[NTG-pdftex] Re: Patch ShellEscape

[Heiko Oberdiek]

On Sun, Jul 13, 2003 at 09:53:04PM +0200, Hans Hagen wrote:

> yet another option is to ask peter breitenlohner to add the \shell... 
> commands to etex or if that does not happen, to add them as alternatives to 
> pdftex (in addition to the \ifeof18's) and then discuss the option to add 
> them to etex some time later (there are a few more pdftex features that may 
> be interesting to move to etex)

This can be a way to go.

> also, since i suppose that you need it for hyperref, you can use the pdftex 
> version number (or just test for another new pdftex primitive that is 
> introduced at the same time as \ifeof18); in a year from now we may expect 
> users who use 'modern things' like write 18 to have updated anyway

Not hyperref, but here are examples:
* pdftex.def/epstopdf.sty for conversion eps->pdf on the fly
* pdftricks relies on \write18.
In both cases the test of pdfTeX version number is enough.

For general use, example:
* running makeindex before \printindex
It would be useful, if the feature can be tested.

Yours sincerely
  Heiko <oberdiek@uni-freiburg.de>