Re: [PATCH] Disable PDF docinfo output for EPS

[Ethan M. <merritt@u.washington.edu>]

On Friday 05 October 2007 02:36, Ludovic Court=C3=A8s wrote:
> Hi,
>=20
> Just in case you missed it, I recently posted a tiny patch to disable
> PDF docinfo output for EPS:
>=20
>   http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.graphics.gnuplot.bugs/1316

I consider the current gnuplot behaviour to be correct.
The pdfmark constuct allows passing metadata through to PDF, and
Adobe's PDF Reference, Third Edition states (Section 9):

   Beginning with PDF 1.4, metadata can also be speci=EF=AC=81ed
   for individual components of a document.

where "individual components" explicitly means such things as
embedded figures, exactly the normal use case for *.eps files.

This issue was raised previously with respect to use of
gnuplot *.eps files in TeX documents:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.graphics.apps.gnuplot/browse_thread/thr=
ead/5938f08fe95b0bdd/469c49b8f2bc57a8

=46rom my perspective, the ability to attach metadata to individual
plots is useful, and is handled correctly by several toolchains.
=46or example, it allows you to search for gnuplot-generated figures
inside a large PDF document.=20

ps2pdf was reported in that thread to mis-handle the metadata
association.  I do not know whether or not a bug report was
subsequently filed against ps2pdf.

On the other hand, the PDF Reference manual also allows an
alternate mechanism for attaching metadata in documnet subcomponents.
If someone wants to explore that and submit a gnuplot patch to use
the alternate mechanism, I would be happy to look at it.=20



=2D-=20
Ethan A Merritt