"For loop" in newcommand

Question

I have this command

\newcommand{\pdfappendix}[1]{
    \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/#1.pdf}
}

It works well when I have 1 page pdf but is not including the other pages. Now I decided to change the command to take a second argument which is the number of pages and will repeat \includegraphics that number of times.

I want something similar to (the following is not latex code):

\newcommand{\pdfappendix}[2]{
    for index=1 to #2
    {
       \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/#1index.pdf}
    }
}

Example: MyPDF.pdf has 4 pages. I will split it in 4 pdfs with 1 page each: MyPDF1.pdf, MyPDF2.pdf, MyPDF3.pdf, MyPDF4.pdf. The output of the command will be:

Then I will write the command: \pdfappendix{MyPDF}{4}

And it will output:

\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/MyPDF1.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/MyPDF2.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/MyPDF3.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/MyPDF4.pdf}

Is it possible to do that?

PS: I don't want to use \includepdf because I have some problems with section headers.

Answer 1

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{pgffor}

\def\pdfappendix#1#2{%
  \foreach \index in {1, ..., #2} {%
    \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{#1\index.pdf}\par%
  }}

\begin{document}
  \pdfappendix{pdf/test}{4}
\end{document}

The above code will the thing you want. However I haven't tested it extensively. I just tested this minimal example and it works.

Answer 2

For the sake of completeness, in Luatex:

\newcommand{\pdfappendix}[2]{
    \directlua{
        for index=1,#2 do 
            tex.print("\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/#1"..index..".pdf}")
        end}

Answer 3

A solution without any extra packages

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}

% introduce a dummy counter, initially 0    
\newcount\tmp

\newcommand{\pdfappendix}[2]{% need this to prevent extra vertical space
    % #1: image path and core part of name
    % #2: maximum number
    \tmp=0
    \loop
        % increment dummy counter
        \advance\tmp by 1
        % include the image
        \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{#1\number\tmp.pdf}
        % repeat the loop provided the counter is within specified bound
        \ifnum\tmp<#2
    \repeat
}

\begin{document}

\pdfappendix{pdf/test}{5}

\newpage
\pdfappendix{pdf/test}{3}

\newpage
\pdfappendix{pdf/test}{2}

\newpage
\pdfappendix{pdf/test}{1}
\end{document}

Answer 4

\usepackage{multido}
\newcommand\pdfappendix[2]{%
  \multido{\I=1+1}{#2}{%
    \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/#1\I.pdf}}}

Answer 5

Just to do it differently, by recursion:

\newcommand\pdfappendix[2]{%
  %% initialize the "container" macro
  \def\pdfappendixcommand{}
  %% store the common prefix
  \def\pdfappendixcommon{#1}%
  %% start the recursion
  \dopdfappendix{1}{#2}}
\newcommand\dopdfappendix[2]{%
  \ifnum#1>#2
    %% terminate the recursion
    \expandafter\pdfappendixcommand
  \else
    %% append to \pdfappendixcommand
    \edef\pdfappendixcommand{%
      \unexpanded\expandafter{\pdfappendixcommand}\space
      \noexpand\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{\pdfappendixcommon#1.pdf}}%
    %% call \dopdfappendix{#1+1}{#2} (but computing "#1+1" and expanding \fi)
    \expandafter\dopdfappendix\expandafter
      {\number\numexpr#1+1\expandafter}% First argument to \dopdfappendix
      \expandafter{\number#2\expandafter}% Second argument to \dopdfappendix
  \fi}

Then

\pdfappendix{pdf/MyPDF}{5}

will do the required thing. The trick is to build recursively a macro that will contain all the instructions. For instance, \pdfappendix{pdf/MyPDF}{2} will build \pdfappendixcommand expanding to

 \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/MyPDF1.pdf} \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/MyPDF2.pdf}

All the \ifnum are evaluated at nesting level 1, because the call to \dopdfappendix is made after the \fi has been expanded.

What happens is that the following commands are called in turn (second argument 5):

\dopdfappendix{1}{5}
\dopdfappendix{2}{5}
\dopdfappendix{3}{5}
\dopdfappendix{4}{5}
\dopdfappendix{5}{5}
\dopdfappendix{6}{5}

and the last one will execute

\pdfappendixcommand

instead of continuing the recursion.

Answer 6

@cmhughes: Your solution only required some modification, not deletion.

% Eg, \pdfappendix{MyPDF}{4}
\makeatletter
\newcommand*\pdfappendix{\begingroup\def\x{}\@tempcnta\z@\dopdfappendix}
\newcommand*\dopdfappendix[2]{%
  \advance\@tempcnta\@ne
  \ifnum\@tempcnta>#2\relax
    \expandafter\@firstoftwo
  \else
    \edef\x{%
      \unexpanded\expandafter{\x}%
      \noexpand\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{#1\the\@tempcnta.pdf}%
    }%
    \expandafter\@secondoftwo
  \fi
  {\expandafter\endgroup\x}{\dopdfappendix{#1}{#2}}%
}
\makeatother

With a dedicated counter we don't need an accretion of \includegraphics. Here is it:

\makeatletter
\newcount\mycount
\newcommand*\pdfappendix{\mycount\z@\dopdfappendix}
\newcommand*\dopdfappendix[2]{%
  \advance\mycount\@ne
  \ifnum\mycount>#2\relax
    \expandafter\@gobble
  \else
    \edef\x{\noexpand\includegraphics[scale=0.6]{#1\the\mycount.pdf}}%
    \expandafter\@iden
  \fi
  {\x\dopdfappendix{#1}{#2}}% 
}
\makeatother

Answer 7

With functional package, you can write this:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{functional}

\newcommand{\pdfappendix}[2]{%
  \IntStepInline{1}{1}{#2}{%
    \includegraphics[scale=0.6]{pdf/#1##1.pdf}%
  }%
}

\begin{document}

\pdfappendix{MyPDF}{4}

\end{document}