[bug-gv] pdf problems with gv

[Peter Jay Salzman]

Hi there,

There's been a bug (perhaps) in gv with pdf documents that has been an
inconvenience for years now.  Since gv is my main ps/pdf viewer, I'd really
like to resolve the problem.

Consider this latex code:

   \documentclass[12pt]{article}
   \begin{document}
   hello there.
   \end{document}

Compile the code and run gv on the resulting pdf file (assume gv "watches"
the pdf file so that the pdf file gets reloaded when it changes):

   $ pdflatex blah.tex
   $ gv blah.pdf &

Whenever you add or subtract text to the pdf document, gv displays an error
message.  For example, if I added the line "goodbye":

   \documentclass[12pt]{article}
   \begin{document}
   hello there.
   goodbye.
   \end{document}

and recompile:

   $ pdflatex blah.tex

gv displays a pop-up window with the error message:

Error: /syntaxerror in --token--GPL Ghostscript 8.01: Unrecoverable error,
exit code 1

Operand stack:
   --dict:5/5(L)--   false   DefaultGray   DefaultGray   ColorSpace
--dict:5/5(L)--   Resources   162   1   0   1   -1.10b   --nostringval--
Execution stack:
   %interp_exit   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
   %--nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
   %--nostringval--   false   1   %stopped_push   1   3   %oparray_pop   1
   %3   %oparray_pop   1   3   %oparray_pop   1   3   %oparray_pop
   %.runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringError:
   %/syntaxerror in readxrefentry
Operand stack:
   --dict:5/5(L)--   false   DefaultGray   DefaultGray   ColorSpace
--dict:5/5(L)--   Resources   162   1   0   1   stream   endobj
Execution stack:
   %interp_exit   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
   %--nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
   %--nostringval--   false   1   %stopped_push   1   3   %oparray_pop   1
   %3   %oparray_pop   1   3   %oparray_pop   1   3   %oparray_pop
   %.runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2
   %%stopped_push   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
   %--nostringval--   --nostringval--   %packedarray_continue
   %--nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
   %--nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
   --dict:1053/1123(ro)(G)--   --dict:0/20(G)--   --dict:74/200(L)--
--dict:100/127(ro)(GGPL Ghostscript 8.01: Unrecoverable error, exit code 1
)--   --dict:230/230(ro)(G)--   --dict:20/24(L)--
Current allocation mode is local

Click the pop-up's "dismiss" button.  gv's main window is blank.

Now if I manually reload the document with "Right click | Reload", the pdf
document reloads and displays correctly!

It's wierd -- as if gv initially has a problem interpreting the pdf file,
but when it reloads the pdf, it parses everything correctly.


The problem happens even when gv isn't instructed to watch the pdf file.
For example:

1. Click "State | Watch File" to disable watching.

2. Remove "goodbye":

   \documentclass[12pt]{article}
   \begin{document}
   hello there.
   \end{document}

3. Recompile:

   $ pdflatex blah.tex

4. Reload the pdf file with "Right click | reload"

5. A pop-up appears with the error message:

   Current allocation mode is local
   Error: /syntaxerror in readxrefentry
   ...
   (stack output removed for brevity)

6. Click "Dismiss" to dismiss the pop-up.  gv's main window is blank.

7. Again, click "Right click | reload"

8. The pdf file reloads and displays correctly.


This problem occurs on all my systems (Debian/testing, Debian/unstable).  Is
this a bug?  Is there a workaround?

Thanks!
Pete

-- 
Every theory is killed sooner or later, but if the theory has good in it,
that good is embodied and continued in the next theory. -- Albert Einstein

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