[metapost] problems with memory in metapost

[Taco Hoekwater]

Hi,

Taco Hoekwater wrote:
> Yogeshwarsing Calleecharan wrote:
>> I set the memory limit to a very high value (I don't know if this is 
>> allowed). I get the message:
>>
>> This is MetaPost, version 1.208 (kpathsea version 3.5.7dev) (mem=mpost 
>> 2009.12.12)  7 MAY 2010 11:52
>> **myfigu.mp
>> (./myfigu.mp
>> ! MetaPost capacity exceeded, sorry [main memory size=20000000].
>> _wc->withpen
>>             .currentpen.withcolor.currentcolor
>> gpdraw->...ptpath[(EXPR0)]_sms((EXPR1),(EXPR2))_wc
>>
>> .else:_ac.contour.ptpath[(...
>> l.48057 gpdraw(0,517.1a,166.4b)
> 
> Looks like some form of recursion takes place, because this is the
> same line number (with a different main memory size).

Yogeshwarsing sent me the files offlist. There is no recursion after
all, it just needs lots of memory. As I initially suspected, something
went wrong in the regeneration of the mem file (20000000 is actually
enough).

There was a bug in mpost 1.208 that caused it to report the current
main_memory value stored in texmf.cnf instead of the main_memory value
used by the mem file. This is why there was only a change in the
error report: it was actually still using the old mem file.

Building an updated mem file on a texlive installation manually
(without fmtutil) should go like this:

   1. go to the directory where the input file figu.mp lives
   2. run kpsewhich mpost.mem, this will report something like this

   [taco at ntg NewFolder]$ kpsewhich mpost.mem
   /opt/tex/texmf-linux-64/web2c/mpost.mem

   3. go to the reported directory (/opt/tex/texmf-linux-64/web2c in
   my case)

   4. run mpost -ini mpost in that directory
   5. go back to figu.mp's directory.
   6. processing should now work.

The file actually needs 11552656 words of main memory.

Best wishes,
Taco