Possible to use MetaPost input directly?

[Steinar Bang]

Is it possible to use MetaPost input files directly in the LaTeX files
resulting from using the db2latex XSLT style sheet?

I guess that would require generating something different than
\includegraphics?


- Steinar



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[James Devenish]

Post by Steinar Bang
Is it possible to use MetaPost input files directly in the LaTeX files
resulting from using the db2latex XSLT style sheet?

Maybe...

Post by Steinar Bang
I guess that would require generating something different than
\includegraphics?

One option in the style of DocBook is to use a particular attribute
(e.g. 'role') to trigger specific template handling in your own driver
file. However, there may be an existing mechanism that you can use.
If you have <mediaobject> with no <imageobject>s but with a <textobject>
containing <phrase role="latex">, you can insert actual LaTeX commands
(untested):

<mediaobject>
<textobject>
<phrase role="latex">\your\latex\code</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>





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[Steinar Bang]

Post by James Devenish
One option in the style of DocBook is to use a particular attribute
(e.g. 'role') to trigger specific template handling in your own
driver file. However, there may be an existing mechanism that you
can use. If you have <mediaobject> with no <imageobject>s but with
a <textobject> containing <phrase role="latex">, you can insert
<mediaobject>
<textobject>
<phrase role="latex">\your\latex\code</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>

That's a possibility, using XInclude with xsltproc, or DocBook XSLT
file inclusion extensions with one of the Java XSLT engines, to
include the actual text.

But that won't give us scaling, hm...

I don't really _need_ it. I just thought it would be neat to include
vector graphics in a way that's not tied to PDF output. But all I
ever output from TeX is PDF or PS, so...:-)



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[James Devenish]

Post by Steinar Bang
That's a possibility, using XInclude with xsltproc, or DocBook
XSLT file inclusion extensions with one of the Java XSLT engines,
to include the actual text.

Huh? I thought you could just insert your graphics codes directly.

Post by Steinar Bang

Post by James Devenish
<mediaobject>
<textobject>
<phrase role="latex">\input{my.file}</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>

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[Steinar Bang]

Post by James Devenish
Huh? I thought you could just insert your graphics codes directly.

Nope. It's a dia[1] drawing. I generate the .mp (MetaPost input
files), and .mps (PostScript generated by MetaPost) files, with the
following GNU makefile rule:

%.mps: %.dia
dia --nosplash --export-to-format=mp $<
mpost $*.mp
mv $(*F).1 $*.mps

The .mp files are TeX, but I don't know if pdflatex has the neccessary
macros loaded. Do you know?

The .mps files are EPS, as far as I can tell, but EPS in a form that
pdflatex can digest. I'm told pdflatex cannot digest arbitrary EPS
files.

Post by James Devenish
<mediaobject>
<textobject>
<phrase role="latex">\input{my.file}</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>

Thanx. But there's still the scaling issue. And, I guess, not
picking an <imageobject> found inside the <mediaobject>, instead of
the <textobject>...?

Why's the role on the <phrase> and not on the <textobject>?


- Steinar

PS as I've said earlier, this was just an idle thought, and not
something I need. The .mps files work fine with pdflatex. So please
don't spend time on it on my account. Of course, if you find this an
interesting TeX-hack, I'm happy to assist in any way I can. :-)


[1] Gnome graphical editor, http://www.lysator.liu.se/~alla/dia/



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