Re: [Groff] status of pdfmark macros

[Keith Marshall]

On Wednesday 08 December 2004 8:30 am, Werner LEMBERG wrote:
> > I'd be happy to see it added,
>
> I've done that now.  Please check.  Everything is very rudimentary; in
> the next days I'll advise how to proceed.

Hi Werner,

Thanks for progressing this.  I've only had time for a superficial check so 
far, but all looks OK.

I do note that you renamed my original 'pdfmake' script as 'Makefile' -- with 
some minor modifications -- and also that you added the following in 'TODO':

    Provide a `pdfmark' script (or call it `groff2pdf'?) which
    actually converts a groff input file to pdf, and which
    takes care of the necessary intermediate steps to handle
    PDF marks.

On my systems, the 'pdfmake' script provides this capability -- this is why I 
chose the unusual name, for what is essentially a makefile!  I have installed 
it in /usr/local/bin, and made it executable with the shebang line

    #! /bin/make -f

so it will be parsed by 'make', when invoked as a free standing command. It 
also includes the definitions:

    PDFMAKE = /usr/local/bin/pdfmake

and

    REMAKE = $(MAKE) -f $(PDFMAKE) --no-print-directory

so that it can locate itself, for recursive processing.  I can then invoke it 
from any directory, using a command of the form:

    pdfmake [GROFF_FLAGS='-groff-options'] somefile.pdf

to convert 'somefile.ms' -- since at present, I have provided bindings for ms 
only -- to 'somefile.pdf'.

The invocation syntax is, perhaps, not particularly elegant, and could 
probably benefit from the use of a companion shell script to simplify the 
passing of options in 'GROFF_FLAGS', but it does seem that this could be a 
possible basis for implementing the 'groff2pdf', (or whatever name is 
ultimately chosen), capability that you have requested.

What do you think?

Best regards,
Keith.