BXeepic Package

LaTeX: Reimplementation of epic/eepic features using pict2e engine

The eepic package (authored by Conrad Kwok) is one of packages to provide small-size extention to the picture environment of LaTeX (and epic package) and employs the tpic drawing feature of DVI-wares. Back in 1990--2000 the use of epic + eepic was widespread because many of the legacy DVI-wares (dvips, dvipdfmx, etc.) support tpic (and thus eepic extension). But pdfTeX engine has never supported tpic. As consequence, the use of epic + eepic was gradually replaced by pict2e as pdfTeX became more popular.

In most cases drawings using epic + eepic are easily converted to pict2e ones, but there are features that eepic supports but pict2e does not --- e.g. ellipsis, dashed line. The present package provides almost full features of epic + eepic implemented on pict2e engines. Thus one can make epic + eepic drawings work on pdfTeX; moreover, one can use eepic and pict2e in the same document.

System requirement

• TeX format: LaTeX.
• TeX engine: Anything.
• Dependent packages:
  • pict2e

Installation

• *.sty, *.def → $TEXMF/tex/latex/bxeepic

Usage

Load this package after loading pict2e.

\usepackage[<pict2e options>]{pict2e}
\usepackage{bxeepic}

If pict2e is not yet loaded in loading bxeepic then it is loaded automatically, and in this case every option given to bxeepic will be passed to pict2e.

\usepackage[<pict2e options>]{bxeepic}

This package provides all commands of epic and eepic packages, except the following:

• Dotted line with user-defined dots: the optional argument of \dottedline is ignored.

Notice

• When behavior of a command differs between eepic and epic, then that of eepic is adopted.
• When behavior of a command differs between pict2e and eepic, then that of pict2e is adopted.
• However, \arc command can be used either in pict2e or eepic syntax; when it looks like \arc{...}{...}{...} then eepic syntax is assumed.
• When bxeepic is loaded, both epic and eepic packages are marked as ‘already-loaded’; so one can load bxeepic earlily and then the packages that rely on epic and eepic will work happily.

Revision History

• Version 0.4 〈2020/07/07〉
  • Now shading (\blacken, \whiten, \shade, \filltype) is supported. \texture fallbacks to \shade, as in dvips.
  • Now dashed lines with dotted dashes are supported: the second optional argument of \dashline is employed.
  • Fix for supporting pict2e of version 2016/01/09 or later.
• Version 0.3 〈2020/06/28〉
  • Use \jput (instead of \put) to put objects in \putfile.
• Version 0.2 〈2013/04/28〉
  • The bxdpxp2e module, which provides proper support for dvipdfmx, was abolished because the recent pic2e (>=v0.2y) has the support.
  • Documentation.
• Version 0.1 〈2010/08/08〉
  • The first public version.

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Takayuki YATO (aka. "ZR")
https://github.com/zr-tex8r