m4cmpy

The M4 Circuit Macros (M4CM) Python automation package simplifies to process to create standalone EPS, PDF, PNG, JPG and SVG pictures from Circuit Macros source, see also peter.randewijk.dk/m4cmpy for examples.

Version 4 needs only Python and a TeX distribution (MiKTeX or TeX Live): GNU m4, dpic and ImageMagick are no longer required.

Package	Replaces	Role
pym4	GNU m4	m4 → pic
pppic	dpic -p	pic → PSTricks
m4cmpy	m4cm.py 3.3	m4 → PDF / PNG / JPG / SVG / EPS

Install

pip install m4cmpy
m4cm --get-cm

m4cm --get-cm downloads the latest Circuit Macros from CTAN into your user cache folder. Alternatively set M4PATH, pass -I DIR, or rely on the copy in your TeX tree (found with kpsewhich libcct.m4).

The TeX tools come from MiKTeX or TeX Live: latex, dvips, Ghostscript (mgs in MiKTeX, gs elsewhere), epstopdf for PDF and dvisvgm for SVG. MiKTeX does not have to be on PATH; use --tex-bin DIR for other locations.

Use

m4cm -p -n -s ex0.m4cm         # PDF, PNG and SVG (plus EPS)
m4cm -p -d *.m4cm              # PDF only, for every .m4cm file in the folder
m4cm -n -r 192 -o web ex0.m4cm # 192 dpi PNG in the folder "web"

Option	Meaning
-e	EPS (always made, default)
-p / -n / -j / -s	PDF / PNG (transparent) / JPG / SVG
--svg-fonts	SVG with embedded WOFF2 fonts instead of outlines
-d	delete the EPS afterwards
-r DPI	PNG/JPG resolution (default 600)
-b L B R T	bounding-box offset in points (default 1 1 1 1)
-a TEXT	append TEXT to the output file names
-o DIR	output folder
-t FILE	LaTeX template (default default.ltx)
-I DIR	extra m4 include folder, e.g. for your own macro libraries
-q / -Q	quiet / silent

The LaTeX template is looked up in the current folder, then next to the input; without one, a built-in template is used. Templates must contain a line with %dpic_pstricks_output_here%; see Examples/default.ltx.

Repository

Folder	Contents
src/m4cmpy	the m4cm command
tests	unit, toolchain and end-to-end tests: python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
Examples	example .m4cm files and template
Sansserif Math LaTeX Style Files	sansserifmath.sty, used by the example template
Syntax Highlighting	VS Code (.vsix), Notepad++, Kate and Programmer's Notepad definitions
Additional Scripts	animation helper, and m4cm_defines.py, which regenerates the syntax highlighting from a Circuit Macros release
legacy/m4cm.py	the classic script (version 3.3), which still uses m4, dpic and ImageMagick

CI runs the tests on Windows, macOS and Linux against the latest pym4 and pppic, and builds the example with TeX Live (the figures are kept as a build artifact).

Licence

GPL-3.0-or-later; see LICENSE. Circuit Macros and dpic are by J. D. Aplevich.