mfpic and context pdf support files

mfpic and context pdf support files

[Guy Worthington]

This one's too low level for me -- I've no idea where to start
debugging it:

The latest ConTeXt Beta (2002.5.26) won't work with the 
mfpic package (0.5.0).

I've attached a minimal example, and the resultant log:

%--------------------------------------------------
\input mfpic
\usemetapost

\bye
%--------------------------------------------------

This is pdfeTeX, Version 3.14159-1.00b-pretest-20020211-2.1 
(Web2c 7.3.7) (format=pdfetex 2002.5.14)  3 JUN 2002 11:37
entering extended mode
**tryMFpic.tex
(./tryMFpic.tex{c:/Local/TeX/texmf-var/pdftex/config/pdftex.cfg}
(c:/Local/TeX/texmf-local/tex/generic/mfpic/mfpic.tex
MFpic: 2001/10/30 version 0.5.0 beta. 
\mfp@out=\write0
\mfp@graph=\read1
\mfp@count=\count27
\mfp@linetype=\count28
\mfp@toks=\toks13
\every@tlabel=\toks14
\@fdc=\count29
\@wholegraph=\box16
\@textbox=\box17
\mfp@scratch=\dimen16
\mfp@n=\count30
\mfp@sequence=\count31
\mfpicheight=\dimen17
\mfpicwidth=\dimen18
\mfpframesep=\dimen19
\mfpframethickness=\dimen20
\mfp@verbtex=\toks15
) (c:/Local/TeX/texmf-local/tex/context/base/supp-pdf.tex
(c:/Local/TeX/texmf-local/tex/context/base/supp-mis.tex
loading : Context Support Macros / Missing
\protectiondepth=\count32
\scratchcounter=\count33
\scratchtoks=\toks16
\scratchdimen=\dimen21
\scratchskip=\skip18
\scratchmuskip=\muskip10
\scratchbox=\box18
\scratchread=\read2
\scratchwrite=\write1
\zeropoint=\dimen22
\nextbox=\box19
\nextdepth=\dimen23
\everyline=\toks17
\!!counta=\count34
\!!countb=\count35
\recursecounter=\count36
)
loading : Context Support Macros / PDF
\nofMPsegments=\count37
\nofMParguments=\count38
Runaway argument?
\par 
! Forbidden control sequence found while scanning use of \beginETEX.
<inserted text> 
                \par 
<to be read again> 
                   \newdimen 
l.1284   \newdimen
                  \MPcriteriumA \MPcriteriumA=512pt
? s
OK, entering \scrollmode...
\MPcriteriumA=\dimen24
\MPcriteriumB=\dimen25
! Undefined control sequence.
l.1287 \endETEX

The control sequence at the end of the top line
of your error message was never \def'ed. If you have
misspelled it (e.g., `\hobx'), type `I' and the correct
spelling (e.g., `I\hbox'). Otherwise just continue,
and I'll forget about whatever was undefined.

\everyMPtoPDFconversion=\toks18
) )
No pages of output.

Re: mfpic and context pdf support files

[Hans Hagen]

At 12:11 PM 6/3/2002 +0800, Guy Worthington wrote:
>This one's too low level for me -- I've no idea where to start
>debugging it:
>
>The latest ConTeXt Beta (2002.5.26) won't work with the
>mfpic package (0.5.0).
>
>I've attached a minimal example, and the resultant log:
>
>%--------------------------------------------------
>\input mfpic
>\usemetapost
>                   \newdimen
>l.1284   \newdimen
>                   \MPcriteriumA \MPcriteriumA=512pt

Looks like you use plain tex (with \newdimen defined as \long macro). I 
have this fixed in latest beta

Hans
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE | pragma@wxs.nl
                       Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
  tel: +31 (0)38 477 53 69 | fax: +31 (0)38 477 53 74 | www.pragma-ade.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        information: http://www.pragma-ade.com/roadmap.pdf
                     documentation: http://www.pragma-ade.com/showcase.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: mfpic and context pdf support files

[Guy Worthington]

[I posted a bug report due to a conflict between plain tex and 
supp-pdf.tex ]

Hans Hagen wrote:

> Looks like you use plain tex (with \newdimen defined as \long
> macro). I have this fixed in latest beta

Thanks Hans, that fixed the \outer problem with \newdimen.

I noticed in the comments for the patch a sigh.  I'm too ignorant to
know whether you being constrained by maintaining compatibility with
plain TeX has degraded supp-pdf.tex.

I also posted a report to comp.text.tex, where Dan Luecking (author of
\mfpic), patched the \outer macro \newdimen by replacing it with

    \csname newdimen\endcsname

on the two offending lines.  If it's helpful, Dan Luecking's patch
does work inside the \beginETEX ... \endETEX definition.