[Tex/LaTex] Fbox’ed minipages with fboxsep=0pt, fboxrule=0.0001pt and colored border

Question

I have arranged within approx. 20 minipages a data plot, several pictures with attached labels taking columnwidth, columnsep of the twocolumn paper format etc into account.

For debugging purposes, I have surrounded each minipage with a \cfbox command to see the width and height of the minipages, unintended whitespace, proper alignment w.r.t. each other.

Update:

The resulting pdf-document looks like this:

The source code is:

\documentclass[class=elsarticle,preprint,5p,10pt,twocolumn]{standalone}
\usepackage{mwe}
\usepackage{calc}
\usepackage{xcolor}

\setlength{\fboxsep}{0pt}
\setlength{\fboxrule}{0.001pt}

\newcommand{\cfbox}[1]{%
  \colorlet{currentcolor}{.}%
  {\color{red}%
  \fbox{\color{currentcolor}#1}}%
}

\newlength{\mywidth}
\setlength{\mywidth}{3.2in}
\newlength{\myheight}
\setlength{\myheight}{3.2in}

\begin{document}
\cfbox{\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight][b]{\mywidth}
  \cfbox{\includegraphics[width=\mywidth, height=\myheight]{plot}}
\end{minipage}}%
\cfbox{\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight][c]{\mywidth} % currently square (not necessarily)
  \cfbox{\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.125}][b]{\textwidth} % gnuplot tmargin
    \centering
    Series 1\vspace{\lineskip}
  \end{minipage}}\\[-\lineskip]
  \cfbox{\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.75}/\real{3}]{\textwidth}
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \cfbox{\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-a}}

      \scriptsize{}label-a
    \end{minipage}}%
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \cfbox{\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-b}}

      \scriptsize{}label-b
    \end{minipage}}%
  \end{minipage}}\\[-\lineskip]
  \cfbox{\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.75}/\real{3}][c]{\textwidth}
    \centering
    Series 2\vspace{\lineskip}
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \cfbox{\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-a}}

      \scriptsize{}label-a
    \end{minipage}}%
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \cfbox{\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-b}}

      \scriptsize{}label-b
    \end{minipage}}%
  \end{minipage}}\\[-\lineskip]
  \cfbox{\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.75}/\real{3}]{\textwidth}
    \vfill
    \centering
    Series 3\vspace{\lineskip}
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \cfbox{\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-a}}
    \end{minipage}}%
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \cfbox{\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-b}}
    \end{minipage}}%
  \end{minipage}}\\[-\lineskip]
  \cfbox{\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.125}]{\textwidth} % gnuplot bmargin
    \vspace{\lineskip}
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \scriptsize{}label-a
    \end{minipage}}%
    \cfbox{\begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \scriptsize{}label-b
    \end{minipage}}%
  \end{minipage}}
\end{minipage}}%
\end{document}

I consider this source code as messy.

I'd like to remove the debugging code from the body of the document, i.e. remove the \cfbox within \begin{document} and \end{document}, and re-define the minipage command in the preamble.

However, I could not find a solution adding colored boxes to minipages without introducing additional whitespace.

I have considered:

• package framed
• package boxedminipage
• renewenvironment minipage with xparse

I hope the update explains that the visible borders are meant to be only temporary. They are not in the final document. Currently, I remove them by redefining \cfbox by \renewcommand{\cfbox}[1]{#1}

Partially working solution based on the answer by @touhami and @egreg's answer on renew minipage with xparse

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xcolor}
\usepackage{xparse}
\setlength{\fboxsep}{0pt}
\setlength{\fboxrule}{0.0001pt}
\setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
\newbox\mtbox
\let\latexminipage\minipage
\let\latexendminipage\endminipage
\colorlet{currentcolor}{.}
\RenewDocumentEnvironment{minipage}{ooom}
 {%
  \IfNoValueTF{#1}
   {\setbox\mtbox\vbox\bgroup\hsize=#4
     \latexminipage{\hsize}}
   {%
    \IfNoValueTF{#2}
   {\setbox\mtbox\vbox\bgroup\hsize=#4
     \latexminipage[#1]{#4}}
     {%
      \IfNoValueTF{#3}
   {\setbox\mtbox\vbox\bgroup\hsize=#4
       \latexminipage[#1][#2]{#4}}
   {\setbox\mtbox\vbox\bgroup\hsize=#4
       \latexminipage[#1][#2][#3]{#4}}%
     }%
   }%
 }
 {\latexendminipage\egroup%
\color{red}\fbox{\color{currentcolor}\box\mtbox}}

\newcommand{\mylipsum}{Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer
adipiscing elit. Ut purus elit, vestibulum ut, placerat ac,
adipiscing vitae, felis.}
\begin{document}
\begin{minipage}[t][1in]{5cm}
\mylipsum
\end{minipage}
\end{document}

However, setting a minipage width or height by \begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.75}/\real{3}]{\textwidth}, a wrong measure is applied. This has probably something to do with the xparse package based redefinition of the minipage environment. Answer by egreg does not have this issue.

Answer 1

My impression is that you're overcomplicating things.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx,xcolor}

\newsavebox{\cfboxbox}
\newcommand{\cfbox}[1]{%
  \mbox{%
    \sbox{\cfboxbox}{#1}%
    \setlength{\fboxsep}{-0.0001pt}% don't add space
    \setlength{\fboxrule}{0.0001pt}%
    \color{red}%
    \fbox{\usebox{\cfboxbox}}%
  }%
}

\begin{document}

\cfbox{\includegraphics[width=3cm]{example-image}}

\cfbox{\textcolor{blue}{Hello world}}

\end{document}

When you have finished debugging, just redefine \cbox to do nothing:

\newcommand{\cbox}[1]{#1}

If you don't want \cbox in the way, you can redefine minipage and \includegraphics to do it implicitly:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx,xcolor,calc}


\let\latexminipage\minipage
\let\endlatexminipage\endminipage
\let\latexincludegraphics\includegraphics

\newsavebox{\cfboxbox}

\newcommand{\redbox}[1]{%
  \mbox{%
    \setlength{\fboxsep}{-0.0001pt}%
    \setlength{\fboxrule}{0.0001pt}%
    \color{red}%
    \fbox{#1}%
  }%
}

\renewenvironment{minipage}
 {\begin{lrbox}{\cfboxbox}\begin{latexminipage}}
 {\end{latexminipage}\end{lrbox}\redbox{\usebox{\cfboxbox}}}

\renewcommand{\includegraphics}[2][]{%
  \redbox{\latexincludegraphics[#1]{#2}}%
}

\newlength{\mywidth}
\setlength{\mywidth}{2in}
\newlength{\myheight}
\setlength{\myheight}{2in}

\begin{document}

\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight][b]{\mywidth}
  \includegraphics[width=\mywidth, height=\myheight]{example-image}
\end{minipage}%
\begin{minipage}[t][\myheight][c]{\mywidth} % currently square (not necessarily)
  \begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.125}][b]{\textwidth} % gnuplot tmargin
    \centering
    Series 1\vspace{\lineskip}
  \end{minipage}\\[-\lineskip]
  \begin{minipage}[t][\myheight*\real{0.75}/\real{3}]{\textwidth}
    \begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-a}

      \scriptsize{}label-a
    \end{minipage}%
    \begin{minipage}{\textwidth/\real{2}}
      \centering
      \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{example-image-b}

      \scriptsize{}label-b
    \end{minipage}%
  \end{minipage}
\end{minipage}

\end{document}

If you have other constructions that should have an implicit frame, you have to cope with them separately in a similar fashion.