[AUCTeX-devel] Using dvipdfmx for the path tex->dvi->pdf

[Ikumi Keita]

Hi AUCTeX developers,

In AUCTeX 11.89, a new option 'TeX-PDF-via-dvips-ps2pdf' was introduced
as a handy tool for generating pdf output through dvi file as
intermediate format.  Could you extend this framework so that we can use
dvipdfmx instead of divps+ps2pdf?

The attached patch is my initial try along the direction of the above
idea.  To try this patch, do

(setq TeX-PDF-via-dvips-ps2pdf "Dvipdfmx")

in init.el.  That makes AUCTeX to use dvipdfmx instead of dvips+ps2pdf
when TeX-PDF-mode is on.

I don't care the detail of the actual implementation, so other
approaches are welcome.

Background: Most Japanese (La)TeX users use dvipdfmx, not pdf(la)tex,
for producing pdf for final output.  Unlike pdftex, Japanese tex engine
ptex, jtex and uptex are not capable of direct generation of pdf.
Therefore the use of dvipdfmx is vital for us Japanese users.  (The
LuaTeX-ja project https://osdn.jp/projects/luatex-ja/ aims for direct
pdf output from Japanese tex documents which respects the Japanese
typesetting rule with the same quality as ptex, but is still in beta or
pre-beta stage and will take a long time to reach satisfactory level.)
Dvips+ps2pdf is not popular among the Japanese (La)TeX users.  Dvipdfmx
is preferred over dvips+ps2pdf and is the de facto standard way.

Best regards,
Ikumi Keita

P.S.  I'm not on this ML, so please put me on CC when replying.

patch-dvipdfmx
Description: employ-dvipdfmx-for-pdf-output