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Following these instructions I was surprised to see that embedding a left.pdf file produces a totally unexpected and inexplicable result. Which had cost me a lot of nerves and debugging time. All it needed was to rename the embedded pdf file, e.g. to left_arrow.pdf

I was originally just looking for a way to horizontally center pstricks pictures inside a float. The only way seems to be to have each pstricks image in a separate document generating their own pdf file and embed this file in the float under centering.

Thus I have all the images in the img subfolder, e.g. this document left.tex which generates a left.pdf showing the image of a left arrow.

Document "left.tex"

This document draws the image of a left arrow which I want to embed.

\documentclass[pstricks, border=12pt]{standalone}
\begin{document}

\begin{pspicture}(-3.5,0)(3.5,7)
        \psgrid[subgriddiv=0,griddots=5,gridcolor=gray](0,0)(-3.5,0)(3.5,7)
        \psset{linewidth=1cm,arrowinset=0,arrowlength=1.0,arrowlength=0.7}
        \psline{->}(0,0)(0,4)(-3,4)
\end{pspicture}
\end{document}

Main Document

I then set the graphicx path to ./img/ and embed left.pdf.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\graphicspath{{./img/}}

\begin{document}
\begin{figure}
        \centering{}
        \includegraphics{left.pdf}
        \caption{Example Picture}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

Result

Surprisingly, it does not embed left.pdf but the front page of the manual for pdfscreen.sty, coming from god-knows-where. As I said, the error does not occur if I name the image file anything but left. Why does this happen?

I ran these commands:

cd img
xelatex left
cd ..
xelatex minimal

enter image description here

Log

Here is the compiling log, fwiw:

username@computername D:\Utils\pstricks\img
$ xelatex left
This is XeTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-0.999991 (MiKTeX 2.9.7200 64-bit)
entering extended mode
(Left.tex
LaTeX2e <2019-10-01> patch level 1
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/standalone\standalone.cls"
Document Class: standalone 2018/03/26 v1.3a Class to compile TeX sub-files stan
dalone
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/tools\shellesc.sty")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/iftex\ifluatex.sty"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/iftex\iftex.sty"))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/xkeyval\xkeyval.sty"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/xkeyval\xkeyval.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/xkeyval\xkvutils.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/xkeyval\keyval.tex"))))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/standalone\standalone.cfg")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/base\article.cls"
Document Class: article 2019/08/27 v1.4j Standard LaTeX document class
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/base\size10.clo"))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/pstricks\pstricks.sty"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/xcolor\xcolor.sty"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics-cfg\color.cfg")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics-def\xetex.def"))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/xkeyval\pst-xkey.tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pstricks\pstricks.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pstricks\pst-fp.tex"
`pst-fp' v0.05, 2010/01/17 (hv))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/utilities\pgfutil-common.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/utilities\pgfutil-common-lists.te
x")) ("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/utilities\pgfkeys.code.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/utilities\pgfkeysfiltered.code.te
x")) ("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/utilities\pgffor.code.tex"
Loading pgffor.code.tex
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmath.code.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathcalc.code.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathutil.code.tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathparser.code.tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.code.tex"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.basic.code.
tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.trigonometr
ic.code.tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.random.code
.tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.comparison.
code.tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.base.code.t
ex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.round.code.
tex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.misc.code.t
ex")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfunctions.integerarit
hmetics.code.tex")))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pgf/math\pgfmathfloat.code.tex")))
`PSTricks' v2.97  <2019/05/11> (tvz,hv)
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/xelatex/xetex-pstricks\pstricks.con"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pstricks\xdvipdfmx.cfg"))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/xelatex/xetex-pstricks\pstricks.con"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pstricks\xdvipdfmx.cfg"
Using PSTricks configuration for XeTeX+xdvipdfmx
))) ("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pstricks\pst-fp.tex")
>>> Loading XeTeX special macros
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/generic/pstricks\pstricks-xetex.def")))
(Left.aux) [1] (Left.aux) )
Output written on Left.pdf (1 page).
Transcript written on Left.log.

username@computername D:\Utils\pstricks\img
$ cd ..

username@computername D:\Utils\pstricks
$ xelatex minimal
This is XeTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-0.999991 (MiKTeX 2.9.7200 64-bit)
entering extended mode
(minimal.tex
LaTeX2e <2019-10-01> patch level 1
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/base\article.cls"
Document Class: article 2019/08/27 v1.4j Standard LaTeX document class
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/base\size10.clo"))
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics\graphicx.sty"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics\keyval.sty")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics\graphics.sty"
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics\trig.sty")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics-cfg\graphics.cfg")
("C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex/latex/graphics-def\xetex.def"))) (minimal.aux
)
Overfull \hbox (232.9986pt too wide) in paragraph at lines 9--10
 [][]
[1] (minimal.aux) )
(see the transcript file for additional information)
Output written on minimal.pdf (1 page).
Transcript written on minimal.log.
fleetingbytes
  • 237
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    Try \includegraphics{./left.pdf}. – Ulrike Fischer Mar 23 '20 at 19:43
  • This happens, because there is a file called left.pdf in your tex installation (try kpsewhich left.pdf to find out where). – DG' Mar 23 '20 at 19:44
  • @DG' it might have been more intuitive though if LaTeX would look in user-specified paths first and then in system default paths, instead of the other way around. – Marijn Mar 23 '20 at 21:03
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    @Ulrike I tried \includegraphics{./img/left.pdf} and it finally embedded my left.pdf. I just don't understand why it searches in its inner resources first, even if I explicitly specify a folder where to take graphics from. – fleetingbytes Mar 24 '20 at 06:42
  • @DG kpsewhich left.pdf produces no output. What do you mean by "in you tex installation" I ran this in the folder where the main document "minimal.tex" is. I also ran it in c:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\tex, but it also did not output anything. – fleetingbytes Mar 24 '20 at 06:44
  • I also would expect latex to search first in the user-specified paths, then local folder, then in tex folders.. – fleetingbytes Mar 24 '20 at 06:45

0 Answers0