Bug#64914: jadetex: doesn't update when language.dat is changed

[Adam Di Carlo <adam@onshore.com>]

reassign 64914 tetex-bin
retitle 64914 fmtutil has not extensibility mechanism
thanks

Julian Gilbey <J.D.Gilbey@qmw.ac.uk> writes:
> I've just noticed a problem.  When language.dat is changed through
> texconfig, fmtutil --all is run.  But as jadetex has its own
> fmtutil.cnf, texconfig doesn't notice.

Yup. 

> The only obvious solution to this, which will be very useful if the
> tetex-bin package is split, is to have an /etc/texmf/fmtutil/
> directory with multiple .cnf files in, say base.cnf, pdf.cnf, jade.cnf
> and so on.  Then fmtutil --all reads all of the files in the
> directory.  I do not imagine that it will be that difficult to make
> the necessary modifications, although the search for the directory is
> not going to be trivial, it seems.
> 
> The other way to do it is to modify fmtutil to start the run_initex
> function with:
> 
>   command -v "$engine" || return
> 
> Then if a particular engine (such as jadetex) is not present, we just
> skip that format.  And if we go for this option, then *all* formats
> get put in one master fmtutil.cnf (including jadetex).  I don't know
> whether there are other tex format packages which call fmtutil in this
> way, but if not, this may be a good way forward.

> I'm happy to work on a patch for this, if necessary.

Well, please correspond to the tetex-bin maintainer.  As the jadetex
maintainer, there's little I can really do to help in this matter.
fmtutil is provided in tetex-bin.  It provides no extensibility
mechanism.  This falls squarely under tetex-bin responsibility.
Without that facility, I can just do the best I can.

If the tetex-bin maintainer agrees, perhaps we could provide either a
modified fmtutil as you seem to be suggesting, or else (a better idea
IMHO) construct fmtutil.cnf from a buncha files which are catted
together, or else provide some way for me add lines to
'/etc/texmf/fmtutil.cnf' without breaking policy on config files of
other packages.

-- 
.....Adam Di Carlo....adam@onShore.com.....<URL:http://www.onShore.com/>