MIKTEX-MPOST(1)

💅 NAME 💅

okay bestie, this is the manual page for miktex-mpost, section 1 (User Commands) — the manual name is literally MIKTEX-MPOST(1). And what is it? miktex-mpost — MetaPost, a system for creating graphics. iconic. ✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

miktex-mpost [option...] [[command...] | [file]]

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Okay so first thing: this man page is an adaption of the corresponding TeX Live man page. 💖

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 additional features for including TeX commands and accessing features of PostScript not found in METAFONT. it's giving graphics main character energy. 🎀

MetaPost is normally used with some preloaded macros, and it will use its executable name as the name of the preload file to use. For example, when called as miktex-mpost the mpost.mp file is used, which is identical to plain.mp. When the --initialize option is given, preloading does not happen.

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 shells tend to gobble up or misinterpret MetaPost's favorite symbols, like semicolons, unless you quote them.) The normal usage is to say miktex-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. Run miktex-mpost --dvitomp --help for option explanation.

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

• --alias=name — pretend to be program name, i.e., set program (and memory dump) name to name. This may affect the search paths and other values used. Using this option is equivalent to copying the program file to name and invoking name.
• --c-style-errors — change the way error messages are printed. The alternate style looks like error messages from many compilers and is easier to parse for some editors.
• --debug — print debugging info and leave temporary files in place. (yes, the temp files stay — not me forgetting to clean up 💀)
• --halt-on-error — quit after the first error.
• --help — give help and exit.
• --initialize — become the INI variant of the program.
• --interaction=mode — set the interaction mode. Must be one of batchmode, scrollmode and errorstopmode. The meaning of these modes is the same as the corresponding commands.
• --job-name=name — set the name of the job (\jobname). This has an affect on the output file names.
• --no-c-style-errors — don't change the way error messages are printed.
• --numbersystem=string — set number system mode (string one of: scaled, double, binary, decimal).
• --output-directory=dir — write output files in dir instead of the current directory. Look up input files in dir first, then along the normal search path.
• --recorder — enable the file name recorder. This leaves a trace of the files opened for input and output in a file with the extension .fls.
• --restricted — be secure: disable tex, and editor commands.
• -s internal="string" — set internal to the value.
• -s internal=number — set internal to the value.
• --tex=texprogram — use texprogram instead of miktex-tex when compiling text labels. This flag overrides the environment variable TEX.
• --troff — set prologues:=1 and assume --tex=troff.
• --undump=name — use name as the name of the format to be used, instead of the name by which the program was called or a %& line.
• --version — show version information and exit.

🦋 ENVIRONMENT 🦋

• MIKTEX_TRACE — comma-separated list of trace stream names (see Chapter 9, Trace Streams). If this variable is set, then MiKTeX programs will write trace messages into the configured log sink.
• MPINPUTS — extra paths to locate MetaPostinput files.
• MPINPUTS — extra paths to locate MetaPostinput files. (yes, it's listed twice in the original — not a glitch, bestie 💅)

okay that's the whole page, bestie — this cutie comes from MiKTeX 25.12, dated December 29, 2025, and it's the MIKTEX-MPOST(1) manual. mwah 💖