Re: Sticky Previews? Mathematica Export, Illustrator, and Textures
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg30705] Re: [mg30662] Sticky Previews? Mathematica Export, Illustrator, and Textures
- From: Dale Horton <daleh at wolfram.com>
- Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 02:23:34 -0400 (EDT)
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
At 07:32 PM 9/3/2001, aes wrote:
>There appears to be something odd that goes on with Mathematica,
>Illustrator, Textures, and image previews.
>
>1) I create a Mathematica notebook which creates a simple plot and
>Exports it to HD in EPS format under file name "testPlot". Also create
>a Textures TeX source file which imports this image file and displays it
>using
>
> \special{illustration testPlot scaled 1000}
>
>(Textures is Blue Sky's very nice implementation of TeX for the
>Macintosh.)
>
>2) Run the Mathematica notebook: "testPlot" file appears on HD, with an
>Mathematica
>icon.
All files generated by the Mathematica kernel are of type TEXT/OMEG.
>3) Typeset the Textures source file, and print the typeset file. Image
>does not display in typeset window on screen, but does print OK, as
>expected.
Typeset probably cannot render EPS directly. It needs a bitmap preview to
render on screen. The printer does know how to render the EPS so it prints
fine.
>3) Open "testPoot" file in Illustrator (7.0), make no changes, just
>immediately Save As Illustrator EPS under same name with "Create
>thumbnail" option checked. testPlot icon changes to Illustrator icon.
The "thumbnail" is probably a bitmap preview of the EPS. Illustrator also
changes the type.
>4) Run the unchanged Textures source file: image now appears in typeset
>document on screen and prints OK.
>
>5) Re-run the Mathematica notebook, re-creating and re-exporting the same
>plot
>under same name: "testPlot' icon on HD changes back to Mathematica icon.
Same as above.
>6) Re-run Textures source file: image *continues* to appear in typeset
>window on screen, and prints OK.
This indicates to me that the preview is not stored in the data fork, but
the resource fork of the file. The Mathematica kernel does not alter the
resource fork of a file. It only writes to the data fork.
>7) Quit Textures, then re-open Textures and Textures source file and
>again re-run it: image *still* appears on screen, as well as printing
>OK.
>
>8) Go to Mathematica notebook, change the plot (add another curve to it),
>Export changed plot, but under same name.
>
>9) Re-run Textures source file: The *old* (original) plot still
>appears on screen, but the *new* (changed) plot prints.
>
>10) Quit Textures; re-open and re-run Textures source file: Textures
>typeset document *still* displays the *old* image on screen, but prints
>the *new* changed document.
>
>I suppose the most reasonable interpretation of this is that, however
>the Mathematica Export command handles the re-creating of a HD file, the
>preview
>image created by Illustrator somehow "sticks" to the re-created file --
>and the old preview even sticks to a new, changed EPS file. However,
>that's beyond my level of computer expertise.
Try Exportting the EPS with a preview in the data fork. "EPSI" and
"EPSTIFF" formats do this. Then, you shouldn't need to use Illustrator at all.
-Dale