How to include files inside template/package, but parsed from project path?

Questions
,
1

I’m working on a template and I have an #include-files() function that would take a list of files and then just #input them inside the template. Specifically to have correct custom footer and page numbering on these “preface” files before primary contents. And then followed by main body etc.

Structure:

  • Template
    • Frontpage
    • Preface pages (parsed as paths)
  • Paper

My problem is:
I’m testing this on local and the root is always my package src folder instead of my personal project folder because it’s my src/main.typ that essentially call the input I presume. But I can’t seem to figure out despite some similar issues or posts touching on similar subjects, how to get the correct path to be parsed.

mark project root, path and string should be different types.

And it works fine if not ran as part of a package but just ran as part of my project. Utilizing having prefixed “/” in paths to reference root of project

Error

error: file not found()    
@local/test-template:0.1.0\src\functions.typ:6:12

//Actual Path: 
C:\Users\*MY-USER*\AppData\Local\typst/packages\local/test-template/0.1.0\sections\preface\preface.typ

//Expected path: 
C:\myproject\test-template\sections\preface\preface.typ

Code:

//main.typ
#show: template.with(
  //... prior stuff
  before: ( //my list of files to include
    preface: "/sections/preface/preface.typ",
    acknowledgement: "/sections/preface/acknowledgement.typ",
    contents: "/sections/preface/contents.typ",
    readers_guide: "/sections/preface/readers_guide.typ",
  ),
)

//template.typ
#let template() {
    include-files(before)
}

//functions.typ
#let include-files(file-list) = {
  let files = file-list.values()

  for file in files {
    include file
  }
}
2

You don’t need include-files function as it’s a simple oneliner:

#let files = ("a.typ", "b.typ", "c.typ")
#files.map(x => include x).join()

This is actually a pattern that works something like this:

#for item in items [#item content]
// is
#items.map(item => [#item content]).join()

for loop joins the result of its block execution iterations.

Also, I don’t see the point in making before a dictionary over array.

I don’t understand the error as some context was stripped away. What is the root directory of the project during compilation?

This works fine for me:

local/test-template/0.1.0/
├── sections
│   └── preface
│       ├── acknowledgement.typ
│       ├── contents.typ
│       ├── preface.typ
│       └── readers_guide.typ
└── src
    ├── main.typ
    └── template.typ


typst c --root . src/main.typ

test-template.zip

3

File paths such as /sections/preface/preface.typ" are always relative to where they are used:

// a.typ
#let my-include(path) = include path

// b.typ
#import "@local/test-template:0.1.0": my-include

#include "foo.typ"      // relative to b.typ
#my-include("foo.typ") // relative to a.typ

in your case, that means your (absolute) paths would be relative to (the package containing) functions.typ. The way around this is to not pass paths, but content to your template:

  before: ( //my list of files to include
    preface: include "/sections/preface/preface.typ",
    acknowledgement: include "/sections/preface/acknowledgement.typ",
    contents: include "/sections/preface/contents.typ",
    readers_guide: include "/sections/preface/readers_guide.typ",
  ),

Eventually, there should be a distinct path type that lets you pass paths to other places, while retaining what they’re relative to, but this doesn’t exist yet. You can read more on the topic here:

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