Good evening. I apologize that I dare to post here such offtopic, but I feel this is the right place to get an answer. I try to write some general-purpose MetaPost macros for me with ConTeXt-like interface. For instance, I'd like something like this: label(point, "label=$A$, xlabel=$x_A$, ylabel=$y_A$, ylabelshift=left, lines=no, dotstyle=bigdot, ..."); I've done a lot of work and it almost works, but ... I failed to notice that TeX sequences are in normal cases included between btex ... etex and are preprocessed. In other words, they cannot be typeset as a string. I could use TEX macro, but it slows the process down in a horrible way. I think the best way is this: In the first run of MetaPost to flush out all TeX codes, then process it with TeX (texexec), and then to include it in the second MetaPost run. But I don't know how to do it? Can you help me or at least hint where I could find an answer? And BTW, is this a good idea at all? Isn't there a better/faster way? Many thanks for you kind help. Michal Kvasnicka
On Monday 19 December 2005 10:28 am, Michal Kvasni?ka wrote:
Good evening.
I apologize that I dare to post here such offtopic, but I feel this is the right place to get an answer. I try to write some general-purpose MetaPost macros for me with ConTeXt-like interface. For instance, I'd like something like this: label(point, "label=$A$, xlabel=$x_A$, ylabel=$y_A$, ylabelshift=left, lines=no, dotstyle=bigdot, ..."); I've done a lot of work and it almost works, but ... I failed to notice that TeX sequences are in normal cases included between btex ... etex and are preprocessed. In other words, they cannot be typeset as a string. I could use TEX macro, but it slows the process down in a horrible way.
I think the best way is this: In the first run of MetaPost to flush out all TeX codes, then process it with TeX (texexec), and then to include it in the second MetaPost run. But I don't know how to do it? Can you help me or at least hint where I could find an answer? And BTW, is this a good idea at all? Isn't there a better/faster way?
Many thanks for you kind help. Michal Kvasnicka
I presume you are familiar with Metafun which already provides a Metapost facility in Context. Before you reinvent round objects called wheels please look over the additional facilities provided by Pstricks, which can be run using Context and the approproiate module.m-pstric.tex. Instructions are embedded in the module. It may well be that the kind of diagrams you are seeking to create in Metapost are already available via Pstricks. There is a very readable Pstricks manual and a supplement. How do Pstricks and Metapost differ? Well Pstricks is a higher level language, aimed at creating specific things like x/y charts, tree diagrams and so on. Matrapost is a lower level, more generalized facility. Most tasks can be done in either. Common cases will be more easily handled in Pstricks. More unusual situations will require the more general power of Metapost. John Culleton
Good afternoon. Many thanks for your answer. I'll try to learn from Metafun macros. (Well, I'll try -- but Mr. Hagen macros are usually too clever for my stupid brain.) As for the PSTricks, I used them some years ago -- before I found MetaPost. I like MetaPost because: 1) the TeX code and figures are in separate files and are compiled separately -- it makes work much faster and reusing code is easier 2) MetaPost allows me calculate figures easily -- most my figures are economic graphs -- most of them is not drawn, but calculated (they are not data charts) 3) MetaPost is well intergrated with ConTeXt, so I have to use it anyway -- I can forget PSTricks and clear my brain :-) Yours Michal Kvasnicka
Before you reinvent round objects called wheels please look over the additional facilities provided by Pstricks, which can be run using Context and the approproiate module.m-pstric.tex. Instructions are embedded in the module. It may well be that the kind of diagrams you are seeking to create in Metapost are already available via Pstricks. There is a very readable Pstricks manual and a supplement.
How do Pstricks and Metapost differ? Well Pstricks is a higher level language, aimed at creating specific things like x/y charts, tree diagrams and so on. Matrapost is a lower level, more generalized facility. Most tasks can be done in either. Common cases will be more easily handled in Pstricks. More unusual situations will require the more general power of Metapost.
John Culleton
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� wrote:
Good afternoon.
Many thanks for your answer. I'll try to learn from Metafun macros. (Well, I'll try -- but Mr. Hagen macros are usually too clever for my stupid brain.)
ha, i think that i've a less mathematical brain than you have, so once you're up to speed with metapost your code will be way more clever than mine Hans
participants (3)
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Hans Hagen -
John R. Culleton -
Michal Kvasnička