[bug #62572] [gropdf] would like complaint if embedding needed but download file useless

[G. Branden Robinson]

Follow-up Comment #2, bug #62572 (project groff):

Thanks for the quick response, Deri--you're precisely the person I hoped to
hear from.  :)

[comment #1 comment #1:]
> I'm not sure how to do this, it is quite permissable to have a blank
download file, just as it is in grops. The file in grops lists those fonts
which require to be embedded since they are not part of the 35 base fonts for
postscript. In gropdf a missing entry also means that the font does not need
to be downloaded, i.e. it is one of the base pdf fonts, but because I
implemented the -e flag in gropdf I do need to know from where the base fonts
can be downloaded. This is why some of the filenames in download have a
leading asterisk, they are base files which don't need to to be included in
the pdf except when the -e flag is present.

Understood.
 
> Gropdf should not be expected to work without a valid download file,

Agreed.

> which is why I consider removing BuildFoundries from groff executables was a
mistake.

I think that predates my time with the groff project...

> It was intended as a tool for the user to use if there were changes to his
system which resulted in new positions for the needed fonts, i.e. new version
of ghostscript. This is why the program attempts to preserve local changes to
download while looking for the URW fonts. It could similarly be used if a user
messed up his download file.

I noticed that and did preserve this feature in my recent changes (19f7a3562
<https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/groff.git/commit/?id=19f7a3562615f96a3ad8722d8083c73fa6988b75>,
468f7c8fd05
<https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/groff.git/commit/?id=468f7c8fd0570890282a664db5a0f59f90fea670>).

> Gropdf could have a moan if the -e flag is present and the required font is
not mentioned in the download file,

Yes, this is exactly what I mean to request with this Savannah ticket.  Is it
something you feel good about doing?

> but without the flag it just means that no download is required, the same as
grops.

Acknowledged.

I agree that it would be good to get a download file refresher back into the
suite of installed groff tools.  For that I think BuildFoundries is going to
need a bit of work.  Maybe a thicker option interface since it has multiple
inputs; a usage message; a man page; and a name that meshes well with the rest
of the groff command name space.

Maybe "gropdf-refresh-download"?  Having such a script installed to the $PATH
would indeed make life easier for 'install-font' users.

(However, this discussion begins to wander off-topic; we should probably
continue BuildFoundries matters in bug #58831, bug #40717, or a new ticket.)


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