transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Sanjoy Mahajan]

Just for (meta)fun, I tried a few experiments with transparent colors.
The example below gives a black circle instead of a red one.  Is it that
transparent colors aren't part of metafun -- which I can easily live
with since color printing is too expensive still, alas -- or have I
omitted an essential command?

==================== cut here ====================
\runMPgraphicstrue
\setupcolors[state=start]
\starttext
\startreusableMPgraphic{a}
% _inline_specials_ := true; % had hopes for this line, but no luck
% next line taken as an example from mp-spec.mp
fill fullcircle scaled 10cm withcolor transparent(8,.3,red);
\stopreusableMPgraphic

\placefigure[force,none]{}{\reuseMPgraphic{a}}
\stoptext
==================== cut here ====================

The metapost output (testfile-mpgraph.1) always contains the following
color setting, no matter what arguments I pass to transparent() :

 0.123 0.003 0.001 setrgbcolor

Which is close to black.

(This is all with ConTeXt 2006.08.08.  The live ConTeXt gives a square
saying "undefined".)

-Sanjoy

`A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.'
   -- Bertrand de Jouvenal

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Peter Rolf]

Hi Sanjoy,

Sanjoy Mahajan wrote:
> Just for (meta)fun, I tried a few experiments with transparent colors.
> The example below gives a black circle instead of a red one.  Is it that
> transparent colors aren't part of metafun -- which I can easily live
> with since color printing is too expensive still, alas -- or have I
> omitted an essential command?
>
No, as your example works here (beta 17.09.). I also tried your example
at contextgarden (same beta) and it worked too (using Firefox).

Maybe you also need
\runMPTEXgraphicstrue (enabled in my cont-sys.tex)?

Greetings, Peter

> ==================== cut here ====================
> \runMPgraphicstrue
> \setupcolors[state=start]
> \starttext
> \startreusableMPgraphic{a}
> % _inline_specials_ := true; % had hopes for this line, but no luck
> % next line taken as an example from mp-spec.mp
> fill fullcircle scaled 10cm withcolor transparent(8,.3,red);
> \stopreusableMPgraphic
> 
> \placefigure[force,none]{}{\reuseMPgraphic{a}}
> \stoptext
> ==================== cut here ====================
>
> The metapost output (testfile-mpgraph.1) always contains the following
> color setting, no matter what arguments I pass to transparent() :
> 
>  0.123 0.003 0.001 setrgbcolor
> 
> Which is close to black.
> 
> (This is all with ConTeXt 2006.08.08.  The live ConTeXt gives a square
> saying "undefined".)
> 
> -Sanjoy
> 
> `A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.'
>    -- Bertrand de Jouvenal
> _______________________________________________
> ntg-context mailing list
> ntg-context@ntg.nl
> http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
> 
> 

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Sanjoy Mahajan]

> Maybe you also need
> \runMPTEXgraphicstrue (enabled in my cont-sys.tex)?

I just enabled that in cont-sys.rme, and I put it in the test file for
good measure.

> your example works here (beta 17.09.). I also tried your example at
> contextgarden (same beta) and it worked too (using Firefox).

Thanks for checking it both ways.  Now I'm really puzzled because I
also use Firefox (on Linux).  I just ran the file below at
contextgarden (same one as before but with the MPTEX addition), and it
gives 'undefined' in a square where the figure should be.  And on my
Ubuntu laptop with context 2006.08.08 it gives a large black circle.
I also tried the old perl texexec in case that helped but no luck.

The texexec log on contextgarden looks okay.  It generates
texexec-mpgraph.1 and embeds one figure, so I'm guessing the figure is
generated and inserted.  So I don't understand why the generated PDF
file is not right.  To make sure it wasn't a caching problem, I added
a bit of text to the end, to see whether the new PDF file had it (it
did).

\runMPgraphicstrue
\runMPTEXgraphicstrue
\setupcolors[state=start]
\starttext
\startreusableMPgraphic{a}
fill fullcircle scaled 10cm withcolor transparent(1,0.5,green) ;
\stopreusableMPgraphic

\placefigure[force,none]{}{\reuseMPgraphic{a}}
\stoptext

-Sanjoy

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Peter Rolf]

Sanjoy Mahajan wrote:
>> Maybe you also need
>> \runMPTEXgraphicstrue (enabled in my cont-sys.tex)?
> 
> I just enabled that in cont-sys.rme, and I put it in the test file for
> good measure.
> 
>> your example works here (beta 17.09.). I also tried your example at
>> contextgarden (same beta) and it worked too (using Firefox).
> 
> Thanks for checking it both ways.  Now I'm really puzzled because I
> also use Firefox (on Linux).  I just ran the file below at
> contextgarden (same one as before but with the MPTEX addition), and it
> gives 'undefined' in a square where the figure should be.  And on my
> Ubuntu laptop with context 2006.08.08 it gives a large black circle.
> I also tried the old perl texexec in case that helped but no luck.
>
Mhh, I think Patrick is playing games with us ;)

Your examples (old and new one) doesn't work anymore at contextgarden
(black square with "unknown" text). The good news: it's still working
here. Maybe I should stop testing your examples, as long as my system
works ;)

Just tried your old example *without* \runMPgraphicstrue and it worked
again. This is really strange.

Peter

> The texexec log on contextgarden looks okay.  It generates
> texexec-mpgraph.1 and embeds one figure, so I'm guessing the figure is
> generated and inserted.  So I don't understand why the generated PDF
> file is not right.  To make sure it wasn't a caching problem, I added
> a bit of text to the end, to see whether the new PDF file had it (it
> did).
> 
> \runMPgraphicstrue
> \runMPTEXgraphicstrue
> \setupcolors[state=start]
> \starttext
> \startreusableMPgraphic{a}
> fill fullcircle scaled 10cm withcolor transparent(1,0.5,green) ;
> \stopreusableMPgraphic
> 
> \placefigure[force,none]{}{\reuseMPgraphic{a}}
> \stoptext
> 
> -Sanjoy
> _______________________________________________
> ntg-context mailing list
> ntg-context@ntg.nl
> http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
> 
> 

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Taco Hoekwater]

Hi,

This all sounds like the 'missing specials' problem that is caused
by conflicting -progname= arguments when using the web2c version
of metapost.

Make sure you do not have conflicting memory settings for both
   main_memory.mpost
as well as
   main_memory.metafun

The best is to remove all trace of '.mpost' and '.metafun' memory
settings from your texmf.cnf, but at least make sure all the
'.mpost' and 'metafun' values are the same .

Then regenerate metafun using texexec --make, and all should be
well again.

Cheers, Taco

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Sanjoy Mahajan]

These were the memory setting in the /etc/texmf/texmf.d/95NonPath.cnf
configlet that is part of Debian and Ubuntu:

main_memory = 1000000 % words of inimemory available; also applies to inimf&mp
main_memory.context = 1500000
main_memory.mpost = 1500000

I commented out the .mpost line (there was no separate metafun line,
which I guess was getting the main_memory value of 1000000),
regenerated the texmf.cnf with "update-texmf", then regenerated
metafun with "texexec --make metafun" and transparency worked.  So
thanks for the magic!

Have wikified the above in case anyone else runs into it
<http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Mpgraphic>.

(I wonder if the live context has been having the same problem?)

-Sanjoy

`Never underestimate the evil of which men of power are capable.'
         --Bertrand Russell, _War Crimes in Vietnam_, chapter 1.

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Mojca Miklavec]

On 9/24/06, Sanjoy Mahajan wrote:
> These were the memory setting in the /etc/texmf/texmf.d/95NonPath.cnf
> configlet that is part of Debian and Ubuntu:
>
> main_memory = 1000000 % words of inimemory available; also applies to inimf&mp
> main_memory.context = 1500000
> main_memory.mpost = 1500000
>
> I commented out the .mpost line (there was no separate metafun line,
> which I guess was getting the main_memory value of 1000000),
> regenerated the texmf.cnf with "update-texmf", then regenerated
> metafun with "texexec --make metafun" and transparency worked.  So
> thanks for the magic!
>
> Have wikified the above in case anyone else runs into it
> <http://wiki.contextgarden.net/Mpgraphic>.
>
> (I wonder if the live context has been having the same problem?)

Yes.

I tried to fix it after Taco reported the exact problem. Plese test if
it's working now. If it isn't (i.e.: if I have broken something else)
now at least you know who is to blame.

Mojca

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Sanjoy Mahajan]

>> (I wonder if the live context has been having the same problem?)

> I tried to fix it after Taco reported the exact problem. Plese test
> if it's working now.

Thanks, the live context works!  I tested this file:

  \setupcolors[state=start]
  \starttext
  \startreusableMPgraphic{a}
  fill fullcircle scaled 10cm withcolor transparent(1,0.5,green) ;
  \stopreusableMPgraphic

  \placefigure[force,none]{}{\reuseMPgraphic{a}}
  \stoptext

and a nice transparent green circle shows up.

I also tested (overlapping transparent squares):

  \setupcolors[state=start]
  \starttext
  \startreusableMPgraphic{a}
  fill unitsquare scaled 1cm withcolor yellow;
  fill unitsquare shifted (0.5,0.5)
    scaled 1cm withcolor transparent(1,0.5,red);
  \stopreusableMPgraphic

  \placefigure[force,none]{}{\reuseMPgraphic{a}}
  \stoptext

and it now works.

-Sanjoy

`Never underestimate the evil of which men of power are capable.'
         --Bertrand Russell, _War Crimes in Vietnam_, chapter 1.

Re: transparent metafun colors turn nearly black

[Patrick Gundlach]

Hello Sanjoy,


[...]

>>> (I wonder if the live context has been having the same problem?)
>
>> I tried to fix it after Taco reported the exact problem. Plese test
>> if it's working now.
>
> Thanks, the live context works!  I tested this file:

Thank you and Mojca for testing and fixing things.

Patrick

(if things get important, please cc: me)
-- 
ConTeXt wiki and more: http://contextgarden.net