[XeTeX] Σχετ: Plain XeTeX, pdftitle, pdfinfo

[Philip Taylor]

Jonathan Kew wrote:
> [Y]ou could generate a minimal .xdv file with xelatex (using -no-pdf) and then examine this with a binary-capable editor/viewer to see what pdf specials have been inserted. Then write plain-based code to generate the same in your xetex document.

Thank you Jonathan -- that may have led me to a solution.  I could generate the .xdv with no problem, but even looking at it using DVIASM did not give me sufficient information to work out what \specials might exist.  So instead I added the following to my XeLaTeX code :

    \let \Special = \special
    \def \special #1{\message {\string \special: [#1]\Special {#1}}}

and this yields in the transcript :

\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /ArtBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Special
{pdf: put @thispage << /ArtBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /BleedBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Specia
l {pdf: put @thispage << /BleedBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /CropBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Special
 {pdf: put @thispage << /CropBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /MediaBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Specia
l {pdf: put @thispage << /MediaBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /TrimBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Special
 {pdf: put @thispage << /TrimBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf:docinfo << /GTS_PDFXVersion (PDF/X-1:2001) /GTS_PDFXConformance
(PDF/X-1a:2001) >> ]\Special {pdf:docinfo << /GTS_PDFXVersion (PDF/X-1:2001) /G
TS_PDFXConformance (PDF/X-1a:2001) >> }
\special: [pdf:put @catalog << /PageMode /UseNone /OutputIntents [ << /Info (no
ne) /Type /OutputIntent /S /GTS_PDFX /OutputConditionIdentifier (Custom) /Regis
tryName (http://www.color.org/) >> ] >> ]\Special {pdf:put @catalog << /PageMod
e /UseNone /OutputIntents [ << /Info (none) /Type /OutputIntent /S /GTS_PDFX /O
utputConditionIdentifier (Custom) /RegistryName (http://www.color.org/) >> ] >>
 } (d:/TeX/Live/2014/texmf-dist/tex/generic/oberdiek/se-ascii-print.def)
\special: [pdf:dest (page.1) [@thispage /XYZ @xpos @ypos null]]\Special {pdf:de
st (page.1) [@thispage /XYZ @xpos @ypos null]}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /ArtBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Special
{pdf: put @thispage << /ArtBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /BleedBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Specia
l {pdf: put @thispage << /BleedBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /CropBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Special
 {pdf: put @thispage << /CropBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /MediaBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Specia
l {pdf: put @thispage << /MediaBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf: put @thispage << /TrimBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>]\Special
 {pdf: put @thispage << /TrimBox [0 0 498.89641 708.65968] >>}
\special: [pdf:docinfo<</Title(DocTitle)/Subject()/Creator(LaTeX with hyperref
package)/ModDate(D:20160710163100)/Author()/Producer(XeTeX 0.99996)/Keywords()/
Trapped/False>>]\Special {pdf:docinfo<</Title(DocTitle)/Subject()/Creator(LaTeX
 with hyperref package)/ModDate(D:20160710163100)/Author()/Producer(XeTeX 0.999
96)/Keywords()/Trapped/False>>}

Obviously that will require massaging to rejoin the fractured lines, but it will be interesting to see whether it then yields viable Plain XeTeX code.  I sdhall; report back.