[comp.text] mftobdf, having problems

lonhyn@sun252..nas.nasa.gov (Lonhyn T. Jasinskyj) (12/15/89)

I'm having problems with mftobdf complaining about a missing font when
I try to convert a font from pk to bdf format in preparation for later
conversion to snf format (which is then used for my texx2 previewer).

What confuses me is that two routines in one of Torek's libraries
(namely box_read and blank_read in tfmfont.c) call do_read() with
the third argument ("complain") set to 1 explicitly.  This causes
do_read to print "Warning, no font for fontname" and things seem to
abort from there.

My problem is probably a lack of understanding of box, blank, and invisible
fonts.  As far as I undertand they are pseudo-fonts without bitmaps
and information only from tfm files that are used for mapping out
space on a page.  What are the differences among them?

The following is my fontdesc file:

#
# Sample C-TeX font configuration file.
#
# N.B.: choose only one of `box' or `blank' TFM fonts.
#	TYPE	SPEC	SLOP	PATH
#
font	blank	*	1	/usr/local/lib/tex/tfm/%s.tfm
#font	box	*	1	/usr/local/lib/tex/tfm/%s.tfm

#	TYPE	SPEC	SLOP	PATH
font	pk	*	3	/usr/local/lib/tex/pk_bw/%m/%f.pk

It seems to be read correctly.  In font.c of Torek's library code (which
mftobdf.c calls) there is a whole section of ADDFONT() macros.  These
link in the various font reading and operation routines.  (This is in
fontinit() which mftobdf calls).  This is how I eventually get to the
fatal call to do_read().

In case you are wondering, the files for a particular font (both tfm
and pk) do exist in the place mentioned.  It does not seem that I am
having problems with the pk part at this time.  I have been through
the instructions for installing fonts that come with TeXx2 a number
of times.  Obviously, I am doing something wrong.  If only someone
could point to the problem staring me in the face...

Any help would be appreciated.

Lonnie
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chris@mimsy.umd.edu (Chris Torek) (12/15/89)

In article <4225@amelia.nas.nasa.gov> lonhyn@sun252..nas.nasa.gov
(Lonhyn T. Jasinskyj) writes:			(two dots??)
>I'm having problems with mftobdf complaining about a missing font ...

You have old, undocumented software (not surprising since texx2 comes
with old, undocumented software).

>My problem is probably a lack of understanding of box, blank, and invisible
>fonts.  As far as I undertand they are pseudo-fonts without bitmaps
>and information only from tfm files that are used for mapping out
>space on a page.  What are the differences among them?

box: produces little boxes like those in Chapter 11 of {\it The \TeX book}
(see Exercise 11.5).  blank: produces blank space.  invis: produces blank
space.  Blank and invis are thus `the same'; the difference is that box
and blank fonts produce complaints (warnings, not errors), while invis
is silent.

MC-TeX (the name changed since there are at least three different
`C-TeX' systems out there, all different) calls these `box', `blank',
and `tfm' (the name `invis' is still recognised but is scheduled to
vanish someday).

>font	blank	*	1	/usr/local/lib/tex/tfm/%s.tfm
>font	pk	*	3	/usr/local/lib/tex/pk_bw/%m/%f.pk

These *must* appear in the other order, since the file is searched in
order, and the first match is always taken.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7163)
Domain:	chris@cs.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris