[tex-k] Interesting problems with EPS file searchng (with dvips)

[Tom Kacvinsky]

I am using using the following (output from dvips --version):

  dvips(k) 5.86
  kpathsea version 3.3.1

I have a DVI file (file.dvi) in which the graphic \specials specify the EPS
files with a path like "./eps/foo.eps".

The directory structure I have is this:

    /path/to/dvi
    /path/to/dvi/eps

The file.dvi is in /path/to/dvi and the EPS files are in /path/to/dvi/eps.

If I have /path/to/dvi as my CWD and run dvips on file.dvi, the graphics are
found.

If I have /path/to as my CWD and run dvips on dvi/file.dvi, the graphics are not
found (not surprising).  So I set the environment variable TEXINPUTS to
"/path/to/dvi/eps:" and rerun dvips on dvi/file.dvi.  The graphics are still not
found.

Here is the relevant portion of debugging output from dvips (I do some elision
to keep the length down):

Preprocessing special: PSfile="./eps/203-3.eps" llx=118 lly=208 urx=493 ury=583 rhi=1417
Checking for fonts in './eps/203-3.eps'
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXPICTS.dvips) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXPICTS) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXINPUTS.dvips) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXINPUTS) => .:$TEXMF/tex{/generic:}//
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMF.dvips) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMF) => {$VARTEXMF:$TEXMFPRD:$TEXMFLOCAL:!!$TEXMFMAIN}
kdebug:hash_lookup(VARTEXMF.dvips) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(VARTEXMF) => /ams/texmf/var
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMFPRD.dvips) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMFPRD) => /ams/texmf/prd
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMFLOCAL.dvips) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMFLOCAL) => /ams/texmf/local
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMFMAIN.dvips) => (nil)
kdebug:hash_lookup(TEXMFMAIN) => /usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf
kdebug:Search path for graphic/figure files (from TEXINPUTS environment variable)
kdebug:  = /path/to/dvi/eps:...
kdebug:  before expansion = /path/to/dvi/eps:
kdebug:  application override path = (none)
kdebug:  application config file path = (none)
kdebug:  texmf.cnf path = .:$TEXMF/tex{/generic:}//
kdebug:  compile-time path = .:/usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/tex/{generic,}//
kdebug:  default suffixes = (none)
kdebug:  other suffixes = .eps .epsi
kdebug:  search only with suffix = 0
kdebug:  numeric format value = 25
kdebug:  runtime generation program = (none)
kdebug:  extra program args = (none)
kdebug:  program enabled = 0
kdebug:  program enable level = 0
kdebug:start search(file=./eps/203-3.eps, must_exist=0, find_all=0, path=/path/to/dvi/eps:...)
kdebug:search(./eps/203-3.eps) =>
kdebug:start search(file=./eps/203-3.eps, must_exist=1, find_all=0, path=/path/to/dvi/eps:...)
kdebug:search(./eps/203-3.eps) =>

So, I tend to think this is a "problem" (note the quotes) with kpathsea thinking
that the file being searched for has not path components in it.

Olaf, is this true?  Is this known to you?  Do you plan on doing anything about
this?

Regards,

Tom