Title:			Metapost Mode Help
Version:		$Revision 2.1 $
Author:			Bernard DESGRAUPES bdesgraupes@easyconnect.fr
Homepage:		http://webperso.easyconnect.fr/bdesgraupes/alpha.html
Modified:	 	2003-04-06 18:50:53
Keywords:		Metafont, Tex, graphics, postscript 
  
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1. Introduction
2. Installation
   2.1. Automatic installation
   2.2. Manual installation
   2.3. After installing
3. Description
   3.1. List of the macros submenus:
   3.2. Macros from additionnal packages:
4. File marking
   4.1. The Mark pop-up menu
   4.2. The Functions pop-up menu
5. Command double clicking a word
6. Option clicking the title bar
7. Completions
8. Key Bindings
9. Metapost Mode preferences
10. Version History
11. Known problems
12. License and Disclaimer
----------------------------------------------------------------------

					Abstract

This is a help file for the Metapost mode in Alpha.
This file should be located in the Help subfolder of Alpha's folder to
show up automatically in the Help menu when Alpha is loaded.


1. Introduction

MetapostMode is a mode for the text editor Alpha: it is  designed  to  make
writing, processing and testing  of  Metapost  source  files  much  easier.
Metapost is the programming language written by  John  Hobby  in  order  to
create all kinds of figures, graphs, pictures  to  include  in  a  document
prepared with TeX or with Troff. Its syntax is very  much  like  Metafont's
syntax but Metapost outputs are Postscript encapsulated files.

Once Metapost mode is installed, the opening of a Metapost source file (i-e
with extension ".mp") invokes a new menu (called Metapost) in the menu  bar
with the following features:

¥ easy insertion of all the basic Metapost commands (with electric stops):
macros from the mfplain, boxes and graph packages are also included.
¥ syntax coloring.
¥ file marking.
¥ capacity to process a source file from within Alpha with  various  flags,
printer modes, input mem files.
¥ editing the log and the mpx files.
¥ key bindings to choose the processing mode, to process  files,  open  the
log or mpx etc
¥ advanced keywords completion
¥ command clicking on a word leads to its definition
¥ option clicking on the title bar of a window brings a list of  .mp,  .mpx
and .log files at the same level or in a selected folder and allows to edit
them.

Note that both CMacTeX Metapost and OzMetapost are  supported. 
MetapostMode is fully compatible with MetafontMode.


2. Installation

2.1. Automatic installation

Open the "OPEN TO INSTALL" file. Opening this file indicates to Alpha that
a new package has to be installed :  the  procedure  is  automatic.  Alpha
knows where to store the different elements of your Metapost Mode package.

2.2. Manual installation

¥ put the "Metapost Mode" folder in the "Modes" subfolder of  the  "Tcl"
folder which is located at the same level as your Alpha application

¥ put the "Metapost Help" file in the "Help" folder located at  the  same
level as your Alpha application. Next time you launch Alpha, you will have
a "Metapost Help" item in the Help menu to edit this file.

¥ launch Alpha. You have to rebuild the package indices and the Tcl indices.
'Rebuild Package Indices' is in the Config - Packages  menu,  and  'Rebuild
Tcl Indices' is in the Tcl menu.

¥ quit Alpha and relaunch it : that's all there is to it.


2.3. After installing

From now on, the opening of any file with a ".mp" or ".mpx" extension  will
invoke the Metapost menu. Have a look at the mode  specific  preferences  :
create or open any Metapost source file and  choose  "Preferences"  in  the
"Metapost Mode Prefs" submenu of the "Config" menu. You can set  the  paths
to various useful macros package. More explanations below.


3. Description

Metapost menu items:

<Switch To Metapost>
     Launches the Metapost application in front.

<Run The Buffer>
     Calls up the  Metapost  application  and  processes  the  current
     window. 

<Save And Run>
     Saves the current window and calls up the Metapost application to
     process it.

<Run a File>
     Prompts you for a "mp" file to run.

<Metafont Mode>
     This is only for use with a Metafont-like source file when  using
     for instance the mfplain macros package.  The  word  mode  has  a
     different meaning for Alpha and for Metafont : here it means  the
     Metafont's printer mode, the one you specify when you  process  a
     file. If no mode is specified, the default is proof and your file
     will be processed by Metapost in the usual way.  You  can  choose
     among the following list. User  Defined  should  be  set  in  the
     Current Mode Prefs : it is the printer mode at your installation.
     If you do not know which mode corresponds  to  your  installation
     choose "Localfont" or look in the modes.mf file which comes  with
     your TeX distribution. You can edit this file directly  in  Alpha
     from this Metapost Menu (see below).
			¥ Proof
			¥ Smoke
			¥ Lowres
			¥ Localfont
			¥ User Defined

<Processing Options>
     Define here any particular processing option allowed by Metapost.

<magÉ>
     Default value is 1, which means no magnification.
<magstepÉ>
     Default value is 0, which means no magnification. Note  that  you
     choose a magnification either in mag  or  in  magstep  :  if  you
     choose the magstep syntax, any choice you  previously  made  with
     mag will be omitted (and vice versa).
<Input Mem FileÉ>
     You can specify a particular "mem" file  (for  insatnce  foo.mem)
     which should be loaded before the file you want to process.  Like
     in the following command line : mp &foo somefile.mp To cancel  an
     input file you have to clear all options (see below the menu item
     "Clear All Options")
<Input Mfplain.mem>
     In case you want to make use of the mfplain  macros  package  and
     have them dumped in a mem file.
<Clear All Options>
     Cancel all previously selected options.
	
<Related FilesÉ>

<Open Log File>
     Edit in Alpha (read-only)  the  log  file  corresponding  to  the
     currentwindow and produced by a run of Metapost on  this  current
     window. 
<Open Mpx File>
     Edit in Alpha (read-only)  the  mpx  file  corresponding  to  the
     currentwindow and eventually produced by a  run  of  Metapost  on
     this current window when btexÉetex environments are present.
                             
<Open plain.mp>
     Edit this file (read-only).
<Open mfplain.mp>
     Edit this file (read-only).
<Open plain.mf>
     Edit this file (read-only).
<Open modes.mf>
     Edit this file (read-only).

	Note : you have to set the paths to  these  files  in  the
	mode specific preferences when you first use the  Metapost
	Mode. If these paths are not set, Metapost Mode  will  ask
	you to locate the files when you first try to open them.

<InputÉ>
     To insert an input instruction concerning the main macro packages
     for Metapost. A list of these files is shown to let you pick  the
     one you need.

<Remove FilesÉ>
     Remove any kind of auxiliary files. All the files  of  a  certain
     type included in a folder can  be  removed.  Use  the  "Choose  A
     FolderÉ" item to select a folder. If a folder has already  been
     selected, its name will be recalled at the bottom of the "Related
     FilesÉ" submenu. For each kind of files you are prompted for  a
     confirmation before they are deleted.

<All Log Files>
     Remove dvi files
<All Tfm Files>
     Remove ps files
<All Mpx Files>
     Remove ofm files
<All Of Them>
     Remove all these types of files
<Choose A FolderÉ>
     Choose a new current folder to which  the  removing  items  above
     will apply.

     The last item of the "Related FilesÉ" menu indicates  the  name
     of the current folder. It says either

<No Folder Selected>
     If no no folder is currently selected
<Current Folder Is:>
     Followed by the  name of the currently selected folder


					
<New Figs File Template>
     Builds a template for a complete new figures source file. User is
     asked for the number of figures in the file.  They  are  numbered
     automatically. 


All the following submenus contain the  basic  Metapost  commands  and
macros: any item you choose will be  inserted  in  your  file  at  the
cursor's current position with electric tabs for those commands  which
need arguments. In some cases, you will be asked  to  enter  a  number
(see "makegrid" for instance). All the macros relevant to a particular
aspect have been collected together in  a  (supposedly)  logical  way.
When clicking on a submenu, try the option, command, control or  shift
keys to get variants.

For instance:

¥ in the "LabelsÉ" submenu the "label" item will become :
		¥ 'dotlabel' with the option key
		¥ 'dotlabels' with the command key
		¥ 'thelabel' with the shift key

In the case of 'dotlabels' you will  be  prompted  to  set  the  number  of
arguments. 
¥ in the  "Graph.mp  MacrosÉ"  submenu  the  "setcoords"  item  will
     become :
		¥ setcoords(lin,lin)  with the option key
		¥ setcoords(log,log)  with the command key
		¥ setcoords(lin,log)  with the shift key
		¥ setcoords(log,lin)  with the control key


3.1. List of the macros submenus:

		¥ BooleanÉ
		¥ BoxesÉ
		¥ ColorÉ
		¥ ConditionsÉ
		¥ DebuggingÉ
		¥ DefinitionsÉ
		¥ DrawingÉ
		¥ FiguresÉ
		¥ Font InternalsÉ
		¥ FunctionsÉ
		¥ Internal VariablesÉ
		¥ LabelsÉ
		¥ MiscellaneousÉ
		¥ PathsÉ
		¥ PensÉ
		¥ PicturesÉ
		¥ PositioningÉ
		¥ TransformationsÉ
		¥ VariablesÉ


3.2. Macros from additionnal packages:

		¥ Mfplain.mp MacrosÉ
		¥ Graph.mp MacrosÉ
		¥ Boxes.mp MacrosÉ


4. File marking

Various elements are marked : macros  definitions,  character  definitions,
related files, input files etc. and can be easily accessed  through  pop-up
menus and option or commed clicking.
						
4.1. The Mark pop-up menu

If you choose to mark your file from the "M" pop-up menu (top right of your
editing window), all the def, vardef  and  beginfig  declarations  in  your
source  file  will  be  marked.  Remember  that  the  beginfig  command  is
customizable (in the Mode Prefs) and any change  you  make  there  will  be
taken into account for marking.
If the  "Auto  Mark"  checkbox  is  checked  in  the  Prefs,  the  file  is
automatically marked at opening.

4.2. The Functions pop-up menu

The "{}" pop-up menu (top  right  of  your  editing  window)  contains  the
functions and macros defined in your source file. We list here all the def,
primarydef, secondarydef, tertiarydef and vardef definitions as well as the
files input with an "input" command.


5. Command double clicking a word

If you Command-Double-Click on a keyword you access  its  definition.  This
procedure looks first for a definition in the current file itself, then  in
the list of primitives, then in all the Metapost  macros  files  (boxes.mp,
mfplain.mp, plain.mp etc. Note that plain.mp is scanned first) and  finally
in the other ".mp" text files called in the  current  file  by  an  'input'
command and located at the same level  (typically  they  are  user  defined
macros files).


6. Option clicking the title bar

If you Option-Click on a the title bar, you get a list of all the .mp, .mpx
and .log files located :

¥ in the "local" folder (folder of your current window). 
¥ in the "selected" folder (selected when you process an entire folder 
    with "Run A Folder" or in the "Remove Files" sub menu)

Selecting any item in this list will open it  in  a  window  or  bring  its
window to front if it is already open.


7. Completions

There is a set of completion procedures in Metapost  Mode.  To  enable
them, you must activate the "elecCompletion"  package  (in  "Config -
Global Setups - Features") and  choose  your  completion  key
(default is F1).

Completion will behave differently depending on the context.

¥ First we have a set abbreviations and contractions.  Just  type  the
following abbreviations and  hit  the  completion  key  to  have  them
expanded to the entire word or to a complete structure :

	 bf		beginfig   endfig                 
	 bg		begingroup    endgroup            
	 bt		btex    etex                      
	 vt		verbatimtex    etex               
	 dbp	define_blacker_pixels             
	 dcp	define_corrected_pixels           
	 dgxp	define_good_x_pixels              
	 dgyp	define_good_y_pixels              
	 dhcp	define_horizontal_corrected_pixels
	 dp		define_pixels                     
	 dwp	define_whole_pixels               
	 dwvp	define_whole_vertical_pixels      
	 prt	proofrulethickness                
	 sc		screen_cols                       
	 sr		screen_rows                       

	 for		for    endfor;         
	 def		def    enddef;         
	 prim		primarydef    enddef;  
	 sec		secondarydef    enddef;
	 ter		tertiarydef    enddef; 
	 vardef		vardef    enddef;      
	 forever	forever  endfor;       
	 forsuffixes	forsuffixes    endfor; 
	 if			if    fi               

	 cu'n	currentpen 
	 cu'p	currentpicture 
	 di'p	directionpoint 
	 di't	directiontime 
	 re'a	reflectedabout
	 ro'a	rotatedaround
	 x'b	extra_beginfig
	 x'e	extra_endfig
	 i'p	intersectionpoint
	 i't	intersectiontimes


¥ You can  also  type  the  first  letters  of  a  word  and  hit  the
completion key.  If  it  is  recognized  as  a  keyword,  it  will  be
completed. If there are different possible completions, they  will  be
listed in the status bar : hit the completion key again and  you  will
have a list of all the possibilities from which you   can  select  the
one you want.

¥ With 'input' instructions : type 'input xx' and the proc  will  look
for a known mp base file whose name starts with 'xx'.


8. Key Bindings

A few key bindings are defined in Metapost mode. For all of them  you  have
to hit 'ctrl-p', release, then hit one of the following letters:
'p', 's', 'l', 'w' or 'u'
     to select respectively  "p"roof,  "s"moke,  "l"ocalfont,  lo"w"res  or
     "u"ser defined mode

	 'b'	to process the "b"uffer
	 'f'	to process a "f"ile
	 'n'	to create a "n"ew figs template
	 'm'	to edit the "m"odes file 'modes.mf'
	 'c'	to edit the macro "c"ommands file 'plain.mp'
	 'g'	to edit the lo"g" file
	 'x'	to edit the mp"x" file


9. Metapost Mode preferences

The "PreferencesÉ" item in the "Mode Prefs" submenu of the "Config" menu
allows you to edit specific preferences for the Metapost Mode. All of them
should be self-explanatory.
You can specify there :
¥ the paths to several basic files;
¥ the name of the output folder in which to  put  the  files  produced  by
Metapost. be very careful with this : this choice is  relevant  only  with
CMacTeX. You must choose an output folder  in  accordance  with  CMacTeX's
output folder;
¥ a "User beginfig" : it is customary in Metapost's font files  to  modify
the definition of the beginfig/endfig routine and to give it  a  different
name : for instance "beginmyfig/endmyfig" or  whatever.  You  can  specify
here this modified name in order to get a correct file  marking  from  the
little "M" pop-up menu on the top right corner of the current window.


10. Version History

¥ 0.1b1 -- 09/21/99 -- Created this new Metapost Mode starting from the already existing Metafont Mode which I wrote a few month ago. It includes the following features : Metapost menu, submenus to insert Metapost macros with electric stops, syntax colorizing, processing of source files with CMacTeX Metapost or with Oz%etapost. Great care has been taken in order to avoid incompatibilities between Metafont and Metapost modes, due to their similarities. All the Metafont procs are now prefixed with "Mf::" and Metapost macros are prefixed with "Mp::". 
¥ 1.0 -- 09/23/99 -- First release.
¥ 1.0.1 -- 03/17/2000 -- Changed the Related Files submenu : the "edit log" and "edit mpx" items do not appear any more if we are not in Mp Mode. Suppressed the Outputfolder preference. Corrected a bug concerning the marking of "beginfig" commands.
¥ 1.0.2 -- 03/18/2000 -- Added the "Current Folder Is" and "No Folder Selected" items. Added "mpx" to the suffix mappings. 
¥ 1.0.3 -- 03/20/2000 -- Changed the "exec" Apple Events to "odoc" to reflect the new "OpenDoc" procedure in CMacTeX Metapost : all the output is sent now to the current folder. This requires CMacTeX version 3.4 (mpost 2.1) or later. The "Current Folder Is" item now shows the current window's folder. 
¥ 1.0.4 -- 05/06/2000 -- Improved the mark file procedure. Added a lot of key bindings. Changed some basic code for future compatibility with Alpha 8 and AlphaTk.
¥ 1.1 -- 05/09/2000 -- Added procs Mp::DblClick, Mp::OptionTitlebar, Mp::OptionTitlebarSelect and Mp::parseFuncs. Modified syntax coloring procs to distinguish primitives from plain format macros.
¥ 1.2 -- 06/05/2000 -- Added completion routines. Corrected minor bugs.
¥ 1.2.1 -- 06/06/2000 -- Added items to launch dvitomp and mptotex (works only with CMacTeX since there are no separate applics with OzMP).
¥ 1.2.2 -- 06/22/2000 -- Removed the items to call dvitomp and mptotex since they have been removed from the last 3.5 version of CMacTeX. Modified the Apple Event.
¥ 2.1 -- 06/04/2003 -- Complete revision for compatibility with Alpha8 and AlphaTcl 8.0.

		
11. Known problems

Alpha 7.4 or later is required. Alpha 8 is preferred.

Please e-mail any problem or bug you encounter : <bdesgraupes@easyconnect.fr>
Visit my Web page for updates : 
<http://webperso.easyconnect.fr/bdesgraupes/>


12. License and Disclaimer

Copyright : Bernard Desgraupes, 2000-2002, 2003
        All rights reserved.

This software is free software and distributed under the terms of  the  new
BSD license :

Redistribution and  use  in  source  and  binary  forms,  with  or  without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

¥ Redistributions of source code must retain the  above  copyright  notice,
this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
¥ Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in  the  documentation
and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
¥ Neither the name of Bernard Desgraupes nor the names of its  contributors
may be used to endorse or  promote  products  derived  from  this  software
without specific prior written permission.

This software is provided by the copyright holders and contributors "as is"
and any express or implied warranties, including, but not limited  to,  the
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular  purpose
are disclaimed. In no event shall the regents or contributors be liable for
any direct, indirect,  incidental,  special,  exemplary,  or  consequential
damages (including, but not limited to, procurement of substitute goods  or
services; loss of use, data, or profits; or business interruption)  however
caused and  on  any  theory  of  liability,  whether  in  contract,  strict
liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in  any  way
out of the use of this software, even if advised of the possibility of such
damage. 

