -E* -o \@@texapp.eps \@@texapp}%
   \else % pdf
     \executesystemcommand{dvips \bufferprefix\@@texapp}%
     \executesystemcommand{ps2pdf \bufferprefix\@@texapp.ps \bufferprefix\@@texapp.pdf}%
%      \executesystemcommand{texmfstart pstopdf \bufferprefix\@@texapp.ps \bufferprefix\@@texapp.pdf}%
   \fi
   \restoreTEXapplication % dimensions
   \doifelse\jobsuffix{dvi}\donetrue\donefalse
   \setbox\scratchbox\hbox
     {\expanded{\externalfigure
        [\bufferprefix\@@texapp.\ifdone eps\else pdf\fi]
        [\c!object=\v!no]}}%
   \setbox\scratchbox\hbox
     {\lower\ht\scratchbox\hbox{\raise\dimen2\box\scratchbox}}%
   \wd\scratchbox\dimen0
   \ht\scratchbox\dimen2
   \dp\scratchbox\zeropoint
   \box\scratchbox
   \egroup}