Metapost Mode Help

Name:	Metapost Mode
Version:	3.1
Last update:	2020-05-27 14:28:46

Introduction
Description
File marking
- The Mark pop-up menu
- The Functions pop-up menu
Shift-Command double clicking a word
Option clicking the title bar
Completions
Key Bindings
Metapost mode preferences
Known problems
License and Disclaimer

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 and .mpx files at the same level.

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

Description

Metapost menu items:

Switch To Metapost: Launches the Metapost application in front.
Process Current Window: Calls up the Metapost application and processes the current window.
Process a File: Prompts you for a Metapost source file to run.

Metapost Utilities submenu

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).
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.
Delete Auxiliary Files...: Prompts you to specify the extensions of auxiliary files to delete.
Menu Shortcuts...: Define custom shortcuts for the menu items.
Display Bindings: Display the bindings currently defined in Metafont mode

Metapost Editing submenus

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 Labels... 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. ((li in the Graph.mp Macros... submenu, the setcoords item will become: li))

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

ul))

List of the macros submenus:

Boolean
Bounds
Boxes
Color
Conditions
Debugging
Definitions
Drawing
Figures
Functions
Graphs
Internals
Labels
Miscellaneous
Paths
Pens
Pictures
Positioning
Transformations
Variables

Macros from additionnal packages:

Mfplain.mp Macros
Graph.mp Macros
Boxes.mp Macros

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.

The Mark pop-up menu

If you choose to mark your file from the Marks 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 Setup) 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.

The Functions pop-up menu

The Functions 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.

Shift-Command double clicking a word

If you Shift-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).

Option clicking the title bar

If you Option-Click in the title bar, you get a list of all the .mp or .mpx files located in the folder of your current window. Selecting any item in this list will open it in a window or bring its window to front if it is already open.

Completions

Metapost Mode has a rich set of completion procedures:

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 template:

Abbreviation	Description
bf	beginfig endfig
bg	begingroup endgroup
bt	btex etex
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
Contraction	Description
c'n	currentpen
c'p	currentpicture
d'p	directionpoint
d't	directiontime
r'a	reflectedabout
r'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'.

Key Bindings

A few key bindings are defined in Metapost mode. Use the command Mp ↣ Metapost Utilities ↣ Display Bindings to display them.

Metapost mode preferences

If the current window is in Metapost mode, select the command Alpha ↣ Mode Setup ↣ Mode Preferences… to display the Mp Mode Preferences. They should be self-explanatory.
Here is the meaning of some of them:

the Path To Mfplain Mp File, Path To Modes Mf File, Path To Plain Mf File, Path To Plain Mp File and Path To Plain Mp File preferences define the paths of several base files. They are used by the Shift-Command-Double-Click procedure.
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 Marks pop-up menu on the top right corner of the current window.

Known problems

Please report any problem or bug you encounter to Alpha's Bug Tracker.

License and Disclaimer

Copyright (c) 2000-2020, Bernard Desgraupes.
All rights reserved.
The Metapost Mode package 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 BERNARD DESGRAUPES 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.