Re: gropdf landscape orientation support (was: [groff] 04/40: [gropdf]: Provide more info in diagnostic message.)

[Deri]

On Thursday, 17 November 2022 18:43:53 GMT G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> Just to make sure I understand: you are saying that the "-P-l" option to
> groff is unnecessary if "pdf" is the output device and the paper format
> is suffixed with "l" (case-insensitively)?
> 
> I confess to some uncertainty about the wisdom of this, since there is
> already a "-l" option recognized across most typesetting output drivers
> for using landscape orientation.  It thus seems that the possibility
> arises for a conflict between DWIM and taking the user literally.  E.g.,
> should "-P -p -P legall -P -l" result in a portrait orientation of U.S.
> legal paper?

Hi Branden,

In papersize.tmac I see this in a comment:-

  groff -Tps -dpaper=a4l -P-pa4 -P-l -ms foo.ms > foo.ps

So concept of reversing width height by appending an l has already been used 
in groff.

There is a fundamental difference between -p a4 -l and -p a4l. The first is a 
portrait medium where all strokes to the page are transformed through 90 
degrees. The second is a landscape medium with no transformation applied to 
the strokes. If you consider landscape printing A5 paper on an A4 printer, you 
can load the paper in two orientations, one way round will require stroke 
rotation, but none the other way.

The example above could be written:-

  groff -Tpdf -dpaper=a4l -P-pa4l -ms foo.ms > foo.ps

I hope you have grasped the difference. If you examine the contents of the pdf 
produced you will see substantial differences even though they may look the 
same on the screen. You might like to think about whether -dpaper= should 
trigger an appropriate \X'papersize' if output is pdf, which would ensure both 
groff and gropdf are singing from the same hymn book.

Cheers 

Deri