> Phillip Helbig writes:

>  > I disagree here.  The beauty of PSFRAG is that one can divorce the

>  > graphic from the .tex file.  Often, graphics are made for overheads etc

>  > and later recycled in a .tex file.

> i can sort of see this scenario, but it sounds weird. why dont you

> generate the graphics in a high-level system if this is your need?



I write a Fortran program, run it for several weeks on a computer, and

it produces some output.  To look at this output, show it to colleagues

etc I plot it (again with a Fortran program, in my case, but it could be

with anything).  I can make an overhead for a talk etc.  Depending on

various factors, it might end up in a paper for journal A, journal B, a

conference proceeding etc---all of which might have different font

requirements.  If the plot is involved, i.e. takes half an hour to make

it (choose contour levels, label certain features, perhaps highlight a

certain region, overlay it with another plot etc) I don't want to have

to repeat that just to change the font!



What does `high-level system' mean here?



>  > recreate the plot, which in some cases might mean a lot of effort, every

>  > time I change fonts in my document!!!!!!!  The whole beauty of TeX/LaTeX

>  > is macros; I don't want to hard-wire fonts into anything!

> i sympathize. and would use Metapost for my plots, obviating the

> problem :-} (but then Berthold would hate me again)



I admit not having looked into METAPOST yet.



> psfrag is great, _if_ you live in a world of one formatter, and one page

> description language. Big "if", if you ask me (which you didnt, before

> anyone says so)



In my world (astronomy), at least for now, LaTeX and PostScript are sort

of standard and life is not that difficult.



> i know i sound like an evangelist, but XML/MathML/SVG really *are*

> designed to cover this sort of game. your SVG graphic will embed

> MathML markup cleanly.



Maybe I can change the Fortran code to make XML/MathML/SVG an output

format option.  :)  (Now it does PostScript, Sixel graphics, Tektronix

graphics etc).





--

Phillip Helbig                          Email ......... [log in to unmask]

Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories   Tel. .... +44 1477 571 321 (ext. 297)

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