Re: Bug#263296: tetex-bin 2.0.2-17 broke "tex --parse-first-line"
tags 263296 + patch
stop
On 07.08.04 Richard Lewis (debian@rtf.org.uk) wrote:
Hi Richard,
> I am also unsure as to how this effects people who use mylatex.ltx.
>
People doing that are on their own. They don't use the normal
formats, which are called when typing "latex".
> [Presently I always call elatex/etex explicitly; I generate the
> mylatex.efmt format with einitex (instead of initex), and then compile
> the documents with etex instead of tex. But most people using
> mylatex.ltx will have been using Knuth's initex and tex, so what, if
> anything, will they need to do differently?
>
You're completely right. That is exactly what they have to do.
> It might be nice to add a section for them, I think.
>
Yes, we could document that in NEWS.Debian. Thanks for the hint.
> Possibly mylatex.ltx should be updated as well]
>
People using mylatex.ltx should be enlightened enough to figure out
themself, what exactly to change.
> tex --parse-first-line file.tex
>
> where file.tex's first line is "%&$format" and "$format" is something
> that will now, by default, be compiled with the etex(1) engine instead
> of Knuth's tex(1) [for example $format might be "latex" or "pdflatex",
> but not "plain"] then you need to ensure /etc/texmf/fmt.d/00tetex.cnf
> contains lines of the form
>
> $format engine pattern-file arguments
>
> So, for a file.tex starting "%&latex" you add
>
> latex tex language.dat latex.ini
>
> Alternatively, just compile the file with etex
>
> etex --parse-first-line file.tex
>
> and compile the file with etex(1) instead of Knuth's tex(1). Similar
> comments apply to the case where engine is Knuth's pdftex(1) or
> amstex(1).
>
OK, but that won't help us in that case, if we don't want to patch
makempx. We should provide latex.fmt for people using "tex
--parse-first-line" called from makempx. It shouldn't hurt that much.
> Note that all of this section is irrelevent for people who only
> compile file.tex by saying
>
> latex file.tex
>
> The reason is that since latex documents are now compiled by e-TeX's
> etex compiler instead of Knuth's tex, the "latex" format is created by
> einitex(1) instead of Knuth's initex(1), which confuses Knuth's tex.
>
> The lines added to 00tetex.cnf tell Knuth's tex to use a latex.fmt
> created by Knuth's initex (which it can read) instead of the elatex
> format latex.efmt (which it cannot).
>
> Again, most people need not do anything, and everything will compile as
> it always has done.
> --------- end --------------------------------------------------------
>
Thanks,
Hilmar
--
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