[metapost] metapost 1.211 and *.mem files

[Taco Hoekwater]

On 05/20/2011 12:31 AM, Dan Luecking wrote:
> At 09:57 AM 5/19/2011, Werner LEMBERG wrote:
>> > Consider the attached mf2pt1.mp file. In metapost 1.208, I can do:
>> >
>> > mpost -progname=mpost -ini mf2pt1.mp -progname=mpost \\dump
>> > mpost -mem=mf2pt1 -progname=mpost '\mode:=localfont; mag:=100;
>> bpppix 0.02;'
>> >
>> > and mpost exits without an error. If I try the same two commands in
>> metapost
>> > 1.211, however, I get the following output from the second command:
>> >
>> > This is MetaPost, version 1.211 (TeX Live 2010/Arch Linux) (kpathsea
>> version
>> > 6.0.0)
>> >>> bpppix0.02
>> > ! Isolated expression.
>> > <to be read again>
>> > ;
>> > <*> \mode:=localfont; mag:=100; bpppix 0.02;
>
> The file mfplain.mp ends with dump; So when mf2pt1.mp says
> input mfplain;
> the mem file is dumped before the rest of mf2pt1.mp is read.
> Then of course bpppix is not defined (nor is anything else
> in mf2pt1.mp).
>
> This is an error (I think). There should be an mfplain.ini that
> inputs mfplain.mp and then says "dump". But mfplain.mp should not
> do this itself.

If I remember correctly, 'dump' was added for compatibility with
early versions of metapost 1.5, but should no longer be necessary for
metapost 1.504. That will need testing, though, so I would appreciate
a small input file that is valid for both mfplain and mf2pt1.

Best wishes,
Taco