# MPOST - MetaPost, a system for creating graphics r-mpost, r-pm... - man(1) - [phpMan]


*Source: tldr-pages*

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[_MPOST_(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MPOST/1/markdown)                               General Commands Manual                              [_MPOST_(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MPOST/1/markdown)

## NAME
       mpost,  pmpost,  upmpost - MetaPost, a system for creating graphics r-mpost, r-pmpost, r-upm‐
       post - restricted MetaPost

## SYNOPSIS
       **mpost **[_options_] [_commands_]

       **mpost --dvitomp _**dvifile_[**.dvi**] [_mpxfile_[**.mpx**]]


## DESCRIPTION
       MetaPost interprets the MetaPost language and produces PostScript (EPS)  or  Scalable  Vector
       Graphics  (SVG)  pictures.   The  MetaPost language is similar to Knuth's Metafont with addi‐
       tional features for including [**tex**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/tex/1/markdown) or [**troff**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/troff/1/markdown) commands and  accessing  features  of  Post‐
       Script not found in Metafont.

       MetaPost  is normally used with a set of basic macros, and it will use its executable name as
       the name of the preload file to use.   For example, when called as **mpost **the _mpost.mp_ file is
       used, which simply reads _plain.mp_.  When the **--ini **option is given, preloading does not  hap‐
       pen.

       The  _commands_ given on the command line to the MetaPost program are passed to it as the first
       input line.  (But it is often easier to type extended arguments  as  the  first  input  line,
       since  UNIX  shells tend to gobble up or misinterpret MetaPost's favorite symbols, like semi‐
       colons, unless you quote them.) The normal usage is to say _mpost_ _figs_  to  process  the  file
       _figs.mp_.   The  basename  of _figs_ becomes the ``jobname'', and is used in forming output file
       names.  If no file is named, the jobname becomes _mpout_.  The default extension, _.mp_,  can  be
       overridden by specifying an extension explicitly.

       When  the **--dvitomp **option is given, MetaPost acts as DVI-to-MPX converter only.  See dvitomp
       (1) for details.

       The **pmpost **program is a variant with Japanese support, and **upmpost **has Unicode-enabled Japan‐
       ese support, analogous to ptex and uptex.

       All three variants are also installed with an `r-' prefix, that is, **r-mpost**, **r-pmpost**, **r-upm‐**
       **post**, which implicitly specify the **--restricted **option to make MetaPost safe to  run  on  un‐
       known input; the tex, makempx, and editor commands are disabled.

       This manual page is a mere skeleton.  For a list of all command line options, run **--help**.

       The  main  documentation  for  this  version of MetaPost can be found in the User Manual that
       should  have  been  installed  along  with  the  program   and   is   also   available   from
       <https://tug.org/metapost>.

       The  MetaPost  language  is similar to Metafont, but the manual assumes no knowledge of Meta‐
       font.  MetaPost does not have bitmap output commands or Metafont's online display mechanism.

## FILES
       _plain.mp_
              The standard preload file.

       _mfplain.mp_
              The Metafont-compatible preload file.

       _$TEXMFMAIN/metapost/base/*.mp_
              The standard MetaPost macros included in the original distribution.

       _$TEXMFMAIN/metapost/support/*_
              Various tables for handling included _tex_ and _troff_.

       _$TEXMFMAIN/metapost/support/trfonts.map_
              Table of corresponding font names for _troff_ and PostScript.

       _psfonts.map_
              Table of corresponding font names for _tex_ and PostScript.

       _$TEXMFMAIN/doc/metapost/*_
              The MetaPost manual and tutorial source, also including sample figures

## SUGGESTED READING
       Donald E. Knuth, _The_ _Metafontbook_ (Volume C of _Computers_  _and_  _Typesetting_),  Addison-Wesley,
       1986, ISBN 0-201-13445-4.
       _TUGboat_ (the journal of the TeX Users Group).

## SEE ALSO
       [**dvitomp**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dvitomp/1/markdown), [**epstopdf**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/epstopdf/1/markdown), [**mf**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mf/1/markdown), [**mptopdf**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mptopdf/1/markdown), [**tex**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/tex/1/markdown),
       MetaPost home page ⟨<https://tug.org/metapost/>⟩.

## AUTHORS
       MetaPost  was  created  by John D. Hobby, incorporating algorithms from Metafont by Donald E.
       Knuth.  It was originally implemented on Unix, incorporating system-dependent  routines  from
       **web2c**, while not relying on it except for the actual Web-to-C translator.

       Ulrik  Vieth  adapted  MetaPost  to take advantage of the advanced path searching features in
       more recent versions of **web2c **and worked towards fully integrating MetaPost into the  canoni‐
       cal Unix TeX distribution.

       The  primary author of the current MetaPost was Taco Hoekwater, with assistance from Hans Ha‐
       gen and many others.  It is currently maintained by Luigi Scarso.

## BUGS
       The MetaPost home page is <https://tug.org/metapost>.

Web2C 2023                                31 December 2018                                  [_MPOST_(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MPOST/1/markdown)