%% %% This is file `README.txt', %% %% Copyright (C) 2005--2023 Claudio Beccari all rights reserved. %% License information appended %% File README.txt for package curve2e [2023-01-01 v.2.3.1 Extension package for pict2e] The package bundle curve2e is composed of the following files curve2e.dtx curve2e-manual.tex README.txt The derived files are curve2e.sty curve2e-v161.sty curve2e.pdf curve2e-manual.pdf Compile curve2e.dtx and curve2e-manual.tex two or three times until all labels and citation keys are completely resolved. Move curve2e.dtx and curve2e-manual.tex to ROOT/source/latex/curve2e/ Move curve2e.pdf and curve2e-manual.pdf to ROOT/doc/latex/curve2e/ Move curve2e.sty and curve2e-v161.sty to ROOT/tex/latex/curve2e/ Move README.txt to ROOT/doc/latex/curve2e/ curve2e.dtx is the documented TeX source file of the derived files curve2e.sty, and curve2e-v161.sty. You get curve2e.sty, curve2e.pdf, and curve2e-v161.sty by running pdflatex on curve2e.dtx. The curve2e-manual file contains the user manual; in this way the long preliminary descriptive part has been transferred to a shorter dedicated file, where the “normal” user should find enough information to use the package. The curve2e.pdf file, extracted from the .dtx one, contains the code documentation and is intended for developers, or for curious advanced users. For what concerns curve2e-v161.sty, it is a previous fall back version of this package; see below why the older version might become necessary to the end user. README.txt, this file, contains general information. Curve2e.sty is an extension of the package pict2e.sty which initially extended the standard picture LaTeX environment according to what Leslie Lamport specified in the second edition of his LaTeX manual (1994); in time pict2e.sty evolved to contain further enhancements to what Leslie Lamport announced in 1994. This further extension curve2e.sty to pict2e.sty allows to draw lines and vectors with any non integer slope parameters, to draw dashed and dotted lines of any slope, to draw arcs and curved vectors, to draw curves where just the interpolating nodes are specified together with the slopes at such nodes; closed paths of any shape can be filled with color; all coordinates are treated as ordered pairs, i.e. 'complex numbers'; coordinates may be expressed also in polar form. Coordinates may be specified with macros, so that editing any drawing is rendered much simpler: any point specified with a macro may be modified only once in its macro definition. Some of these features have been incorporated in the 2009 version of pict2e; therefore this package avoids any modification to the original pict2e commands. In any case this version of curve2e is compatible with later versions of pict2e; see below. As said above, curve2e now accepts polar coordinates in addition to the usual cartesian ones; several macros have been upgraded; a new macro for tracing cubic Bezier splines with their control nodes specified in polar form is available. The same applies to quadratic Bezier splines. The \multiput command has been completely modified in a backwards compatible way; the new version allows to manipulate the increment components in a configurable way. A new \xmultiput command has been defined that is more configurable than the original one; both commands \multiput and \xmultiput are backwards compatible with the original picture environment definition. Curve2e solves a conflict with package eso-pic. This version of curve2e is almost fully compatible with pict2e dated 2014/01/12 version 0.2z and later; as of today the last pct2e revision is version 0.4b dated 2020, and curve2e has been tested also with this revision confirming that it performs as expected. Pay attention, though, that in 2020 also the \LaTeX kernel segment dealing with the picture environment has been upgraded; since then, the picture environment opening and internal commands can handle explicit dimensions and accepts dimensional expressions as those that can be processed by the eTeX command \dimexpr. Such functionalities should be avoided when using curve2e; at least when dealing with coordinates that curve2e assumes to be real possibly floating point numbers, not dimensions. If you specify: \usepackage[]{curve2e} package pict2e is loaded and curve2e options are automatically passed on to pict2e. The -almost fully compatible- phrase is necessary to explain that this version of curve2e uses some `functions' of the LaTeX3 language that were made available to the LaTeX developers by mid October 2018. Should the user have an older or a basic/incomplete installation of the TeX system, such L3 functions might not be available. This is why this package checks the presence of the developer interface; in case such interface is not available it falls back to the previous version renamed curve2e-v161.sty, which is part of this bundle; this roll-back file name must not be modified in any way. The compatibility mentioned above implies that the user macros remain the same, but their implementation requires the L3 interface. Some macros and environments rely totally on the xfp package functionalities, but legacy documents source files should compile correctly. This package has the LPPL status of maintained. According to the LPPL licence, you are entitled to modify this package, as long as you fulfil the few conditions set forth by the Licence. Nevertheless this package is an extension to the standard LaTeX pict2e (2014 and 2020) package. Therefore any change must be controlled on the parent package pict2e, so as to avoid redefining or interfering with what is already contained in that package. If you prefer sending me your modifications, as long as I will maintain this package, I will possibly include every (documented) suggestion or modification into this package and, of course, I will acknowledge your contribution. Claudio Beccari claudio dot beccari at gmail dot com %% %% End of file `README.txt'.