Postscript Mode Help
| Name: | Postscript Mode |
| Version: | 1.2 |
| Last update: | 2020-05-27 14:28:44 |
Introduction
Postscript mode is a mode for the text editor Alpha: it is designed to
facilitate editing, processing, viewing for both PostScript (.ps) and
Portable Document Format (.pdf) files.
Once it is in Postscript mode, Alpha displays a menu (called PS) in the menu bar. The commands in this menu let you perform tasks such
as converting Postscript files to PDF format, manipulate and modify
Postscript files with the psutils tools, convert Type 1 fonts with
the t1utils tools.
If you need to edit and execute command lines with GhostScript, see the
Gs Menu package in Alpha.
In order to test the Postscript mode functionality, you can open
the PostScript Example file, and then try using the
various menu items.
Description
Description of the Postscript Menu items:
Main menu
- Send To Viewer
- View the current postscript or pdf document.
- Send To Printer
- Print the current document: if it is a PostScript file, the
code is sent to the printer (you must have a PostScript
printer of course). If it is a pdf file, it is sent to
Alpha's default PDF viewer and printed from there.
- Convert Ps To Pdf
- Just as it says.
- Display Bindings
- Display the bindings currently defined in Postscript mode.
- Menu Shortcuts...
- Define custom shortcuts for the menu items.
Postscript Tools submenu
This submenu contains various utilities concerning PostScript files and
PostScript fonts.
- epstopdf
- Converts an encapsulated PostScript file to a Pdf file.
- afm2tfm
- Converts Adobe metrics files to Tex metrics files. Can be
used also to build elementary virtual fonts.
psutils suite
The psutils suite contains four programs designed to select, manipulate,
rearrange the pages of a PostScript file. All these four items display a
dialog in which you can specify different options. Press the Execute button to process the command from Alpha.
- psbook: rearrange pages in PostScript file into signatures.
- psnup: multiple pages per sheet.
- psselect: select pages from a PostScript file.
- pstops: shuffle pages in a PostScript file.
t1utils suite
The T1utils suite contains six programs designed to convert PostScript
font files. The output file will be in the same folder as the input file.
- lwfn2pfa
- pfa2lwfn
- pfa2pfb
- pfb2pfa
- t1asm
- t1disasm
The Mark pop-up menu
Marking is different in PostScript source files and in AFM (Adobe Fonts
Metrics) metrics files.
- in PostScript files, Alpha marks the dictionary declarations, the
%%BeginFont and %%Page DSC (Document Structured
Comments) ;
- in Adobe metrics files (with '.afm' extension), Alpha marks the main
sections of the file (StartFontMetrics, StartCharMetrics,
StartKernData, StartKernPairs, StartTrackKern) and all the characters
whose metrics are defined.
If the Auto Mark checkbox is checked in the preferences, the file
is automatically marked at opening.
The Functions pop-up menu
The Parse pop-up menu contains the bind def, dict def and load def statements.
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 Postscript primitives.
Option clicking the title bar
If you Option-Click in the title bar, you get a list of all the .ps and .pdf files located in the folder of your current window).
Completions
There is a set of completion procedures in Postscript mode.
There is also a set of abbreviations. Just type the following abbreviations
and hit the completion key to have them expanded to a complete structure:
| def |
| for |
| forall |
| if |
| ifelse |
| loop |
| repeat |
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.
Key bindings
A few key bindings are defined in Postscript mode. Use the command
Display Bindings in the Postscript menu to see them
or click here.
Postscript Mode preferences
The Preferences… item in the Mode Setup submenu of the Alpha menu allows you to edit specific preferences for the
Postscript mode. You can specify there:
Known problems
Please report any problem or bug you encounter to
Alpha's Bug Tracker.
License and Disclaimer
Copyright (c) 2001-2020, the Alpha Community.
All rights reserved.
The Postscript 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 the Alpha Community 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 THE ALPHA COMMUNITY 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.