[OS X TeX] TeXShop and ConTeXt/MacTeX query

[Gerben Wierda]

On Sep 12, 2006, at 20:29 , Rowland McDonnell wrote:

> I've also met some strange TeXing behaviour.
>
> Any time I LaTeX a test document, I find this in the log:
>
> (/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/context/base/supp-pdf.tex
> (/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/context/base/supp-mis.tex
> loading : Context Support Macros / Miscellaneous (2004.10.26)
> )
> loading : Context Support Macros / PDF (2004.03.26)

Looking at the files supp-pdf.tex I read that it contains Metapost to  
PDF conversion support. Originally part of ConTeXt but now used more  
widely.

> What mechanism causes the files supp-pdf.tex and supp-mis.tex to be
> loaded?  Given that they turn up very nearly right at the end of the
> `loading all the startup stuff' process, I'd guess that they've not  
> been
> built into the format, which leaves me without a clue.

A fast grep on files in texmf.tetex/tex/*/*/* learns that a couple of  
LaTeX packages include supp-pdf.tex to get the \convertMPtoPDF macro,  
e.g. mfpic.tex and mptopdf.tex and graphics/pdftex.def. These may in  
turn be included by other TeX macro files in the graphics field. supp- 
mis.tex is included by supp-pdf.tex and the two seem to be a pair.

I guess something in your preamble makes supp-pdf.tex loaded. If you  
look at the entire .log file you should be able to see directly which  
file included supp-pdf.

> And how does one `turn them off'?

Well, if you find out what part of the preamble makes these included,  
you can remove that part of the preamble. But most lilely you'll lose  
also something you want. There is nothing I can say without seeing  
more .log.

It seems MacTeX you have installed does contain a different ConTeXt  
version in texmf.local than what I have on my system now. My .log  
with the default TeXShop LaTeX template has a newer supp-pdf which  
does not include supp-mis:

(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/latex/base/article.cls
Document Class: article 2005/09/16 v1.4f Standard LaTeX document class
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/latex/base/size11.clo))
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/geometry/geometry.sty
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/latex/graphics/keyval.sty)
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/geometry/geometry.cfg))
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/latex/graphics/graphicx.sty
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/latex/graphics/graphics.sty
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/latex/graphics/trig.sty)
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/graphics/graphics.cfg)
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/graphics/pdftex.def)))
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/amsfonts/amssymb.sty
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/amsfonts/amsfonts.sty))
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/oberdiek/epstopdf.sty)
No file TestMe.aux.
(/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.local/tex/context/base/supp-pdf.tex
[Loading MPS to PDF converter (version 2006.09.02).]
) (/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.tetex/tex/latex/amsfonts/umsa.fd)

But I do have a very recent ConTeXt installed.

Something I do not understand here: why is supp-pdf included *after*  
the last closing ) started with graphicx.sty?

> (I'd also like to know: what do these files do, roughly speaking?  And
> are they capable of interfering with someone who's using LaTeX and not
> ConTeXt?

No, they have been written to be used outside ConTeXt as well and  
(e.g.) graphicx.sty makes them included.

> I'm trying to set up MacTeX so that it gives me identical
> output to my older TeX setup)

Identical output may be attainable, but with identical input that  
might be problematic given the changes between a more recent TeX and  
an older one.

G

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