TeXToolKit (ttk)

This software package is build especially to overcome the problem of including postscript figures (and features) in pdflatex.

Download

You can clone the git repo with:

git clone git://git.derhammer.net/textoolkit.git

and of course you can access and browse the source online

Dependencies

At first make sure you have installed the following software:

A suitable LaTeX distribution
epstool
>=python-2.5

The Idea

The idea behing TeXToolKit is to provide an infrastructure for creating images containing LaTeX formulas (or other text).

`\psfrag` usage

First the big goal is to use \psfrag to replace text inside the graphics. \psfrag itself needs the text inside the *.eps files in a parsable way. The only tool which is able to export such *.eps files at the moment is xfig. What TeXToolKit does is to combine a

src_images/${file}_img.eps and a
src_images/${file}_img.tex

and combine and compile them to

images/${file}.eps and
images/${file}.pdf

which enables you to compile either with latex OR/AND pdflatex.

Enable different vector graphics software

Second some wrapper parts were written which convert *.eps files exported from AutoCAD, QCad, Inkscape into a parsable format for \psfrag.

Usage

You should create a project structure for you LaTeX file similar to the following:

${cwd}
|-- src_images/
|   |-- a_figure_img.tex
|   `-- a_figure_img.eps
|-- images/
`-- main.tex

What TexToolKit can do for you now is to create a_figure.eps and a_figure.pdf inside the images directory. Of course you can choose the directory names freely - but those names are the defaults.

To create the two files enter the following command line

ttkCreateImages ${cwd}/main.tex

ttkCreateImages will parse the preamble of main.tex and create the two image files in images.

To get a short help of all the options enter

ttkCreateImages --help

Format of `*_img.tex` file

The content of those files might look like the following

% opt: <options for includegraphics>
 \psfrag{}[][]{}

e.g.

%opt: width=0.6\linewidth
\psfrag{aa}[l][l]{$\frac{1}{2}$}
\psfrag{ab}[l][l]{$\int\limits_0^{2 \pi} \cos(\varphi) {\rm d} \varphi$}
\psfrag{ac}[l][l]{$\frac{\partial f(x,y)}{\partial x}$}

Convert Inkscape `*.eps` files

There is currently (inkscape version 0.47-0.4?) a "bug" (or however you might call it) inside cairo/inkscape relation. The *.eps files exported from inkscape are not suitable for \psfrag. To use inkscape as graphics program simply save your graphics inside src_images with the name

${file}_ink.eps
${file}_img.tex

What you have to do is to "draw" a text line with all characters from 'a' to 's' somewhere inside the picture. Don't worry - textoolkit will remove this line from the picture and will recalc the boundaries!

abcdefghijklmnopqrs