--- name: "pdfxtex" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "tetex-bin" version: "3.0-31" release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/pdfxtex" --- # pdfxtex(1) PDF output from e-TeX ## NAME pdfxtex, pdfxinitex, pdfxvirtex - PDF output from e-TeX ## SYNOPSIS **pdfxtex** \[*options*\] \[**&** *format* \] \[ *file* \| **\\** *commands* \] ## DESCRIPTION Run the pdfxTeX typesetter on *file*, usually creating *file.pdf*. If the file argument has no extension, ".tex" will be appended to it. Instead of a filename, a set of pdfxTeX commands can be given, the first of which must start with a backslash. With a **&***format* argument pdfxTeX uses a different set of precompiled commands, contained in *format.fmt*; it is usually better to use the **-fmt** *format* option instead. pdfxTeX is a version of e-TeX that can create *PDF* files as well as *DVI* files. In *DVI* mode, pdfxTeX can be used as a complete replacement of the e-TeX engine. The typical use of pdfxTeX is with a pregenerated formats for which PDF output has been enabled. The **pdfxtex** command uses the equivalent of the plain e-TeX format, and the **pdfxlatex** command uses the equivalent of the e-LaTeX format. To generate formats, use the **-ini** switch. The **pdfxinitex** and **pdfxvirtex** commands are pdfxTeX's analogues to the **einitex** and **evirtex** commands. In this installation, they are symbolic links to the **pdfxtex** executable. These symbolic links may not exist at all. In *PDF* mode, pdfxTeX can natively handle the *PDF*, *JPG*, and *PNG* graphics formats. pdfxTeX's handling of its command-line arguments is similar to that of of the other TeX programs in the *web2c* implementation. ## OPTIONS This version of pdfxTeX understands the following command line options. - **-enc** Enable the encTeX extensions. This option is only effective in combination with **-ini**. For documentation of the encTeX extensions see **http://www.olsak.net/enctex.html**. - **-file-line-error** Print error messages in the form *file:line:error* which is similar to the way many compilers format them. - **-no-file-line-error** Disable printing error messages in the *file:line:error* style. - **-file-line-error-style** This is the old name of the **-file-line-error** option. - **-fmt** *format* Use *format* as the name of the format to be used, instead of the name by which pdfxTeX was called or a *%&* line. - **-halt-on-error** Exit with an error code when an error is encountered during processing. - **-help** Print help message and exit. - **-ini** Start in *INI* mode, which is used to dump formats. The *INI* mode can be used for typesetting, but no format is preloaded, and basic initializations like setting catcodes may be required. - **-interaction** *mode* Sets the interaction mode. The mode can be either *batchmode*, *nonstopmode*, *scrollmode*, and *errorstopmode*. The meaning of these modes is the same as that of the corresponding \\commands. - **-ipc** Send DVI or PDF output to a socket as well as the usual output file. Whether this option is available is the choice of the installer. - **-ipc-start** As **-ipc**, and starts the server at the other end as well. Whether this option is available is the choice of the installer. - **-jobname** *name* Use *name* for the job name, instead of deriving it from the name of the input file. - **-kpathsea-debug** *bitmask* Sets path searching debugging flags according to the bitmask. See the *Kpathsea* manual for details. - **-mktex** *fmt* Enable mktex*fmt*, where *fmt* must be either *tex* or *tfm*. - **-mltex** Enable MLTeX extensions. Only effective in combination with **-ini**. - **-no-mktex** *fmt* Disable mktex*fmt*, where *fmt* must be either *tex* or *tfm*. - **-output-comment** *string* In *DVI* mode, use *string* for the *DVI* file comment instead of the date. This option is ignored in *PDF* mode. - **-output-directory** *directory* *directory* instead of the current directory. Look up input files in *directory* first, the along the normal search path. - **-output-format** *format* Set the output format mode, where *format* must be either *pdf* or *dvi*. This also influences the set of graphics formats understood by pdfxTeX. - **-parse-first-line** If the first line of the main input file begins with *%&* parse it to look for a dump name or a **-translate-file** option. - **-no-parse-first-line** Disable parsing of the first line of the main input file. - **-progname** *name* Pretend to be program *name*. This affects both the format used and the search paths. - **-recorder** Enable the filename recorder. This leaves a trace of the files opened for input and output in a file with extension *.fls*. - **-shell-escape** Enable the **\\write18{***command***}** construct. The *command* can be any shell command. This construct is normally disallowed for security reasons. - **-no-shell-escape** Disable the **\\write18{***command***}** construct, even if it is enabled in the *texmf.cnf* file. - **-src-specials** In *DVI* mode, insert source specials into the *DVI* file. This option is ignored in *PDF* mode. - **-src-specials** *where* In *DVI* mode, insert source specials in certain placed of the *DVI* file. *where* is a comma-separated value list: *cr*, *display*, *hbox*, *math*, *par*, *parent*, or *vbox*. This option is ignored in *PDF* mode. - **-translate-file** *tcxname* Use the *tcxname* translation table to set the mapping of input characters and re-mapping of output characters. - **-default-translate-file** *tcxname* Like **-translate-file** except that a *%&* line can overrule this setting. - **-version** Print version information and exit. ## ENVIRONMENT See the Kpathsearch library documentation (the \`Path specifications' node) for precise details of how the environment variables are used. The **kpsewhich** utility can be used to query the values of the variables. One caveat: In most pdfxTeX formats, you cannot use ~ in a filename you give directly to pdfxTeX, because ~ is an active character, and hence is expanded, not taken as part of the filename. Other programs, such as Metafont, do not have this problem. - TEXMFOUTPUT Normally, pdfxTeX puts its output files in the current directory. If any output file cannot be opened there, it tries to open it in the directory specified in the environment variable TEXMFOUTPUT. There is no default value for that variable. For example, if you say *pdfxtex paper* and the current directory is not writable, if TEXMFOUTPUT has the value */tmp*, pdfxTeX attempts to create */tmp/paper.log* (and */tmp/paper.pdf*, if any output is produced.) - TEXINPUTS Search path for *\\input* and *\\openin* files. This should probably start with \`\`.'', so that user files are found before system files. An empty path component will be replaced with the paths defined in the *texmf.cnf* file. For example, set TEXINPUTS to ".:/home/usr/tex:" to prepend the current direcory and \`\`/home/user/tex'' to the standard search path. - TEXFORMATS Search path for format files. - TEXPOOL search path for **pdfxtex** internal strings. - TEXEDIT Command template for switching to editor. The default, usually **vi**, is set when pdfxTeX is compiled. - TFMFONTS Search path for font metric (*.tfm*) files. ## FILES The location of the files mentioned below varies from system to system. Use the **kpsewhich** utility to find their locations. - *pdfxtex.pool* Text file containing pdfxTeX's internal strings. - *pdftex.map* Filename mapping definitions. - *\*.tfm* Metric files for pdfxTeX's fonts. - *\*.fmt* Predigested pdfxTeX format (.fmt) files.\ ## NOTES This manual page is not meant to be exhaustive. The complete documentation for this version of pdfxTeX can be found in the info manual *Web2C: A TeX implementation*. ## BUGS This version of pdfxTeX implements a number of optional extensions. In fact, many of these extensions conflict to a greater or lesser extent with the definition of pdfxTeX. When such extensions are enabled, the banner printed when pdfxTeX starts is changed to print **pdfxTeXk** instead of **pdfxTeX**. This version of pdfxTeX fails to trap arithmetic overflow when dimensions are added or subtracted. Cases where this occurs are rare, but when it does the generated *DVI* file will be invalid. Whether a generated *PDF* file would be usable is unknown. ## AVAILABILITY pdfxTeX is available for a large variety of machine architectures and operation systems. pdfxTeX is part of all major TeX distributions. Information on how to get pdfxTeX and related information is available at the **http://tug.org** *TUG* website. The most recent version of pdfxTeX is available for anonymous ftp at the **http://www.pdftex.de/tex/pdftex/** *pdfxTeX development site*. The following pdfxTeX related mailing list is available: **pdftex@tug.org**. This is a mailman list; to subscribe send a message containing *subscribe* to **pdftex-request@tug.org**. More about the list can be found at the **http://tug.org/mailman/listinfo/pdftex** *mailing list* website. ## SEE ALSO [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md), [**mf**(1)](/mf/1.md), [**etex**(1)](/etex/1.md), [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md). ## AUTHORS The primary authors of pdfTeX are Han The Thanh, Petr Sojka, and Jiri Zlatuska. TeX was designed by Donald E. Knuth, who implemented it using his system for Pascal programs. It was ported to Unix at Stanford by Howard Trickey, and at Cornell by Pavel Curtis. The version now offered with the Unix TeX distribution is that generated by the to C system (**web2c**), originally written by Tomas Rokicki and Tim Morgan. The encTeX extensions were written by Petr Olsak.