%%% File: instruct.txt
%%% A part of mfpic 0.7a beta 2004/04/16
%%%

This is an alpha-test version of mfpic. See README.txt for a list of
files and a brief description of each.

Generating and installing the files
-----------------------------------

-- Put mfpic.ins, mfpic.dtx and grafbase.dtx in the same temporary
   directory and change to that directory. Run latex on mfpic.ins, which
   should produce the five files
      mfpic.tex
      mfpic.sty
      grafbase.mf
      grafbase.mp
      dvipsnam.mp

-- If you have an older version of mfpic, remove the old files with the
   same names as the above five from your TeX directories, or ensure
   that the following procedure overwrites them (back them up somewhere
   else first if you wish).

-- Copy mfpic.tex (and mfppatch.tex, if it exists) where TeX or LaTeX
   will find it, and mfpic.sty where LaTeX will find it. On any TDS
   compliant system (such as teTeX, fpTeX, TeXLive, or MiKTeX) they can
   both be put in $TEXMF/tex/generic/mfpic/ (where $TEXMF indicates a
   directory serving as a root of a texmf tree).

-- Copy grafbase.mp and dvipsnam.mp where MetaPost will find them, for
   example $TEXMF/metapost/mfpic/ .

-- Copy grafbase.mf where Metafont will find it. For example,
   $TEXMF/metafont/mfpic/ .

-- Copy mfpguide.pdf and mfpman.pdf where documentation is kept. For
   example, $TEXMF/doc/generic/mfpic/ . Optionally, copy src/*.* to the
   LaTeX input path, and examples/*.* to either the same place or the
   documentation area.

-- If required by your TeX system (MiKTeX, teTeX, fpTeX, TeXLive
   DO require it): UPDATE THE TeX FILENAME DATABASE !

There is one optional step that may be useful (if you only wish to use
mfpic to produce MetaPost pictures, you may skip this): find the file
modes.mf on your system. Typically this will be in $TEXMF/metafont/misc/
Find near the end a line similar to

    localfont := ljfour;

Replace, if necessary, the string "ljfour" by one of the modes listed in
that file. At minimum, select one whose resolution (DPI) matches your
printer and/or the configuration of your dvi viewer. If you make such a
change, regenerate the mf.base file (fmtutil on teTeX, fpTeX or TeXLive;
MiKTeX Options in MiKTeX). On some systems this may be named plain.base.

Read mfpguide.pdf before trying anything further. If you are already
familiar with mfpic, version 0.2.10.9 or later, you can probably get
going right away.

If you want to read the documented source code for mfpic, run latex on
mfpic.dtx and grafbase.dtx (Peter Wilson's docmfp.sty is required
for grafbase.dtx) 2 or 3 times each. Then run makeindex for each:

    makeindex -s gind.ist -o mfpic.ind    mfpic.idx
    makeindex -s gind.ist -o grafbase.ind grafbase.idx

and then latex again (once each).  The docmfp package can be found at
your favorite CTAN mirror. A copy of docmfp.sty is also on my web page
(see README.txt).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you desire to remake the mfpic manual (and why in the world would you
be wanting to do a daft thing like that?), make sure mfpman.tex and
mfpdoc.sty are in the current directory or where LaTeX can find them.
Edit, if you like, the paper size option in the \documentclass command
in mfpman.tex. Make sure mfpdoc.sty is where LaTeX will find it. Then
run pdflatex two (2) times:

    pdflatex mfpman
    pdflatex mfpman

then run makeindex:

    makeindex mfpman

then run latex two (2) more times

    pdflatex mfpman
    pdflatex mfpman

The last run is required to get the index into the table of contents.
You can use latex instead of pdflatex, but you won't get clickable links
in the result. (I was too lazy to work out the kinks.)

You could do something similar for mfpguide.tex (but that, too, would be
daft):
    pdflatex mfpguide
    mpost guide.mp
    pdflatex mfpguide
    pdflatex mfpguide

This relies on mfpic so you should probably wait to do that until after
you are accustomed to that process. (And then take a cold shower until
this compulsion passes.)

And finally, if you forgot:
                ****************************************
                * ! UPDATE THE TeX FILENAME DATABASE ! *
                ****************************************

--
Dan Luecking  (luecking at uark dot edu)
Department of Mathematical Sciences
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701-1201
U.S.A