[Tex/LaTex] Why can’t I get pstricks with auto-pst-pdf (and cropping) running on MikTeX

compilingghostscriptmiktexpdftexpstricks

\documentclass{minimal}
\usepackage[pdf]{pstricks}

\begin{document}

\begin{pspicture}(-5.25,-5.25)(5.25,5.25)%
  \pscircle*[linecolor=cyan]{5}
  \psgrid[subgriddiv=0,gridcolor=lightgray,gridlabels=0pt]
  \Huge\sffamily\bfseries
  \rput(-4.5,4.5){A} \rput(4.5,4.5){B}
  \rput(-4.5,-4.5){C}\rput(4.5,-4.5){D}
  \rput(0,0){auto-pst-pdf}
  \rmfamily
  \rput(0,-3.8){PSTricks}
  \rput(0,3.8){\LaTeX}
\end{pspicture}

\end{document}

I run it with:

pdflatex -shell-escape Test.tex > log.txt 2>&1

But stdout says:

PDFCROP 1.33, 2012/02/01 - Copyright (c) 2002-2012 by Heiko Oberdiek.
!!! Error: Ghostscript exited with error code 1!

The same happens when using \usepackage{pstricks} \usepackage{auto-pst-pdf}.

If I use \usepackage{pstricks} \usepackage[crop=off]{auto-pst-pdf} then it works!

I use Windows 7 x64, MikTeX 2.9 x86 (complete system) with latest packages, installed latest ActivePerl x86 and also applied the pdfcrop fix (as the related problem appeared earlier).

You see all details in the logs for stdout, Test.log, and Test-autopp.log.

Any ideas?

UPDATE: I tried to manually run pdfcrop and got the same error. When I run it with –debug I see that it can't locate the Ghostscript executable gswin32c.exe. I looked into the MikTeX bin/ folder because I thought it is there, but it isn't. Do I have to install Ghostscript separately?

Best Answer

I made some test with miktex 2.9.: auto-pst-pdf with pdfcrop works for me only if an external perl is in the path. An external ghostscript is not necessary. This here is the "minimal working path" (I guess the windows path is needed for cmd.exe):

Path=J:\MiKTeX2.9\miktex\bin;C:\WINDOWS\system32;J:\Perl\bin;

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] auto-pst-pdf Problem

If you want all PSTricks code to be imported from within the TeX main input file, then it will be better using xelatex than using pdflatex +auto-pst-pdf. There are many limitations of using pdflatex + auto-pst-pdf. I will list the details in the next edit.

If you want some PSTricks code to be imported in the TeX main input file and the remaining PSTricks code to be converted to PDF images, then use xelatex + preview package.

If your PSTricks code

makes use of \label as in the following example:

\begin{equation}\label{eq:Einstein}
\rnode{A}{E}=mc^\rnode{B}{2}
\ncbar[angle=90]{A}{B}
\end{equation}

or imports an image of type PNG, PDF, JPG as in the following example:

\newsavebox\IBox
\savebox\IBox{\includegraphics{image.jpg}}
\pspicture(\wd\IBox,\ht\IBox)
\rput[bl](0,0){\usebox\IBox}
\endpspicture

or works together with animate package as in the following example:

\animateinline[palindrome,autoplay]{10}
\multiframe{11}{r=1+-0.1}{%
\pspicture(2,2)
\pscircle*[linecolor=red,opacity=0.5](1,1){\r}
\endpspicture}
\endanimateinline

then pdflatex -enable-write18 + auto-pst-pdf cannot be used to produce the correct result.

The solution: use xelatex instead but it runs very very slowly if you compile the whole input files. To speed up the compilation, you should divide the your input file into several sub-files. Put each of "independent" PSTricks fragment into a separate input file and compile it to produce a single PDF output.

Note: An independent PSTricks fragment is a PSTricks code that does not belong to the 3 cases mentioned above.

An example of an "independent" PSTricks fragment:

% frame.tex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pstricks}

% preview must come after any pstricks package!
\usepackage[active,tightpage]{preview}
\PreviewBorder=0pt\relax

% Either
\PreviewEnvironment{pspicture}
% or
%\PreviewEnvironment{pspicture*}

\begin{document}
\begin{pspicture}(1,1)
\psframe(1,1)
\end{pspicture}
\end{document}

Compile it with xelatex (slower than the snail) or latex-dvips-ps2pdf (faster than the light) and you will get frame.pdf.

Later, you can import the frame.pdf from within your main input file as follows:

% main.tex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{document}
\includegraphics{frame.pdf}\newpage


    \animateinline[palindrome,autoplay]{10}
    \multiframe{11}{r=1+-0.1}{%
    \pspicture(2,2)
    \pscircle*[linecolor=red,opacity=0.5](1,1){\r}
    \endpspicture}
    \endanimateinline

\end{document}

Once again, compile the main input file using xelatex only. But compilation becomes faster! Note: latex-dvips-ps2pdf cannot import PDF images, that is why you have to use xelatex only!

NOTE: The main input file must NOT load preview package if you load animate package. Practically, you never need to load preview in the main input file, only sub-files need preview.

[Tex/LaTex] Compilation issue with pdfLaTeX and auto-pst-pdf

You are starting pdflatex in root. So this is the current directory. auto-pst-pdf will at first call latex --jobname=test-autopp test to generate a test-autopp.dvi with the pictures. This first step will already fail as latex obviously can't find test in the current directory root and has no idea that it should look in scr.

You should always start pdflatex in the directory of the main file. Everything else can get quite confusing.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] auto-pst-pdf Problem

[Tex/LaTex] Compilation issue with pdfLaTeX and auto-pst-pdf

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