Fails to parse / binding required for ltxcmds.sty

[bfirsh]

I am writing a binding for icml2017.sty. When naively trying to use InputDefinitions('icml2017', type => 'sty', noltxml => 1), it fails when trying to load ltxcmds.sty:

(Processing definitions /app/local/icml2017/icml2017.sty...
(Loading /usr/local/share/perl/5.24.1/LaTeXML/Package/fancyhdr.sty.ltxml... 0.00 sec)
(Loading /usr/local/share/perl/5.24.1/LaTeXML/Package/color.sty.ltxml... 0.01 sec)
(Processing definitions /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/eso-pic/eso-pic.sty...
(Processing definitions /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/generic/oberdiek/atbegshi.sty...
(Processing definitions /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/generic/oberdiek/infwarerr.sty... 0.06 sec)
(Processing definitions /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/generic/oberdiek/ltxcmds.sty... 0.11 sec)
Error:latex:\GenericError LaTeX Error: Command \ already defined. Or name \end... illegal, see p.192 of the manual
	at /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/generic/oberdiek/atbegshi.sty; line 188 col 47
	See the LaTeX manual or LaTeX Companion for explanation.
	In Core::Definition::Primitive[\GenericE... from LaTeX.pool.ltxml line 4192
	 <= Core::Stomach[@0x560c1d12b8e8] <= Core::Gullet[@0x560c1d12a9d0] <= Core::Definition::Constructor[\Requir... <= ...
File /usr/local/share/perl/5.24.1/LaTeXML/Package/icml2017.sty.ltxml had an error:

Fatal:unexpected:<endgroup> Attempt to pop last locked stack frame
	at /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/generic/oberdiek/atbegshi.sty; line 188 col 47
	In Core::Stomach[@0x560c1d12b8e8] at /usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/generic/oberdiek/atbegshi.sty; line 188 col 47
	 <= Core::Definition::Primitive[End] <= Core::Stomach[@0x560c1d12b8e8] <= Core::Gullet[@0x560c1d12a9d0] <= Core::Definition::Constructor[\Requir... <= Core::Stomach[@0x560c1d12b8e8] <= Core::Gullet[@0x560c1d12a9d0] <= Core::Definition::Constructor[\Requir... <= Core::Stomach[@0x560c1d12b8e8] <= Core::Gullet[@0x560c1d12a9d0] <= Core::Definition::Constructor[\usepac... <= Core::Stomach[@0x560c1d12b8e8]
1 error; 1 fatal error

Just to better understand your process for supporting this sort of thing... Presumably the ideal situation is that ltxcmds.sty.ltxml would use InputDefinitions('ltxcmds', type => 'sty', noltxml => 1) and override things that need overriding.

But, in the meantime, a ltxcmds.sty.ltxml could be written that doesn't use InputDefinitions(...) to get round the fact it doesn't parse.

Does that sound about right?

[brucemiller]

That's a pretty good grasp of the process, but I'd start off with 1 or 2 other steps. Which, as it turns out led to a couple of surprises!

Firstly, I'd try using the --includestyles option, to let latexml interpret any raw style files, just to see what would happen. The first surprise was that nothing happened. A stoopid camel-case typo made that option completely ineffective for the last couple of years!! Argh! OK, so fixed. (thanks!).

Next step (after realizing that the error was from atbegshi.sty; ltxcmds.sty loads just fine) is not to trust LaTeXML too much; try to see if we can track the problem down to a latexml bug, before working to override the package. In this case, it was indeed a simply error with a wrong parameter type to \@ifdefinable in LaTeX.pool. Fixed!

So, 2 bugs down; This may not get you all the way through icm2017, but should get further. Thanks for the report!!

[dginev]

@brucemiller I should also trust latexml less it seems - I may have been able to fix this back in October when you were reviewing my PR for this exact problem in latexmlc #873, but just assumed all was good in the classic commands. Nice to have it caught. And +1 on camelCase being dangerous in hash keys

[bfirsh]

Nice! Thank you! I’ll give this another shot later.

I see I misread that error... sorry for leading you down the wrong path.

[bfirsh]

Funnily I had already been playing with —includestyles and it worked because I was using latexmlc :)