This is Info file plotutils.info, produced by Makeinfo version 1.68
from the input file plotutils.texi.

INFO-DIR-SECTION GNU Plotting Utilities
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Plotting utilities: (plotutils).      GNU plotting utilities.
* graph: (plotutils)graph Invocation.   Plot datasets, possibly in real time.
* plot: (plotutils)plot Invocation.     Convert and display plot files.
* pic2plot: (plotutils)pic2plot Invocation.   Convert files in the pic language
* tek2plot: (plotutils)tek2plot Invocation.   Translate legacy Tektronix data.
* plotfont: (plotutils)plotfont Invocation.   Plot character maps of fonts.
* spline: (plotutils)spline Invocation. Interpolate between points in datasets.
* ode: (plotutils)ode Invocation.       Integrate differential equations.
* libplot: (plotutils)libplot.          A library for 2-D vector graphics.
* Appendices: (plotutils)Appendices.    More info on the plotting utilities.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

   This file documents version 2.4.1 of the GNU plotting utilities
package, including GNU libplot 4.1

   Copyright (C) 1989-2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that
the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
permission notice identical to this one.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a
translation approved by the Foundation.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Top,  Next: Plotutils Intro,  Prev: (dir),  Up: (dir)

   This is the documentation for version 2.4.1 of the GNU plotting
utilities package, including GNU libplot 4.1.  The package consists of
programs and functions for data plotting and vector graphics.

* Menu:

* Plotutils Intro::     GNU plotting utilities
* graph::               graph, a program for plotting datasets
* plot::                plot, a plot format conversion program
* pic2plot::            pic2plot, a translator for files in the pic language
* tek2plot::            tek2plot, a translator for legacy Tektronix files
* plotfont::            plotfont, a program for plotting font character maps
* spline::              spline, an interpolation program
* ode::                 ode, a differential equation integrator
* libplot::             A library for device-independent 2-D vector graphics
* Appendices::          Additional Information


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Plotutils Intro,  Next: graph,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

The GNU Plotting Utilities
**************************

   The GNU plotting utilities consist of eight command-line programs:
the graphics programs `graph', `plot', `pic2plot', `tek2plot', and
`plotfont', and the mathematical programs `spline', `ode', and
`double'.  Distributed with these programs is GNU `libplot', the
library on which the graphics programs are based.  GNU `libplot' is a
function library for device-independent two-dimensional vector
graphics, including vector graphics animations under the X Window
System.  It has bindings for both C and C++.

   The graphics programs and GNU `libplot' can export vector graphics
in the following formats.

X
     If this output option is selected, there is no output file.
     Output is directed to a popped-up window on an X Window System
     display.

PNG
     This is "portable network graphics" format, which is increasingly
     popular on the Web.  Unlike GIF format, it is unencumbered by
     patents.  Files in PNG format may be viewed or edited with many
     applications, such as the free image display application `xv' and
     the free `ImageMagick' package.

PNM
     This is "portable anymap" format.  There are three types of
     portable anymap: PBM (portable bitmap, for monochrome images), PGM
     (portable graymap), and PPM (portable pixmap, for colored images).
     The output file will use whichever is most appropriate.  Portable
     anymaps may be translated to other formats with the `netpbm'
     package.

GIF
     This is pseudo-GIF format rather than true GIF format.  Unlike GIF
     format it does not use LZW compression, so it does not transgress
     the Unisys LZW patent.  However, files in pseudo-GIF format may be
     viewed or edited with any application that accepts GIF format,
     such as `xv' and the `ImageMagick' package.

SVG
     This is Scalable Vector Graphics format.  SVG is a new, XML-based
     format for vector graphics on the Web.  The W3 Consortium (http://www.w3.org) has more information on SVG, which is being developed by
     its Graphics Activity (http://www.w3.org/Graphics).

AI
     This is the format used by Adobe Illustrator.  Files in this
     format may be edited with Adobe Illustrator (version 5, and more
     recent versions), or other applications.

PS
     This is `idraw'-editable Postscript format.  Files in this format
     may be sent to a Postscript printer, imported into another
     document, or edited with the free `idraw' drawing editor.  See
     *Note idraw::.

CGM
     This is Computer Graphics Metafile format, which may be imported
     into an application or displayed in any Web browser with a CGM
     plug-in.  By default, a binary file in version 3 CGM format that
     conforms to the WebCGM profile is produced.  The
     CGM Open Consortium (http://www.cgmopen.org) has more information
     on WebCGM, which is a standard for Web-based vector graphics.

Fig
     This is a vector graphics format that may be displayed or edited
     with the free `xfig' drawing editor.  See *Note xfig::.

PCL 5
     This is a powerful version of Hewlett-Packard's Printer Control
     Language.  Files in this format may be sent to a LaserJet printer
     or compatible device (note that most inkjets do not support PCL 5).

HP-GL
     This is Hewlett-Packard's Graphics Language.  By default, the
     modern variant HP-GL/2 is produced.  Files in HP-GL or HP-GL/2
     format may be imported into a document or sent to a plotter.

ReGIS
     This is the graphics format understood by several DEC terminals
     (VT340, VT330, VT241, VT240) and emulators, including the
     DECwindows terminal emulator, `dxterm'.

Tek
     This is the graphics format understood by Tektronix 4014 terminals
     and emulators, including the emulators built into the `xterm'
     terminal emulator program and the MS-DOS version of `kermit'.

Metafile
     This is device-independent GNU graphics metafile format.  The
     `plot' program can translate it to any of the preceding formats.

   Of the command-line graphics programs, the best known is `graph',
which is an application for plotting two-dimensional scientific data.
It reads one or more data files containing datasets, and outputs a plot.
The above output formats are supported.  The corresponding commands are
`graph -T X', `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm', `graph -T gif', `graph -T
svg', `graph -T ai', `graph -T ps', `graph -T cgm', `graph -T fig',
`graph -T pcl', `graph -T hpgl', `graph -T regis', `graph -T tek', and
`graph'.  `graph' without a `-T' option (referred to as `raw `graph'')
produces output in GNU metafile format.

   `graph' can read datasets in both ASCII and binary format, and
datasets in the `table' format produced by the plotting program
`gnuplot'.  It produces a plot with or without axes and labels.  You
may specify labels and ranges for the axes, and the size and position
of the plot on the display.  The labels may contain subscripts and
subscripts, Greek letters, and other special symbols; there is also
support for Cyrillic script (i.e., Russian) and Japanese.  You may
specify the type of marker symbol used for each dataset, and such
parameters as the style and thickness of the line (if any) used to
connect points in a dataset.  The plotting of filled regions is
supported, as is the drawing of error bars.  `graph' provides full
support for multiplotting.  With a single invocation of `graph', you
may produce a multiplot consisting of many plots, either side by side
or inset.  Each plot will have its own axes and data.

   `graph -T X', `graph -T tek', `graph -T regis', and raw `graph' have
a feature that most plotting programs do not have.  They can accept
input from a pipe, and plot data points to the output in real time.
For this to occur, the user must specify ranges for both axes, so that
`graph' does not need to wait until the end of the input before
determining them.

   The `plot' program is a so-called plot filter.  It can translate GNU
graphics metafiles (produced for example by raw `graph') into any
supported output format.  The corresponding commands are `plot -T X',
`plot -T png', `plot -T pnm', `plot -T gif', `plot -T svg', `plot -T
ai', `plot -T ps', `plot -T cgm', `plot -T fig', `plot -T pcl', `plot
-T hpgl', `plot -T regis', `plot -T tek', and `plot'.  The `plot'
program is useful if you wish to produce output in several different
formats while invoking `graph' only once.  It is also useful if you
wish to translate files in the traditional `plot(5)' format produced
by, e.g., the non-GNU versions of `graph' provided with some operating
systems.  GNU metafile format is compatible with plot(5) format.

   The `pic2plot' program can translate from the pic language to any
supported output format.  The pic language, which was invented at Bell
Laboratories, is used for creating box-and-arrow diagrams of the kind
frequently found in technical papers and textbooks.  The corresponding
commands are `pic2plot -T X', `pic2plot -T png', `pic2plot -T pnm',
`pic2plot -T gif', `pic2plot -T ai', `pic2plot -T ps', `pic2plot -T
cgm', `pic2plot -T fig', `pic2plot -T pcl', `pic2plot -T hpgl',
`pic2plot -T regis', `pic2plot -T tek', and `pic2plot'.

   The `tek2plot' program can translate from Tektronix format to any
supported output format.  The corresponding commands are `tek2plot
-T X', `tek2plot -T png', `tek2plot -T pnm', `tek2plot -T gif',
`tek2plot -T svg', `tek2plot -T ai', `tek2plot -T ps', `tek2plot -T
cgm', `tek2plot -T fig', `tek2plot -T pcl', `tek2plot -T hpgl',
`tek2plot -T regis', and `tek2plot'.  `tek2plot' is useful if you have
an older application that produces drawings in Tektronix format.

   The `plotfont' program is a simple utility that displays a character
map for any font that is available to `graph', `plot', `pic2plot', or
`tek2plot'.  The 35 standard Postscript fonts are available if the `-T
X', `-T ai', `-T ps', `-T cgm', or `-T fig' options are used.  The 45
standard PCL 5 fonts (i.e., "LaserJet" fonts) are available if the `-T
ai', `-T pcl' or `-T hpgl' options are used.  In the latter two cases
(`-T pcl' and `-T hpgl'), a number of Hewlett-Packard vector fonts are
available as well.  A set of 22 Hershey vector fonts, including
Cyrillic fonts and a Japanese font, is always available.  When
producing output for an X Window System display, any of the graphics
programs can use scalable X fonts.

   Of the command-line mathematical programs, `spline' does spline
interpolation of scalar or vector-valued data.  It normally uses either
cubic spline interpolation or exponential splines in tension, but like
`graph' it can function as a real-time filter under some circumstances.
Besides splining datasets, it can construct curves, either open or
closed, through arbitrarily chosen points in d-dimensional space.
`ode' provides the ability to integrate an ordinary differential
equation or a system of ordinary differential equations, when provided
with an explicit expression for each equation.  It supplements the
plotting program `gnuplot', which can plot functions but not integrate
ordinary differential equations.  The final command-line mathematical
program, `double', is a filter for converting, scaling and cutting
binary or ASCII data streams.  It is still under development and is not
yet documented.

   The GNU `libplot' function library, on which the command-line
graphics programs are based, is discussed at length elsewhere in this
documentation.  It gives C and C++ programs the ability to draw such
objects as lines, open and closed polylines, arcs (both circular and
elliptic), quadratic and cubic Bezier curves, circles and ellipses,
points (i.e., pixels), marker symbols, and text strings.  The filling
of objects other than points, marker symbols, and text strings is
supported (fill color, as well as pen color, can be set arbitrarily).
Text strings can be drawn in any of a large number of fonts.  The 35
standard Postscript fonts are supported by the X Window System, SVG,
Illustrator, Postscript, CGM, and `xfig' drivers, and the 45 standard
PCL 5 fonts are supported by the SVG, Illustrator, PCL 5 and HP-GL/2
drivers.  The latter two also support a number of Hewlett-Packard
vector fonts.  All drivers, including the PNG, PNM, GIF, ReGIS,
Tektronix and metafile drivers, support a set of 22 Hershey vector
fonts.

   The support for drawing text strings is extensive.  Text strings may
include subscripts and superscripts, and may include characters chosen
from more than one font in a typeface.  Many non-alphanumeric characters
may be included.  The entire collection of over 1700 `Hershey glyphs'
digitized by Allen V. Hershey at the U.S. Naval Surface Weapons Center,
which includes many curious symbols, is built into GNU `libplot'.  Text
strings in the so-called EUC-JP encoding (the Extended Unix Code for
Japanese) can be also be drawn.  Such strings may include both syllabic
Japanese characters (Hiragana and Katakana) and ideographic Japanese
characters (Kanji).  GNU `libplot' contains a library of 603 Kanji,
including 596 of the 2965 frequently used Level 1 Kanji.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: graph,  Next: plot,  Prev: Plotutils Intro,  Up: Top

The `graph' Application
***********************

   Each invocation of `graph' reads one or more datasets from files
named on the command line or from standard input, and prepares a plot.
There are many command-line options for adjusting the visual appearance
of the plot.  The following sections explain how to use the most
frequently used options, by giving examples.

* Menu:

* Simple Examples::     Simple examples using graph
* Non-Square Plots::    Rotating and changing the aspect ratio of a plot
* Multiple Datasets::   Preparing a plot from more than one dataset
* Multiplotting::       Multiple plots on a single page
* Data Formats::        Reading binary and other data formats
* graph Invocation::    Command-line options


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Simple Examples,  Next: Non-Square Plots,  Prev: graph,  Up: graph

Simple examples using `graph'
=============================

   By default, `graph' reads ASCII data from the files specified on the
command line, or from standard input if no files are specified.  The
data are pairs of numbers, interpreted as the x and y coordinates of
data points.  An example would be:

     0.0  0.0
     1.0  0.2
     2.0  0.0
     3.0  0.4
     4.0  0.2
     5.0  0.6

Data points do not need to be on different lines, nor do the x and y
coordinates of a data point need to be on the same line.  However,
there should be no blank lines in the input if it is to be viewed as
forming a single dataset.

   To plot such a dataset with `graph', you could do

     graph -T ps datafile > plot.ps

or equivalently

     graph -T ps < datafile > plot.ps

Either of these would produce an encapsulated Postscript file
`plot.ps', which could be included in another document, displayed on a
screen, sent to a printer, or edited with the free `idraw' drawing
editor.  The `--page-size' option, or equivalently the `PAGESIZE'
environment variable, specifies the size of the page on which the plot
will be positioned.  The default is "letter", i.e., 8.5in by 11in, but
"a4" or other ISO or ANSI page sizes could equally well be specified.
See *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.

   Similarly, you would do

     graph -T svg < datafile > plot.svg
     graph -T cgm < datafile > plot.cgm

to produce SVG and WebCGM files that could be displayed in a Web browser
with SVG and WebCGM support, or

     graph -T fig < datafile > plot.fig

to produce a file `plot.fig' in Fig format that could be edited with
the free `xfig' drawing editor, or

     graph -T ai < datafile > plot.ai

to produce a file `plot.ai' that could be edited with Adobe
Illustrator.  If you do

     graph -T hpgl < datafile > plot.plt

you will produce a file `plot.plt' in the Hewlett-Packard Graphics
Language (HP-GL/2) that may be sent to a Hewlett-Packard plotter.
Similarly, you would use `graph -T pcl' to produce a file in PCL 5
format that may be printed on a LaserJet or other laser printer.

   You would use `graph -T X' to pop up a window on an X Window System
display, and display the plot in it.  For that, you would do

     graph -T X < datafile

If you use `graph -T X', no output file will be produced: only a
window.  The window will vanish if you type `q' or click your mouse
in it.

   You may also use `graph -T png' to produce a PNG file, `graph -T
pnm' to produce a PNM file (a "portable anymap"), and `graph -T gif' to
produce a pseudo-GIF file.  If the free image display application `xv'
is available on your system, you could use any of the three commands

     graph -T png < datafile | xv -
     graph -T pnm < datafile | xv -
     graph -T gif < datafile | xv -

to view the output file.

   Another thing you can do is use `graph -T tek' to display a plot on
a device that can emulate a Tektronix 4014 graphics terminal.  `xterm',
the X Window System terminal emulator, can do this.  Within an `xterm'
window, you would type

     graph -T tek < datafile

`xterm' normally emulates a VT100 terminal, but when this command is
issued from within it, it will pop up a second window (a `Tektronix
window') and draw the plot in it.  The Japanese terminal emulator
`kterm' should be able to do the same, provided that it is correctly
installed.  Another piece of software that can emulate a Tektronix 4014
terminal is the MS-DOS version of `kermit'.

   In the same way, you would use `graph -T regis' to display a plot on
any graphics terminal or emulator that supports ReGIS graphics.
`dxterm', the DECwindows terminal emulator, can do this.  Several DEC
terminals (in particular the VT340, VT330, VT241, and VT240 terminals)
also support ReGIS graphics.

   `graph' may behave differently depending on the environment in which
it is invoked.  We have already mentioned the `PAGESIZE' environment
variable, which affects the operation of `graph -T svg', `graph -T ai',
`graph -T ps', `graph -T cgm', `graph -T fig', `graph -T pcl', and
`graph -T hpgl'.  Similarly, the `BITMAPSIZE' environment variable
affects the operation of `graph -T X', `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm',
and `graph -T gif'.  The `DISPLAY' environment variable affects the
operation of `graph -T X', and the `TERM' environment variable affects
the operation of `graph -T tek'.  There are also several environment
variables that affect the operation of `graph -T pcl' and `graph -T
hpgl'.  For a complete discussion of the effects of the environment on
`graph', see *Note graph Environment::.  The following remarks apply
irrespective of which output format is specified.

   By default, successive points in the dataset are joined by solid line
segments, which form a polygonal line or polyline that we call simply a
`line'.  You may choose the style of line (the `linemode') with the
`-m' option:

     graph -T ps -m 2 < datafile > plot.ps

Here `-m 2' indicates that linemode #2 should be used.  If the dataset
is rendered in monochrome, which is the default, the line can be drawn
in one of five distinct styles.  Linemodes #1 through #5 signify solid,
dotted, dotdashed, shortdashed, and longdashed; thereafter the sequence
repeats.  If the `-C' option is used, the dataset will be rendered in
color.  For colored datasets, the line can be drawn in one of 25
distinct styles.  Linemodes #1 through #5 signify red, green, blue,
magenta, and cyan; all are solid.  Linemodes #6 through #10 signify the
same five colors, but dotted rather than solid.  Linemodes #11 through
#16 signify the same five colors, but dotdashed, and so forth.  After
linemode #25, the sequence repeats.  Linemode #0, irrespective of
whether the rendering is in monochrome or color, means that the line is
not drawn.

   You may wish to *fill* the polygon bounded by the line (i.e.,
shade it, or fill it with a solid color).  For this, you would use the
`-q' option.  For example,

     echo .1 .1 .1 .9 .9 .9 .9 .1 .1 .1 |
         graph -T ps -C -m 1 -q 0.3 > plot.ps

will plot a square region with vertices (0.1,0.1), (0.1,0.9), (0.9,0.9),
and (0.9,0.1).  The repetition of the first vertex (0.1,0.1) at the end
of the sequence of vertices ensures that the square will be closed: all
four segments of its boundary will be drawn.  The square will be drawn
in red, since the colored version of linemode #1 is requested.  The
interior of the square will be filled with red to an intensity of 30%,
as the `-q 0.3' option specifies.  If the intensity were 1.0, the
region would be filled with solid color, and if it were 0.0, the region
would be filled with white.  If the intensity were negative, the region
would be unfilled, or transparent (the default).

   You may specify the thickness (`width') of the line, whether it is
filled or not, by using the `-W' option.  For example, `-W 0.01'
specifies that the line should have a thickness equal to 0.01 times the
size of the graphics display.  Also, you may put symbols at each data
point along the line by doing, for example,

     graph -T ps -S 3 0.1 < datafile > plot.ps

where the first argument 3 indicates which symbol to plot.  The optional
second argument 0.1 specifies the symbol size as a fraction of the size
of the `plotting box': the square within which the plot is drawn.
Symbol #1 is a dot, symbol #2 is a plus sign, symbol #3 is an asterisk,
symbol #4 is a circle, symbol #5 is a cross, and so forth.  (*Note
Marker Symbols::.)  Symbols 1 through 31 are the same for all display
types, and the color of a symbol will be the same as the color of the
line it is plotted along.

   Actually, you would probably not want to plot symbols at each point
in the dataset unless you turn off the line joining the points.  For
this purpose, the `negative linemode' concept is useful.  A line whose
linemode is negative is not visible; however, any symbols plotted along
it will have the color associated with the corresponding positive
linemode.  So, for example,

     graph -T ps -C -m -3 -S 4 < datafile > plot.ps

will plot a blue circle at each data point.  The circles will not be
joined by line segments.  By adding the optional second argument to the
`-S' option, you may adjust the size of the circles.

   `graph' will automatically generate abscissa (i.e., x) values for
you if you use the `-a' option.  If this option is used, no abscissa
values should be given in the data file.  The data points will be taken
to be regularly spaced along the abscissa.  The two arguments following
`-a' on the command line will be taken as the sampling interval and the
abscissa value of the first data point.  If they are absent, they
default to 1.0 and 0.0 respectively.  For example, the command

     echo 0 1 0 | graph -T ps -a > plot.ps

produces exactly the same plot  as

     echo 0 0 1 1 2 0 | graph -T ps > plot.ps

   If the `-I e' option is specified, `graph' will plot data with error
bars.  In this case the dataset should consist of triples (x,y,error),
rather than pairs (x,y).  A vertical error bar of the appropriate
length will be plotted at each data point.  You would plot a symbol at
each data point, along with the error bar, by using the `-S' option in
the usual way.  The symbol will be the same for each point in the
dataset.  You may use the `-a' option in conjunction with `-I e', if
you wish.  If you do, the dataset should contain no abscissa (i.e., x)
values.

   By default, the limits on the x and y axes, and the spacing between
the labeled ticks on each axis, are computed automatically.  You may
wish to set them manually.  You would accomplish this with the `-x' and
`-y' options.

     echo 0 0 1 1 2 0 | graph -T ps -x -1 3 -y -1 2 > plot.ps

will produce a plot in which the x axis extends from -1 to 3, and the y
axis from -1 to 2.  By default, `graph' tries to place about six
numbered ticks on each axis.  By including an optional third argument
to `-x' or `-y', you may manually set the spacing of the labeled ticks.
For example, using `-y -1 2 1' rather than `-y -1 2' will produce a
y axis with labeled ticks at -1, 0, 1, and 2, rather than at the
locations that `graph' would choose by default, which would be -1,
-0.5, 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2.  In general, if a third argument is
present then labeled ticks will be placed at each of its integer
multiples.

   To make an axis logarithmic, you would use the `-l' option.  For
example,

     echo 1 1 2 3 3 1 | graph -T ps -l x > plot.ps

will produce a plot in which the x axis is logarithmic, but the y axis
is linear.  To make both axes logarithmic, you would use `-l x -l y'.
By default, the upper and lower limits on a logarithmic axis are powers
of ten, and there are tick marks at each power of ten and at its
integer multiples.  The tick marks at the powers of ten are labeled.
If the axis spans more than five orders of magnitude, the tick marks at
the integer multiples are omitted.

   If you have an unusually short logarithmic axis, you may need to
increase the number of labeled ticks.  To do this, you should specify a
tick spacing manually.  For example, `-l x -x 1 9 2' would produce a
plot in which the x axis is logarithmic and extends from 1 to 9.
Labeled ticks would be located at each integer multiple of 2, i.e., at
2, 4, 6, and 8.

   You would label the x and y axes with the `-X' and `-Y' options,
respectively.  For example,

     echo 1 1 2 3 3 1 | graph -T ps -l x -X "A Logarithmic Axis" > plot.ps

will label the log axis in the preceding example.  By default, the label
for the y axis (if any) will be rotated 90 degrees, unless you use the
`--toggle-rotate-y-label' option.  You may specify a `top label', or
title for the plot, by using the `-L' option.  Doing, for example,

     echo 1 1 2 3 3 1 | graph -T ps -l x -L "A Simple Example" > plot.ps

will produce a plot with a title on top.

   The font size of the x axis and y axis labels may be specified with
the `-f' option, and the font size of the title with the
`--title-font-size' option.  For example,

     echo 1 1 2 3 3 1 | graph -T ps -X "Abscissa" -f 0.1 > plot.ps

will produce a plot in which the font size of the x axis label, and
each of the numerical tick labels, is very large (0.1 times the size of
the plotting box, i.e., the square within which the plot is drawn).

   The font in which the labels specified with the `-X', `-Y', and `-L'
options are drawn can be specified with the `-F' option.  For example,
`-F Times-Roman' will make the labels appear in Times-Roman instead of
the default font (which is Helvetica, unless `-T png', `-T pnm', `-T
gif', `-T pcl', `-T hpgl', `-T regis', or `-T tek' is specified).  Font
names are case-insensitive, so `-F times-roman' will work equally well.
The available fonts include 35 Postscript fonts (for all variants of
`graph' other than `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm', `graph -T gif',
`graph -T pcl', `graph -T hpgl', `graph -T regis', and `graph -T tek'),
45 PCL 5 fonts (for `graph -T svg', `graph -T ai', `graph -T pcl' and
`graph -T hpgl'), a number of Hewlett-Packard vector fonts (for `graph
-T pcl' and `graph -T hpgl'), and 22 Hershey vector fonts.  The Hershey
fonts include HersheyCyrillic, for Russian, and HersheyEUC, for
Japanese.  For a discussion of the available fonts, see *Note Text
Fonts::.  The `plotfont' utility will produce a character map of any
available font.  *Note plotfont::.

   The format of the labels drawn with the `-X', `-Y', and `-L' options
may be quite intricate.  Subscripts, superscripts, square roots, and
switching fonts within a typeface are all allowed.  The above examples
do not illustrate this, but for details, see *Note Text String Format::.

   Each of the preceding examples produces a plot containing the default
sort of grid (a square plotting box, with ticks and labels drawn along
its lower edge and its left edge).  There are actually several sorts of
grid you may request.  The `-g 0', `-g 1', `-g 2', and `-g 3' options
yield successively fancier grids.  What they yield, respectively, is
no grid at all, a pair of axes with ticks and labels, a square plotting
box with ticks and labels, and a square plotting box with ticks,
labels, and grid lines.  As you can check, `-g 2' is the default.
There is also a `-g 4' option, which yields a slightly different sort
of grid: a pair of axes that cross at the origin.  This last sort of
grid is useful when the x or y coordinates of the data points you are
plotting are both positive and negative.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Non-Square Plots,  Next: Multiple Datasets,  Prev: Simple Examples,  Up: graph

Non-square, displaced, and rotated plots
========================================

   To alter the linear dimensions of the plotting box, and also to
position it in a different part of the graphics display, you could do
something like

     graph -T ps -h .3 -w .6 -r .1 -u .1 < datafile > plot.ps

Here the `-h' and `-w' options specify the height and width of the
plotting box, and the `-r' and `-u' options indicate how far up and to
the right the lower left corner of the plotting box should be
positioned.  All dimensions are expressed as fractions of the size of
the graphics display.  By default, the height and width of the plotting
box equal 0.6, and the `upward shift' and the `rightward shift'
equal 0.2.  So the above example will produce a plot that is half as
tall as usual.  Compared to its usual position, the plot will be
shifted slightly downward and to the left.

   Several command-line options specify sizes or dimensions as
fractions of the size of the plotting box.  For example, `-S 3 .01'
specifies that the marker symbols for the following dataset should be
of type #3, and should have a font size equal to 0.01, i.e., 0.01 times
the minimum dimension (height or width) of the plotting box.  If the
`-h' or `-w' options are employed to expand or contract the plot, such
sizes or dimensions will scale in tandem.  That is presumably the right
thing to do.

   To rotate your plot by 90 degrees counterclockwise, you would add
`--rotation 90' to the `graph' command line.  You may also specify
`--rotation 180', to produce an upside-down plot, or `--rotation 270'.
The `--rotation' option may be combined with the `-h', `-w', `-r', and
`-u' options.  If they appear together, the `--rotation' option takes
effect first.  That is because `--rotation' specifies the rotation
angle of the graphics display, while the other options specify how the
plotting box should be positioned within the graphics display.  The two
sorts of positioning are logically distinct.

   The graphics display (sometimes called the `viewport') is an
abstraction.  For `graph -T X', it is a popped-up window on an
X display.  For `graph -T pnm' and `graph -T gif', it is a square or
rectangular bitmap.  In these three cases, the size of the graphics
display can be set by using the `--bitmap-size' option, or by setting
the `BITMAPSIZE' environment variable.  For `graph -T tek', the
graphics display is a square region occupying the central part of a
Tektronix display.  (Tektronix displays are 4/3 times as wide as they
are high.)  For `graph -T regis', it is a square region occupying the
central part of a ReGIS display.  For `graph -T ai', `graph -T ps',
`graph -T pcl', and `graph -T fig', by default it is a 8-inch square
centered on an 8.5in by 11in page (US letter size).  For `graph -T
hpgl', it is an 8-inch square, which by default is not centered.  For
`graph -T svg' and `graph -T cgm', the default graphics display is an
8-inch square, though if the output file is placed on a Web page, it
may be scaled arbitrarily.

   The page size, which determines the default display size used by
`graph -T svg', `graph -T ai', `graph -T ps', `graph -T cgm', `graph -T
fig', `graph -T pcl', and `graph -T hpgl', can be set by using the
`--page-size' option, or by setting the environment variable
`PAGESIZE'.  For example, setting the page size to "a4" would produce
output for an A4-size page (21cm by 29.7cm), and would select a
appropriate graphics display size.  Either or both of the dimensions of
the graphics display can be specified explicitly.  For example, the
page size could be specified as "letter,xsize=4in", or
"a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".  The dimensions of the graphics display are
allowed to be negative (a negative dimension results in a reflection).

   The position of the display on the page, relative to its default
position, may optionally be adjusted by specifying an offset vector.
For example, the page size could be specified as "letter,yoffset=1.2in",
or "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  It is also possible to position
the graphics display precisely, by specifying the location of its lower
left corner relative to the lower left corner of the page.  For
example, the page size could be specified as
"letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".

   The preceding options may be intermingled.  However, `graph -T svg'
and `graph -T cgm' ignore the "xoffset", "yoffset", "xorigin", and
"yorigin" options, since SVG format and WebCGM format have no notion of
the Web page on which the graphics display will ultimately be
positioned.  They interpret the "xsize" and "ysize" options as
specifying a default size for the graphics display (it is merely a
default, since the output file may be scaled arbitrarily when it is
placed on a Web page).

   For more information on page and graphics display sizes, see *Note
Page and Viewport Sizes::.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Multiple Datasets,  Next: Multiplotting,  Prev: Non-Square Plots,  Up: graph

Preparing a plot from more than one dataset
===========================================

   It is frequently the case that several datasets need to be displayed
on the same plot.  If so, you may wish to distinguish the points in
different datasets by joining them by lines of different types, or by
using marker symbols of different types.

   A more complicated example would be the following.  You may have a
file containing a dataset that is the result of experimental
observations, and a file containing closely spaced points that trace
out a theoretical curve.  The second file is a dataset in its own
right.  You would presumably plot it with line segments joining
successive data points, so as to trace out the theoretical curve.  But
the first dataset, resulting from experiment, would be plotted without
such line segments.  In fact, a marker symbol would be plotted at each
of its points.

   These examples, and others like them, led us to define a set of seven
*attributes* that define the way a dataset should be plotted.  These
attributes, which can be set by command-line options, are the following.

  1. color/monochrome

  2. linemode

  3. linewidth

  4. symbol type

  5. symbol size

  6. symbol font name

  7. fill fraction

Color/monochrome (a choice of one or the other) is the simplest.  The
choice is toggled with the `-C' option.  The `linemode' (i.e., line
style) specifies how the line segments joining successive points should
be drawn; it is specified with the `-m' option.  Linemode #0 means no
linemode at all, for example.  `Linewidth' means line thickness; it is
specified with the `-W' option. `Symbol type' and `symbol size', which
are specified with the `-S' option, specify the symbol plotted at each
point of the dataset.  `Symbol font name' refers to the font from which
marker symbols #32 and above, which are taken to be characters rather
than geometric symbols, are selected.  It is set with the
`--symbol-font-name' option, and is relevant only if `-S' is used to
request such special marker symbols.  Finally, the polygonal line
joining the points in a dataset may be *filled*, to create a filled or
shaded polygon.  The `fill fraction' is set with the `-q' option.
A negative fill fraction means no fill, or transparent; zero means
white, and 1.0 means solid, or fully colored.

   The preceding seven attributes refer to the way in which datasets are
plotted.  Datasets may also differ from one another in the way in which
they are read from files.  The dataset(s) in a file may or may not
contain error bars, for example.  If a file contains data with error
bars, the `-I e' option should occur on the command line before the
file name.  (The `-I' option specifies the input format for the
following files.)

   The following illustrates how datasets in three different input files
could be plotted simultaneously.

     graph -T ps -m 0 -S 3 file1 -C -m 3 file2 -C -W 0.02 file3 > output.ps

The dataset in `file1' will be plotted in linemode #0, so successive
points will not be joined by lines.  But symbol #3 (an asterisk) will
be plotted at each point.  The dataset in `file2' will be plotted in
color, and linemode #3 will be used.  In color plotting, linemode #3 is
interpreted as a solid blue line.  The second `-C' on the command line
turns off color for `file3'.  The points in the third dataset will be
joined by a black line with thickness 0.02, as a fraction of the size
(i.e., minimum dimension) of the graphics display.

   The above command line could be made even more complicated by
specifying additional options (e.g., `-q' or `-I') before each file.
In fact the command line could also include such standard options as
`-x' or `-y', which specify the range of each axis.  Such options,
which refer to the plot as a whole rather than to individual datasets,
should appear before the first file name.  For example, you could do

     graph -T ps -x 0 1 0.5 -m 0 -S 3 file1 -C -m 3 file2 > output.ps

Note that it is possible to include the special file name `-', which
refers to standard input, on the command line.  So you may pipe the
output of another program into `graph'.  You may even generate a plot
in part from piped output, and in part from files.

   Each input file may include more than one dataset.  If so, the
command line options preceding a file on the command line will take
effect for all datasets in that file.  There are two exceptions to
this.  By default, the linemode is incremented (`bumped') from one
dataset to the next.  This feature is usually quite convenient.
For example, if you do

     graph -T ps -m 3 file1 > output.ps

the first dataset in `file1' will appear in linemode #3, the second in
linemode #4, etc.  In fact, if you do

     graph -T ps file1 file2 ... > output.ps

without specifying linemode explicitly, the successive datasets read
from the files on the command line will appear in linemode #1, linemode
#2, ....  If you do not like this feature, you may turn it off, or in
general toggle it, by using the `-B' option.

   You may also control manually the linemode and symbol type used for
the datasets within any file.  You would do this by including
directives in the file itself, rather than on the command line.  For
example, if the line

     #m=-5,S=10

appeared in an ASCII-format input file, it would be interpreted as a
directive to switch to linemode #-5 and symbol type #10 for the
following dataset.  Future releases of `graph' may provide the ability
to set each of the seven dataset attributes in this way.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Multiplotting,  Next: Data Formats,  Prev: Multiple Datasets,  Up: graph

Multiplotting: placing multiple plots on a single page
======================================================

   It is occasionally useful to display several plots at once on a
single page, or on a single graphics display.  We call such a composite
plot a *multiplot*.  One common sort of multiplot is a small plot inset
into a larger one.  Another sort is two or more plots side by side.

   `graph' can draw multiplots consisting of an arbitrarily large
number of plots.  When multiplotting, `graph' draws each plot in its
own `virtual display'.  When an ordinary plot is drawn, the virtual
display is the same as the physical display.  But when a plot of a
multiplot is drawn, the virtual display may be any smaller square
region.  The following two-plot example illustrates the idea.

     graph -T X datafile1 --reposition .35 .35 .3 datafile2

Here `datafile1' is plotted in the usual way.  The `--reposition'
option, which serves as a separator between plots, specifies that the
second plot will be drawn in a virtual display.  For the purposes of
the `--reposition' option, the physical display is a square with lower
left corner (0.0,0.0) and upper right corner (1.0,1.0).  In those
coordinates the virtual display will be a square of size 0.3, with
lower left corner (0.35,0.35).  So the second plot will be inset into
the first.

   Just as the `-w', `-h', `-r', and `-u' options may be used to set
the size and position of a plotting box within the physical display, so
they may be used to set the size and position of a plotting box within
a virtual display.  For example,

     graph -T X datafile1 --reposition .35 .35 .3 -w .4 -r .3 datafile2

will yield a two-plot multiplot in which the second plot is
significantly different.  Its plotting box will have a width only 0.4
times the width of the virtual display.  However, the plotting box will
be centered within the virtual display, since the distance between the
left edge of the plotting box and the left edge of the virtual display
will be 0.3 times the width of the virtual display.

   By convention, before each plot of a multiplot other than the first
is drawn, a `blankout region' surrounding its plotting box is erased.
(That is, it is filled with white, or whatever the background
color is.)  This erasure prevents the plots from overlapping and
producing a messy result.  By default, the blankout region is a
rectangular region 30% larger in each dimension than the plotting box
for the plot.  That is appropriate if the plot is a small one that is
inset into the first plot.  It may not be appropriate, however, if you
are preparing a multiplot in which several plots appear side by side.
You may use the `--blankout' option to adjust this parameter.
For example, specifying `--blankout 1.0' will make the blankout region
for a plot coincide with its plotting box.  Specifying `--blankout 0.0'
will prevent any blanking out from occurring.  The blankout parameter
may be set more than once, so as to differ from plot to plot.

   It should be emphasized that every plot in a multiplot is a plot in
its own right.  All the usual options (`-m', `-S', `-x', `-y', etc.)
can be applied to each plot separately.  The options for a plot should
occur on the `graph' command line immediately after the `--reposition'
option that applies to it.  Each plot may be prepared from more than a
single dataset, also.  The names of the data files for each plot should
occur on the command line before the following `--reposition' option,
if any.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Data Formats,  Next: graph Invocation,  Prev: Multiplotting,  Up: graph

Reading binary and other data formats
=====================================

   By default, `graph' reads datasets in ASCII format.  But it can also
read datasets in any of three binary formats (single precision floating
point, double precision floating point, and integer).  These three
input formats are specified by the `-I d', `-I f', and `-I i' options,
respectively.

   There are two advantages to using binary data: 1) `graph' runs
significantly faster because the computational overhead for converting
data from ASCII to binary is eliminated, and 2) the input files may be
significantly smaller.  If you have very large datasets, using binary
format may reduce storage and runtime costs.

   For example, you may create a single precision binary dataset as
output from a C language program:

     #include <stdio.h>
     void write_point (float x, float y)
     {
       fwrite(&x, sizeof (float), 1, stdout);
       fwrite(&y, sizeof (float), 1, stdout);
     }

You may plot data written this way by doing:

     graph -T ps -I f < binary_datafile > plot.ps

The inclusion of multiple datasets within a single binary file is
supported.  If a binary file contains more than a single dataset,
successive datasets should be separated by a single occurrence of the
the largest possible number.  For single precision datasets this is the
quantity `FLT_MAX', for double precision datasets it is the quantity
`DBL_MAX', and for integer datasets it is the quantity `INT_MAX'.
On most machines `FLT_MAX' is approximately 3.4x10^38, `DBL_MAX' is
approximately 1.8x10^308, and `INT_MAX' is 2^32-1.

   If you are reading datasets from more than one file, it is not
required that the files be in the same format.  For example,

     graph -T ps -I f binary_datafile -I a ascii_datafile > plot.ps

will read `binary_datafile' in `f' (binary single precision) format,
and `datafile' in `a' (normal ASCII) format.

   There is currently no support for reading and plotting binary data
with error bars.  If you have data with error bars, you should supply
the data to `graph' in ASCII, and use the `-I e' option.

   `graph' can also read data files in the ASCII `table' format
produced by the `gnuplot' plotting program.  For this, you should use
the `-I g' option.  Such a data file may consist of more than one
dataset.

   To sum up: there are six supported data formats, `a' (normal ASCII),
`e' (ASCII with error bars), `g' (the ASCII `table' format produced by
`gnuplot'), `f' (binary single precision), `d' (binary double
precision), and `i' (binary integer).  Input files may be in any of
these six formats.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: graph Invocation,  Prev: Data Formats,  Up: graph

`graph' command-line options
============================

   The `graph' program reads one or more datasets from files named on
the command line or from standard input, and prepares a plot.  The
output format or display type is specified with the `-T' option.

   By default, `graph' reads ASCII data from the files specified on the
command line.  The data are pairs of numbers, interpreted as the x
and y coordinates of data points.  If no files are specified, or the
file name `-' is specified, the standard input is read.  An output file
is written to standard output, unless the `-T X' option is specified.
In that case the graph is displayed in a popped-up window on an
X Window System display, and there is no output file.

   There are many command-line options for adjusting the visual
appearance of the plot.  The relative order of file names and
command-line options is important.  Only the options that precede a
file name on the command line take effect for that file.

   The following sections list the possible options.  Each option that
takes an argument is followed, in parentheses, by the type and default
value of the argument.  There are five sorts of option.

   The behavior of `graph' is also affected by a number of environment
variables, so there is a section discussing them as well.

* Menu:

* Plot Options::        Options affecting an entire plot
* Dataset Options::     Options affecting the reading and plotting of datasets
* Multiplot Options::   Options for drawing several plots at once
* Raw graph Options::   Options relevant only to raw graph
* Info Options::        Options requesting information (e.g., --help)
* graph Environment::   Environment variables


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Plot Options,  Next: Dataset Options,  Prev: graph Invocation,  Up: graph Invocation

Plot options
------------

   The following options affect an entire plot.  They should normally
occur at most once, and should appear on the command line before the
first file name.  If a multiplot is being drawn, they may (with the
exception of the `-T' option) occur more than once.  If so, the second
and later occurrences should be placed on the command line immediately
after each `--reposition X Y' option, which separates the plots in a
multiplot.

`-T TYPE'
`--display-type TYPE'
     (String, default "meta".)  Select a display type or output format
     of type TYPE, which may be one of the strings "X", "png", "pnm",
     "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl", "regis",
     "tek", and "meta".  These refer respectively to the
     X Window System, PNG format, portable anymap (PBM/PGM/PPM) format,
     pseudo-GIF format, the new XML-based Scalable Vector Graphics
     format, the format used by Adobe Illustrator, `idraw'-editable
     Postscript, the WebCGM format for Web-based vector graphics, the
     format used by the `xfig' drawing editor, the Hewlett-Packard
     PCL 5 printer language, the Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
     (by default, HP-GL/2), the ReGIS (remote graphics instruction set)
     format developed by DEC, Tektronix format, and device-independent
     GNU graphics metafile format.

`-E X|Y'
`--toggle-axis-end X|Y'
     Set the position of the indicated axis to be on the other end of
     the plotting box from what is currently the case.  E.g., `-E y'
     will cause the y axis to appear on the right of the plot rather
     than the left, which is the default.  Similarly, `-E x' will cause
     the x axis to appear at the top of the plot rather than the
     bottom.  Note that if the x axis appears at the top, no plot title
     will be drawn, since there will be no room.

`-f SIZE'
`--font-size SIZE'
     (Float, default 0.0525.)  Set the size of the font used for the
     axis and tick labels to be SIZE.  The size is specified as a
     fraction of the minimum dimension (width or height) of the
     plotting box.

`-F FONT_NAME'
`--font-name FONT_NAME'
     (String, default "Helvetica" except for `graph -T pcl', for which
     "Univers" is the default, and `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm',
     `graph -T gif', `graph -T hpgl', `graph -T regis', `graph -T tek',
     and raw `graph', for all of which "HersheySerif" is the default.)
     Set the font used for the axis and tick labels, and for the plot
     title (if any), to be FONT_NAME.  The choice of font for the plot
     title may be overridden with the `--title-font-name' option (see
     below).  Font names are case-insensitive.  If the specified font
     is not available, the default font will be used.  Which fonts are
     available depends on which `-T' option is used.  For a list of all
     fonts, see *Note Text Fonts::.  The `plotfont' utility will
     produce a character map of any available font.  *Note plotfont::.

`-g GRID_STYLE'
`--grid-style GRID_STYLE'
     (Integer in the range 0...4, default 2.)  Set the grid style for
     the plot to be GRID_STYLE.  Grid styles 0 through 3 are
     progressively more fancy, but style 4 is a somewhat different
     style.

       0. no axes, tick marks or labels.

       1. a pair of axes, with tick marks and labels.

       2. box around plot, with tick marks and labels.

       3. box around plot, with tick marks and labels; also grid lines.

       4. axes intersect at the origin, with tick marks and labels.

`-h HEIGHT'
`--height-of-plot HEIGHT'
     (Float, default 0.6.)  Set the fractional height of the plot with
     respect to the height of the display (or virtual display, in the
     case of a multiplot) to be HEIGHT.  A value of 1.0 will produce a
     plotting box that fills the entire available area.  Since labels
     and tick marks may be placed outside the plotting box, values
     considerably less than 1.0 are normally chosen.

`-H'
`--toggle-frame-on-top'
     Toggle whether or not a copy of the plot frame should be drawn on
     top of the plot, as well as beneath it.  This option is useful
     when the plotted dataset(s) project slightly beyond the frame,
     which can happen if a large line thickness or symbol size is
     specified.

`-k LENGTH'
`--tick-size LENGTH'
     (Float, default .02.)  Set the length of the tick marks on each
     axis to be LENGTH.  A value of 1.0 produces tick marks whose
     length is equal to the minimum dimension (width or height) of the
     plotting box.  A negative LENGTH yields tick marks that extend
     outside the box, rather than inside.

`-K CLIP_MODE'
`--clip-mode CLIP_MODE'
     (Integer, default 1.)  Set the clip mode for the plot to
     CLIP_MODE.  The clip mode is relevant only if data points are
     being joined by a line, and the line is not being filled to create
     a filled region (since filled regions are clipped in a fixed way).

     There are three clip modes: 0, 1, and 2.  They have the same
     meaning as in the `gnuplot' plotting program.  Clip mode 0 means
     that a line segment joining two data points will be plotted only
     if neither point is outside the plotting box.  Clip mode 1 means
     that it will be plotted if no more than one of the two points is
     outside, and clip mode 2 means that it will be plotted even if
     both are outside.  In all three clip modes the line segment will
     be clipped to the plotting box.

`-l X|Y'
`--toggle-log-axis X|Y'
     Set the specified axis to be a log axis rather than a linear axis,
     or vice versa.  By default, both axes are linear axes.

`-L TOP_LABEL'
`--top-label TOP_LABEL'
     (String, default empty.)  Place the text string TOP_LABEL above
     the plot, as its `top label', i.e., title.  The string may include
     escape sequences (*note Text String Format::.).  The
     `--title-font-size' option may be used to specify the size of the
     font.  The font is normally the same as the font used for labeling
     axes and ticks, as selected by the `-F' option.  But this can be
     overridden with the `--title-font-name' option.

`-N X|Y'
`--toggle-no-ticks X|Y'
     Toggle the presence of ticks and tick labels on the specified axis.
     This applies to the grid styles that normally include ticks and
     tick labels, i.e., grid styles 1, 2, 3, and 4.

`-r RIGHT'
`--right-shift RIGHT'
     (Float, default 0.2.)  Move the plot to the right by a fractional
     amount RIGHT with respect to the width of the display (or virtual
     display, in the case of a multiplot).  This produces a margin on
     the left side of the plotting box.  A value of 0.5 will produce a
     margin half the width of the available area.  Note that the tick
     marks and labels are drawn in the margin.

`-R X|Y'
`--toggle-round-to-next-tick X|Y'
     Toggle whether or not the upper and lower limits of the specified
     axis should be expanded, so that they both become integer
     multiples of the spacing between labeled tick marks.

     This option is meaningful whenever the user specifies either or
     both of the limits, by using the `-x' or `-y' option.  If the user
     leaves both limits unspecified, they will always be chosen to
     satisfy the `integer multiple' constraint.

`-s'
`--save-screen'
     Save the screen.  This option requests that `graph' not erase the
     output device before it begins to plot.

     This option is relevant only to `graph -T tek' and raw `graph'.
     Tektronix displays and emulators are persistent, in the sense that
     previously drawn graphics remain visible.  So by repeatedly using
     `graph -T tek -s', you can build up a multiplot.

`-t'
`--toggle-transpose-axes'
     Transpose the abscissa and ordinate.  This causes the axes to be
     interchanged, and the options that apply to each axis to be
     applied to the opposite axis.  That is, data points are read in as
     (y, x) pairs, and such options as `-x' and `-X' apply to the
     y axis rather than the x axis.  If the `-I e' option is in force,
     so that the data points are read with error bars, the orientation
     of the error bars will be switched between vertical and horizontal.

`-u UP'
`--upward-shift UP'
     (Float, default 0.2.)  Move the plot up by a fractional amount UP
     with respect to the height of the display (or virtual display, in
     the case of a multiplot).  This produces a margin below the
     plotting box.  A value of 0.5 will produce a margin half the
     height of the available area.  Note that the tick marks and labels
     are drawn in the margin.

`-w WIDTH'
`--width-of-plot WIDTH'
     (Float, default 0.6.)  Set the fractional width of the plot with
     respect to the width of the display (or virtual display, in the
     case of a multiplot) to be WIDTH.  A value of 1.0 will produce a
     plotting box that fills the entire available area.  Since labels
     and tick marks may be placed outside the plotting box, values
     considerably less than 1.0 are normally chosen.

`-x [LOWER_LIMIT [UPPER_LIMIT [SPACING]]]'
`--x-limits [LOWER_LIMIT [UPPER_LIMIT [SPACING]]]'
     (Floats.) The arguments LOWER_LIMIT and UPPER_LIMIT specify the
     limits of the x axis, and the optional argument SPACING specifies
     the spacing of labeled ticks along the axis.  If any of the three
     arguments is missing or is supplied as `-' (i.e., as a single
     hyphen), it is computed from the data.  Both arguments LOWER_LIMIT
     and UPPER_LIMIT must be present if `graph' is to act as a
     real-time filter.

     By default, the supplied limit(s) are strictly respected.
     However, the `-R x' option may be used to request that they be
     rounded to the nearest integer multiple of the spacing between
     labeled ticks.  The lower limit will be rounded downward, and the
     upper limit upward.

`-X X_LABEL'
`--x-label X_LABEL'
     (String, default empty.)  Set the label for the x axis to be the
     text string X_LABEL.  The string may include escape sequences
     (*note Text String Format::.).  The `-F' and `-f' options may be
     used to specify the name of the font and the size of the font.

`-y [LOWER_LIMIT [UPPER_LIMIT [SPACING]]]'
`--y-limits [LOWER_LIMIT [UPPER_LIMIT [SPACING]]]'
     (Floats.)  The arguments specify the limits of the y axis, and the
     spacing of labeled ticks along it, as for the x axis (see above).
     Both arguments LOWER_LIMIT and UPPER_LIMIT must be present if
     `graph' is to act as a real-time filter.

     By default, the supplied limit(s) are strictly respected.
     However, the `-R y' option may be used to request that they be
     rounded to the nearest multiple of the tick spacing.  The lower
     limit will be rounded downward, and the upper limit upward.

`-Y Y_LABEL'
`--y-label Y_LABEL'
     (String, default empty.)  Set the label for the y axis to be the
     text string Y_LABEL.  The string may include escape sequences
     (*note Text String Format::.).  The label will be rotated by 90
     degrees so that it is parallel to the axis, unless the
     `--toggle-rotate-y-label' option is used.  Some old X Window
     System displays do not support rotated labels, and require the
     `--toggle-rotate-y-label' option.  The `-F' and `-f' options can
     be used to specify the name of the font and the size of the font.

`--bg-color NAME'
     (String, default "white".)  Set the color used for the plot
     background to be NAME.  This is relevant only to `graph -T X',
     `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm', `graph -T gif', `graph -T cgm',
     `graph -T regis', and `graph -T meta'.  An unrecognized name sets
     the color to the default.  For information on what names are
     recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  The environment variable
     `BG_COLOR' can equally well be used to specify the background
     color.

     If the `-T png' or `-T gif' option is used, a transparent PNG file
     or a transparent pseudo-GIF, respectively, may be produced by
     setting the `TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable to the name of
     the background color.  *Note graph Environment::.  If the `-T svg'
     or `-T cgm' option is used, an output file without a background
     may be produced by setting the background color to "none".

`--bitmap-size BITMAP_SIZE'
     (String, default "570x570".)  Set the size of the graphics display
     in which the plot will be drawn, in terms of pixels, to be
     BITMAP_SIZE.  This is relevant only to `graph -T X', `graph -T
     png', `graph -T pnm', and `graph -T gif', for all of which the
     size can be expressed in terms of pixels.  The environment
     variable `BITMAPSIZE' may equally well be used to specify the size.

     The graphics display used by `graph -T X' is a popped-up X window.
     Command-line positioning of this window on an X Window System
     display is supported.  For example, if BITMAP_SIZE is
     "570x570+0+0" then the window will be popped up in the upper left
     corner.

     If you choose a rectangular (non-square) window size, the fonts in
     the plot will be scaled anisotropically, i.e., by different
     factors in the horizontal and vertical direction.  For this,
     `graph -T X' requires an X11R6 display.  Any font that cannot be
     anisotropically scaled will be replaced by a default scalable
     font, such as the Hershey vector font "HersheySerif".

     For backward compatibility, `graph -T X' allows the user to set the
     window size and position by setting the X resource
     `Xplot.geometry', instead of `--bitmap-size' or `BITMAPSIZE'.

`--emulate-color OPTION'
     (String, default "no".)  If OPTION is "yes", replace each color in
     the output by an appropriate shade of gray.  This is seldom useful,
     except when using `graph -T pcl' to prepare output for a PCL 5
     device.  (Many monochrome PCL 5 devices, such as monochrome
     LaserJets, do a poor job of emulating color on their own.  They
     usually map HP-GL/2's seven standard pen colors, including even
     yellow, to black.)  You may equally well request color emulation
     by setting the environment variable `EMULATE_COLOR' to "yes".

`--frame-color NAME'
     (String, default "black".)  Set the color used for drawing the plot
     frame, and for drawing monochrome datasets (if any) to be NAME.
     An unrecognized name sets the color to the default.  For
     information on what names are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.

`--frame-line-width FRAME_LINE_WIDTH'
     (Float, default -1.0.)  Set the thickness of lines in the plot
     frame, as a fraction of the size (i.e., minimum dimension) of the
     graphics display, to FRAME_LINE_WIDTH.  A negative value means
     that the default value for the line thickness provided by the GNU
     `libplot' graphics library should be used.  This is usually 1/850
     times the size of the display, although if `-T X', `-T png', `-T
     pnm', or `-T gif' is specified, it is zero.  By convention, a
     zero-thickness line is the thinnest line that can be drawn.  This
     is the case in all output formats.  Note, however, that the
     drawing editors `idraw' and `xfig' treat zero-thickness lines as
     invisible.

     `graph -T tek' and `graph -T regis' do not support drawing lines
     with other than a default thickness, and `graph -T hpgl' does not
     support doing so if the environment variable `HPGL_VERSION' is set
     to a value less than "2" (the default).

`--max-line-length MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     (Integer, default 500.)  Set the maximum number of points that a
     polygonal line drawn through any dataset may contain, before it is
     flushed to the output device, to equal MAX_LINE_LENGTH.  If this
     flushing occurs, the polygonal line will be split into two or more
     sub-lines, though the splitting should not be noticeable.
     Splitting will not take place if the `-q' option, which requests
     filling, is used.

     The reason for splitting long polygonal lines is that some display
     devices (e.g., old Postscript printers and HP-GL pen plotters) have
     limited buffer sizes.  The environment variable `MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     can also be used to specify the maximum line length.  This option
     has no effect on `graph -T tek' or raw `graph', since they draw
     polylines in real time and have no buffer limitations.

`--page-size PAGESIZE'
     (String, default "letter".)  Set the size of the page on which the
     plot will be positioned.  This is relevant only to `graph -T svg',
     `graph -T ai', `graph -T ps', `graph -T cgm', `graph -T fig',
     `graph -T pcl', and `graph -T hpgl'.  "letter" means an 8.5in by
     11in page.  Any ISO page size in the range "a0"..."a4" or ANSI
     page size in the range "a"..."e" may be specified ("letter" is an
     alias for "a" and "tabloid" is an alias for "b").  "legal",
     "ledger", and "b5" are recognized page sizes also.  The
     environment variable `PAGESIZE' can equally well be used to
     specify the page size.

     For `graph -T ai', `graph -T ps', `graph -T pcl', and `graph -T
     fig', the graphics display (or `viewport') within which the plot
     is drawn will be, by default, a square region centered on the
     specified page.  For `graph -T hpgl', it will be a square region of
     the same size, but may be positioned differently.  Either or both
     of the dimensions of the graphics display can be specified
     explicitly.  For example, PAGESIZE could be specified as
     "letter,xsize=4in", or "a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".  The dimensions
     are allowed to be negative (a negative dimension results in a
     reflection).

     The position of the graphics display, relative to its default
     position, may optionally be adjusted by specifying an offset
     vector.  For example, PAGESIZE could be specified as
     "letter,yoffset=1.2in", or "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  It is
     also possible to position the graphics display precisely, by
     specifying the location of its lower left corner relative to the
     lower left corner of the page.  For example, PAGESIZE could be
     specified as "letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or
     "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".  The preceding options may be
     intermingled.  `graph -T svg' and `graph -T cgm' ignore the
     "xoffset", "yoffset", "xorigin", and "yorigin" options, since SVG
     format and WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which
     the graphics display will ultimately be positioned.  For more on
     page sizes, see *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.

`--pen-colors COLORS'
     (String, default "1=red:2=green:3=blue:4=magenta:5=cyan".)  Set the
     colors of the pens used for drawing plots, as numbered, to be
     COLORS.  The format should be self-explanatory.  An unrecognized
     name sets the corresponding color to the default.  For information
     on what names are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.

`--rotation ANGLE'
     (Integer, default 0.)  Set the rotation angle of the graphics
     display to be ANGLE degrees.  Recognized values are 0, 90, 180,
     and 270.  The rotation is counterclockwise.  The environment
     variable `ROTATION' can equally well be used to specify the
     rotation angle.

     This option is used for switching between portrait and landscape
     orientations.  Postmodernists may also find it useful.

`--title-font-name FONT_NAME'
     (String, default "Helvetica" except for `graph -T pcl', for which
     "Univers" is the default, and `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm',
     `graph -T gif', `graph -T hpgl', `graph -T regis', and `graph -T
     tek', for all of which "HersheySerif" is the default.)  Set the
     font used for the plot title to be FONT_NAME.  Normally the font
     used for the plot title is the same as that used for labeling the
     axes and the ticks along the axes, as specified by the `-F'
     option.  But the `--title-font-name' option can be used to override
     this.  Font names are case-insensitive.  If the specified font is
     not available, the default font will be used.  Which fonts are
     available depends on which `-T' option is used.  For a list of all
     fonts, see *Note Text Fonts::.  The `plotfont' utility will
     produce a character map of any available font.  *Note plotfont::.

`--title-font-size SIZE'
     (Float, default 0.07.)  Set the size of the font used for the top
     label (`title'), as specified by the `-L' option, to be SIZE.  The
     size is specified as a fraction of the minimum dimension (width or
     height) of the plotting box.

`--toggle-rotate-y-label'
     Position the label on the y axis (which is set with the `-Y'
     option) horizontally instead of vertically, or vice versa.  By
     default, the label is rotated, so that it is parallel to the
     y axis.  But some output devices (e.g., old X Window System
     displays) cannot handle rotated fonts.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Dataset Options,  Next: Multiplot Options,  Prev: Plot Options,  Up: graph Invocation

Dataset options
---------------

   The following options affect the way in which individual datasets are
read from files, and drawn as part of a plot.  They should appear on the
command line before the file containing the datasets whose reading or
rendering they will affect.  They may appear more than once on a command
line, if more than one file is to be read.

   The following three options affect the way in which datasets are read
from files.

`-I DATA-FORMAT'
`--input-format DATA-FORMAT'
     This specifies which format the subsequent input file(s) are in.

    `a'
          ASCII format.  Each input file is a sequence of floating
          point numbers, interpreted as the x and y coordinates of the
          successive data points in a dataset.  The x and y coordinates
          of a point need not appear on the same line, and points need
          not appear on different lines.  But if a blank line occurs
          (i.e., two newlines in succession are seen), it is
          interpreted as the end of a dataset, and the beginning of the
          next.

    `e'
          ASCII format, including error bars.  Similar to `a' format,
          except that triples (x,y,error) appear instead of pairs (x,y).

    `g'
          The ASCII `table' format produced by the `gnuplot' plotting
          program.

    `f'
          Single precision binary format.  Each input file is a
          sequence of single precision floating point numbers,
          interpreted as forming pairs (x,y).  Successive datasets are
          separated by a single occurrence of the quantity `FLT_MAX',
          which is the largest possible single precision floating point
          number.  On most machines this is approximately 3.4x10^38.

    `d'
          Double precision binary format.  Each input file is a
          sequence of double precision floating point numbers,
          interpreted as forming pairs (x,y).  Successive datasets are
          separated by a single occurrence of the quantity `DBL_MAX',
          which is the largest possible double precision floating point
          number.  On most machines this is approximately 1.8x10^308.

    `i'
          Integer binary format.  Each input file is a sequence of
          integers, interpreted as forming pairs (x,y).  Successive
          datasets are separated by a single occurrence of the quantity
          `INT_MAX', which is the largest possible integer.  On most
          machines this is 2^31-1.

`-a [STEP_SIZE [LOWER_LIMIT]]'
`--auto-abscissa [STEP_SIZE [LOWER_LIMIT]]'
     (Floats, defaults 1.0 and 0.0.) Automatically generate abscissa
     (x) values.  Irrespective of data format (`a', `e', `f', `d',
     or `i'), this option specifies that the abscissa (x) values are
     missing from the input file: the dataset(s) to be read contain
     only ordinate (y) values.  The increment from each x value to the
     next will be STEP_SIZE, and the first x value will be LOWER_LIMIT.
     To return to reading abscissa values from the input, i.e., for
     subsequent input files, you would use `-a 0', which disables
     automatic generation of the abscissa values and returns STEP_SIZE
     and LOWER_LIMIT to their default values.

`-B'
`--toggle-auto-bump'
     By default, the linemode (set with `-m', see below) is `bumped'
     (incremented by unity) at the beginning of each new dataset.  This
     option toggles auto-bumping: it turns it off if it was on, and on
     if it was off.

   The following options affect the way in which individual datasets are
drawn as part of a plot.  These options set the six `attributes' (symbol
type, symbol font, linemode, line thickness, fill fraction, and
color/monochrome) that each dataset has.

`-m LINE_MODE'
`--line-mode LINE_MODE'
     (Integer, default 1.)  LINE_MODE specifies the mode (i.e., style)
     of the lines drawn between successive points in a dataset.  By
     convention, linemode #0 means no line at all (data points are
     disconnected).  If the dataset is being rendered in monochrome, the
     interpretation of LINE_MODE is as follows.

       1. solid

       2. dotted

       3. dotdashed

       4. shortdashed

       5. longdashed

     Thereafter (i.e., for LINE_MODE greater than 5) the sequence of
     five linemodes repeats.  So besides linemode #0, there are a total
     of five distinct monochrome linemodes.  If the dataset is being
     rendered in color (as may be requested with the `-C' option), the
     interpretation of linemodes #1 through #5 is instead

       1. red, solid

       2. green, solid

       3. blue, solid

       4. magenta, solid

       5. cyan, solid

     Linemodes #6 through #10 use the same five colors, but are dotted;
     linemodes #11 through #15 are dotdashed; linemodes #16 through #20
     are shortdashed; and linemodes #21 through #25 are longdashed.  So
     besides linemode #0, there are a total of 25 distinct colored
     linemodes.  A negative linemode indicates that no line should be
     drawn, but that the marker symbol, if any (see below), should be
     in the color of the corresponding positive linemode.

`-S [SYMBOL_NUMBER [SYMBOL_SIZE]]'
`--symbol [SYMBOL_NUMBER [SYMBOL_SIZE]]'
     (Integer and float, defaults 0 and 0.03.)  Draw a marker symbol at
     each data point.  SYMBOL_NUMBER specifies the symbol type, and
     SYMBOL_SIZE specifies the font size of the symbol, as a fraction
     of the minimum dimension (width or height) of the plotting box.
     If the dataset is being rendered in color, the symbol will have
     the color of the line that is being drawn to connect the data
     points.

     If you use the `-S' option, you would usually also use the `-m'
     option, to request that the symbols be drawn without any line
     connecting them.  By specifying a negative argument to `-m'
     (a `negative linemode'), you may obtain colored symbols.

     The following table lists the first few symbols (by convention,
     symbol #0 means no symbol at all).

       1. dot

       2. plus (+)

       3. asterisk (*)

       4. circle

       5. cross

     Marker symbols 0...31 are furnished by the GNU `libplot' graphics
     library.  *Note Marker Symbols::.  Symbol numbers greater than or
     equal to 32 are interpreted as characters in a symbol font, which
     can be set with the `--symbol-font-name' option (see below).

`-W LINE_WIDTH'
`--line-width LINE_WIDTH'
     (Float, default -1.0.)  Set the thickness of the lines used to
     join successive points in a dataset, as a fraction of the size
     (i.e., minimum dimension) of the graphics display, to LINE_WIDTH.
     A negative value means that the default value for the line
     thickness provided by the GNU `libplot' graphics library should be
     used.  This is usually 1/850 times the size of the display,
     although if `-T X', `-T png', `-T pnm', or `-T gif' is specified,
     it is zero.  By convention, a zero-thickness line is the thinnest
     line that can be drawn.  This is the case in all output formats.
     Note, however, that the drawing editors `idraw' and `xfig' treat
     zero-thickness lines as invisible.

     `graph -T tek' and `graph -T regis' do not support drawing lines
     with other than a default thickness, and `graph -T hpgl' does not
     support doing so if the environment variable `HPGL_VERSION' is set
     to a value less than "2" (the default).

`-q FILL_FRACTION'
`--fill-fraction FILL_FRACTION'
     (Float, default -1.0.)  If successive points in a dataset are
     joined by line segments, set the shading intensity for the polygon
     formed by the line segments to be FILL_FRACTION.  A solid polygon
     (i.e., one filled with the `pen color' used for drawing the line
     segments) is obtained by choosing FILL_FRACTION=1.0.  The interior
     of the polygon will be white if FILL_FRACTION=0.0.  The polygon
     will be unfilled (transparent) if FILL_FRACTION is negative.

     If the polygon intersects itself, the `even-odd fill rule' will
     normally be used to determine which points are inside rather than
     outside, i.e., to determine which portions of the polygon should be
     shaded.  The even-odd fill rule is explained in the `Postscript
     Language Reference Manual'.

     The `-q' option has no effect on `graph -T tek', and it is only
     partly effective in `graph -T hpgl' if the environment variable
     `HPGL_VERSION' is set to a value less than "2" (the default).

`-C'
`--toggle-use-color'
     Toggle between color and monochrome rendering of datasets.  The
     interpretation of linemode depends on whether the rendering is
     being performed in color or monochrome; see the `-m' option above.

`--symbol-font-name SYMBOL_FONT_NAME'
     (String, default "ZapfDingbats" unless `-T png', `-T pnm', `-T
     gif', `-T pcl', `-T hpgl', `-T regis', or `-T tek' is specified,
     in which case it is "HersheySerif".)  Set the symbol font, from
     which marker symbols numbered 32 and higher are selected, to be
     SYMBOL_FONT_NAME.  Font names are case-insensitive.  If the
     specified font is not available, the default font will be used.
     Which fonts are available depends on which `-T' option is used.
     For example, if the `-T pcl' or `-T hpgl' option is used then
     normally the Wingdings font, which is an alternative source of
     symbols, becomes available.  For a list of all fonts, see *Note
     Text Fonts::.  The `plotfont' utility will produce a character map
     of any available font.  *Note plotfont::.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Multiplot Options,  Next: Raw graph Options,  Prev: Dataset Options,  Up: graph Invocation

Multiplot options
-----------------

   The following options are used for multiplotting (placing more than a
single plots on a display, or a page).  The `--reposition' directive
serves as a separator, on the command line, between the options and
file names that apply to successive plots.

`--reposition X Y SIZE'
     (Floats, defaults 0.0, 0.0, 1.0) Set the `virtual display' within
     which the next plot will be drawn to be a square of size SIZE, with
     lower left corner (X,Y).  Normalized coordinates are used here:
     (0,0) means the lower left corner of the physical display and
     (1,1) means the upper right corner of the physical display.  The
     size of the plot within the virtual display may be adjusted with
     the `-h' and `-w' options, and its position within the virtual
     display with the `-u' and `-w' options.  After a `--reposition'
     directive, the arguments of those four options will be interpreted
     in terms of the virtual display, not the physical display.

`--blankout BLANKOUT_FRACTION'
     (Float, default 1.3.)  Before each additional plot of a multiplot
     is drawn, the region of the display that the plot will occupy is
     cleared.  If BLANKOUT_FRACTION=1.3, a region 30% larger in each
     dimension is cleared.  If, for example, BLANKOUT_FRACTION=1.0, the
     region covered by the plot's plotting box, and no more, is cleared.
     The default value, 1.3, is appropriate for inset plots.  1.0 would
     be appropriate for side by side plots.

     `graph -T tek' cannot clear regions, and `graph -T hpgl' cannot
     clear them if the environment variables `HPGL_VERSION' and
     `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE' are set to non-default values (i.e., values
     other than "2" and "yes", respectively).


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Raw graph Options,  Next: Info Options,  Prev: Multiplot Options,  Up: graph Invocation

Raw `graph' options
-------------------

   The following option is relevant only to raw `graph', i.e., is
relevant only if no display type or output format is specified with the
`-T' option.  In this case `graph' outputs a graphics metafile, which
may be translated to other formats by invoking `plot'.  This option
should appear on the command line before any file names, since it
affects the output of the plot (or multiplot) as a whole.

`-O'
`--portable-output'
     Output the portable (human-readable) version of GNU metafile
     format, rather than a binary version (the default).  This can also
     be requested by setting the environment variable `META_PORTABLE'
     to "yes".


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Info Options,  Next: graph Environment,  Prev: Raw graph Options,  Up: graph Invocation

Informational options
---------------------

   The following options request information.

`--help'
     Print a list of command-line options, and then exit.

`--help-fonts'
     Print a table of available fonts, and then exit.  The table will
     depend on which display type or output format is specified with
     the `-T' option.  `graph -T X', `graph -T svg', `graph -T ai',
     `graph -T ps', `graph -T cgm', and `graph -T fig' each support the
     35 standard Postscript fonts.  `graph -T svg', `graph -T ai',
     `graph -T pcl', and `graph -T hpgl' support the 45 standard PCL 5
     fonts, and `graph -T pcl' and `graph -T hpgl' support a number of
     Hewlett-Packard vector fonts.  All of the preceding, together with
     `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm', `graph -T gif', `graph -T regis',
     and `graph -T tek', support a set of 22 Hershey vector fonts.  Raw
     `graph' in principle supports any of these fonts, since its output
     must be translated to other formats with `plot'.  The `plotfont'
     utility will produce a character map of any available font.  *Note
     plotfont::.

`--list-fonts'
     Like `--help-fonts', but lists the fonts in a single column to
     facilitate piping to other programs.  If no display type or output
     format is specified with the `-T' option, the full set of supported
     fonts is listed.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `graph' and the plotting utilities
     package, and exit.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: graph Environment,  Prev: Info Options,  Up: graph Invocation

Environment variables
=====================

   The behavior of `graph' is affected by several environment
variables.  We have already mentioned the environment variables
`BITMAPSIZE', `PAGESIZE', `BG_COLOR', `EMULATE_COLOR',
`MAX_LINE_LENGTH', and `ROTATION'.  They serve as backups for the
several options `--bitmap-size', `--page-size', `--bg-color',
`--emulate-color', `--max-line-length', and `--rotation'.  The remaining
environment variables are specific to individual output formats.

   `graph -T X', which pops up a window on an X Window System display
and draws graphics in it, checks the `DISPLAY' environment variable.
The value of this variable determines the display on which the window
will be popped up.

   `graph -T png' and `graph -T gif', which produce output in PNG and
pseudo-GIF format respectively, are affected by two environment
variables.  If the value of the `INTERLACE' variable is "yes", the
output file will be interlaced.  Also, if the value of the
`TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable is the name of a color that
appears in the output file, that color will be treated as transparent
by most applications.  For information on what color names are
recognized, see *Note Color Names::.

   `graph -T pnm', which produces output in Portable Anymap
(PBM/PGM/PPM) format, is affected by the `PNM_PORTABLE' environment
variable.  If its value is "yes", the output file will be in the
portable (human readable) version of PBM, PGM, or PPM format, rather
than the default (binary) version.

   `graph -T cgm', which produces CGM files that comply with the WebCGM
profile for Web-based vector graphics, is affected by two environment
variables.  By default, a version 3 CGM file is generated.  Many older
CGM interpreters and viewers, such as the ones built into Microsoft
Office and other commercial software, only support version 1 CGM files.
The `CGM_MAX_VERSION' environment variable may be set to "1", "2",
"3", or "4" (the default) to specify an maximum value for the version
number.  The `CGM_ENCODING' variable may also be set, to specify the
type of encoding used in the CGM file.  Supported values are
"clear_text" (i.e., human readable) and "binary" (the default).  The
WebCGM profile requires that the binary encoding be used.

   `graph -T pcl', which produces PCL 5 output for Hewlett-Packard
printers, is affected by the environment variable `PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.
It should be set to "yes" when producing PCL 5 output for a color
printer or other color device.  This will ensure accurate color
reproduction by giving the output device complete freedom in assigning
colors, internally, to its "logical pens".  If it is "no" then the
device will use a fixed set of colored pens, and will emulate other
colors by shading.  The default is "no" because monochrome PCL 5
devices, which are more common than colored ones, must use shading to
emulate color.

   `graph -T hpgl', which produces Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
output, is also affected by several environment variables.  The most
important is `HPGL_VERSION', which may be set to "1", "1.5", or "2"
(the default).  "1" means that the output should be generic HP-GL,
"1.5" means that the output should be suitable for the HP7550A graphics
plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL
with some HP-GL/2 extensions), and "2" means that the output should be
modern HP-GL/2.  If the version is "1" or "1.5" then the only available
fonts will be vector fonts, and all lines will be drawn with a default
thickness (the `-W' option will not work).  Additionally, if the
version is "1" then the filling of arbitrary curves with solid color
will not be supported (the `-q' option may be used to fill circles and
rectangles aligned with the coordinate axes, though).

   The position of the `graph -T hpgl' graphics display on the page can
be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by setting the `HPGL_ROTATE'
environment variable to "yes".  This is not the same as the rotation
obtained with the `--rotation' option, since it both rotates the
graphics display and repositions its lower left corner toward another
corner of the page.  Besides "no" and "yes", recognized values for the
`HPGL_ROTATE' variable are "0", "90", "180", and "270".  "no" and "yes"
are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively.  "180" and "270" are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default).

   *Opaque* filling and the drawing of visible white lines are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default) and the
environment variable `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE' is "yes" (the default).  If the
value is "no" then opaque filling will not be used, and white lines
(if any), which are normally drawn with pen #0, will not be drawn.
This feature is to accommodate older HP-GL/2 devices.  HP-GL/2 pen
plotters, for example, do not support opacity or the use of pen #0 to
draw visible white lines.  Some older HP-GL/2 devices reportedly
malfunction if asked to draw opaque objects.

   By default, `graph -T hpgl' will draw with a fixed set of pens.
Which pens are present may be specified by setting the `HPGL_PENS'
environment variable.  If `HPGL_VERSION' is "1", the default value of
`HPGL_PENS' is "1=black"; if `HPGL_VERSION' is "1.5" or "2", the
default value of `HPGL_PENS' is
"1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan".  The format
should be self-explanatory.  By setting `HPGL_PENS', you may specify a
color for any pen in the range #1...#31.  For information on what color
names are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  Pen #1 must always be
present, though it need not be black. Any other pen in the range
#1...#31 may be omitted.

   If `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" then `graph -T hpgl' will also be affected
by the environment variable `HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.  If the value of this
variable is "yes", then `graph -T hpgl' will not be restricted to the
palette specified in `HPGL_PENS': it will assign colors to "logical
pens" in the range #1...#31, as needed.  The default value is "no"
because other than color LaserJet printers and DesignJet plotters, not
many HP-GL/2 devices allow the assignment of colors to logical pens.
In particular, HP-GL/2 pen plotters do not.

   `graph -T tek', which produces output for a Tektronix terminal or
emulator, checks the `TERM' environment variable.  If the value of
`TERM' is a string beginning with "xterm", "nxterm", or "kterm", it is
taken as a sign that `graph' is running in an X Window System VT100
terminal emulator: an `xterm', `nxterm', or `kterm'.  Before drawing
graphics, `graph -T tek' will emit an escape sequence that causes the
terminal emulator's auxiliary Tektronix window, which is normally
hidden, to pop up.  After the graphics are drawn, an escape sequence
that returns control to the original VT100 window will be emitted.  The
Tektronix window will remain on the screen.

   If the value of `TERM' is a string beginning with "kermit",
"ansi.sys", or "nansi.sys", it is taken as a sign that `graph' is
running in the VT100 terminal emulator provided by the MS-DOS version
of `kermit'.  Before drawing graphics, `graph -T tek' will emit an
escape sequence that switches the terminal emulator to Tektronix mode.
Also, some of the Tektronix control codes emitted by `graph -T tek'
will be `kermit'-specific.  There will be a limited amount of color
support, which is not normally the case (the 16 `ansi.sys' colors will
be supported).  After drawing graphics, `graph -T tek' will emit an
escape sequence that returns the emulator to VT100 mode.  The key
sequence `ALT minus' can be employed manually within `kermit' to switch
between the two modes.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plot,  Next: pic2plot,  Prev: graph,  Up: Top

The `plot' Program
******************

* Menu:

* plot Examples::       How to use a plot filter
* plot Invocation::     Command-line options
* plot Environment::    Environment variables


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plot Examples,  Next: plot Invocation,  Prev: plot,  Up: plot

How to use `plot'
=================

   The GNU plot filter `plot' displays GNU graphics metafiles or
translates them to other formats.  It will take input from files
specified on the command line or from standard input.  The `-T' option
is used to specify the desired output format.  Supported output formats
include "X", "png", "pnm", "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig",
"pcl", "hpgl", "regis", "tek", and "meta" (the default).

   The metafile format is a device-independent format for storage of
vector graphics.  By default, it is a binary rather than a
human-readable format (*note Metafiles::.).  Each of the `graph',
`pic2plot', `tek2plot', and `plotfont' utilities will write a graphics
metafile to standard output if no `-T' option is specified on its
command line.  The GNU `libplot' graphics library may also be used to
produce metafiles.  Metafiles may contain arbitrarily many pages of
graphics, but each metafile produced by `graph' contains only a single
page.

   `plot', like the metafile format itself, is useful if you wish to
preserve a vector graphics file, and display or edit it with more than
one drawing editor.  The following example shows how you may do this.

   To produce a plot of data arranged as alternating x and y
coordinates in an ASCII file, you may use `graph' as follows:

     graph < datafile > test.meta

The file `test.meta' will be a single-page graphics metafile.
Similarly, to create in metafile format a plot consisting of a simple
figure, you may do:

     echo 0 0 1 1 2 0 | spline | graph > test.meta

To display any such plot on an X Window System display, you would do

     plot -T X test.meta

or

     plot -T X < test.meta

To print the plot on a Postscript printer, you would do something like

     plot -T ps < test.meta | lpr

To edit it with the free `idraw' drawing editor, you would do

     plot -T ps < test.meta > test.ps
     idraw test.ps

To produce a PNG file, you would do
     plot -T png < test.meta > test.png

To produce a "portable anymap" (a file in PBM, PGM, or PPM format,
whichever is most appropriate) you would do
     plot -T pnm < test.meta > test.pnm

and to produce a pseudo-GIF file, you would do
     plot -T gif < test.meta > test.gif

Similarly, to produce versions of the plot in SVG format and WebCGM
format that can be displayed in a Web browser with SVG and WebCGM
support, you would do

     plot -T svg < test.meta > test.svg
     plot -T cgm < test.meta > test.cgm

To produce a version of the plot that can be viewed and edited with
Adobe Illustrator, you would do

     plot -T ai < test.meta > test.ai

and to produce a version that can be viewed and edited with the free
`xfig' drawing editor, you would do

     plot -T fig < test.meta > test.fig
     xfig test.fig

Other formats may be obtained by using `plot -T pcl', `plot -T hpgl',
`plot -T regis', and `plot -T tek'.

   `plot' may behave differently depending on the environment in which
it is invoked.  In particular, `plot -T svg', `plot -T ai', `plot -T
ps', `plot -T cgm', `plot -T fig', `plot -T pcl', and `plot -T hpgl'
are affected by the environment variable `PAGESIZE'.  `plot -T X',
`plot -T png', `plot -T pnm', and `plot -T gif' are affected by the
environment variable `BITMAPSIZE'.  The `DISPLAY' environment variable
affects the operation of `plot -T X', and the `TERM' environment
variable affects the operation of `plot -T tek'.  There are also
several environment variables that affect the operation of `plot -T
pcl' and `plot -T hpgl'.  For a complete discussion of the effects of
the environment on `plot', see *Note plot Environment::.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plot Invocation,  Next: plot Environment,  Prev: plot Examples,  Up: plot

`plot' command-line options
===========================

   The plot filter `plot' translates GNU graphics metafiles to other
formats.  The `-T' option is used to specify the output format or
display type.  Files in metafile format are produced by GNU `graph',
`pic2plot', `tek2plot', `plotfont', and other applications that use the
GNU `libplot' graphics library.  For technical details on the metafile
format, see *Note Metafiles::.

   Input file names may be specified anywhere on the command line.  That
is, the relative order of file names and command-line options does not
matter.  If no files are specified, or the file name `-' is specified,
the standard input is read.  An output file is written to standard
output, unless the `-T X' option is specified.  In that case the output
is displayed in a window or windows on an X Window System display, and
there is no output file.

   The full set of command-line options is listed below.  There are four
sorts of option:

  1. Options setting the values of drawing parameters.

  2. Options relevant only to raw `plot', i.e., relevant only if no
     display type or output format is specified with the `-T' option.

  3. Options specifying the type of metafile format the input is in (for
     backward compatibility only).

  4. Options requesting information (e.g., `--help').

Each option that takes an argument is followed, in parentheses, by the
type and default value of the argument.

   The following options set the values of drawing parameters.

`-T TYPE'
`--display-type TYPE'
     (String, default "meta".)  Select a display type or output format
     of type TYPE, which may be one of the strings "X", "png", "pnm",
     "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl", "regis",
     "tek", and "meta".  These refer respectively to the
     X Window System, PNG format, portable anymap (PBM/PGM/PPM) format,
     pseudo-GIF format, the new XML-based Scalable Vector Graphics
     format, the format used by Adobe Illustrator, `idraw'-editable
     Postscript, the WebCGM format for Web-based vector graphics, the
     format used by the `xfig' drawing editor, the Hewlett-Packard
     PCL 5 printer language, the Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
     (by default, HP-GL/2), the ReGIS (remote graphics instruction set)
     format developed by DEC, Tektronix format, and device-independent
     GNU graphics metafile format.

`-p N'
`--page-number N'
     (Positive integer.) Display only page number N, within the
     metafile or sequence of metafiles that is being translated.

     Metafiles may consist of one or more pages, numbered beginning
     with 1.  Also, each page may contain multiple `frames'.  `plot
     -T X', `plot -T regis', or `plot -T tek', which plot in real time,
     will separate successive frames by screen erasures.  `plot -T
     png', `plot -T pnm', `plot -T gif', `plot -T svg', `plot -T ai',
     `plot -T ps', `plot -T cgm', `plot -T fig', `plot -T pcl', `plot
     -T hpgl', which do not plot in real time, will display only the
     last frame of any multi-frame page.

     The default behavior, if `-p' is not used, is to display all pages.
     For example, `plot -T X' displays each page in its own X window.
     If the `-T png' option, the `-T pnm' option, the `-T gif' option,
     the `-T svg' option, the `-T ai' option, or the `-T fig' option is
     used, the default behavior is to display only the first page,
     since files in PNG, PNM, pseudo-GIF, SVG, AI, or Fig format may
     contain only a single page of graphics.

     Most metafiles produced by the GNU plotting utilities (e.g., by raw
     `graph') contain only a single page, consisting of two frames: an
     empty one to clear the display, and a second one containing
     graphics.

`-s'
`--merge-pages'
     Merge all displayed pages into a single page, and also merge all
     `frames' within each displayed page.

     This option is useful when merging together single-page plots from
     different sources.  For example, it can be used to merge together
     plots obtained from separate invocations of `graph'.  This is an
     alternative form of multiplotting (*note Multiplotting::.).

`--bitmap-size BITMAP_SIZE'
     (String, default "570x570".)  Set the size of the graphics display
     in which the plot will be drawn, in terms of pixels, to be
     BITMAP_SIZE.  This is relevant only to `plot -T X', `plot -T png',
     `plot -T pnm', and `plot -T gif', for all of which the size can be
     expressed in terms of pixels.  The environment variable
     `BITMAPSIZE' may equally well be used to specify the size.

     The graphics display used by `plot -T X' is a popped-up X window.
     Command-line positioning of this window on an X Window System
     display is supported.  For example, if BITMAP_SIZE is
     "570x570+0+0" then the window will be popped up in the upper left
     corner.

     If you choose a rectangular (non-square) window size, the fonts in
     the plot will be scaled anisotropically, i.e., by different
     factors in the horizontal and vertical direction.  For this, `plot
     -T X' requires an X11R6 display.  Any font that cannot be
     anisotropically scaled will be replaced by a default scalable
     font, such as the Hershey vector font "HersheySerif".

     For backward compatibility, `plot -T X' allows the user to set the
     window size and position by setting the X resource
     `Xplot.geometry', instead of `--bitmap-size' or `BITMAPSIZE'.

`--emulate-color OPTION'
     (String, default "no".)  If OPTION is "yes", replace each color in
     the output by an appropriate shade of gray.  This is seldom useful,
     except when using `plot -T pcl' to prepare output for a PCL 5
     device.  (Many monochrome PCL 5 devices, such as monochrome
     LaserJets, do a poor job of emulating color on their own.  They
     usually map HP-GL/2's seven standard pen colors, including even
     yellow, to black.)  You may equally well request color emulation
     by setting the environment variable `EMULATE_COLOR' to "yes".

`--max-line-length MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     (Integer, default 500.)  Set the maximum number of points that a
     polygonal line may contain, before it is flushed to the output
     device, to equal MAX_LINE_LENGTH.  If this flushing occurs, the
     polygonal line will be split into two or more sub-lines, though
     the splitting should not be noticeable.  Splitting will not take
     place if the line is the boundary of a filled polygon.

     The reason for splitting long polygonal lines is that some display
     devices (e.g., old Postscript printers and HP-GL pen plotters) have
     limited buffer sizes.  The environment variable `MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     can also be used to specify the maximum line length.  This option
     has no effect on `plot -T tek' or raw `plot', since they draw
     polylines in real time and have no buffer limitations.

`--page-size PAGESIZE'
     (String, default "letter".)  Set the size of the page on which the
     plot will be positioned.  This is relevant only to `plot -T svg',
     `plot -T ai', `plot -T ps', `plot -T cgm', `plot -T fig', `plot -T
     pcl', and `plot -T hpgl'.  "letter" means an 8.5in by 11in page.
     Any ISO page size in the range "a0"..."a4" or ANSI page size in
     the range "a"..."e" may be specified ("letter" is an alias for "a"
     and "tabloid" is an alias for "b").  "legal", "ledger", and "b5"
     are recognized page sizes also.  The environment variable
     `PAGESIZE' can equally well be used to specify the page size.

     For `plot -T ai', `plot -T ps', `plot -T pcl', and `plot -T fig',
     the graphics display (or `viewport') within which the plot is
     drawn will be, by default, a square region centered on the
     specified page.  For `plot -T hpgl', it will be a square region of
     the same size, but may be positioned differently.  Either or both
     of the dimensions of the graphics display can be specified
     explicitly.  For example, PAGESIZE could be specified as
     "letter,xsize=4in", or "a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".  The dimensions
     are allowed to be negative (a negative dimension results in a
     reflection).

     The position of the graphics display, relative to its default
     position, may optionally be adjusted by specifying an offset
     vector.  For example, PAGESIZE could be specified as
     "letter,yoffset=1.2in", or "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  It is
     also possible to position the graphics display precisely, by
     specifying the location of its lower left corner relative to the
     lower left corner of the page.  For example, PAGESIZE could be
     specified as "letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or
     "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".  The preceding options may be
     intermingled.  `plot -T svg' and `plot -T cgm' ignore the
     "xoffset", "yoffset", "xorigin", and "yorigin" options, since SVG
     format and WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which
     the graphics display will ultimately be positioned.  For more on
     page sizes, see *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.

   The following options set the initial values of additional drawing
parameters.  Any of these may be overridden by a directive in the
metafile itself.  In fact, these options are useful only when plotting
old metafiles in the pre-GNU `plot(5)' format, which did not include
such directives.

`--bg-color NAME'
     (String, default "white".)  Set the color used for the plot
     background to be NAME.  This is relevant only to `plot -T X',
     `plot -T png', `plot -T pnm', `plot -T gif', `plot -T cgm', `plot
     -T regis', and `plot -Tmeta'.  An unrecognized name sets the color
     to the default.  For information on what names are recognized, see
     *Note Color Names::.  The environment variable `BG_COLOR' can
     equally well be used to specify the background color.

     If the `-T png' or `-T gif' option is used, a transparent PNG file
     or a transparent pseudo-GIF, respectively, may be produced by
     setting the `TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable to the name of
     the background color.  *Note plot Environment::.  If the `-T svg'
     or `-T cgm' option is used, an output file without a background
     may be produced by setting the background color to "none".

`-f FONT_SIZE'
`--font-size FONT_SIZE'
     (Float, initial value device-dependent.)  Set the initial size of
     the font used for rendering text, as a fraction of the width of
     the graphics display, to FONT_SIZE.

`-F FONT_NAME'
`--font-name FONT_NAME'
     (String, default "Helvetica" except for `plot -T pcl', for which
     "Univers" is the default, and `plot -T png', `plot -T pnm', `plot
     -T gif', `plot -T hpgl', `plot -T regis', `plot -T tek', and raw
     `plot', for all of which "HersheySerif" is the default.)  Set the
     font initially used for text (i.e., for `labels') to FONT_NAME.
     Font names are case-insensitive.  If the specified font is not
     available, the default font will be used.  Which fonts are
     available depends on which `-T' option is used.  For a list of all
     fonts, see *Note Text Fonts::.  The `plotfont' utility will
     produce a character map of any available font.  *Note plotfont::.

`-W LINE_WIDTH'
`--line-width LINE_WIDTH'
     (Float, default -1.0.)  Set the thickness of lines, as a fraction
     of the size (i.e., minimum dimension) of the graphics display, to
     LINE_WIDTH.  A negative value means that the default value
     provided by the GNU `libplot' graphics library should be used.
     This is usually 1/850 times the size of the display, although if
     `-T X', `-T png', `-T pnm', or `-T gif' is specified, it is zero.
     By convention, a zero-thickness line is the thinnest line that can
     be drawn.  This is the case in all output formats.  Note, however,
     that the drawing editors `idraw' and `xfig' treat zero-thickness
     lines as invisible.

     `plot -T tek' and `plot -T regis' do not support drawing lines
     with other than a default thickness, and `plot -T hpgl' does not
     support doing so if the environment variable `HPGL_VERSION' is set
     to a value less than "2" (the default).

`--pen-color NAME'
     (String, default "black".)  Set the pen color to be NAME.  An
     unrecognized name sets the pen color to the default.  For
     information on what color names are recognized, see *Note Color
     Names::.

   The following option is relevant only to raw `plot', i.e., relevant
only if no output type is specified with the `-T' option.  In this case
`plot' outputs a graphics metafile, which may be translated to other
formats by a second invocation of `plot'.

`-O'
`--portable-output'
     Output the portable (human-readable) version of GNU metafile
     format, rather than a binary version (the default).  This can also
     be requested by setting the environment variable `META_PORTABLE'
     to "yes".

   `plot' will automatically determine which type of GNU metafile
format the input is in.  There are two types: binary (the default) and
portable (human-readable).  The binary format is machine-dependent.
*Note Metafiles::.

   For compatibility with older plotting software, the reading of input
files in the pre-GNU `plot(5)' format is also supported.  This is
normally a binary format, with each integer in the metafile represented
as a pair of bytes.  The order of the two bytes is machine dependent.
You may specify that input file(s) are in plot(5) format rather than
ordinary GNU metafile format by using either the `-h' option ("high
byte first") or the `-l' option ("low byte first"), whichever is
appropriate.  Some non-GNU systems support an ASCII (human-readable)
variant of plot(5) format.  You may specify that the input is in this
format by using the `-A' option.  Irrespective of the variant, a file
in plot(5) format includes only one page of graphics.

`-h'
`--high-byte-first-input'
     Input file(s) are assumed to be in traditional `plot(5)' metafile
     format, with the high-order byte of each integer occurring first.
     This variant is uncommon.

`-l'
`--low-byte-first-input'
     Input file(s) are assumed to be in traditional `plot(5)' metafile
     format, with the low-order byte of each integer occurring first.
     This variant is the most common.

`-A'
`--ascii-input'
     Input file(s) are assumed to be in the ASCII variant of traditional
     `plot(5)' metafile format.  This variant is rare: on some older
     systems, it is produced by a program called `plottoa'.

   The following options request information.

`--help'
     Print a list of command-line options, and then exit.

`--help-fonts'
     Print a table of available fonts, and then exit.  The table will
     depend on which display type or output format is specified with
     the `-T' option.  `plot -T X', `plot -T svg', `plot -T ai', `plot
     -T ps', `plot -T cgm', and `plot -T fig' each support the 35
     standard Postscript fonts.  `plot -T svg', `plot -T ai', `plot -T
     pcl', and `plot -T hpgl' support the 45 standard PCL 5 fonts, and
     `plot -T pcl' and `plot -T hpgl' support a number of
     Hewlett-Packard vector fonts.  All of the preceding, together with
     `plot -T png', `plot -T pnm', `plot -T gif', `plot -T regis', and
     `plot -T tek', support a set of 22 Hershey vector fonts.  Raw
     `plot' in principle supports any of these fonts, since its output
     must be translated to other formats with `plot'.  The `plotfont'
     utility will produce a character map of any available font.  *Note
     plotfont::.

`--list-fonts'
     Like `--help-fonts', but lists the fonts in a single column to
     facilitate piping to other programs.  If no display type or output
     format is specified with the `-T' option, the full set of supported
     fonts is listed.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `plot' and the plotting utilities
     package, and exit.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plot Environment,  Prev: plot Invocation,  Up: plot

Environment variables
=====================

   The behavior of `plot' is affected by several environment variables.
We have already mentioned the environment variables `BITMAPSIZE',
`PAGESIZE', `BG_COLOR', `EMULATE_COLOR', `MAX_LINE_LENGTH', and
`ROTATION'.  They serve as backups for the several options
`--bitmap-size', `--page-size', `--bg-color', `--emulate-color',
`--max-line-length', and `--rotation'.  The remaining environment
variables are specific to individual output formats.

   `plot -T X', which pops up a window on an X Window System display
and draws graphics in it, checks the `DISPLAY' environment variable.
The value of this variable determines the display on which the window
will be popped up.

   `plot -T png' and `plot -T gif', which produce output in PNG format
and pseudo-GIF format respectively, are affected by two environment
variables.  If the value of the `INTERLACE' variable is "yes", the
output file will be interlaced.  Also, if the value of the
`TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable is the name of a color that
appears in the output file, that color will be treated as transparent
by most applications.  For information on what color names are
recognized, see *Note Color Names::.

   `plot -T pnm', which produces output in Portable Anymap
(PBM/PGM/PPM) format, is affected by the `PNM_PORTABLE' environment
variable.  If its value is "yes", the output file will be in the
portable (human readable) version of PBM, PGM, or PPM format, rather
than the default (binary) version.

   `plot -T cgm', which produces CGM files that comply with the WebCGM
profile for Web-based vector graphics, is affected by two environment
variables.  By default, a version 3 CGM file is generated.  Many older
CGM interpreters and viewers, such as the ones built into Microsoft
Office and other commercial software, only support version 1 CGM files.
The `CGM_MAX_VERSION' environment variable may be set to "1", "2",
"3", or "4" (the default) to specify a maximum value for the version
number.  The `CGM_ENCODING' variable may also be set, to specify the
type of encoding used in the CGM file.  Supported values are
"clear_text" (i.e., human readable) and "binary" (the default).  The
WebCGM profile requires that the binary encoding be used.

   `plot -T pcl', which produces PCL 5 output for Hewlett-Packard
printers, is affected by the environment variable `PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.
It should be set to "yes" when producing PCL 5 output for a color
printer or other color device.  This will ensure accurate color
reproduction by giving the output device complete freedom in assigning
colors, internally, to its "logical pens".  If it is "no" then the
device will use a fixed set of colored pens, and will emulate other
colors by shading.  The default is "no" because monochrome PCL 5
devices, which are more common than colored ones, must use shading to
emulate color.

   `plot -T hpgl', which produces Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
output, is also affected by several environment variables.  The most
important is `HPGL_VERSION', which may be set to "1", "1.5", or "2"
(the default).  "1" means that the output should be generic HP-GL,
"1.5" means that the output should be suitable for the HP7550A graphics
plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL
with some HP-GL/2 extensions), and "2" means that the output should be
modern HP-GL/2.  If the version is "1" or "1.5" then the only available
fonts will be vector fonts, and all lines will be drawn with a default
thickness (the `-W' option will not work).  Additionally, if the
version is "1" then the filling of arbitrary curves with solid color
will not be supported (circles and rectangles aligned with the
coordinate axes may be filled, though).

   The position of the `plot -T hpgl' graphics display on the page can
be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by setting the `HPGL_ROTATE'
environment variable to "yes".  This is not the same as the rotation
obtained with the `--rotation' option, since it both rotates the
graphics display and repositions its lower left corner toward another
corner of the page.  Besides "no" and "yes", recognized values for the
`HPGL_ROTATE' variable are "0", "90", "180", and "270".  "no" and "yes"
are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively.  "180" and "270" are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default).

   *Opaque* filling and the drawing of visible white lines are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default) and the
environment variable `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE' is "yes" (the default).  If the
value is "no" then opaque filling will not be used, and white lines
(if any), which are normally drawn with pen #0, will not be drawn.
This feature is to accommodate older HP-GL/2 devices.  HP-GL/2 pen
plotters, for example, do not support opacity or the use of pen #0 to
draw visible white lines.  Some older HP-GL/2 devices reportedly
malfunction if asked to draw opaque objects.

   By default, `plot -T hpgl' will draw with a fixed set of pens.
Which pens are present may be specified by setting the `HPGL_PENS'
environment variable.  If `HPGL_VERSION' is "1", the default value of
`HPGL_PENS' is "1=black"; if `HPGL_VERSION' is "1.5" or "2", the
default value of `HPGL_PENS' is
"1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan".  The format
should be self-explanatory.  By setting `HPGL_PENS', you may specify a
color for any pen in the range #1...#31.  For information on what color
names are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  Pen #1 must always be
present, though it need not be black. Any other pen in the range
#1...#31 may be omitted.

   If `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" then `plot -T hpgl' will also be affected
by the environment variable `HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.  If the value of this
variable is "yes", then `plot -T hpgl' will not be restricted to the
palette specified in `HPGL_PENS': it will assign colors to "logical
pens" in the range #1...#31, as needed.  The default value is "no"
because other than color LaserJet printers and DesignJet plotters, not
many HP-GL/2 devices allow the assignment of colors to logical pens.
In particular, HP-GL/2 pen plotters do not.

   `plot -T tek', which produces output for a Tektronix terminal or
emulator, checks the `TERM' environment variable.  If the value of
`TERM' is a string beginning with "xterm", "nxterm", or "kterm", it is
taken as a sign that `plot' is running in an X Window System VT100
terminal emulator: an `xterm', `nxterm', or `kterm'.  Before drawing
graphics, `plot -T tek' will emit an escape sequence that causes the
terminal emulator's auxiliary Tektronix window, which is normally
hidden, to pop up.  After the graphics are drawn, an escape sequence
that returns control to the original VT100 window will be emitted.  The
Tektronix window will remain on the screen.

   If the value of `TERM' is a string beginning with "kermit",
"ansi.sys", or "nansi.sys", it is taken as a sign that `plot' is
running in the VT100 terminal emulator provided by the MS-DOS version
of `kermit'.  Before drawing graphics, `plot -T tek' will emit an
escape sequence that switches the terminal emulator to Tektronix mode.
Also, some of the Tektronix control codes emitted by `plot -T tek' will
be `kermit'-specific.  There will be a limited amount of color support,
which is not normally the case (the 16 `ansi.sys' colors will be
supported).  After drawing graphics, `plot -T tek' will emit an escape
sequence that returns the emulator to VT100 mode.  The key sequence
`ALT minus' can be employed manually within `kermit' to switch between
the two modes.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: pic2plot,  Next: tek2plot,  Prev: plot,  Up: Top

The `pic2plot' Program
**********************

* Menu:

* pic2plot Introduction::     What pic2plot is used for
* pic2plot Invocation::       Command-line options
* pic2plot Environment::      Environment variables


File: plotutils.info,  Node: pic2plot Introduction,  Next: pic2plot Invocation,  Prev: pic2plot,  Up: pic2plot

What `pic2plot' is used for
===========================

   The `pic2plot' program takes one or more files in the pic language,
and either displays the figures that they contain on an X Window System
display, or produces an output file containing the figures.  Many
graphics file formats are supported.

   The pic language is a `little language' that was developed at Bell
Laboratories for creating box-and-arrow diagrams of the kind frequently
found in technical papers and textbooks.  A directory containing
documentation on the pic language is distributed along with the plotting
utilities.  On most systems it is installed as `/usr/share/pic2plot' or
`/usr/local/share/pic2plot'.  The directory includes Brian Kernighan's
original technical report on the language, Eric S. Raymond's tutorial
on the GNU implementation, and some sample pic macros contributed by
the late W. Richard Stevens.

   The pic language was originally designed to work with the `troff'
document formatter.  In that context it is read by a translator called
`pic', or its GNU counterpart `gpic'.  Since extensive documentation on
`pic' and `gpic' is available, this section simply gives an example of
an input file, and mentions some extra features supported by `pic2plot'.

   A pic file contains one or more figures, each of the box-and-arrow
type.  Each figure is begun by a line reading .PS, and ended by a line
reading .PE.  Lines that are not contained in a .PS....PE pair are
ignored.  Each figure is built from geometrical objects, such as
rectangular boxes, circles, ellipses, quarter circles ("arcs"),
polygonal lines, and splines.  Arcs, polygonal lines, and spline may be
equipped with arrowheads.  Any object may be labeled with one or more
lines of text.

   Objects are usually positioned not by specifying their positions in
absolute coordinates, but rather by specifying their positions relative
to other, previously drawn objects.  The following figure is an example.

     .PS
     box "START"; arrow; circle dashed filled; arrow
     circle diam 2 thickness 3 "This is a" "big, thick" "circle" dashed; up
     arrow from top of last circle; ellipse "loopback" dashed
     arrow dotted from left of last ellipse to top of last box
     arc cw radius 1/2 from top of last ellipse; arrow
     box "END"
     .PE

If you put this example in a file and run `pic2plot -T X' on the file,
a window containing the figure will be popped up on your X display.
Similarly, if you run `pic2plot -T ps' on the file, a Postscript file
containing the figure will be written to standard output.  The
Postscript file may be edited with the `idraw' drawing editor.  Other
graphics formats such as PNG format, PNM format, pseudo-GIF format, SVG
format, WebCGM format, or Fig format (which is editable with the `xfig'
drawing editor) may be obtained similarly.  You would use the options
`-T png', `-T pnm', `-T gif', `samp -T svg', `-T cgm', and `-T fig',
respectively.

   The above example illustrates some of the features of the pic
language.  By default, successive objects are drawn so as to touch each
other.  The drawing proceeds in a certain direction, which at startup is
left-to-right.  The `up' command changes this direction to
bottom-to-top, so that the next object (the arrow extending from the top
of the big circle) will point upward rather than to the right.

   Objects have sizes and other attributes, which may be set globally,
or specified on a per-object basis.  For example, the diameter of a
circle may be specified, or the radius of an arc.  An arc may be
oriented clockwise rather than counterclockwise by specifying the `cw'
attribute.  The line style of most objects may be altered by specifying
the `dashed' or `dotted' attribute.  Also, any object may be labeled,
by specifying one or more text strings as attributes.  A text string
may contain escape sequences that shift the font, append subscripts or
superscripts, or include non-ASCII characters and mathematical symbols.
*Note Text String Format::.

   Most sizes and positions are expressed in terms of `virtual inches'.
The use of virtual inches is peculiar to `pic2plot'.  The graphics
display used by `pic2plot', i.e., its drawing region, is defined to be
a square, 8 virtual inches wide and 8 virtual inches high.  If the page
size for the output file is the "letter" size, which is the default for
Postscript output, virtual inches will the same as real inches.  But a
different page size may be specified; for example, by using the
`--page-size a4' option.  If so, a virtual inch will simply equal
one-eighth of the width of the graphics display.  On A4 paper, the
graphics display is a square of size 19.81cm.

   By default, each figure is centered in the graphics display.  You may
turn off centering, so that you can use absolute coordinates, by using
the `-n' option.  For example, a figure consisting only of the object
`arrow from (8,8) to (4,4)' will be positioned in the absence of
centering so that the head of the arrow is at the center of the
display.  Its tail will be at the upper right corner.

   The thickness of lines is not specified in terms of virtual inches.
For compatibility with `gpic', it is specified in terms of virtual
points.  The example above, which specifies the `thickness' attribute
of one of the objects, illustrates this.  There are 72 virtual points
per virtual inch.

   If there is more than one figure to be displayed, they will appear in
different X windows, or on successive pages of the output file.  Some
output formats (such as PNG, PNM, pseudo-GIF, SVG, Illustrator, and
Fig) support only a single page of graphics.  If any of those output
formats is chosen, only the first figure will appear in the output
file.  Currently, `pic2plot' cannot produce animated pseudo-GIFs.

   The preceding survey does not do justice to the pic language, which
is actually a full-featured programming language, with support for
variables, looping constructs, etc.  Its advanced features make the
drawing of large, repetitive diagrams quite easy.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: pic2plot Invocation,  Next: pic2plot Environment,  Prev: pic2plot Introduction,  Up: pic2plot

`pic2plot' command-line options
===============================

   The `pic2plot' program translates files in the pic language, which
is used for creating box-and-arrow diagrams of the kind frequently found
in technical papers and textbooks, to other graphics formats.  The
output format or display type is specified with the `-T' option.  The
possible output formats are the same formats that are supported by the
GNU `graph' and `plot' programs.

   Input file names may be specified anywhere on the command line.  That
is, the relative order of file names and command-line options does not
matter.  If no files are specified, or the file name `-' is specified,
the standard input is read.  An output file is written to standard
output, unless the `-T X' option is specified.  In that case the output
is displayed in one or more windows on an X Window System display, and
there is no output file.

   The full set of command-line options is listed below.  There are
three sorts of option:

  1. General options.

  2. Options relevant only to raw `pic2plot', i.e., relevant only if no
     display type or output format is specified with the `-T' option.

  3. Options requesting information (e.g., `--help').

Each option that takes an argument is followed, in parentheses, by the
type and default value of the argument.

   The following are general options.

`-T TYPE'
`--display-type TYPE'
     (String, default "meta".)  Select a display type or output format
     of type TYPE, which may be one of the strings "X", "png", "pnm",
     "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl", "regis",
     "tek", and "meta".  These refer respectively to the
     X Window System, PNG format, portable anymap (PBM/PGM/PPM) format,
     pseudo-GIF format, the new XML-based Scalable Vector Graphics
     format, the format used by Adobe Illustrator, `idraw'-editable
     Postscript, the WebCGM format for Web-based vector graphics, the
     format used by the `xfig' drawing editor, the Hewlett-Packard
     PCL 5 printer language, the Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
     (by default, HP-GL/2), the ReGIS (remote graphics instruction set)
     format developed by DEC, Tektronix format, and device-independent
     GNU graphics metafile format.

`-d'
`--precision-dashing'
     Draw dashed and dotted lines carefully, i.e., draw each dash and
     dot as a separately positioned object.  The default is to use the
     support for dashed and dotted lines provided by the underlying
     graphics library, GNU `libplot'.

     This option may produce slightly better-looking dashed and dotted
     lines.  However, it will come at a price: if an editable output
     file is produced (i.e., an output file in Illustrator, Postscript
     or Fig format), it will be difficulty to modify its dashed and
     dotted lines with a drawing editor.

`-f FONT_SIZE'
`--font-size FONT_SIZE'
     (Float, default 0.0175.)  Set the size of the font used for
     rendering text, as a fraction of the width of the graphics
     display, to FONT_SIZE.

`-F FONT_NAME'
`--font-name FONT_NAME'
     (String, default "Helvetica" except for `pic2plot -T pcl', for
     which "Univers" is the default, and `pic2plot -T png', `pic2plot
     -T pnm', `pic2plot -T gif', `pic2plot -T hpgl', `pic2plot -T
     regis', `pic2plot -T tek', and raw `pic2plot', for all of which
     "HersheySerif" is the default.)  Set the font used for text to
     FONT_NAME.  Font names are case-insensitive.  If the specified
     font is not available, the default font will be used.  Which fonts
     are available depends on which `-T' option is used.  For a list of
     all fonts, see *Note Text Fonts::.  The `plotfont' utility will
     produce a character map of any available font.  *Note plotfont::.

`-n'
`--no-centering'
     Turn off the automatic centering of each figure.  If this option is
     specified, the position of the objects in each figure may be
     specified in terms of absolute coordinates.  E.g., `line from
     (0,0) to (4,4)' will draw a line segment from the lower left
     corner to the center of the graphics display, since the display
     width and display height are defined to equal 8 virtual inches.

`-W LINE_WIDTH'
`--line-width LINE_WIDTH'
     (Float, default -1.0.)  Set the default thickness of lines, as a
     fraction of the size (i.e., minimum dimension) of the graphics
     display, to LINE_WIDTH.  A negative value means that the default
     value provided by the GNU `libplot' graphics library should be
     used.  This is usually 1/850 times the size of the display,
     although if `-T X', `-T png', `-T pnm', or `-T gif' is specified,
     it is zero.  By convention, a zero-thickness line is the thinnest
     line that can be drawn.  This is the case in all output formats.
     Note, however, that the drawing editors `idraw' and `xfig' treat
     zero-thickness lines as invisible.

     `pic2plot -T hpgl' does not support drawing lines with other than a
     default thickness if the environment variable `HPGL_VERSION' is set
     to a value less than "2" (the default).

`--bg-color NAME'
     (String, default "white".)  Set the color used for the background
     to be NAME.  This is relevant only to `pic2plot -T X', `pic2plot
     -T png', `pic2plot -T pnm', `pic2plot -T gif', `pic2plot -T cgm',
     `pic2plot -T regis', and `pic2plot -T meta'.  An unrecognized name
     sets the color to the default.  For information on what names are
     recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  The environment variable
     `BG_COLOR' can equally well be used to specify the background
     color.

     If the `-T png' or `-T gif' option is used, a transparent PNG file
     or a transparent pseudo-GIF, respectively, may be produced by
     setting the `TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable to the name of
     the background color.  *Note pic2plot Environment::.  If the `-T
     svg' or `-T cgm' option is used, an output file without a
     background may be produced by setting the background color to
     "none".

`--bitmap-size BITMAP_SIZE'
     (String, default "570x570".)  Set the size of the graphics display
     in which the plot will be drawn, in terms of pixels, to be
     BITMAP_SIZE.  This is relevant only to `pic2plot -T X', `pic2plot
     -T png', `pic2plot -T pnm', and `pic2plot -T gif', for all of
     which the size can be expressed in terms of pixels.  The
     environment variable `BITMAPSIZE' may equally well be used to
     specify the size.

     The graphics display used by `pic2plot -T X' is a popped-up
     X window.  Command-line positioning of this window on an X Window
     System display is supported.  For example, if BITMAP_SIZE is
     "570x570+0+0" then the window will be popped up in the upper left
     corner.

     If you choose a rectangular (non-square) window size, the fonts in
     the plot will be scaled anisotropically, i.e., by different
     factors in the horizontal and vertical direction.  For this,
     `pic2plot -T X' requires an X11R6 display.  Any font that cannot
     be anisotropically scaled will be replaced by a default scalable
     font, such as the Hershey vector font "HersheySerif".

     For backward compatibility, `pic2plot -T X' allows the user to set
     the window size and position by setting the X resource
     `Xplot.geometry', instead of `--bitmap-size' or `BITMAPSIZE'.

`--emulate-color OPTION'
     (String, default "no".)  If OPTION is "yes", replace each color in
     the output by an appropriate shade of gray.  This is seldom useful,
     except when using `pic2plot -T pcl' to prepare output for a PCL 5
     device.  (Many monochrome PCL 5 devices, such as monochrome
     LaserJets, do a poor job of emulating color on their own.  They
     usually map HP-GL/2's seven standard pen colors, including even
     yellow, to black.)  You may equally well request color emulation
     by setting the environment variable `EMULATE_COLOR' to "yes".

`--max-line-length MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     (Integer, default 500.)  Set the maximum number of points that a
     polygonal line may contain, before it is flushed to the output
     device, to equal MAX_LINE_LENGTH.  If this flushing occurs, the
     polygonal line will be split into two or more sub-lines, though
     the splitting should not be noticeable.

     The reason for splitting long polygonal lines is that some display
     devices (e.g., old Postscript printers and HP-GL pen plotters) have
     limited buffer sizes.  The environment variable `MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     can also be used to specify the maximum line length.  This option
     has no effect on raw `pic2plot', since it draws polylines in real
     time and has no buffer limitations.

`--page-size PAGESIZE'
     (String, default "letter".)  Set the size of the page on which the
     plot will be positioned.  This is relevant only to `pic2plot -T
     svg', `pic2plot -T ai', `pic2plot -T ps', `pic2plot -T cgm',
     `pic2plot -T fig', `pic2plot -T pcl', and `pic2plot -T hpgl'.
     "letter" means an 8.5in by 11in page.  Any ISO page size in the
     range "a0"..."a4" or ANSI page size in the range "a"..."e" may be
     specified ("letter" is an alias for "a" and "tabloid" is an alias
     for "b").  "legal", "ledger", and "b5" are recognized page sizes
     also.  The environment variable `PAGESIZE' can equally well be
     used to specify the page size.

     For `pic2plot -T ai', `pic2plot -T ps', `pic2plot -T pcl', and
     `pic2plot -T fig', the graphics display (or `viewport') within
     which the plot is drawn will be, by default, a square region
     centered on the specified page.  For `pic2plot -T hpgl', it will be
     a square region of the same size, but may be positioned
     differently.  Either or both of the dimensions of the graphics
     display can be specified explicitly.  For example, PAGESIZE could
     be specified as "letter,xsize=4in", or "a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".
     The dimensions are allowed to be negative (a negative dimension
     results in a reflection).

     The position of the graphics display, relative to its default
     position, may optionally be adjusted by specifying an offset
     vector.  For example, PAGESIZE could be specified as
     "letter,yoffset=1.2in", or "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  It is
     also possible to position the graphics display precisely, by
     specifying the location of its lower left corner relative to the
     lower left corner of the page.  For example, PAGESIZE could be
     specified as "letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or
     "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".  The preceding options may be
     intermingled.  `pic2plot -T svg' and `pic2plot -T cgm' ignore the
     "xoffset", "yoffset", "xorigin", and "yorigin" options, since SVG
     format and WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which
     the graphics display will ultimately be positioned.  For more on
     page sizes, see *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.

`--pen-color NAME'
     (String, default "black".)  Set the pen color to be NAME.  An
     unrecognized name sets the pen color to the default.  For
     information on what color names are recognized, see *Note Color
     Names::.

`--rotation ANGLE'
     (Integer, default 0.)  Set the rotation angle of the graphics
     display to be ANGLE degrees.  Recognized values are 0, 90, 180,
     and 270.  The rotation is counterclockwise.  The environment
     variable `ROTATION' can equally well be used to specify the
     rotation angle.

     This option is used for switching between portrait and landscape
     orientations.  Postmodernists may also find it useful.

   The following option is relevant only to raw `pic2plot', i.e.,
relevant only if no display type or output format is specified with the
`-T' option.  In this case `pic2plot' outputs a graphics metafile,
which may be translated to other formats by invoking `plot'.

`-O'
`--portable-output'
     Output the portable (human-readable) version of GNU metafile
     format, rather than a binary version (the default).  This can also
     be requested by setting the environment variable `META_PORTABLE'
     to "yes".

   The following options request information.

`--help'
     Print a list of command-line options, and then exit.

`--help-fonts'
     Print a table of available fonts, and then exit.  The table will
     depend on which display type or output format is specified with
     the `-T' option.  `pic2plot -T X', `pic2plot -T svg', `pic2plot -T
     ai', `pic2plot -T ps', `pic2plot -T cgm', and `pic2plot -T fig'
     each support the 35 standard Postscript fonts.  `pic2plot -T svg',
     `pic2plot -T ai', `pic2plot -T pcl', and `pic2plot -T hpgl'
     support the 45 standard PCL 5 fonts, and `pic2plot -T pcl' and
     `pic2plot -T hpgl' support a number of Hewlett-Packard vector
     fonts.  All of the preceding, together with `pic2plot -T png',
     `pic2plot -T pnm', `pic2plot -T gif', `pic2plot -T regis', and
     `pic2plot -T tek', support a set of 22 Hershey vector fonts.  Raw
     `pic2plot' in principle supports any of these fonts, since its
     output must be translated to other formats with `plot'.  The
     `plotfont' utility will produce a character map of any available
     font.  *Note plotfont::.

`--list-fonts'
     Like `--help-fonts', but lists the fonts in a single column to
     facilitate piping to other programs.  If no display type or output
     format is specified with the `-T' option, the full set of supported
     fonts is listed.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `pic2plot' and the plotting utilities
     package, and exit.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: pic2plot Environment,  Prev: pic2plot Invocation,  Up: pic2plot

Environment variables
=====================

   The behavior of `pic2plot' is affected by several environment
variables.  We have already mentioned the environment variables
`BITMAPSIZE', `PAGESIZE', `BG_COLOR', `EMULATE_COLOR',
`MAX_LINE_LENGTH', and `ROTATION'.  They serve as backups for the
several options `--bitmap-size', `--page-size', `--bg-color',
`--emulate-color', `--max-line-length', and `--rotation'.  The remaining
environment variables are specific to individual output formats.

   `pic2plot -T X', which pops up a window on an X Window System
display for each figure, checks the `DISPLAY' environment variable.
The value of this variable determines the display on which the windows
will be popped up.

   `pic2plot -T png' and `pic2plot -T gif', which produce output in PNG
format and pseudo-GIF format respectively, are affected by two
environment variables.  If the value of the `INTERLACE' variable is
"yes", the output file will be interlaced.  Also, if the value of the
`TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable is the name of a color that
appears in the output file, that color will be treated as transparent
by most applications.  For information on what color names are
recognized, see *Note Color Names::.

   `pic2plot -T pnm', which produces output in Portable Anymap
(PBM/PGM/PPM) format, is affected by the `PNM_PORTABLE' environment
variable.  If its value is "yes", the output file will be in the
portable (human readable) version of PBM, PGM, or PPM format, rather
than the default (binary) version.

   `pic2plot -T cgm', which produces CGM files that comply with the
WebCGM profile for Web-based vector graphics, is affected by two
environment variables.  By default, a version 3 CGM file is generated.
Many older CGM interpreters and viewers, such as the ones built into
Microsoft Office and other commercial software, only support version 1
CGM files.  The `CGM_MAX_VERSION' environment variable may be set to
"1", "2", "3", or "4" (the default) to specify a maximum value for the
version number.  The `CGM_ENCODING' variable may also be set, to
specify the type of encoding used in the CGM file.  Supported values
are "clear_text" (i.e., human readable) and "binary" (the default).
The WebCGM profile requires that the binary encoding be used.

   `pic2plot -T pcl', which produces PCL 5 output for Hewlett-Packard
printers, is affected by the environment variable `PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.
It should be set to "yes" when producing PCL 5 output for a color
printer or other color device.  This will ensure accurate color
reproduction by giving the output device complete freedom in assigning
colors, internally, to its "logical pens".  If it is "no" then the
device will use a fixed set of colored pens, and will emulate other
colors by shading.  The default is "no" because monochrome PCL 5
devices, which are more common than colored ones, must use shading to
emulate color.

   `pic2plot -T hpgl', which produces Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
output, is also affected by several environment variables.  The most
important is `HPGL_VERSION', which may be set to "1", "1.5", or "2"
(the default).  "1" means that the output should be generic HP-GL,
"1.5" means that the output should be suitable for the HP7550A graphics
plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL
with some HP-GL/2 extensions), and "2" means that the output should be
modern HP-GL/2.  If the version is "1" or "1.5" then the only available
fonts will be vector fonts, and all lines will be drawn with a default
thickness (the `-W' option will not work).  Additionally, if the
version is "1" then the filling of arbitrary curves with solid color
will not be supported (circles and rectangles aligned with the
coordinate axes may be filled, though).

   The position of the `pic2plot -T hpgl' graphics display on the page
can be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by setting the `HPGL_ROTATE'
environment variable to "yes".  This is not the same as the rotation
obtained with the `--rotation' option, since it both rotates the
graphics display and repositions its lower left corner toward another
corner of the page.  Besides "no" and "yes", recognized values for the
`HPGL_ROTATE' variable are "0", "90", "180", and "270".  "no" and "yes"
are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively.  "180" and "270" are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default).

   *Opaque* filling and the drawing of visible white lines are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default) and the
environment variable `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE' is "yes" (the default).  If the
value is "no" then opaque filling will not be used, and white lines
(if any), which are normally drawn with pen #0, will not be drawn.
This feature is to accommodate older HP-GL/2 devices.  HP-GL/2 pen
plotters, for example, do not support opacity or the use of pen #0 to
draw visible white lines.  Some older HP-GL/2 devices reportedly
malfunction if asked to draw opaque objects.

   By default, `pic2plot -T hpgl' will draw with a fixed set of pens.
Which pens are present may be specified by setting the `HPGL_PENS'
environment variable.  If `HPGL_VERSION' is "1", the default value of
`HPGL_PENS' is "1=black"; if `HPGL_VERSION' is "1.5" or "2", the
default value of `HPGL_PENS' is
"1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan".  The format
should be self-explanatory.  By setting `HPGL_PENS', you may specify a
color for any pen in the range #1...#31.  For information on what color
names are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  Pen #1 must always be
present, though it need not be black. Any other pen in the range
#1...#31 may be omitted.

   If `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" then `pic2plot -T hpgl' will also be
affected by the environment variable `HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.  If the
value of this variable is "yes", then `plot -T hpgl' will not be
restricted to the palette specified in `HPGL_PENS': it will assign
colors to "logical pens" in the range #1...#31, as needed.  The default
value is "no" because other than color LaserJet printers and DesignJet
plotters, not many HP-GL/2 devices allow the assignment of colors to
logical pens.  In particular, HP-GL/2 pen plotters do not.

   `pic2plot -T tek', which produces output for a Tektronix terminal or
emulator, checks the `TERM' environment variable.  If the value of
`TERM' is a string beginning with "xterm", "nxterm", or "kterm", it is
taken as a sign that `pic2plot' is running in an X Window System VT100
terminal emulator: an `xterm', `nxterm', or `kterm'.  Before drawing
graphics, `pic2plot -T tek' will emit an escape sequence that causes
the terminal emulator's auxiliary Tektronix window, which is normally
hidden, to pop up.  After the graphics are drawn, an escape sequence
that returns control to the original VT100 window will be emitted.  The
Tektronix window will remain on the screen.

   If the value of `TERM' is a string beginning with "kermit",
"ansi.sys", or "nansi.sys", it is taken as a sign that `pic2plot' is
running in the VT100 terminal emulator provided by the MS-DOS version
of `kermit'.  Before drawing graphics, `pic2plot -T tek' will emit an
escape sequence that switches the terminal emulator to Tektronix mode.
Also, some of the Tektronix control codes emitted by `pic2plot -T tek'
will be `kermit'-specific.  There will be a limited amount of color
support, which is not normally the case (the 16 `ansi.sys' colors will
be supported).  After drawing graphics, `pic2plot -T tek' will emit an
escape sequence that returns the emulator to VT100 mode.  The key
sequence `ALT minus' can be employed manually within `kermit' to switch
between the two modes.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: tek2plot,  Next: plotfont,  Prev: pic2plot,  Up: Top

The `tek2plot' Program
**********************

* Menu:

* tek2plot Introduction::     What tek2plot is used for
* tek2plot Invocation::       Command-line options
* tek2plot Environment::      Environment variables


File: plotutils.info,  Node: tek2plot Introduction,  Next: tek2plot Invocation,  Prev: tek2plot,  Up: tek2plot

What `tek2plot' is used for
===========================

   GNU `tek2plot' is a command-line Tektronix translator.  It displays
Tektronix graphics files, or translates them to other formats.  The
`-T' option is used to specify the output format or display type.
Supported output formats include "X", "png", "pnm", "gif", "svg", "ai",
"ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl", "regis", "tek", and "meta" (the
default).  These are the same formats that are supported by the GNU
`graph', `plot', and `pic2plot' programs.  `tek2plot' will take input
from a file specified on the command line or from standard input, just
as the plot filter `plot' does.

   Tektronix graphics files are produced by many older applications,
such as SKYMAP (http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/software/skymap), a powerful
astronomical display program.  A directory containing sample Tektronix
graphics files, which you may experiment with, is distributed along
with the GNU plotting utilities.  On most systems it is installed as
`/usr/share/tek2plot' or `/usr/local/share/tek2plot'.

   Tektronix graphics format is defined as a noninteractive version of
the graphics format understood by Tektronix 4010/4014 terminals, as
documented in the `4014 Service Manual', Tektronix Inc., 1974
(Tektronix Part #070-1648-00).  `tek2plot' does not support interactive
features such as graphics input mode ("GIN mode") or status enquiry.
However, it does support a few additional features provided by popular
Tektronix emulators, such as the color extensions supported by the
Tektronix emulator contained in the MS-DOS version of `kermit'.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: tek2plot Invocation,  Next: tek2plot Environment,  Prev: tek2plot Introduction,  Up: tek2plot

`tek2plot' command-line options
===============================

   The `tek2plot' program translates the Tektronix graphics files
produced by many older applications to other formats.  The output format
or display type is specified with the `-T' option.  The possible output
formats are the same formats that are supported by the GNU `graph',
`plot', and `pic2plot' programs.

   Input file names may be specified anywhere on the command line.  That
is, the relative order of file names and command-line options does not
matter.  If no files are specified, or the file name `-' is specified,
the standard input is read.  An output file is written to standard
output, unless the `-T X' option is specified.  In that case the output
is displayed in one or more windows on an X Window System display, and
there is no output file.

   The full set of command-line options is listed below.  There are
three sorts of option:

  1. General options.

  2. Options relevant only to raw `tek2plot', i.e., relevant only if no
     display type or output format is specified with the `-T' option.

  3. Options requesting information (e.g., `--help').

Each option that takes an argument is followed, in parentheses, by the
type and default value of the argument.

   The following are general options.

`-T TYPE'
`--display-type TYPE'
     (String, default "meta".)  Select a display type or output format
     of type TYPE, which may be one of the strings "X", "png", "pnm",
     "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl", "regis",
     "tek", and "meta".  These refer respectively to the
     X Window System, PNG format, portable anymap (PBM/PGM/PPM) format,
     pseudo-GIF format, the new XML-based Scalable Vector Graphics
     format, the format used by Adobe Illustrator, `idraw'-editable
     Postscript, the WebCGM format for Web-based vector graphics, the
     format used by the `xfig' drawing editor, the Hewlett-Packard
     PCL 5 printer language, the Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
     (by default, HP-GL/2), the ReGIS (remote graphics instruction set)
     format developed by DEC, Tektronix format, and device-independent
     GNU graphics metafile format.

`-p N'
`--page-number N'
     (Nonnegative integer.) Display only page number N, within the
     Tektronix file or sequence of Tektronix files that is being
     translated.  Tektronix files may consist of one or more pages,
     numbered beginning with zero.

     The default behavior, if the `-p' option is not used, is to display
     all nonempty pages in succession.  For example, `tek2plot -T X'
     displays each page in its own X window.  If the `-T png' option,
     the `-T pnm' option, the `-T gif' option, the `-T svg' option, the
     `-T ai' option, or the `-T fig' option is used, the default
     behavior is to display only the first page, since files in PNG,
     PNM, pseudo-GIF, SVG, AI, or Fig format may contain only a single
     page of graphics.

     Most Tektronix files consist of either one page (page #0) or two
     pages (an empty page #0, and page #1).  Tektronix files produced
     by the GNU plotting utilities (e.g., by `graph -T tek') are
     normally of the latter sort.

`-F FONT_NAME'
`--font-name FONT_NAME'
     (String, default "Courier" except for `tek2plot -T png', `tek2plot
     -T pnm', `tek2plot -T gif', `tek2plot -T hpgl', `tek2plot -T
     regis', and raw `tek2plot', for all of which "HersheySerif" is the
     default.)  Set the font used for text to FONT_NAME.  Font names
     are case-insensitive.  If a font outside the Courier family is
     chosen, the `--position-chars' option (see below) should probably
     be used.  For a list of all fonts, see *Note Text Fonts::.  If the
     specified font is not available, the default font will be used.

     If you intend to print a PCL 5 file prepared with `tek2plot -T
     pcl' on a LaserJet III, you should specify a font other than
     Courier.  That is because the LaserJet III, which was
     Hewlett-Packard's first PCL 5 printer, did not come with a
     scalable Courier typeface.  The only PCL 5 fonts it supported were
     the eight fonts in the CGTimes and Univers families.  See *Note
     Text Fonts::.

`-W LINE_WIDTH'
`--line-width LINE_WIDTH'
     (Float, default -1.0.)  Set the thickness of lines, as a fraction
     of the size (i.e., minimum dimension) of the graphics display, to
     LINE_WIDTH.  A negative value means that the default value
     provided by the GNU `libplot' graphics library should be used.
     This is usually 1/850 times the size of the display, although if
     `-T X', `-T png', `-T pnm', or `-T gif' is specified, it is zero.
     By convention, a zero-thickness line is the thinnest line that can
     be drawn.  This is the case in all output formats.  Note, however,
     that the drawing editors `idraw' and `xfig' treat zero-thickness
     lines as invisible.

     `tek2plot -T regis' does not support drawing lines with other than
     a default thickness, and `tek2plot -T hpgl' does not support doing
     so if the environment variable `HPGL_VERSION' is set to a value
     less than "2" (the default).

`--bg-color NAME'
     (String, default "white".)  Set the color used for the background
     to be NAME.  This is relevant only to `tek2plot -T X', `tek2plot
     -T png', `tek2plot -T pnm', `tek2plot -T gif', `tek2plot -T cgm',
     `tek2plot -T regis', and `tek2plot -T meta'.  An unrecognized name
     sets the color to the default.  For information on what names are
     recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  The environment variable
     `BG_COLOR' can equally well be used to specify the background
     color.

     If the `-T png' or `-T gif' option is used, a transparent PNG file
     or a transparent pseudo-GIF, respectively, may be produced by
     setting the `TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable to the name of
     the background color.  *Note tek2plot Environment::.  If the `-T
     svg' or `-T cgm' option is used, an output file without a
     background may be produced by setting the background color to
     "none".

`--bitmap-size BITMAP_SIZE'
     (String, default "570x570".)  Set the size of the graphics display
     in which the plot will be drawn, in terms of pixels, to be
     BITMAP_SIZE.  This is relevant only to `tek2plot -T X', `tek2plot
     -T png', `tek2plot -T pnm', and `tek2plot -T gif', for all of
     which the size can be expressed in terms of pixels.  The
     environment variable `BITMAPSIZE' may equally well be used to
     specify the size.

     The graphics display used by `tek2plot -T X' is a popped-up
     X window.  Command-line positioning of this window on an X Window
     System display is supported.  For example, if BITMAP_SIZE is
     "570x570+0+0" then the window will be popped up in the upper left
     corner.

     If you choose a rectangular (non-square) window size, the fonts in
     the plot will be scaled anisotropically, i.e., by different
     factors in the horizontal and vertical direction.  For this,
     `tek2plot -T X' requires an X11R6 display.  Any font that cannot
     be anisotropically scaled will be replaced by a default scalable
     font, such as the Hershey vector font "HersheySerif".

     For backward compatibility, `tek2plot -T X' allows the user to set
     the window size and position by setting the X resource
     `Xplot.geometry', instead of `--bitmap-size' or `BITMAPSIZE'.

`--emulate-color OPTION'
     (String, default "no".)  If OPTION is "yes", replace each color in
     the output by an appropriate shade of gray.  This is seldom useful,
     except when using `tek2plot -T pcl' to prepare output for a PCL 5
     device.  (Many monochrome PCL 5 devices, such as monochrome
     LaserJets, do a poor job of emulating color on their own.  They
     usually map HP-GL/2's seven standard pen colors, including even
     yellow, to black.)  You may equally well request color emulation
     by setting the environment variable `EMULATE_COLOR' to "yes".

`--max-line-length MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     (Integer, default 500.)  Set the maximum number of points that a
     polygonal line may contain, before it is flushed to the output
     device, to equal MAX_LINE_LENGTH.  If this flushing occurs, the
     polygonal line will be split into two or more sub-lines, though
     the splitting should not be noticeable.

     The reason for splitting long polygonal lines is that some display
     devices (e.g., old Postscript printers and HP-GL pen plotters) have
     limited buffer sizes.  The environment variable `MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     can also be used to specify the maximum line length.  This option
     has no effect on raw `tek2plot', since it draws polylines in real
     time and has no buffer limitations.

`--page-size PAGESIZE'
     (String, default "letter".)  Set the size of the page on which the
     plot will be positioned.  This is relevant only to `tek2plot -T
     svg', `tek2plot -T ai', `tek2plot -T ps', `tek2plot -T cgm',
     `tek2plot -T fig', `tek2plot -T pcl', and `tek2plot -T hpgl'.
     "letter" means an 8.5in by 11in page.  Any ISO page size in the
     range "a0"..."a4" or ANSI page size in the range "a"..."e" may be
     specified ("letter" is an alias for "a" and "tabloid" is an alias
     for "b").  "legal", "ledger", and "b5" are recognized page sizes
     also.  The environment variable `PAGESIZE' can equally well be
     used to specify the page size.

     For `tek2plot -T ai', `tek2plot -T ps', `tek2plot -T pcl', and
     `tek2plot -T fig', the graphics display (or `viewport') within
     which the plot is drawn will be, by default, a square region
     centered on the specified page.  For `tek2plot -T hpgl', it will be
     a square region of the same size, but may be positioned
     differently.  Either or both of the dimensions of the graphics
     display can be specified explicitly.  For example, PAGESIZE could
     be specified as "letter,xsize=4in", or "a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".
     The dimensions are allowed to be negative (a negative dimension
     results in a reflection).

     The position of the graphics display, relative to its default
     position, may optionally be adjusted by specifying an offset
     vector.  For example, PAGESIZE could be specified as
     "letter,yoffset=1.2in", or "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  It is
     also possible to position the graphics display precisely, by
     specifying the location of its lower left corner relative to the
     lower left corner of the page.  For example, PAGESIZE could be
     specified as "letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or
     "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".  The preceding options may be
     intermingled.  `tek2plot -T svg' and `tek2plot -T cgm' ignore the
     "xoffset", "yoffset", "xorigin", and "yorigin" options, since SVG
     format and WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which
     the graphics display will ultimately be positioned.  For more on
     page sizes, see *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.

`--pen-color NAME'
     (String, default "black".)  Set the pen color to be NAME.  An
     unrecognized name sets the pen color to the default.  For
     information on what color names are recognized, see *Note Color
     Names::.

`--position-chars'
     Position the characters in each text string individually on the
     display.  If the text font is not a member of the Courier family,
     and especially if it is not a fixed-width font, this option is
     recommended.  It will improve the appearance of text strings, at
     the price of making it difficult to edit the output file with
     `xfig' or `idraw'.

`--rotation ANGLE'
     (Integer, default 0.)  Set the rotation angle of the graphics
     display to be ANGLE degrees.  Recognized values are 0, 90, 180,
     and 270.  The rotation is counterclockwise.  The environment
     variable `ROTATION' can equally well be used to specify the
     rotation angle.

     This option is used for switching between portrait and landscape
     orientations.  Postmodernists may also find it useful.

`--use-tek-fonts'
     Use the bitmap fonts that were used on the original Tektronix
     4010/4014 terminal.  This option is relevant only to `tek2plot
     -T X'.  The four relevant bitmap fonts are distributed with most
     versions of the plotting utilities package, under the names
     `tekfont0'...`tekfont3'.  They may easily be installed on any
     modern X Window System display.  For this option to work properly,
     you must also select a window size of 1024x1024 pixels, either by
     using the `--bitmap-size 1024x1024' option or by setting the value
     of the `Xplot.geometry' resource.  The reason for this restriction
     is that bitmap fonts, unlike the scalable fonts that the plotting
     utilities normally use, cannot be rescaled.

     This option is useful only if you have a file in Tektronix format
     that draws text using native Tektronix fonts.  Tektronix files
     produced by the GNU plotting utilities (e.g., by `graph -T tek')
     do not use native Tektronix fonts to draw text.

   The following option is relevant only to raw `tek2plot', i.e.,
relevant only if no display type or output format is specified with the
`-T' option.  In this case `tek2plot' outputs a graphics metafile,
which may be translated to other formats by invoking `plot'.

`-O'
`--portable-output'
     Output the portable (human-readable) version of GNU metafile
     format, rather than a binary version (the default).  This can also
     be requested by setting the environment variable `META_PORTABLE'
     to "yes".

   The following options request information.

`--help'
     Print a list of command-line options, and then exit.

`--help-fonts'
     Print a table of available fonts, and then exit.  The table will
     depend on which display type or output format is specified with
     the `-T' option.  `tek2plot -T X', `tek2plot -T svg', `tek2plot -T
     ai', `tek2plot -T ps', `tek2plot -T cgm', and `tek2plot -T fig'
     each support the 35 standard Postscript fonts.  `tek2plot -T svg',
     `tek2plot -T ai', `tek2plot -T pcl', and `tek2plot -T hpgl'
     support the 45 standard PCL 5 fonts, and `tek2plot -T pcl' and
     `tek2plot -T hpgl' support a number of Hewlett-Packard vector
     fonts.  All of the preceding, together with `tek2plot -T png',
     `tek2plot -T pnm', `tek2plot -T gif', `tek2plot -T regis', and
     `tek2plot -T tek', support a set of 22 Hershey vector fonts.  Raw
     `tek2plot' in principle supports any of these fonts, since its
     output must be translated to other formats with `plot'.  The
     `plotfont' utility will produce a character map of any available
     font.  *Note plotfont::.

`--list-fonts'
     Like `--help-fonts', but lists the fonts in a single column to
     facilitate piping to other programs.  If no display type or output
     format is specified with the `-T' option, the full set of supported
     fonts is listed.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `tek2plot' and the plotting utilities
     package, and exit.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: tek2plot Environment,  Prev: tek2plot Invocation,  Up: tek2plot

Environment variables
=====================

   The behavior of `tek2plot' is affected by several environment
variables, which are the same as those that affect `graph' and `plot'.
For convenience, we list them here.

   We have already mentioned the environment variables `BITMAPSIZE',
`PAGESIZE', `BG_COLOR', `EMULATE_COLOR', `MAX_LINE_LENGTH', and
`ROTATION'.  They serve as backups for the several options
`--bitmap-size', `--page-size', `--bg-color', `--emulate-color',
`--max-line-length', and `--rotation'.  The remaining environment
variables are specific to individual output formats.

   `tek2plot -T X', which pops up a window on an X Window System
display and draws graphics in it, checks the `DISPLAY' environment
variable.  The value of this variable determines the display on which
the window will be popped up.

   `tek2plot -T png' and `tek2plot -T gif', which produce output in PNG
format and pseudo-GIF format respectively, are affected by two
environment variables.  If the value of the `INTERLACE' variable is
"yes", the output file will be interlaced.  Also, if the value of the
`TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable is the name of a color that
appears in the output file, that color will be treated as transparent
by most applications.  For information on what color names are
recognized, see *Note Color Names::.

   `tek2plot -T pnm', which produces output in Portable Anymap
(PBM/PGM/PPM) format, is affected by the `PNM_PORTABLE' environment
variable.  If its value is "yes", the output file will be in the
portable (human readable) version of PBM, PGM, or PPM format, rather
than the default (binary) version.

   `tek2plot -T cgm', which produces CGM files that comply with the
WebCGM profile for Web-based vector graphics, is affected by two
environment variables.  By default, a version 3 CGM file is generated.
Many older CGM interpreters and viewers, such as the ones built into
Microsoft Office and other commercial software, only support version 1
CGM files.  The `CGM_MAX_VERSION' environment variable may be set to
"1", "2", "3", or "4" (the default) to specify a maximum value for the
version number.  The `CGM_ENCODING' variable may also be set, to
specify the type of encoding used in the CGM file.  Supported values
are "clear_text" (i.e., human readable) and "binary" (the default).
The WebCGM profile requires that the binary encoding be used.

   `tek2plot -T pcl', which produces PCL 5 output for Hewlett-Packard
printers, is affected by the environment variable `PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.
It should be set to "yes" when producing PCL 5 output for a color
printer or other color device.  This will ensure accurate color
reproduction by giving the output device complete freedom in assigning
colors, internally, to its "logical pens".  If it is "no" then the
device will use a fixed set of colored pens, and will emulate other
colors by shading.  The default is "no" because monochrome PCL 5
devices, which are more common than colored ones, must use shading to
emulate color.

   `tek2plot -T hpgl', which produces Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
output, is also affected by several environment variables.  The most
important is `HPGL_VERSION', which may be set to "1", "1.5", or "2"
(the default).  "1" means that the output should be generic HP-GL,
"1.5" means that the output should be suitable for the HP7550A graphics
plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL
with some HP-GL/2 extensions), and "2" means that the output should be
modern HP-GL/2.  If the version is "1" or "1.5" then the only available
fonts will be vector fonts, and all lines will be drawn with a default
thickness (the `-W' option will not work).

   The position of the `tek2plot -T hpgl' graphics display on the page
can be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by setting the `HPGL_ROTATE'
environment variable to "yes".  This is not the same as the rotation
obtained with the `--rotation' option, since it both rotates the
graphics display and repositions its lower left corner toward another
corner of the page.  Besides "no" and "yes", recognized values for the
`HPGL_ROTATE' variable are "0", "90", "180", and "270".  "no" and "yes"
are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively.  "180" and "270" are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default).

   The drawing of visible white lines is supported only if
`HPGL_VERSION' is "2" and the environment variable `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE'
is "yes" (the default).  If the value is "no" then white lines
(if any), which are normally drawn with pen #0, will not be drawn.
This feature is to accommodate older HP-GL/2 devices.  HP-GL/2 pen
plotters, for example, do not support the use of pen #0 to draw visible
white lines.  Some older HP-GL/2 devices may, in fact, malfunction if
asked to draw opaque objects.

   By default, `tek2plot -T hpgl' will draw with a fixed set of pens.
Which pens are present may be specified by setting the `HPGL_PENS'
environment variable.  If `HPGL_VERSION' is "1", the default value of
`HPGL_PENS' is "1=black"; if `HPGL_VERSION' is "1.5" or "2", the
default value of `HPGL_PENS' is
"1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan".  The format
should be self-explanatory.  By setting `HPGL_PENS', you may specify a
color for any pen in the range #1...#31.  For information on what color
names are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  Pen #1 must always be
present, though it need not be black. Any other pen in the range
#1...#31 may be omitted.

   If `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" then `tek2plot -T hpgl' will also be
affected by the environment variable `HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.  If the
value of this variable is "yes", then `tek2plot -T hpgl' will not be
restricted to the palette specified in `HPGL_PENS': it will assign
colors to "logical pens" in the range #1...#31, as needed.  The default
value is "no" because other than color LaserJet printers and DesignJet
plotters, not many HP-GL/2 devices allow the assignment of colors to
logical pens.  In particular, HP-GL/2 pen plotters do not.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plotfont,  Next: spline,  Prev: tek2plot,  Up: Top

The `plotfont' Utility
**********************

* Menu:

* plotfont Examples::         How to use plotfont
* plotfont Invocation::       Command-line options
* plotfont Environment::      Environment variables


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plotfont Examples,  Next: plotfont Invocation,  Prev: plotfont,  Up: plotfont

How to use `plotfont'
=====================

   GNU `plotfont' is a simple utility that will produce a character map
for any font available to the GNU plotting utilities `graph', `plot',
`pic2plot', and `tek2plot', and the GNU `libplot' graphics library on
which they are based.  The map may be displayed on an X Window System
display, or produced in any of several output formats.  The `-T' option
is used to specify the desired output format.  Supported output formats
include "X", "png", "pnm", "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig",
"pcl", "hpgl", "regis", "tek", and "meta" (the default).

   Which fonts are available depends on the choice of display or output
format.  To get a list of the available fonts, use the `--help-fonts'
option.  For example,

     plotfont -T ps --help-fonts

will list the fonts that are available when producing Postscript output.
One of these fonts is "Times-Roman".  Doing

     plotfont -T ps Times-Roman > map.ps

will produce a character map of the lower half of this font, which
consists of printable ASCII characters.  The map will be a 12x8 grid,
with a character centered in each grid cell.  If you include the `-2'
option, you will get a map of the upper half of the font.

   Most built-in fonts are ISO-Latin-1 fonts, which means that the upper
half is arranged according to the ISO-Latin-1 encoding.  The
"HersheyCyrillic" font is one that is not.  If you do

     plotfont -T ps -2 HersheyCyrillic > map.ps

you will get a map that illustrates its arrangment, which is called
KOI8-R.  The KOI8-R arrangement is the standard for Unix and networking
applications in the former Soviet Union.  So-called dingbats fonts,
such as "ZapfDingbats" and "Wingdings", also have an individualistic
layout.  In most installations of the plotting utilities, the Wingdings
font is not available when producing Postscript output.  However, it is
available when producing output in PCL 5 or HP-GL/2 format.  If you do

     plotfont -T hpgl Wingdings > map.plt

you will get a Wingdings character map, in HP-GL/2 format, that may be
imported into any application that understands HP-GL/2.  Similarly,
`plot -T pcl Wingdings' will produce a Wingdings character map in PCL 5
format, which may be printed on a LaserJet or other PCL 5 device.

   In all, more than a hundred fonts are built into the plotting
utilities.  *Note Text Fonts::.  Actually, if you are using the
plotting utilities to display output on an X display, you are not
restricted to the built-in fonts.  Doing

     plotfont -T X --help-fonts

produces a list of the built-in fonts that are available, including both
Hershey and Postscript fonts.  But fonts available on your X display
may also be used.  The `xlsfonts' command will list the fonts available
on your X display, most font names being given in what is called XLFD
format.  The plotting utilities refer to X fonts by shortened versions
of their XLFD names.  For example, the font "Utopia-Regular" is
available on many X displays.  Its XLFD name is
"-adobe-utopia-medium-r-normal-0-0-0-0-p-0-iso8859-1", and its
shortened XLFD name is "utopia-medium-r-normal".  If you do

     plotfont -T X utopia-medium-r-normal

then a character map for this font will be displayed in a popped-up
X window.

   When using the `-T X' option, you may also use the `--bitmap-size'
option to choose the size of the popped-up window.  Modern X displays
can scale fonts by different amounts in the horizontal and vertical
directions.  If, for example, you add `--bitmap-size 600x300' to the
above command line, both the character map and the Utopia-Regular font
within it will be scaled in this way.  If your X display does not
support font scaling, a scalable font will be substituted.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plotfont Invocation,  Next: plotfont Environment,  Prev: plotfont Examples,  Up: plotfont

`plotfont' command-line options
===============================

   The `plotfont' font display utility will produce a character map for
any of the fonts available to the GNU plotting utilities `graph',
`plot', `pic2plot', and `tek2plot', and the GNU `libplot' graphics
library on which they are based.  The map may be produced in any
supported output format, or displayed on an X Window System display.
The output format or display type is specified with the `-T' option.

   The names of the fonts for which a character map will be produced may
appear anywhere on the `plotfont' command line.  That is, the relative
order of font names and command-line options does not matter.  The
character map is written to standard output, unless the `-T X' option
is specified.  In that case the character map is displayed in a window
on an X Window System display, and there is no output file.

   The possible options are listed below.  There are three sorts of
option:

  1. General options.

  2. Options relevant only to raw `plotfont', i.e., relevant only if no
     display type or output format is specified with the `-T' option.

  3. Options requesting information (e.g., `--help').

Each option that takes an argument is followed, in parentheses, by the
type and default value of the argument.

   The following are general options.

`-1'
`--lower-half'
     Generate a character map for the lower half of each specified font.
     This is the default.

`-2'
`--upper-half'
     Generate a character map for the upper half of each specified font.

`-o'
`--octal'
     Number the characters in octal rather than in decimal (the
     default).

`-x'
`--hexadecimal'
     Number the characters in hexadecimal rather than in decimal (the
     default).

`--box'
     Surround each character with a box, showing its extent to left and
     right.  The default is not to do this.

`-j ROW'
`--jis-row ROW'
     Generate a character map for row ROW of a Japanese font arranged
     according to JIS [Japanese Industrial Standard] X0208.  The only
     such font currently available is the HersheyEUC [Extended Unix
     Code] font.  If used, this option overrides the `-1' and `-2'
     options.

     The valid rows are 1...94.  In the JIS X0208 standard, Roman
     characters are located in row 3, and Japanese syllabic characters
     (Hiragana and Katakana) are located in rows 4 and 5.  Greek and
     Cyrillic characters are located in rows 6 and 7.  Japanese
     ideographic characters (Kanji) are located in rows 16...84.  Rows
     16...47 contain the JIS Level 1 Kanji, which are the most
     frequently used.  They are arranged according to On (old Chinese)
     reading.  Rows 48...84 contain the less frequently used JIS
     Level 2 Kanji.

     The HersheyEUC font contains 596 of the 2965 Level 1 Kanji, and
     seven of the Level 2 Kanji.  It uses the 8-bit EUC-JP encoding.
     This encoding is a multibyte encoding that includes the ASCII
     character set as well as the JIS X0208 characters.  It represents
     each ASCII character in the usual way, i.e., as a single byte that
     does not have its high bit set.  Each JIS X0208 character is
     represented as two bytes, each with the high bit set.  The first
     byte contains the row number (plus 32), and the second byte
     contains the character number.

`-T TYPE'
`--display-type TYPE'
     (String, default "meta".)  Select a display type or output format
     of type TYPE, which may be one of the strings "X", "png", "pnm",
     "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl", "regis",
     "tek", and "meta".  These refer respectively to the
     X Window System, PNG format, portable anymap (PBM/PGM/PPM) format,
     pseudo-GIF format, the new XML-based Scalable Vector Graphics
     format, the format used by Adobe Illustrator, `idraw'-editable
     Postscript, the WebCGM format for Web-based vector graphics, the
     format used by the `xfig' drawing editor, the Hewlett-Packard
     PCL 5 printer language, the Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
     (by default, HP-GL/2), the ReGIS (remote graphics instruction set)
     format developed by DEC, Tektronix format, and device-independent
     GNU graphics metafile format.

     Files in PNG, PNM, pseudo-GIF, SVG, AI, or Fig format may contain
     only a single page of graphics.  So if the `-T png' option, the `-T
     pnm' option, the `-T gif' option, the `-T svg' option, the `-T ai'
     option, or the `-T fig' option is used, a character map will be
     produced for only the first-specified font.

`--bg-color NAME'
     (String, default "white".)  Set the color used for the background
     to be NAME.  This is relevant only to `plotfont -T X', `plotfont
     -T png', `plotfont -T pnm', `plotfont -T gif', `plotfont -T cgm',
     `plotfont -T regis', and `plotfont -T meta'.  An unrecognized name
     sets the color to the default.  For information on what names are
     recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  The environment variable
     `BG_COLOR' can equally well be used to specify the background
     color.

     If the `-T png' or `-T gif' option is used, a transparent PNG file
     or a transparent pseudo-GIF, respectively, may be produced by
     setting the `TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable to the name of
     the background color.  *Note plotfont Environment::.  If the `-T
     svg' or `-T cgm' option is used, an output file without a
     background may be produced by setting the background color to
     "none".

`--bitmap-size BITMAP_SIZE'
     (String, default "570x570".)  Set the size of the graphics display
     in which the character map will be drawn, in terms of pixels, to be
     BITMAP_SIZE.  This is relevant only to `plotfont -T X', `plotfont
     -T png', `plotfont -T pnm', and `plotfont -T gif', for all of
     which the size can be expressed in terms of pixels.  The
     environment variable `BITMAPSIZE' may equally well be used to
     specify the size.

     The graphics display used by `plotfont -T X' is a popped-up
     X window.  Command-line positioning of this window on an X Window
     System display is supported.  For example, if BITMAP_SIZE is
     "570x570+0+0" then the window will be popped up in the upper left
     corner.

     If you choose a rectangular (non-square) window size, the fonts in
     the plot will be scaled anisotropically, i.e., by different
     factors in the horizontal and vertical direction.  For this,
     `plotfont -T X' requires an X11R6 display.  Any font that cannot
     be anisotropically scaled will be replaced by a default scalable
     font, such as the Hershey vector font "HersheySerif".

     For backward compatibility, `plotfont -T X' allows the user to set
     the window size and position by setting the X resource
     `Xplot.geometry', instead of `--bitmap-size' or `BITMAPSIZE'.

`--emulate-color OPTION'
     (String, default "no".)  If OPTION is "yes", replace each color in
     the output by an appropriate shade of gray.  This is seldom useful,
     except when using `plotfont -T pcl' to prepare output for a PCL 5
     device.  (Many monochrome PCL 5 devices, such as monochrome
     LaserJets, do a poor job of emulating color on their own.  They
     usually map HP-GL/2's seven standard pen colors, including even
     yellow, to black.)  You may equally well request color emulation
     by setting the environment variable `EMULATE_COLOR' to "yes".

`--numbering-font-name FONT_NAME'
     (String, default "Helvetica" except for `plotfont -T pcl', for
     which "Univers" is the default, and `plotfont -T png', `plotfont
     -T pnm', `plotfont -T gif', `plotfont -T hpgl', `plotfont -T
     regis', and `plotfont -T tek', for all of which "HersheySerif" is
     the default.)  Set the font used for the numbering of the
     characters in the character map(s) to be FONT_NAME.

`--page-size PAGESIZE'
     (String, default "letter".)  Set the size of the page on which the
     character map(s) will be drawn.  This is relevant only to `plotfont
     -T svg', `plotfont -T ai', `plotfont -T ps', `plotfont -T fig',
     `plotfont -T pcl', and `plotfont -T hpgl'.  "letter" means an
     8.5in by 11in page.  Any ISO page size in the range "a0"..."a4" or
     ANSI page size in the range "a"..."e" may be specified ("letter"
     is an alias for "a" and "tabloid" is an alias for "b").  "legal",
     "ledger", and "b5" are recognized page sizes also.  The
     environment variable `PAGESIZE' can equally well be used to
     specify the page size.

     For `plotfont -T ai', `plotfont -T ps', `plotfont -T pcl', and
     `plotfont -T fig', the graphics display (or `viewport') within
     which the character map is drawn will be, by default, a square
     region centered on the specified page.  For `plotfont -T hpgl', it
     will be a square region of the same size, but may be positioned
     differently.  Either or both of the dimensions of the graphics
     display can be specified explicitly.  For example, PAGESIZE could
     be specified as "letter,xsize=4in", or "a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".
     The dimensions are allowed to be negative (a negative dimension
     results in a reflection).

     The position of the graphics display, relative to its default
     position, may optionally be adjusted by specifying an offset
     vector.  For example, PAGESIZE could be specified as
     "letter,yoffset=1.2in", or "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  It is
     also possible to position the graphics display precisely, by
     specifying the location of its lower left corner relative to the
     lower left corner of the page.  For example, PAGESIZE could be
     specified as "letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or
     "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".  The preceding options may be
     intermingled.  `plotfont -T svg' and `plotfont -T cgm' ignore the
     "xoffset", "yoffset", "xorigin", and "yorigin" options, since SVG
     format and WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which
     the graphics display will ultimately be positioned.  For more on
     page sizes, see *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.

`--pen-color NAME'
     (String, default "black".)  Set the pen color to be NAME.  An
     unrecognized name sets the pen color to the default.  For
     information on what color names are recognized, see *Note Color
     Names::.

`--rotation ANGLE'
     (Integer, default 0.)  Set the rotation angle of the graphics
     display to be ANGLE degrees.  Recognized values are 0, 90, 180,
     and 270.  The rotation is counterclockwise.  The environment
     variable `ROTATION' can equally well be used to specify the
     rotation angle.

     This option is used for switching between portrait and landscape
     orientations.  Postmodernists may also find it useful.

`--title-font-name FONT_NAME'
     (String) Set the font used for the title of each character map to
     be FONT_NAME.  Normally the font used for the title is the same as
     the font whose character set is being displayed.  This option is
     useful when producing character maps for unusual fonts such as
     "ZapfDingbats" and "Wingdings".

   The following option is relevant only to raw `plotfont', i.e.,
relevant only if no display type or output format is specified with the
`-T' option.  In this case `plotfont' outputs a graphics metafile,
which may be translated to other formats by invoking `plot'.

`-O'
`--portable-output'
     Output the portable (human-readable) version of GNU metafile
     format, rather than a binary version (the default).  This can also
     be requested by setting the environment variable `META_PORTABLE'
     to "yes".

   The following options request information.

`--help'
     Print a list of command-line options, and then exit.

`--help-fonts'
     Print a table of available fonts, and then exit.  The table will
     depend on which display type or output format is specified with
     the `-T' option.  `plotfont -T X', `plotfont -T svg', `plotfont -T
     ai', `plotfont -T ps', `plotfont -T cgm', and `plotfont -T fig'
     each support the 35 standard Postscript fonts.  `plotfont -T svg',
     `plotfont -T ai', `plotfont -T pcl', and `plotfont -T hpgl'
     support the 45 standard PCL 5 fonts, and `plotfont -T pcl' and
     `plotfont -T hpgl' support a number of Hewlett-Packard vector
     fonts.  All of the preceding, together with `plotfont -T png',
     `plotfont -T pnm', `plotfont -T gif', `plotfont -T regis', and
     `plotfont -T tek', support a set of 22 Hershey vector fonts.  Raw
     `plotfont' in principle supports any of these fonts, since its
     output must be translated to other formats with `plot'.

`--list-fonts'
     Like `--help-fonts', but lists the fonts in a single column to
     facilitate piping to other programs.  If no display type or output
     format is specified with the `-T' option, the full set of supported
     fonts is listed.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `plotfont' and the plotting utilities
     package, and exit.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: plotfont Environment,  Prev: plotfont Invocation,  Up: plotfont

Environment variables
=====================

   The behavior of `plotfont' is affected by several environment
variables, which are the same as those that affect `graph', `plot', and
`tek2plot'.  For convenience, we list them here.

   We have already mentioned the environment variables `BITMAPSIZE',
`PAGESIZE', `BG_COLOR', `EMULATE_COLOR', and `ROTATION'.  They serve as
backups for the several options `--bitmap-size', `--page-size',
`--bg-color', `--emulate-color', and `--rotation'.  The remaining
environment variables are specific to individual output formats.

   `plotfont -T X', which pops up a window on an X Window System
display and draws a character map in it, checks the `DISPLAY'
environment variable.  The value of this variable determines the
display on which the window will be popped up.

   `plotfont -T png' and `plotfont -T gif', which produce output in PNG
format and pseudo-GIF format respectively, are affected by two
environment variables.  If the value of the `INTERLACE' variable is
"yes", the output file will be interlaced.  Also, if the value of the
`TRANSPARENT_COLOR' environment variable is the name of a color that
appears in the output file, that color will be treated as transparent
by most applications.  For information on what color names are
recognized, see *Note Color Names::.

   `plotfont -T pnm', which produces output in Portable Anymap
(PBM/PGM/PPM) format, is affected by the `PNM_PORTABLE' environment
variable.  If its value is "yes", the output file will be in the
portable (human readable) version of PBM, PGM, or PPM format, rather
than the default (binary) version.

   `plotfont -T cgm', which produces CGM files that comply with the
WebCGM profile for Web-based vector graphics, is affected by two
environment variables.  By default, a version 3 CGM file is generated.
Many older CGM interpreters and viewers, such as the ones built into
Microsoft Office and other commercial software, only support version 1
CGM files.  The `CGM_MAX_VERSION' environment variable may be set to
"1", "2", "3", or "4" (the default) to specify a maximum value for the
version number.  The `CGM_ENCODING' variable may also be set, to
specify the type of encoding used in the CGM file.  Supported values
are "clear_text" (i.e., human readable) and "binary" (the default).
The WebCGM profile requires that the binary encoding be used.

   `plotfont -T pcl', which produces PCL 5 output for Hewlett-Packard
printers, is affected by the environment variable `PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.
It should be set to "yes" when producing PCL 5 output for a color
printer or other color device.  This will ensure accurate color
reproduction by giving the output device complete freedom in assigning
colors, internally, to its "logical pens".  If it is "no" then the
device will use a fixed set of colored pens, and will emulate other
colors by shading.  The default is "no" because monochrome PCL 5
devices, which are more common than colored ones, must use shading to
emulate color.

   `plotfont -T hpgl', which produces Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language
output, is also affected by several environment variables.  The most
important is `HPGL_VERSION', which may be set to "1", "1.5", or "2"
(the default).  "1" means that the output should be generic HP-GL,
"1.5" means that the output should be suitable for the HP7550A graphics
plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL
with some HP-GL/2 extensions), and "2" means that the output should be
modern HP-GL/2.  If the version is "1" or "1.5" then the only available
fonts will be vector fonts.

   The position of the `plotfont -T hpgl' graphics display on the page
can be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by setting the `HPGL_ROTATE'
environment variable to "yes".  This is not the same as the rotation
obtained with the `--rotation' option, since it both rotates the
graphics display and repositions its lower left corner toward another
corner of the page.  Besides "no" and "yes", recognized values for the
`HPGL_ROTATE' variable are "0", "90", "180", and "270".  "no" and "yes"
are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively.  "180" and "270" are
supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default).

   By default, `plotfont -T hpgl' will draw with a fixed set of pens.
Which pens are present may be specified by setting the `HPGL_PENS'
environment variable.  If `HPGL_VERSION' is "1", the default value of
`HPGL_PENS' is "1=black"; if `HPGL_VERSION' is "1.5" or "2", the
default value of `HPGL_PENS' is
"1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan".  The format
should be self-explanatory.  By setting `HPGL_PENS', you may specify a
color for any pen in the range #1...#31.  For information on what color
names are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  Pen #1 must always be
present, though it need not be black. Any other pen in the range
#1...#31 may be omitted.

   If `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" then `plotfont -T hpgl' will also be
affected by the environment variable `HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS'.  If the
value of this variable is "yes", then `plotfont -T hpgl' will not be
restricted to the palette specified in `HPGL_PENS': it will assign
colors to "logical pens" in the range #1...#31, as needed.  The default
value is "no" because other than color LaserJet printers and DesignJet
plotters, not many HP-GL/2 devices allow the assignment of colors to
logical pens.  In particular, HP-GL/2 pen plotters do not.

   `plotfont -T tek', which produces output for a Tektronix terminal or
emulator, checks the `TERM' environment variable.  If the value of
`TERM' is a string beginning with "xterm", "nxterm", or "kterm", it is
taken as a sign that `plotfont' is running in an X Window System VT100
terminal emulator: an `xterm', `nxterm', or `kterm'.  Before drawing
graphics, `plotfont -T tek' will emit an escape sequence that causes
the terminal emulator's auxiliary Tektronix window, which is normally
hidden, to pop up.  After the graphics are drawn, an escape sequence
that returns control to the original VT100 window will be emitted.  The
Tektronix window will remain on the screen.

   If the value of `TERM' is a string beginning with "kermit",
"ansi.sys", or "nansi.sys", it is taken as a sign that `plotfont' is
running in the VT100 terminal emulator provided by the MS-DOS version
of `kermit'.  Before drawing graphics, `plotfont -T tek' will emit an
escape sequence that switches the terminal emulator to Tektronix mode.
Also, some of the Tektronix control codes emitted by `plotfont -T tek'
will be `kermit'-specific.  There will be a limited amount of color
support, which is not normally the case (the 16 `ansi.sys' colors will
be supported).  After drawing graphics, `plotfont -T tek' will emit an
escape sequence that returns the emulator to VT100 mode.  The key
sequence `ALT minus' can be employed manually within `kermit' to switch
between the two modes.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: spline,  Next: ode,  Prev: plotfont,  Up: Top

The `spline' Program
********************

* Menu:

* spline Examples::         How to use spline
* Advanced Use of spline::  More sophisticated uses
* spline Invocation::       Command-line options


File: plotutils.info,  Node: spline Examples,  Next: Advanced Use of spline,  Prev: spline,  Up: spline

How to use `spline'
===================

   GNU `spline' is a program for interpolating between the data points
in one or more datasets.  Each dataset would consist of values for an
independent variable and a dependent variable, which may be a vector of
specified fixed length.  When discussing interpolation, we call these
variables `t' and `y', respectively.  To emphasize: t is a scalar, but
in general the dependent variable y may be a vector.

   The simplest case is when there is a single input file, which is in
ASCII format, and the vector y is one-dimensional.  This is the
default.  For example, the input file could contain the dataset

     0.0  0.0
     1.0  1.0
     2.0  0.0

which are the coordinates (t,y) of the data points (0,0), (1,1), and
(2,0).  Data points do not need to be on different lines, nor do the t
and y coordinates of a data point need to be on the same line.
However, there should be no blank lines in the input if it is to be
viewed as forming a single dataset.  Also, by default the t coordinate
should be monotonically increasing, so that y may be viewed as a
function of t.

   You would construct a spline (the graph of an `interpolating
function') passing through the points in this dataset by doing

     spline input_file > output_file

To produce a Postscript plot of the spline with the `graph' utility,
you would do

     spline input_file | graph -T ps > output.ps

To display a spline on an X Window System display, you could do

     echo 0 0 1 1 2 0 | spline | graph -T X

Notice that the last example avoids the use of the input file
altogether.  `spline' will read from standard input if no files are
specified on the command line, or if the special file name `-' is
specified.

   What exactly does `spline' do?  First, it fits a curve (the graph of
an interpolating function) through the points in the dataset.  Then it
splits the interval over which the independent variable t ranges into
100 sub-intervals, and computes the y values at each of the 101
subdivision points.  It then outputs each of the pairs (t, y).  These
are the coordinates of 101 points that lie along a curve that
interpolates between the points in the dataset.  If there is more than
one dataset in the input (separated by blank lines), each dataset is
interpolated separately.

   You may use the `-n' option to replace `100' by any other positive
integer.  You may also use the `-t' option to specify an interpolation
interval that differs from the default (the interval over which the
independent variable ranges).  For example, the command

     echo 0 0 1 1 2 0 | spline -n 20 -t 1.0 1.5 > output_file

will produce a dataset consisting of 21 (rather than 101) data points,
with t values spaced regularly between 1.0 and 1.5 (rather than between
0.0 and 2.0).  The data points will lie along a curve passing through
(0,0), (1,1), and (2,0).  This curve will be a parabola.

   In general, the interpolating function will be a piecewise cubic
spline.  That is, between each pair of adjacent `knots' (points in the
input dataset), y will be a cubic function of t.  This function will
differ, depending on which pair of knots y lies between.  At each knot,
both the slope and curvature of the cubic pieces to either side will
match.  In mathematical terms, the interpolating curve will be twice
continuously differentiable.

   `spline' supports `adding tension' to the interpolating curve.
A nonzero value for the tension can be specified with the `-T' option.
For example, a spline under considerable tension can be computed and
displayed by doing

     echo 0 0 1 0 2 0 | spline -T 10 | graph -T X

As the tension parameter is increased to positive infinity, the spline
will converge to a polygonal line.  You are meant to think of the spline
as being drawn taut.  Actually, tension may be negative as well as
positive.  A spline with negative tension will tend to bow outward,
in fact to oscillate sinusoidally.  But as the tension decreases to
negative infinity, the spline, though oscillatory, will again converge
to a polygonal line.

   If the tension is positive, its reciprocal will be the maximum range
of the independent variable t over which the spline will `like to
curve'.  Increasing the tension far above zero will accordingly force
the spline to consist of short curved sections, centered on the data
points, and sections that are almost straight.  It follows that tension
is a `dimensionful' quantity.  If the tension is nonzero, then when the
values of the independent variable are multiplied by some common
positive factor, the tension should be divided by the same factor to
obtain a scaled version of the original spline.  If the tension is zero
(the default, or cubic spline case), then the computation of the spline
will be unaffected by linear scaling of the data.

   In mathematical terms, a spline under tension will satisfy the
differential equation y""=sgn(tension)*(tension^2)y" between each
successive pair of knots.  If the tension equals zero, which is the
default, the fourth derivative of y with respect to t will equal zero
at every point.  In this case, y as a function of t will reduce to a
cubic polynomial between each successive pair of knots.  But if the
tension is nonzero, y will not be a polynomial function of t.  It may
be expressed in terms of exponential functions, however.

   Irrespective of whether or not the spline is under tension, you may
specify the `-p' option if you wish the spline to be a periodic
function of t.  This will only work if the y values for the first and
last points in the dataset are equal.  Otherwise, it would make no
sense to compute a periodic interpolation.

   It is sometimes useful to interpolate between data points at the same
time as they are generated by an auxiliary program.  That is, it is
useful for `spline' to function as a real-time filter.  `spline' does
not normally act as a filter, since computing an interpolating curve
that is as smooth as possible is a global task.  But if the `-f' option
is specified, `spline' will indeed function as a filter.  A different
interpolation algorithm (cubic Bessel interpolation, which is local
rather than global) will be used.  If `-f' is specified, `-p' may not
be specified.  Also, if `-f' is specified then an interpolation
interval (a range of t values) must be requested explicitly with the
`-t' option.

   Cubic Bessel interpolation is inherently less smooth than the
construction of a global cubic spline.  If the `-f' option is
specified, the slope of the spline at each knot will be chosen by
fitting a parabola through that knot, and the two adjacent knots.  The
slopes of the two interpolating segments to either side of each interior
knot will match at that knot, but typically their curvatures will not.
In mathematical terms, the interpolating curve will be continuously
differentiable, but in general not twice continuously differentiable.
This loss of differentiability is the price that is paid for functioning
as a real-time filter.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Advanced Use of spline,  Next: spline Invocation,  Prev: spline Examples,  Up: spline

Advanced use of `spline'
========================

   The preceding section explains how `spline' can be employed to
interpolate a function y of a scalar variable t, in the case when y is
a scalar.  In this section we explain how to perform more sophisticated
interpolations.  This includes multidimensional interpolations, and
interpolations that are splinings of curves, rather than of functions.

   `spline' can handle the case when y is a vector of arbitrary
specified dimensionality.  The dimension can be specified with the `-d'
option.  For example, an input file could contain the multidimensional
dataset

     0.0  0.0  1.0
     1.0  1.0  0.0
     2.0  0.0  1.0

which are the coordinates (t,y) of the data points (0,0,1), (1,1,0),
and (2,0,1).  You would construct a spline (the graph of an
interpolating function) passing through the points in this dataset by
doing

     spline -d 2 input_file > output_file

The option `-d 2' is used because in this example, the dependent
variable y is a two-dimensional vector.  Each of the components of y
will be interpolated independently, and the output file will contain
points that lie along the graph of the resulting interpolating function.

   When doing multidimensional splining, you may use any of the options
that apply in the default one-dimensional case.  For example, the `-f'
option will yield real-time cubic Bessel interpolation.  As in the
one-dimensional case, if the `-f' option is used then the `-t' option
must be used as well, to specify an interpolation interval (a range of
t values).  The `-p' option will yield a periodic spline, i.e., the
graph of a periodic vector-valued function.  For this, the first and
last dataset y values must be the same.

   `spline' can also be used to draw a curve through arbitrarily chosen
points in the plane, or in general through arbitrarily chosen points in
d-dimensional space.  This is not the same as splining, at least as the
term is conventionally defined.  The reason is that `splining' refers
to construction of a function, rather than the construction of a curve
that may or may not be the graph of a function.  Not every curve is the
graph of a function.

   The following example shows how you may `spline a curve'.  The
command

     echo 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 | spline -d 2 -a -s | graph -T X

will construct a curve in the plane through the four points (0,0),
(1,0), (1,1), and (0,1), and graph it on an X Window System display.
The `-d 2' option specifies that the dependent variable y is
two-dimensional.  The `-a' option specifies that t values are missing
from the input, and should be automatically generated.  By default, the
first t value is 0, the second is 1, etc.  The `-s' option specifies
that the t values should be stripped from the output.

   The same technique may be used to spline a closed curve.  For
example, doing

     echo 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 | spline -d 2 -a -s -p | graph -T X

will construct and graph a closed, lozenge-shaped curve through the
three points (0,0), (1,0), and (0,1).  The construction of a closed
curve is guaranteed by the `-p' (i.e., `--periodic') option, and by the
repetition of the initial point (0,0) at the end of the sequence.

   When splining a curve, whether open or closed, you may wish to
substitute the `-A' option for the `-a' option.  Like the `-a' option,
the `-A' option specifies that t values are missing from the input and
should be automatically generated.  However, the increment from one
t value to the next will be the distance between the corresponding
values of y.  This scheme for generating t values, when constructing a
curve through a sequence of data points, is the scheme that is used in
the well known FITPACK subroutine library.  It is probably the best
approach when the distances between successive points fluctuate
considerably.

   A curve through a sequence of points in the plane, whether open or
closed, may cross itself.  Some interesting visual effects can be
obtained by adding negative tension to such a curve.  For example, doing

     echo 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 | spline -d 2 -a -s -p -T -14 -n 500 | graph -T X

will construct a closed curve through the three points (0,0), (1,0),
and (0,1), which is wound into curlicues.  The `-n 500' option is
included because there are so many windings.  It specifies that 501
points should be generated, which is enough to draw a smooth curve.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: spline Invocation,  Prev: Advanced Use of spline,  Up: spline

`spline' command-line options
=============================

The `spline' program will interpolate vector-valued functions of a
scalar variable t, and curves in d-dimensional space.  The algorithms
used by `spline' are similar to those discussed in D. Kincaid and
[E.] W. Cheney, `Numerical Analysis' (2nd ed., Brooks/Cole, 1996),
section 6.4, and C. de Boor, `A Practical Guide to Splines'
(Springer-Verlag, 1978), Chapter 4.

   Input file names may be specified anywhere on the command line.  That
is, the relative order of font names and command-line options does not
matter.  If no file names are specified, or the file name `-' is
specified, the standard input is read.

   An input file may contain more than a single dataset.  Unless the
`-a' or `-A' options are used (see below), each dataset is expected to
consist of a sequence of data points, given as alternating t and y
values.  t is the scalar independent variable, and y is the
vector-valued dependent variable.  The dimensionality of y is specified
with the `-d' option (the default is 1).

   If the input file is in ASCII format (the default), its datasets are
separated by blank lines.  An input file may also contain any number of
comment lines, which must begin with the comment character `#'.
Comment lines are ignored.  They are not treated as blank, i.e., they do
not interrupt a dataset in progress.

   The options to `spline' are listed below.  There are three sorts of
option:

  1. Options specifying the type of interpolation to be performed on
     each dataset.

  2. Options specifying the input or output format.

  3. Options requesting information (e.g., `--help').

Options that take an argument are followed, in parentheses, by the type
and default value of the argument.

   The following options specify the type of interpolation to be
performed on each dataset.

`-f'
`--filter'
     Use a local interpolation algorithm (the cubic Bessel algorithm),
     so that `spline' can be used as a real-time filter.  The slope of
     the interpolating curve at each point in a dataset will be chosen
     by fitting a quadratic function through that point and the two
     adjacent points in the dataset.  If `-f' is specified then the
     `-t' option, otherwise optional, must be used as well.  Also, if
     `-f' is specified then the `-k', `-p', and `-T' options may not be
     used.

     If `-f' is *not* specified, then a different (global)
     interpolation algorithm will be used.

`-k K'
`--boundary-condition K'
     (Float, default 1.0.)  Set the boundary condition parameter for
     each constructed spline to be K.  In each of its components, the
     spline will satisfy the two boundary conditions y"[0]=ky"[1] and
     y"[n]=ky"[n-1].  Here y[0] and y[1] signify the values of a
     specified component of the vector-valued dependent variable y at
     the first two points of a dataset, and y[n-1] and y[n] the values
     at the last two points.  Setting K to zero will yield a `natural'
     spline, i.e., one that has zero curvature at the two ends of the
     dataset.  The `-k' option may not be used if `-f' or `-p' is
     specified.

`-n N'
`--number-of-intervals N'
     (Positive integer, default 100.)  Subdivide the interval over which
     interpolation occurs into N subintervals.  The number of data
     points computed, and written to the output, will be n+1.

`-p'
`--periodic'
     Construct a periodic spline.  If this option is specified, the y
     values for the first and last points in each dataset must be
     equal.  The `-f' and `-k' options may not be used if `-p' is
     specified.

`-T TENSION'
`--tension TENSION'
     (Float, default 0.0.)  Set the tension in each interpolating
     spline to be TENSION.  Between each pair of successive points in a
     dataset, the constructed spline will satisfy the differential
     equation y""=sgn(tension)*(tension^2)y" in each of its components.
     If TENSION equals zero, the spline will be piecewise cubic.  As
     TENSION increases to positive infinity, the spline will converge
     to a polygonal line.  The `-T' option may not be used if `-f' is
     specified.

`-t TMIN TMAX [TSPACING]'
`--t-limits TMIN TMAX [TSPACING]'
     For each dataset, set the interval over which interpolation occurs
     to be the interval between TMIN and TMAX.  If TSPACING is not
     specified, the interval will be divided into the number of
     subintervals specified by the `-n' option.  If the `-t' option is
     not used, the interval over which interpolation occurs will be the
     entire range of the independent variable in the dataset.  The `-t'
     option must always be used if the `-f' option is used to request
     filter-like behavior (see above).

The following options specify the format of the input file(s) and the
output file.

`-d DIMENSION'
`--y-dimension DIMENSION'
     (Integer, default 1.)  Set the dimensionality of the dependent
     variable y in the input and output files to be DIMENSION.

`-I DATA-FORMAT'
`--input-format DATA-FORMAT'
     (Character, default `a'.)  Set the data format for the input
     file(s) to be DATA-FORMAT.  The possible data formats are as
     follows.

    `a'
          ASCII format.  Each file is a sequence of floating point
          numbers, interpreted as the t and y coordinates of the
          successive data points in a dataset.  If y is d-dimensional,
          there will be d+1 numbers for each point.  The t and y
          coordinates of a point need not appear on the same line, and
          points need not appear on different lines.  But if a blank
          line occurs (i.e., two newlines in succession are seen), it is
          interpreted as the end of a dataset, and the beginning of the
          next.

    `f'
          Single precision binary format.  Each file is a sequence of
          floating point numbers, interpreted as the t and y coordinates
          of the successive data points in a dataset.  If y is
          d-dimensional, there will be d+1 numbers for each point.
          Successive datasets are separated by a single occurrence of
          the quantity `FLT_MAX', which is the largest possible single
          precision floating point number.  On most machines this is
          approximately 3.4x10^38.

    `d'
          Double precision binary format.  Each file is a sequence of
          double precision floating point numbers, interpreted as the t
          and y coordinates of the successive data points in a dataset.
          If y is d-dimensional, there will be d+1 numbers for each
          point.  Successive datasets are separated by a single
          occurrence of the quantity `DBL_MAX', which is the largest
          possible double precision floating point number.  On most
          machines this is approximately 1.8x10^308.

    `i'
          Integer binary format.  Each file is a sequence of integers,
          interpreted as the t and y coordinates of the successive data
          points in a dataset.  If y is d-dimensional, there will be
          d+1 numbers for each point.  Successive datasets are
          separated by a single occurrence of the quantity `INT_MAX',
          which is the largest possible integer.  On most machines this
          is 2^31-1.

`-a [STEP_SIZE [LOWER_LIMIT]]'
`--auto-abscissa [STEP_SIZE [LOWER_LIMIT]]'
     (Floats, defaults 1.0 and 0.0.)  Automatically generate values for
     the independent variable (t).  Irrespective of data format (`a',
     `f', `d', or `i'), this option specifies that the values of the
     independent variable (t) are missing from the input file: the
     dataset(s) to be read contain only values of the dependent
     variable (y), so that if y is d-dimensional, there will be only
     d numbers for each point.  The increment from each t value to the
     next will be STEP_SIZE, and the first t value will be LOWER_LIMIT.

`-A'
`--auto-dist-abscissa'
     Automatically generate values for the independent variable (t).
     This is a variant form of the `-a' option.  The increment from
     each t value to the next will be the distance between the
     corresponding y values, and the first t value will be 0.0.  This
     option is useful when interpolating curves rather than functions
     (*note Advanced Use of spline::.).

`-O DATA-FORMAT'
`--output-format DATA-FORMAT'
     (Character, default `a'.)  Set the data format for the output file
     to be DATA-FORMAT.  The interpretation of the DATA-FORMAT argument
     is the same as for the `-I' option.

`-P SIGNIFICANT-DIGITS'
`--precision SIGNIFICANT-DIGITS'
     (Positive integer, default 6.)  Set the numerical precision for the
     t and y values in the output file to be SIGNIFICANT-DIGITS.  This
     takes effect only if the output file is written in `a' format,
     i.e., in ASCII.

`-s'
`--suppress-abscissa'
     Omit the independent variable t from the output file; for each
     point, supply only the dependent variable y.  If y is
     d-dimensional, there will be only d numbers for each point,
     not d+1.  This option is useful when interpolating curves rather
     than functions (*note Advanced Use of spline::.).

The following options request information.

`--help'
     Print a list of command-line options, and then exit.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `spline' and the plotting utilities
     package, and exit.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: ode,  Next: libplot,  Prev: spline,  Up: Top

The `ode' Program
*****************

   The GNU `ode' utility can produce a numerical solution to the
initial value problem for many systems of first-order ordinary
differential equations (ODE's).  `ode' can also be used to solve
systems of higher-order ODE's, since a simple procedure converts an
n'th-order equation into n first-order equations.  The output of `ode'
can easily be piped to `graph', so that one or more solution curves may
be plotted as they are generated.

   Three distinct schemes for numerical solution are implemented:
Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg (the default), Adams-Moulton, and Euler.  The
Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg and Adams-Moulton schemes are available with
adaptive stepsize.

* Menu:

* Basic Math::                  Ordinary differential equations
* Simple ode Examples::         Simple examples using ode
* Additional ode Examples::     Additional examples using ode
* ode Invocation::              ode command-line options
* Diagnostics::                 Diagnostic messages
* Numerical Error::             Numerical error and how to avoid it
* Running Time::                Time spent running ode
* Input Language::              The ode input language formally specified
* ODE Bibliography::            Bibliography on ode and ODE's


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Basic Math,  Next: Simple ode Examples,  Prev: ode,  Up: ode

Mathematical basics
===================

   We begin with some standard definitions.  A *differential equation*
is an equation involving an unknown function and its derivatives.
A differential equation is *ordinary* if the unknown function depends
on only one independent variable, often denoted t.  The *order* of the
differential equation is the order of the highest-order derivative in
the equation.  One speaks of a family, or *system* of equations when
more than one equation is involved.  If the equations are dependent on
one another, they are said to be *coupled*.  A *solution* is any
function satisfying the equations.  An *initial value problem* is
present when there exist subsidiary conditions on the unknown function
and its derivatives, all of which are given at the same value of the
independent variable.  In principle, such an `initial condition'
specifies a unique solution.  Questions about the existence and
uniqueness of a solution, along with further terminology, are discussed
in any introductory text.  (See Chapter 1 of Birkhoff and Rota's
`Ordinary Differential Equations'.  For this and other references
relevant to `ode', see *Note ODE Bibliography::.)

   In practical problems, the solution of a differential equation is
usually not expressible in terms of elementary functions.  Hence the
need for a numerical solution.

   A numerical scheme for solving an initial value problem produces an
approximate solution, using only functional evaluations and the
operations of arithmetic.  `ode' solves first-order initial value
problems of the form:

     x' = f(t,x,y,...,z)
     y' = g(t,x,y,...,z)
        .
        .
        .
     z' = h(t,x,y,...,z)

given the initial values for each dependent variable at the initial
value of the independent variable t, i.e.,

     x(a) = b
     y(a) = c
          .
          .
          .
     z(a) = d
     t = a

where a,b,c,...,d are constants.

   For `ode' to be able to solve such a problem numerically, the
functions f,g,...,h must be expressed, using the usual operators (+, -,
*, /, and ^), in terms of certain basic functions that `ode'
recognizes.  These are the same functions that the plotting program
`gnuplot' recognizes.  Moreover, each of f,g,...,h must be given
explicitly.  `ode' cannot deal with a system in which one or more of
the first derivatives is defined implicitly rather than explicitly.

   All schemes for numerical solution involve the calculation of an
approximate solution at discrete values of the independent variable t,
where the `stepsize' (the difference between any two successive values
of t, usually denoted h) may be constant or chosen adaptively.
In general, as the stepsize decreases the solution becomes more
accurate.  In `ode', the stepsize can be adjusted by the user.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Simple ode Examples,  Next: Additional ode Examples,  Prev: Basic Math,  Up: ode

Simple examples using `ode'
===========================

   The following examples should illustrate the procedure of stating an
initial value problem and solving it with `ode'.  If these examples are
too elementary, see *Note Input Language::, for a formal specification
of the `ode' input language.  There is also a directory containing
examples of `ode' input, which is distributed along with the GNU
plotting utilities.  On most systems it is installed as
`/usr/share/ode' or `/usr/local/share/ode'.

   Our first example is a simple one, namely

     y'(t) = y(t)

with the initial condition

     y(0) = 1

The solution to this differential equation is

     y(t) = e^t.

In particular

     y(1) = e^1 = 2.718282

to seven digits of accuracy.

   You may obtain this result with the aid of `ode' by typing on the
command line the sequence of commands

     ode
     y' = y
     y = 1
     print t, y
     step 0, 1

Two columns of numbers will appear.  Each line will show the value of
the independent variable t, and the value of the variable y, as t is
`stepped' from 0 to 1.  The last line will be

     1 2.718282

as expected.  You may use the `-p' option to change the precision.  If,
for example, you type `ode -p 10' rather than `ode', you will get ten
digits of accuracy in the output, rather than seven (the default).

   After the above output, `ode' will wait for further instructions.
Entering for example the line

     step 1, 0

should yield two more columns of numbers, containing the values of t
and y that are computed when t is stepped back from 1 to 0.  You could
type instead

     step 1, 2

to increase rather than decrease t.  To exit `ode', you would type a
line containing only `.', i.e. a single period, and tap `return'.
`ode' will also exit if it sees an end-of-file indicator in its input
stream, which you may send from your terminal by typing control-D.

   Each line of the preceding example should be self-explanatory.
A `step' statement sets the beginning and the end of an interval over
which the independent variable (here, t) will range, and causes `ode'
to set the numerical scheme in motion.  The initial value appearing in
the first `step' statement (i.e., 0) and the assignment statement

     y = 1

are equivalent to the initial condition y(0) = 1.  The statements
`y' = y' and `y = 1' are very different: `y' = y' defines a way of
computing the derivative of y, while `y = 1' sets the initial value
of y.  Whenever a `step' statement is encountered, `ode' tries to step
the independent variable through the interval it specifies.  Which
values are to be printed at each step is specified by the most recent
`print' statement.  For example,

     print t, y, y'

would cause the current value of the independent variable t, the
variable y, and its derivative to be printed at each step.

   To illustrate `ode''s ability to take its input or the initial part
of its input from a file, you could prepare a file containing the
following lines:

     # an ode to Euler
     y  = 1
     y' = y
     print t, y, y'

Call this file `euler'.  (The `#' line is a comment line, which may
appear at any point.  Everything from the `#' to the end of the line on
which it appears will be ignored.)  To process this file with `ode',
you could type on your terminal

     ode -f euler
     step 0, 1

These two lines cause `ode' to read the file `euler', and the stepping
to take place.  You will now get three quantities (t, y, and y')
printed at each of the values of t between 0 and 1.  At the conclusion
of the stepping, `ode' will wait for any further commands to be input
from the terminal.  This example illustrates that

     ode -f euler

is not equivalent to

     ode < euler

The latter would cause `ode' to take all its input from the file
`euler', while the former allows subsequent input from the terminal.
For the latter to produce output, you would need to include a `step'
line at the end of the file.  You would not need to include a `.' line,
however.  `.' is used to terminate input only when input is being read
from a terminal.

   A second simple example involves the numerical solution of a
second-order differential equation.  Consider the initial value problem

     y''(t) = -y(t)
     y(0) = 0
     y'(0) = 1

Its solution would be

     y(t) = sin(t)

To solve this problem using `ode', you must express this second-order
equation as two first-order equations.  Toward this end you would
introduce a new function, called yp say, of the independent variable t.
The pair of equations

     y' = yp
     yp' = -y

would be equivalent to the single equation above.  This sort of
reduction of an n'th order problem to n first order problems is a
standard technique.

   To plot the variable y as a function of the variable t, you could
create a file containing the lines

     # sine : y''(t) = -y(t), y(0) = 0, y'(0) = 1
     sine' = cosine
     cosine' = -sine
     sine = 0
     cosine = 1
     print t, sine

(y and yp have been renamed sine and cosine, since that is what they
will be.)  Call this file `sine'.  To display the generated data points
on an X Window System display as they are generated, you would type

     ode -f sine | graph -T X -x 0 10 -y -1 1
     step 0, 2*PI
     .

After you type the `ode' line, `graph -T X' will pop up a window, and
after you type the `step' line, the generated dataset will be drawn
in it.  The `-x 0 10' and `-y -1 1' options, which set the bounds for
the two axes, are necessary if you wish to display points in real time:
as they are generated.  If the axis bounds were not specified on the
command line, `graph -T X' would wait until all points are read from the
input before determining the bounds, and drawing the plot.

   A slight modification of this example, showing how `ode' can
generate several datasets in succession and plot them on the same graph,
would be the following.  Suppose that you type on your terminal the
following lines.

     ode -f sine | graph -T X -C -x 0 10 -y -1 1
     step 0, PI
     step PI, 2*PI
     step 2*PI, 3*PI
     .

Then the sine curve will be traced out in three stages.  Since the
output from each `step' statement ends with a blank line, `graph -T X'
will treat each section of the sine curve as a different dataset.  If
you are using a color display, each of the three sections will be
plotted in a different color.  This is a feature provided by `graph',
which normally changes its linemode after each dataset it reads.  If
you do not like this feature, you may turn it off by using `graph -T X
-B' instead of `graph -T X'.

   In the above examples, you could use any of the other variants of
`graph' instead of `graph -T X'.  For example, you could use `graph -T
ps' to obtain a plot in encapsulated Postscript format, by typing

     ode -f sine | graph -T ps > plot.ps
     step 0, 2*PI
     .

You should note that of the variants of `graph', the variants `graph -T
png', `graph -T pnm', `graph -T gif', `graph -T svg', `graph -T ai',
`graph -T ps', `graph -T cgm', `graph -T fig', `graph -T pcl' and
`graph -T hpgl' do not produce output in real time, even when the axis
bounds are specified with the `-x' and `-y' options.  So if any of
these variants is used, the plot will be produced only when input from
`ode' is terminated, which will occur when you type `.'.

   In the preceding examples, the derivatives of the dependent variables
were specified by comparatively simple expressions.  They are allowed to
be arbitrarily complicated functions of the dependent variables and the
independent variable.  They may also involve any of the functions that
are built into `ode'.  `ode' has a fair number of functions built in,
including abs, sqrt, exp, log, log10, sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan,
sinh, cosh, tanh, asinh, acosh, and atanh.  Less familiar functions
which are built into it are besj0, besj1, besy0, besy1, erf, erfc,
inverf, lgamma, gamma, norm, invnorm, ibeta, and igamma.  These have
the same definitions as in the plotting program `gnuplot'.  (All
functions take a single argument, except for ibeta, which takes three,
and igamma, which takes two).  `ode' also knows the meaning of the
constant `PI', as the above examples show.  The names of the preceding
functions are reserved, so, e.g., `cos' and `sin' may not be used as
names for variables.

   Other than the restriction of avoiding reserved names and keywords,
the names of variables may be chosen arbitrarily.  Any sequence of
alphanumeric characters starting with an alphabetic character may be
used; the first 32 characters are significant.  It is worth noting that
`ode' identifies the independent variable by the fact that it is (or
should be) the only variable that has not appeared on the left side of
a differential equation or an initial value assignment.  If there is
more than than one such variable then no stepping takes place; instead,
an error message is printed.  If there is no such variable, a dummy
independent variable is invented and given the name `(indep)',
internally.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Additional ode Examples,  Next: ode Invocation,  Prev: Simple ode Examples,  Up: ode

Additional examples using `ode'
===============================

   We explain here how to use some additional features of `ode'.
However, the discussion below does not cover all of its capabilities.
For a complete list of command-line options, see *Note ode Invocation::.

   It is easy to use `ode' to create plots of great beauty.  An example
would be a plot of a *strange attractor*, namely the Lorenz attractor.
Suppose that a file named `lorenz' contains the following lines.

     # The Lorenz model, a system of three coupled ODE's with parameter r.
     x' = -3*(x-y)
     y' = -x*z+r*x-y
     z' = x*y-z
     
     r = 26
     x = 0; y = 1; z = 0
     
     print x, y
     step 0, 200

Then executing the command

     ode < lorenz | graph -T X -C -x -10 10 -y -10 10

would produce a plot of the Lorenz attractor (strictly speaking, a plot
of one of its two-dimensional projections).  You may produce a
Postscript plot of the Lorenz attractor, and print it, by doing
something like

     ode < lorenz | graph -T ps -x -10 10 -y -10 10 -W 0 | lpr

The `-W 0' ("zero width") option requests that `graph -T ps' use the
thinnest line possible, to improve the visual appearance of the plot on
a printer or other Postscript device.

   Besides plotting a visually striking object in real time, the Lorenz
attractor example shows how statements may be separated by semicolons,
rather than appearing on different lines.  It also shows how to use
symbolic constants.  In the description read by `ode' the parameter r
is a variable like x, y, and z.  But unlike them it is not updated
during stepping, since no formula for its derivative r' is given.

   Our second example deals with the interactive construction of a
`phase portrait': a set of solution curves with different initial
conditions.  Phase portraits are of paramount interest in the
qualitative theory of differential equations, and also possess
aesthetic appeal.

   Since a description read by `ode' may contain any number of `step'
statements, multiple solution curves may be plotted in a single run.
The most recent `print' statement will be used with each `step'
statement.  In practice, a phase portrait would be drawn from a few
well-chosen solution curves.  Choosing a good set of solution curves
may require experimentation, which makes interactivity and real-time
plotting all-important.

   As an example, consider a so-called Lotka-Volterra predator-prey
model.  Suppose that in a lake there are two species of fish:
A (the prey) who live by eating a plentiful supply of plants, and B (the
predator) who eat A.  Let x(t) be the population of A and y(t) the
population of B at time t.  A crude model for the interaction of A
and B is given by the equations

     x' = x(a-by)
     y' = y(cx-d)

where a, b, c, d are positive constants.  To draw a phase portrait for
this system interactively, you could type

     ode | graph -T X -C -x 0 5 -y 0 5
     x' = (a - b*y) * x
     y' = (c*x - d) * y
     a = 1; b = 1; c = 1; d = 1;
     print x, y
     x = 1; y = 2
     step 0, 10
     x = 1; y = 3
     step 0, 10
     x = 1; y = 4
     step 0, 10
     x = 1; y = 5
     step 0, 10
     .

Four curves will be drawn in succession, one per `step' line.  They
will be periodic; this periodicity is similar to the fluctuations
between predator and prey populations that occur in real-world
ecosystems.  On a color display the curves will appear in different
colors, since by default, `graph' changes the linemode between
datasets.  That feature may be turned off by using `graph -T X -B'
rather than `graph -T X'.

   It is sometimes useful to use `ode' and `graph' to plot discrete
points, which are not joined by line segments to form a curve.  Our
third example illustrates this.  Suppose the file `atwoods' contains
the lines

     m = 1
     M = 1.0625
     a = 0.5; adot = 0
     l = 10; ldot = 0
     
     ldot' = ( m * l * adot * adot - M * 9.8 + m * 9.8 * cos(a) ) / (m + M)
     l'    = ldot
     adot' = (-1/l) * (9.8 * sin(a) +  2 * adot * ldot)
     a'    = adot
     
     print l, ldot
     step 0, 400

The first few lines describe the functioning of a so-called swinging
Atwood's machine.  An ordinary Atwood's machine consists of a taut cord
draped over a pulley, with a mass attached to the cord at each end.
Normally, the heavier mass (M) would win against the lighter mass (m),
and draw it upward.  A swinging Atwood's machine allows the lighter
mass to swing back and forth as well as move vertically.

   The `print l, ldot' statement requests that the vertical position
and vertical velocity of the lighter mass be printed out at each step.
If you run the command

     ode < atwoods | graph -T X -x 9 11 -y -1 1 -m 0 -S 1 -X l -Y ldot

you will obtain a real-time plot.  The `-m 0' option requests that
successive data points not be joined by line segments, and the `-S 1'
option requests that plotting symbol #1 (a dot) be plotted at the
location of each point.  As you will see if you run this command, the
heavy mass does not win against the lighter mass.  Instead the machine
oscillates non-periodically.  Since the motion is non-periodic, the
plot benefits from being drawn as a sequence of unconnected points.

   We conclude by mentioning a few features of `ode' that may be useful
when things are not going quite right.  One of them is the `examine'
statement.  It may be used to discover pertinent information about any
variable in a system.  For details, see *Note Input Language::.

   Another useful feature is that the `print' statement may be used to
print out more than just the value of a variable.  As we have seen, if
the name of the variable is followed by `'', the derivative of the
variable will be printed instead.  In a similar way, following the
variable name with `?', `!', or `~' prints respectively the relative
single-step error, the absolute single-step error, or the accumulated
error (not currently implemented).  These quantities are discussed in
*Note Numerical Error::.

   The `print' statement may be more complicated than was shown in the
preceding examples.  Its general structure is

     print <pr-list> [every <const>] [from <const>]

The bracket notation `[...]' means that the enclosed statements are
optional.  Until now we have not mentioned the `every' clause or the
`from' clause.  The <pr-list> is familiar, however; it is simply a
comma-separated list of variables.  For example, in the statement

     print t, y, y' every 5 from 1

the <pr-list> is <t, y, y'>.  The clauses `every 5' and `from 1'
specify that printing should take place after every fifth step, and
that the printing should begin when the independent variable t
reaches 1.  An `every' clause is useful if you wish to `thin out' the
output generated by a `step' statement, and a `from' clause is useful
if you wish to view only the final portion of a solution curve.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: ode Invocation,  Next: Diagnostics,  Prev: Additional ode Examples,  Up: ode

`ode' command-line options
==========================

The command-line options to `ode' are listed below.  There are several
sorts of option:

  1. Options affecting the way in which input is read.

  2. Options affecting the format of the output.

  3. Options affecting the choice of numerical solution scheme, and the
     error bounds that will be imposed on it.

  4. Options that request information.

The following option affects the way input is read.

`-f FILENAME'
`--input-file FILENAME'
     Read input from FILENAME before reading from standard input.

The following options affect the output format.

`-p SIGNIFICANT-DIGITS'
`--precision SIGNIFICANT-DIGITS'
     (Positive integer, default 6.)  When printing numerical results,
     use a precision specified by SIGNIFICANT-DIGITS.  If this option is
     given, the print format will be scientific notation.

`-t'
`--title'
     Print a title line at the head of the output, naming the columns.
     If this option is given, the print format will be scientific
     notation.

The following options specify the numerical integration scheme.  Only
one of the three basic option `-R', `-A', and `-E' may be specified.
The default is `-R' (Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg).

`-R [STEPSIZE]'
`--runge-kutta [STEPSIZE]'
     Use a fifth-order Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg algorithm, with an adaptive
     stepsize unless a constant stepsize is specified.  When a constant
     stepsize is specified and no error analysis is requested, then a
     classical fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme is used.

`-A [STEPSIZE]'
`--adams-moulton [STEPSIZE]'
     Use a fourth-order Adams-Moulton predictor-corrector scheme, with
     an adaptive stepsize unless a constant stepsize, STEPSIZE, is
     specified.  The Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg algorithm is used to get past
     `bad' points (if any).

`-E [STEPSIZE]'
`--euler [STEPSIZE]'
     Use a `quick and dirty' Euler scheme, with a constant stepsize.
     The default value of STEPSIZE is 0.1.  Not recommended for serious
     applications.

     The error bound options `-r' and `-e' (see below) may not be used
     if `-E' is specified.

`-h HMIN [HMAX]'
`--step-size-bound HMIN [HMAX]'
     Use a lower bound HMIN on the stepsize.  The numerical scheme will
     not let the stepsize go below HMIN.  The default is to allow the
     stepsize to shrink to the machine limit, i.e., the minimum nonzero
     double-precision floating point number.  The optional argument
     HMAX, if included, specifies a maximum value for the stepsize.
     It is useful in preventing the numerical routine from skipping
     quickly over an interesting region.

The following options set the error bounds on the numerical solution
scheme.

`-r RMAX [RMIN]'
`--relative-error-bound RMAX [RMIN]'

`-e EMAX [EMIN]'
`--absolute-error-bound EMAX [EMIN]'
     The `-r' option sets an upper bound on the relative single-step
     error.  If the `-r' option is used, the relative single-step error
     in any dependent variable will never exceed RMAX (the default for
     which is 10^(-9)).  If this should occur, the solution will be
     abandoned and an error message will be printed.  If the stepsize is
     not constant, the stepsize will be decreased `adaptively', so that
     the upper bound on the single-step error is not violated.  Thus,
     choosing a smaller upper bound on the single-step error will cause
     smaller stepsizes to be chosen.  A lower bound RMIN may optionally
     be specified, to suggest when the stepsize should be increased
     (the default for RMIN is RMAX/1000).  The `-e' option is similar to
     `-r', but bounds the absolute rather than the relative single-step
     error.

`-s'
`--suppress-error-bound'
     Suppress the ceiling on single-step error, allowing `ode' to
     continue even if this ceiling is exceeded.  This may result in
     large numerical errors.

Finally, the following options request information.

`--help'
     Print a list of command-line options, and then exit.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `ode' and the plotting utilities
     package, and exit.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Diagnostics,  Next: Numerical Error,  Prev: ode Invocation,  Up: ode

Diagnostic messages
===================

   `ode' is always in one of two states:

   * Reading input.  The input includes a specification of a system of
     ordinary differential equations, together with instructions for
     solving it numerically: a `print' line and a `step' line.

   * Numerically solving a system, and printing the resulting output.

`ode' moves from the first to the second state after it sees and
processes a `step' line.  It returns to the first state after the
generated output has been printed.  Errors may occur in the `reading'
state or the `solving' state, and may terminate computations or even
cause `ode' to exit.  We now explain the possible sorts of error.

   While reading input, `ode' may encounter a syntax error: an
ungrammatical line that it is unable to parse.  (For a summary of its
input grammar, see *Note Input Language::.)  If so, it emits the error
message

     ode::nnn: syntax error

where `nnn' is the number of the line containing the error.  When the
`-f filename' option is used to specify an input file, the error
message will read

     ode:filename:nnn: syntax error

for errors encountered inside the input file.  Subsequently, when `ode'
begins reading the standard input, line numbers will start over again
from 1.

   No effort is made to recover from syntax errors in the input.
However, there is a meager effort to resynchronize, so that more than
one syntax error in a file may be found at the same time.

   It is also possible that a fatal arithmetic exception (such as a
division by zero, or a floating point overflow) may occur while `ode'
is reading input.  If such an exception occurs, `ode' will print an
"Floating point exception" error message and exit.  Arithmetic
exceptions are machine-dependent.  On some machines, the line

     y = 1/0

would induce an arithmetic exception.  Also on some machines (not
necessarily the same ones), the lines

     y = 1e100
     z = y^4

would induce an arithmetic exception.  That is because on most
machines, the double precision quantities that `ode' uses internally
are limited to a maximum size of approximately 1.8x10^308.

   When `ode' is in the `solving' state, i.e., computing a numerical
solution, similar arithmetic exceptions may occur.  If so, the solution
will be interrupted and a message resembling

     ode: arithmetic exception while calculating y'

will be printed.  However, `ode' will not exit; the exception will be
`caught'.  `ode' itself recognizes the following exceptional
conditions: square root of a negative number, logarithm of a
non-positive number, and negative number raised to a non-integer power.
`ode' will catch any of these operations before it is performed, and
print an error message specifying which illegal operation it has
encountered.

     ode: square root of a negative number while calculating y'

would be a typical error message.

   If the machine on which `ode' is running supports the `matherr'
facility for reporting errors in the computation of standard
mathematical functions, it will be used.  This facility reports domain
errors and range errors (overflows, underflows, and losses of
significance) that could occur when evaluating such functions as `log',
`gamma', etc.; again, before they are performed.  If the `matherr'
facility is present, the error message will be fairly informative.
For example, the error message

     ode: range error (overflow) in lgamma while calculating y'

could be generated if the logarithmic gamma function `lgamma' is
evaluated at a value of its argument that is too large.  The generation
of any such message, except a message warning of an underflow, will
cause the numerical solution to be interrupted.

   There is another sort of error that may occur during numerical
solution: the condition that an error ceiling, which the user may set
with the `-r' option or the `-e' option, is exceeded.  This too will
cause the numerical solution to be abandoned, and `ode' to switch back
to reading input.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Numerical Error,  Next: Running Time,  Prev: Diagnostics,  Up: ode

Numerical error and how to avoid it
===================================

   This discussion is necessarily incomplete.  Entire books exist on any
subject mentioned below (e.g., floating point error).  Our goals are
modest: first, to introduce the basic notions of error analysis as they
apply to `ode'; second, to steer you around the more obvious pitfalls.
You should look through a numerical analysis text (e.g., Atkinson's
`Introduction to Numerical Analysis') before beginning this discussion.

   We begin with some key definitions.  The error of greatest concern is
the difference between the actual solution and the numerical
approximation to the solution; this is termed the *accumulated error*,
since the error is built up during each numerical step.  Unfortunately,
an estimate of this error is usually not available without knowledge of
the actual solution.  There are, however, several more usable notions
of error.  The *single-step error*, in particular, is the difference
between the actual solution and the numerical approximation to the
solution after any single step, assuming the value at the beginning of
the step is correct.

   The *relative single-step error* is the single-step error, divided
by the current value of the numerical approximation to the solution.
Why not divided by the current value of the solution itself?  The reason
is that the solution is not exactly known.  When free to choose a
stepsize, `ode' will do so on the basis of the relative single-step
error.  By default, it will choose the stepsize so as to maintain an
accuracy of eight significant digits in each step.  That is, it will
choose the stepsize so as not to violate an upper bound of 10^(-9) on
the relative single-step error.  This ceiling may be adjusted with the
`-r' option.

   Where does numerical error come from?  There are two sources.  The
first is the finite precision of machine computation.  All computers
work with floating point numbers, which are not real numbers, but only
an approximation to real numbers.  However, all computations performed
by `ode' are done to double precision, so floating point error tends to
be relatively small.  You may nonetheless detect the difference between
real numbers and floating point numbers by experimenting with the `-p
17' option, which will print seventeen significant digits.  On most
machines, that is the precision of a double precision floating point
number.

   The second source of numerical error is often called the
*theoretical truncation error*.  It is the difference between the
actual solution and the approximate solution due solely to the
numerical scheme.  At the root of many numerical schemes is an infinite
series; for ordinary differential equations, it is a Taylor expansion.
Since the computer cannot compute all the terms in an infinite series,
a numerical scheme necessarily uses a truncated series; hence the term.
The single-step error is the sum of the theoretical truncation error
and the floating point error, though in practice the floating point
error is seldom included.  The single-step error estimated by `ode'
consists only of the theoretical truncation error.

   We say that a numerical scheme is *stable*, when applied to a
particular initial value problem, if the error accumulated during the
solution of the problem over a fixed interval decreases as the stepsize
decreases; at least, over a wide range of step sizes.  With this
definition both the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg (`-R') scheme and the
Adams-Moulton (`-A') scheme are stable (a statement based more on
experience than on theoretical results) for a wide class of problems.

   After these introductory remarks, we list some common sources of
accumulated error and instability in any numerical scheme.  Usually,
problems with large accumulated error and instability are due to the
single-step error in the vicinity of a `bad' point being large.

  1. Singularities.

     `ode' should not be used to generate a numerical solution on any
     interval containing a singularity.  That is, `ode' should not be
     asked to step over points at which the system of differential
     equations is singular or undefined.

     You will find the definitions of singular point, regular singular
     point, and irregular singular point in any good differential
     equations text.  If you have no favorite, try Birkhoff and Rota's
     `Ordinary Differential Equations', Chapter 9.  Always locate and
     classify the singularities of a system, if any, before applying
     `ode'.

  2. Ill-posed problems.

     For `ode' to yield an accurate numerical solution on an interval,
     the true solution must be defined and well-behaved on that
     interval.  The solution must also be real.  Whenever any of these
     conditions is violated, the problem is said to be *ill-posed*.
     Ill-posedness may occur even if the system of differential
     equations is well-behaved on the interval.  Strange results, e.g.,
     the stepsize suddenly shrinking to the machine limit or the
     solution suddenly blowing up, may indicate ill-posedness.

     As an example of ill-posedness (in fact, an undefined solution)
     consider the innocent-looking problem:

          y' = y^2
          y(1) = -1

     The solution on the domain t > 0 is

          y(t) = -1/t.

     With this problem you must not compute a numerical solution on any
     interval that includes t=0.  To convince yourself of this, try to
     use the `step' statement

          step 1, -1

     on this system.  How does `ode' react?

     As another example of ill-posedness, consider the system

          y'=1/y

     which is undefined at y=0.  The general solution is

          y = +/- (2(t-C))^(1/2),

     so that if the condition y(2)=2 is imposed, the solution will be
     (2t)^(1/2).  Clearly, if the domain specified in a `step'
     statement includes negative values of t, the generated solution
     will be bogus.

     In general, when using a constant stepsize you should be careful
     not to `step over' bad points or bad regions.  When allowed to
     choose a stepsize adaptively, `ode' will often spot bad points,
     but not always.

  3. Critical points.

     An *autonomous* system is one that does not include the independent
     variable explicitly on the right-hand side of any differential
     equation.  A *critical point* for such a system is a point at
     which all right-hand sides equal zero.  For example, the system

          y' = 2x
          x' = 2y

     has only one critical point, at (x,y) = (0,0).

     A critical point is sometimes referred to as a *stagnation point*.
     That is because a system at a critical point will remain there
     forever, though a system near a critical point may undergo more
     violent motion.  Under some circumstances, passing near a critical
     point may give rise to a large accumulated error.

     As an exercise, solve the system above using `ode', with the
     initial condition x(0) = y(0) = 0.  The solution should be
     constant in time.  Now do the same with points near the critical
     point.  What happens?

     You should always locate the critical points of a system before
     attempting a solution with `ode'.  Critical points may be
     classified (as equilibrium, vortex, unstable, stable, etc.) and
     this classification may be of use.  To find out more about this,
     consult any book dealing with the qualitative theory of
     differential equations (e.g., Birkhoff and Rota's `Ordinary
     Differential Equations', Chapter 6).

  4. Unsuitable numerical schemes

     If the results produced by `ode' are bad in the sense that
     instability appears to be present, or an unusually small stepsize
     needs to be chosen needed in order to reduce the single-step error
     to manageable levels, it may simply be that the numerical scheme
     being used is not suited to the problem.  For example, `ode'
     currently has no numerical scheme which handles so-called `stiff'
     problems very well.

     As an example, you may wish to examine the stiff problem:

          y' = -100 + 100t + 1
          y(0) = 1

     on the domain [0,1].  The exact solution is

          y(t) = e^(-100t) + t.

     It is a useful exercise to solve this problem with `ode' using
     various numerical schemes, stepsizes, and relative single-step
     error bounds, and compare the generated solution curves with the
     actual solution.

   There are several rough and ready heuristic checks you may perform on
the accuracy of any numerical solution produced by `ode'.  We discuss
them in turn.

  1. Examine the stability of  solution curves: do they converge?

     That is, check how changing the stepsize affects a solution curve.
     As the stepsize decreases, the curve should converge.  If it does
     not, then the stepsize is not small enough or the numerical scheme
     is not suited to the problem.  In practice, you would proceed as
     follows.

        * If using an adaptive stepsize, superimpose the solution
          curves for successively smaller bounds on the relative
          single-step error (obtained with, e.g., `-r 1e-9', `-r
          1e-11', `-r 1e-13', ...).  If the curves converge then the
          solution is to all appearances stable, and your accuracy is
          sufficient.

        * If employing a constant stepsize, perform a similar analysis
          by successively halving the stepsize.

     The following example is one that you may wish to experiment with.
     Make a file named `qcd' containing:

          # an equation arising in QCD (quantum chromodynamics)
          f'   = fp
          fp'  = -f*g^2
          g'   = gp
          gp'  = g*f^2
          f = 0; fp = -1; g = 1; gp = -1
          
          print t, f
          step 0, 5

     Next make a file named `stability', containing the lines:

          : sserr is the bound on the relative single-step error
          for sserr
          do
          ode -r $sserr < qcd
          done | spline -n 500 | graph -T X -C

     This is a `shell script', which when run will superimpose numerical
     solutions with specified bounds on the relative single-step error.
     To run it, type:

          sh stability 1 .1 .01 .001

     and a plot of the solutions with the specified error bounds will be
     drawn.  The convergence, showing stability, should be quite
     illuminating.

  2. Check invariants of the system: are they constant?

     Many systems have invariant quantities.  For example, if the
     system is a mathematical model of a `conservative' physical system
     then the `energy' (a particular function of the dependent
     variables of the system) should be constant in time.  In general,
     knowledge about the qualitative behavior of any dependent variable
     may be used to check the quality of the solution.

  3. Check a family of solution curves: do they diverge?

     A rough idea of how error is propagated is obtained by viewing a
     family of solution curves about the numerical solution in
     question, obtained by varying the initial conditions.  If they
     diverge sharply--that is, if two solutions which start out very
     close nonetheless end up far apart--then the quality of the
     numerical solution is dubious.  On the other hand, if the curves
     do not diverge sharply then any error that is present will in all
     likelihood not increase by more than an order of magnitude or so
     over the interval.  Problems exhibiting no sharp divergence of
     neighboring solution curves are sometimes called
     *well-conditioned*.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Running Time,  Next: Input Language,  Prev: Numerical Error,  Up: ode

Running time
============

   The time required for `ode' to solve numerically a system of
ordinary differential equations depends on a great many factors.  A few
of them are: number of equations, complexity of equations (number of
operators and nature of the operators), and number of steps taken
(a very complicated function of the difficulty of solution, unless
constant stepsizes are used).  The most effective way to gauge the time
required for solution of a system is to clock a short or imprecise run
of the problem, and reason as follows: the time required to take two
steps is roughly twice that required for one; and there is a
relationship between the number of steps required and the relative error
ceiling chosen.  That relationship depends on the numerical scheme being
used, the difficulty of solution, and perhaps on the magnitude of the
error ceiling itself.  A few carefully planned short runs may be used
to determine this relationship, enabling a long but imprecise run to be
used as an aid in projecting the cost of a more precise run over the
same region.  Lastly, if a great deal of data is printed, it is likely
that more time is spent in printing the results than in computing the
numerical solution.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Input Language,  Next: ODE Bibliography,  Prev: Running Time,  Up: ode

The `ode' input language formally specified
===========================================

   The following is a formal specification of the grammar for `ode''s
input language, in Backus-Naur form.  Nonterminal symbols in the
grammar are enclosed in angle brackets.  Terminal tokens are in all
capitals.  Bare words and symbols stand for themselves.

     <program>    ::=        ... empty ...
                    |  <program> <statement>
     
     
     <statement>  ::=  SEP
                    |  IDENTIFIER = <const> SEP
                    |  IDENTIFIER ' = <expression> SEP
                    |  print <printlist> <optevery> <optfrom> SEP
                    |  step <const> , <const> , <const> SEP
                    |  step <const> , <const> SEP
                    |  examine IDENTIFIER SEP
     
     
     <printlist>  ::=  <printitem>
                    |  <printlist> , <printitem>
     
     
     <printitem>  ::=  IDENTIFIER
                    |  IDENTIFIER '
                    |  IDENTIFIER ?
                    |  IDENTIFIER !
                    |  IDENTIFIER ~
     
     
     <optevery>   ::=        ... empty ...
                    |  every <const>
     
     
     <optfrom>    ::=        ... empty ...
                    |  from <const>
     
     
     <const>      ::=  <expression>
     
     
     <expression> ::=  ( <expression> )
                    |  <expression> + <expression>
                    |  <expression> - <expression>
                    |  <expression> * <expression>
                    |  <expression> / <expression>
                    |  <expression> ^ <expression>
                    |  FUNCTION ( <expression> )
                    |  - <expression>
                    |  NUMBER
                    |  IDENTIFIER

Since this grammar is ambiguous, the following table summarizes the
precedences and associativities of operators within expressions.
Precedences decrease from top to bottom.

     Class           Operators    Associativity
     
     Exponential         ^            right
     Multiplicative      * /          left
     Additive            + -          left

   As noted in the grammar, there are six types of nontrivial statement.
We now explain the effects (the `semantics') of each type, in turn.

  1. IDENTIFIER ' = <expression>

     This defines a first-order differential equation.  The derivative
     of IDENTIFIER is specified by <expression>.  If a dynamic variable
     does not appear on the left side of a statement of this form, its
     derivative is assumed to be zero.  That is, it is a symbolic
     constant.

  2. IDENTIFIER = <const>

     This sets the value of IDENTIFIER to the current value of
     <expression>.  Dynamic variables that have not been initialized in
     this way are set to zero.

  3. step <const> , <const>

  4. step <const> , <const> , <const>

     A `step' statement causes the numerical scheme to be executed.  The
     first <const> is the initial value of the independent variable.
     The second is its final value.  The third is a stepsize; if given,
     it overrides any stepsize that may be specified on the command
     line.  Usually the stepsize is not specified, and it varies
     adaptively as the computation proceeds.

  5. print <printlist> [ every <const> ] [ from <const> ]

     A `print' statement controls the content and frequency of the
     numerical output.  <printlist> is a comma-separated list of
     IDENTIFIERs, where each IDENTIFIER may be followed by `'',
     denoting the derivative, or `?', denoting the relative single-step
     error, or `!', denoting the absolute single-step error, or `~',
     denoting the accumulated error (not currently implemented).  The
     specified values are printed in the order they are found.  Both the
     `every' clause and the `from' clause are optional.  If the `every'
     clause is present, a printing occurs every <const> iterations of
     the numerical algorithm.  The default is to print on every
     iteration (i.e. `every 1').  The first and last values are always
     printed.  If the `from' clause is present, it means to begin
     printing when the independent variable reaches or exceeds <const>.
     The default is to begin printing immediately.

     If no `print' statement has been supplied, then the independent
     variable and all dependent variables which have differential
     equations associated with them are printed.  The independent
     variable is printed first; the dependent variables follow in the
     order their equations were given.

  6. examine IDENTIFIER

     An `examine' statement, when executed, causes a table of
     interesting information about the named variable to be printed on
     the standard output.  For example, if the statement `examine y'
     were encountered after execution of the `ode to Euler' example
     discussed elsewhere, the output would be:

          "y" is a dynamic variable
          value:2.718282
          prime:2.718282
          sserr:1.121662e-09
          aberr:3.245638e-09
          acerr:0
           code:  push "y"

     The phrase `dynamic variable' means that there is a differential
     equation describing the behavior of y.  The numeric items in the
     table are:

    value
          Current value of the variable.

    prime
          Current derivative of the variable.

    sserr
          Relative single-step error for the last step taken.

    aberr
          Absolute single-step error for the last step taken.

    acerr
          Total error accumulated during the most recent `step'
          statement.  Not currently implemented.

     The `code' section of the table lists the stack operations required
     to compute the derivative of y (somewhat reminiscent of a reverse
     Polish calculator).  This information may be useful in discovering
     whether the precedences in the differential equation statement
     were interpreted correctly, or in determining the time or space
     expense of a particular calculation.  `push "y"' means to load y's
     value on the stack, which is all that is required to compute its
     derivative in this case.

   The grammar for the `ode' input language contains four types of
terminal token: FUNCTION, IDENTIFIER, NUMBER, and SEP.  They have the
following meanings.

  1. FUNCTION

     One of the words: abs, sqrt, exp, log, ln, log10, sin, cos, tan,
     asin, acos, atan, sinh, cosh, tanh, asinh, acosh, atanh, floor,
     ceil, besj0, besj1, besy0, besy1, erf, erfc, inverf, lgamma,
     gamma, norm, invnorm, ibeta, igamma.  These are defined to have
     the same meaning as in the plotting program `gnuplot'.  All
     functions take a single argument, except for ibeta, which takes
     three, and igamma, which takes two.  For trigonometric functions,
     all arguments are expressed in radians.  The atan function is
     defined to give a value between -PI/2 and PI/2 (inclusive).

  2. IDENTIFIER

     A sequence of alphanumeric characters starting with an alphabetic
     character.  The first 32 characters are significant.  Upper and
     lower-case letters are distinct.  In identifiers, the underscore
     character is considered alphabetic.  Function names and keywords
     may not be used as identifiers, nor may `PI'.

  3. NUMBER

     A non-empty sequence of digits possibly containing a decimal point
     and possibly followed by an exponent.  An exponent is `e' or `E',
     followed by an (optionally signed) one, two, or three-digit
     number.  All numbers and all parts of numbers are radix 10.
     A number may not contain any white space.  The special word `PI' is
     a number.

  4. SEP

     A separator: a semicolon or a (non-escaped) newline.

   In the `ode' input language, upper and lower-case letters are
distinct.  Comments begin with the character `#' and continue to the
end of the line.  Long lines may be continued onto a second line by
ending the first line with a backslash (`\').  That is because the
combination backslash-newline is equivalent to a space.

   Spaces or tabs are required in the input whenever they are needed to
separate identifiers, numbers, and keywords from one another.  Except as
separators, they are ignored.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: ODE Bibliography,  Prev: Input Language,  Up: ode

Bibliography on `ode' and solving differential equations
========================================================

     K. E. Atkinson, `An Introduction to Numerical Analysis', Wiley,
     1978.  Chapter 6 contains a discussion of the literature on the
     numerical solution of ordinary differential equations.

     G. Birkhoff and G. Rota, `Ordinary Differential Equations', 4th
     ed., Wiley, 1989.

     N. B. Tufillaro, T. Abbott, and J. Reilly, `An Experimental
     Approach to Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos', Addison-Wesley, 1992.
     Appendix C discusses an earlier version of `ode'.

     N. B. Tufillaro, E. F. Redish, and J. S. Risley, "`ode':
     A numerical simulation of ordinary differential equations," pp.
     480-481 in `Proceedings of the Conference on Computers in Physics
     Instruction', Addison-Wesley, 1990.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: libplot,  Next: Appendices,  Prev: ode,  Up: Top

`libplot', a 2-D Vector Graphics Library
****************************************

   This is the documentation for version 4.1 of GNU libplot, which is a
free function library for drawing two-dimensional vector graphics.

* Menu:

* libplot Overview::    Programming with libplot: An overview
* C Programming::       C programming with libplot
* C++ Programming::     C++ programming with libplotter
* Functions::           A list of functions contained in libplot
* Plotter Parameters::  Plotter parameters


File: plotutils.info,  Node: libplot Overview,  Next: C Programming,  Prev: libplot,  Up: libplot

Programming with `libplot': An overview
=======================================

   GNU `libplot' 4.1 is a free function library for drawing
two-dimensional vector graphics.  It can produce smooth, double-buffered
animations for the X Window System, and can export graphics files in
many file formats.  It is `device-independent' in the sense that its
API (application programming interface) is to a large extent independent
of the display type or output file format.  The API is thread-safe, so
it may be used in multithreaded programs.

   There are bindings for C, C++, and other languages.  The C binding,
which is the most frequently used, is also called `libplot', and the
C++ binding, when it needs to be distinguished, is called `libplotter'.
In this section we use `libplot' to refer to the library itself,
irrespective of binding.

   The graphical objects that `libplot' can draw include paths,
`adjusted labels' (i.e., justified text strings), marker symbols, and
points (i.e., pixels).  Paths may be simple or compound.  A simple path
is a contiguous sequence of line segments, circular arcs, elliptic
arcs, quadratic Bezier curves, and/or cubic Bezier curves.  A simple
path may also be a circle, an ellipse, or a rectangle.  A compound path
consists of one or more nested simple paths.  User-specified filling of
paths, both simple and compound, is supported (fill color and fill
rule, as well as pen color, may be specified).

   There is support for maintaining a Postscript-style stack of graphics
contexts, i.e., a stack of drawing attribute sets.  Path-related
attributes include pen color, line thickness, line type, cap type, join
type, miter limit, fill color, fill rule, and transformation matrix, and
text-related attributes include font name, font size, text angle, and
transformation matrix.

   The fundamental abstraction provided by `libplot' is that of a
*Plotter*.  A Plotter is an object with an interface for the drawing of
vector graphics which is similar to the interface provided by a
traditional pen plotter.  There are many types of Plotter, which differ
in the output format they produce.  Any number of Plotters, of the same
or different types, may exist simultaneously in an application.

   The drawing operations supported by Plotters of different types are
identical, in agreement with the principle of device independence.
So a graphics application that is linked with `libplot' may easily be
written so as to produce output in any or all of the supported output
formats.

   The following are the currently supported types of Plotter.

   * X Plotters.  An X Plotter, when opened, pops up a window on an
     X Window System display and draws graphics in it.  The window will
     be `spun off' when the Plotter is closed; if it is subsequently
     reopened, a new window will be popped up.  A spun-off window will
     remain on the screen but will vanish if you type `q' or click your
     mouse in it.  Future releases may permit X Plotters, when
     reopened, to reuse an existing window.

   * X Drawable Plotters.  An X Drawable Plotter draws graphics in one
     or two specified drawables associated with an X Window System
     display.  A `drawable' is either a window or a pixmap.  The
     drawables must be passed to the Plotter as parameters.  (*Note
     Plotter Parameters::.)

   * PNG Plotters.  A PNG Plotter produces a single page of output in
     PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format, and directs it to a file
     or other specified output stream.  The file may be viewed or
     edited with many applications, such as the free image display
     application `xv' and the free `ImageMagick' package.

   * PNM Plotters.  A PNM Plotter produces a single page of output in
     "portable anymap" format, and directs it to a file or other
     specified output stream.  There are three types of portable
     anymap: PBM (portable bitmap, for monochrome graphics), PGM
     (portable graymap), and PPM (portable pixmap, for colored
     graphics).  The output file will be in whichever of these three
     formats is most appropriate.  The file may be viewed or edited
     with many applications, such as `xv' and the `ImageMagick' package.

   * GIF Plotters.  A GIF Plotter produces a single page of output in a
     pseudo-GIF format.  Unlike true GIF format, the pseudo-GIF format
     does not use LZW compression: it uses run-length encoding instead.
     So it does not transgress the Unisys patent that restricts the
     use of LZW compression.  However, the output file may be viewed or
     edited with any application that understands GIF format, such as
     `xv' and the `ImageMagick' package.  The creation of animated
     pseudo-GIFs is supported.

   * SVG Plotters.  An SVG Plotter produces a single page of output in
     Scalable Vector Graphics format and directs it to a file or other
     specified output stream.  SVG is a new XML-based format for vector
     graphics on the Web, which is being developed by the
     Graphics Activity (http://www.w3.org/Graphics) of the
     W3 Consortium (http://www.w3.org).  The output conforms to the
     3 March 2000 version of the SVG specification.

   * Illustrator Plotters.  An Illustrator Plotter produces a single
     page of output in the format used by Adobe Illustrator, and
     directs it to a file or other specified output stream.  The file
     may be edited with Adobe Illustrator (version 5, and more recent
     versions), or other applications.

   * Postscript Plotters.  A Postscript Plotter produces Postscript
     output and directs it to a file or other specified output stream.
     If only a single page of graphics is drawn on the Plotter then its
     output is in EPS (encapsulated Postscript) format, so it may be
     included in another document.  It may also be edited with the free
     `idraw' drawing editor.  See *Note idraw::.

   * CGM Plotters.  A CGM Plotter produces output in Computer Graphics
     Metafile format and directs it to a file or other specified output
     stream.  By default, binary-encoded version 3 CGM format is used.
     The output complies with the WebCGM profile for Web-based vector
     graphics, so it may be displayed in any Web browser with WebCGM
     support.  The CGM Open Consortium (http://www.cgmopen.org) has more
     information on WebCGM.

   * Fig Plotters.  A Fig Plotter produces a single page of output in
     Fig format and directs it to a file or other specified output
     stream.  The output may be edited with the free `xfig' drawing
     editor.  The `xfig' editor can export drawings in various other
     formats for inclusion in documents.  See *Note xfig::.

   * PCL Plotters.  A PCL Plotter produces output in PCL 5 format and
     directs it to a file or other specified output stream.  PCL 5 is a
     powerful version of Hewlett-Packard's Printer Control Language,
     which supports vector graphics.  The output may be sent to a PCL 5
     device such as a LaserJet printer or high-end inkjet.

   * HP-GL Plotters.  An HP-GL Plotter produces output in the
     Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language (by default, in HP-GL/2), and
     directs it to a file or other specified output stream.  The output
     may be imported into another application, or sent to a plotter.

   * ReGIS Plotters.  A ReGIS Plotter produces output in ReGIS (remote
     graphics instruction set) format and directs it to a file or other
     specified output stream.  The output may be displayed on any
     terminal or emulator that understands ReGIS format.  This includes
     several terminals from DEC (in particular, the VT340, VT330,
     VT241, and VT240 terminals), and `dxterm', the DECwindows terminal
     emulation program.

   * Tektronix Plotters.  A Tektronix Plotter produces output in
     Tektronix 4014 format and directs it to a file or other specified
     output stream.  The output may be displayed on any Tektronix 4014
     emulator.  Such an emulator is built into `xterm', the X Window
     System terminal emulation program.  The MS-DOS version of `kermit'
     also includes such an emulator.

   * Metafile Plotters.  A Metafile Plotter produces output in GNU
     graphics metafile format and directs it to a file or other
     specified output stream.  This format is an extended version of
     the `plot(5)' format found on some other operating systems.
     (*Note Metafiles::.)  It may be translated to other formats by an
     invocation of GNU `plot'.  (*Note plot::.)

   A distinction among these types of Plotter is that all except X and
X Drawable Plotters write graphics to a file or other output stream.  An
X Plotter pops up its own windows, and an X Drawable Plotter draws
graphics in one or two X drawables.

   Another distinction is that the first five types of Plotter (X,
X Drawable, PNG, PNM, and GIF) produce bitmap output, while the
remaining types produce output in a vector graphics format.  In bitmap
output the structure of the graphical objects is lost, but in a vector
format it is retained.

   An additional distinction is that X, X Drawable, ReGIS, Tektronix and
Metafile Plotters are real-time.  This means that they draw graphics or
write to an output stream as the drawing operations are invoked on them.
The remaining types of Plotter are not real-time, since their output
streams can only be emitted after all functions have been called.  For
PNM and GIF Plotters, this is because the bitmap must be constructed
before it is written out.  For Illustrator and Postscript Plotters,
it is because a `bounding box' line must be placed at the head of the
output file.  For a Fig Plotter, it is because color definitions must
be placed at the head of the output file.

   The most important operations supported by any Plotter are `openpl'
and `closepl', which open and close it.  Graphics may be drawn, and
drawing attributes set, only within an `openpl'...`closepl' pair.  The
graphics produced within each `openpl'...`closepl' pair constitute a
`page'.  In principle, any Plotter may be opened and closed arbitrarily
many times.  An X Plotter displays each page in a separate X window, and
Postscript, PCL, and HP-GL Plotters render each page as a separate
physical page.  X Drawable, ReGIS and Tektronix Plotters manipulate a
single drawable or display, on which pages are displayed in succession.
Plotters that do not draw in real time (PNG, PNM, GIF, Illustrator,
Postscript, CGM, Fig, PCL, and HP-GL Plotters) may wait until their
existence comes to an end (i.e., until they are deleted) before
outputting their pages of graphics.

   In the current release of `libplot', Postscript and CGM Plotters
delay outputting graphics in this way, but PCL and HP-GL Plotters output
each page of graphics individually, i.e., when `closepl' is invoked.
PNG, PNM, GIF, SVG, Illustrator and Fig Plotters are similar, but
output only the first page.  That is because PNG, PNM, GIF, SVG,
Illustrator and Fig formats support only a single page of graphics.

   The graphics display, or `viewport', that is drawn in by a Plotter
is normally a square or rectangular region on its output device.  But
when using any Plotter to draw graphics, a user will specify the
coordinates of graphical objects in device-independent `user'
coordinates, not in device coordinates.  A Plotter transforms user
coordinates to device coordinates by performing an affine
transformation.

   After invoking `openpl' to open a Plotter, an application would
usually invoke `space'.  `space' specifies a rectangular `window' in
the user coordinate system that will be mapped affinely to the viewport
on the output device.  (The default window is a square, with opposite
corners (0,0) and (1,1).)  The transformation from user coordinates to
device coordinates may be updated at any later time by reinvoking
`space', or by invoking `fconcat'.  The `fconcat' operation will
concatenate (i.e., compose) the current affine transformation with any
specified affine transformation.  This sort of concatenation is a
capability familiar from, e.g., Postscript.

   Each Plotter maintains a Postscript-style stack of graphics contexts.
This makes possible the rapid, efficient drawing of complicated pages of
graphics.  A graphics context includes the current affine
transformation from user coordinates to device coordinates.  It also
includes such modal drawing attributes as graphics cursor position, pen
color, line type, line thickness, fill color, and the font used for
drawing text.  The state of any uncompleted path (if any) is included
as well, since paths may be drawn incrementally, one portion (line
segment, arc, or Bezier curve) at a time.

   *Warning*: Much as in Postscript, the current graphics context may
be pushed onto the stack by calling `savestate', and popped off by
calling `restorestate'.  However, `libplot''s and Postscript's drawing
models are significantly different.  In `libplot', the new graphics
context created by `savestate' contains no path.  So a new path may be
constructed in it from scratch, and drawn.  Afterwards, the path in the
former graphics context will be returned to when `restorestate' is
called, at which time it may be extended further.  Another difference
from Postscript is that in `libplot', there is no need to start a new
path by calling a ``newpath'' function.  Instead, you just start
drawing.  At least in theory, you do need to end a path explicitly, by
calling `endpath' to request that it be drawn on the graphics display.
But the call to `endpath' can usually be omitted.  For example, calling
`restorestate' automatically invokes `endpath' to end the path (if any)
contained in the current graphics context.

   To permit vector graphics animation, any page of graphics may be
split into `frames'.  A frame is ended, and a new frame is begun, by
invoking the `erase' operation.  This first terminates the path under
construction, if any.  What then happens depends on whether the Plotter
does real-time plotting.  If it does (i.e., if the Plotter is an X,
X Drawable, ReGIS, Tektronix, or Metafile Plotter), `erase' removes all
plotted objects from the graphics display, allowing a new frame to be
drawn.  Displaying a sequence of frames in succession creates the
illusion of smooth animation.

   On most Plotters that do not do real-time plotting (i.e., PNG, PNM,
SVG, Illustrator, Postscript, CGM, Fig, PCL, or HP-GL Plotters),
invoking `erase' deletes all plotted objects from an internal buffer.
For this reason, most Plotters that do not do real-time plotting will
display only the final frame of any multiframe page.

   GIF Plotters are in a class by themselves.  Even though they do not
do real time plotting, a GIF Plotter can produce multi-image output,
i.e., an animated pseudo-GIF file, from a multiframe page.  As noted
above, the pseudo-GIF file produced by a GIF Plotter will contain only
the first page of graphics.  But if this page consists of multiple
frames, then each invocation of `erase' after the first will be
treated, by default, as a separator between successive images.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: C Programming,  Next: C++ Programming,  Prev: libplot Overview,  Up: libplot

C Programming with `libplot'
============================

* Menu:

* The C API::                   The C application programming interface
* Older C APIs::                Older C interfaces
* C Compiling and Linking::     C compiling and linking
* Sample C Drawings::           Sample drawings in C
* Paths and Subpaths::          Simple paths and compound paths
* Drawing on a Page::           Drawing on a physical page
* Animated GIFs::               Animated GIFs in C
* X Animations::                X Window System animations in C
* X Programming::		Advanced X Window System programming


File: plotutils.info,  Node: The C API,  Next: Older C APIs,  Prev: C Programming,  Up: C Programming

The C application programming interface
---------------------------------------

   GNU `libplot' has bindings for several programming languages.
Regardless of which binding is used, the concepts behind `libplot'
(Plotters, and a fixed set of operations that may be applied to any
Plotter) remain the same.  However, the ways in which Plotters are
manipulated (created, selected for use, and deleted) may differ between
bindings.  This section discusses the current C binding.  For
information on older C bindings, see *Note Older C APIs::.

   In the C binding, a Plotter is implemented as an opaque datatype,
`plPlotter', which must be accessed through a pointer.  Each drawing
operation takes a pointer to a `plPlotter' as its first argument.  The
functions `pl_newpl_r' and `pl_deletepl_r' are the constructor and
destructor for the `plPlotter' datatype.  The final argument of
`pl_newpl_r' must be a pointer to a `plPlotterParams' object, which
specifies Plotter parameters.  `pl_newpl_r' returns a pointer to a
`plPlotter'.

   You should always call `pl_deletepl_r' when you are finished using a
Plotter.  In general, Plotters that do not plot graphics in real time
(Postscript Plotters and CGM Plotters in particular) write out graphics
only when `pl_deletepl_r' is called.

   The following tables summarize the action of the Plotter manipulation
functions in the C binding.

plPlotter * pl_newpl_r (const char *TYPE, FILE *INFILE, FILE *OUTFILE, FILE *ERRFILE, plPlotterParams *PARAMS);
     Create a Plotter of type TYPE, where TYPE may be "X", "Xdrawable",
     "png", "pnm", "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl",
     "hpgl", "regis", "tek", or "meta".  The Plotter will have input
     stream INFILE, output stream OUTFILE, and error stream ERRFILE.
     Any or all of these three may be NULL.  Currently, all Plotters
     are write-only, so INFILE is ignored.  X Plotters and X Drawable
     Plotters write graphics to an X Window System display rather than
     to an output stream, so if TYPE is "X" or "Xdrawable" then OUTFILE
     is ignored as well.  Error messages (if any) are written to the
     stream ERRFILE, unless ERRFILE is NULL.

     All Plotter parameters will be copied from the `plPlotterParams'
     object pointed to by PARAMS.  A NULL return value indicates the
     Plotter could not be created.

int pl_deletepl_r (plPlotter *PLOTTER);
     Delete the specified Plotter.  A negative return value indicates
     the Plotter could not be deleted.

   The functions `pl_newplparams', `pl_deleteplparams', and
`pl_copyplparams' are the constructor, destructor, and copy constructor
for the `plPlotterParams' datatype.  The function `pl_setplparam' sets
any single Plotter parameter in a `plPlotterParams' object.

plPlotterParams * pl_newplparams ();

int pl_deleteplparams (plPlotterParams *PLOTTER_PARAMS);

plPlotterParams * pl_copyplparams (const plPlotterParams *PARAMS);

int pl_setplparam (plPlotterParams *PARAMS, const char *PARAMETER, void *VALUE);
     Set the value of the parameter PARAMETER to VALUE in the object
     pointed to by PARAMS.  For most parameters, VALUE should be a
     `char *', i.e., a string.  If VALUE is NULL, the parameter is
     unset.

     For a list of recognized parameters and their meaning, see *Note
     Plotter Parameters::.  Unrecognized parameters are ignored.

   The reason why the `plPlotterParams' datatype exists is that even
though the Plotter interface is largely Plotter-independent, it is
useful to be able to specify certain aspects of a Plotter's behavior at
creation time.  If a a parameter has been set in the specified
`plPlotterParams' object, that will be the value used by the Plotter.
If a parameter is *not* set, the Plotter will use a default value
for it, unless the parameter is string-valued and there is an
environment variable of the same name, in which case the value of that
environment variable will be used.  This rule increases run-time
flexibility: an application programmer may allow non-critical Plotter
parameters to be specified by the user via environment variables.

   In the C binding, each drawing operation that may be invoked on a
Plotter is represented by a function whose name begins with "pl_" and
ends with "_r".  For example, the `openpl' operation is invoked on a
Plotter by calling the function `pl_openpl_r', the first argument of
which is a pointer to the corresponding `plPlotter' object.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Older C APIs,  Next: C Compiling and Linking,  Prev: The C API,  Up: C Programming

Older C application programming interfaces
------------------------------------------

   The current C API (application programming interface), which is
thread-safe, is a revision of an older API that is not thread-safe.
That is why most functions in the current API have names that end
in "_r", which stands for `revised' or `reentrant'.

   In the old C API, the Plotter on which an operation was performed is
not specified as an argument of the function that was called to perform
the operation.  Instead, a Plotter is first `selected'.  Then the API
function is called.  `pl_openpl' was one such function; it opens the
currently selected Plotter, i.e., begins a page of graphics.

   The old API is deprecated, but is still supported.  The four
functions in the old API that perform Plotter manipulation have the
following semantics.

int pl_newpl (const char *TYPE, FILE *INFILE, FILE *OUTFILE, FILE *ERRFILE);
     Create a Plotter of type TYPE, where TYPE may be "X", "Xdrawable",
     "png", "pnm", "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl",
     "regis", "tek", or "meta".  The Plotter will have input stream
     INFILE, output stream OUTFILE, and error stream ERRFILE.  The
     return value is a `handle': a nonnegative integer by which the
     newly created Plotter is referred to.  A negative return value
     indicates the Plotter could not be created.

int pl_selectpl (int HANDLE);
     Select a Plotter, referred to by its handle, for use.  Only one
     Plotter may be selected at a time.  A negative return value
     indicates the specified Plotter could not be selected.  Otherwise,
     the return value is the handle of the previously selected Plotter.

     At startup, a single Metafile Plotter that writes to standard
     output (with handle `0') is automatically created and selected.

int pl_deletepl (int HANDLE);
     Delete a Plotter, specified by its handle.  The Plotter must not be
     selected at the time it is deleted.  A negative return value
     indicates the Plotter could not be deleted.

int pl_parampl (const char *PARAMETER, void *VALUE);
     Set the global value of the Plotter parameter PARAMETER to VALUE.
     The parameter values in effect at the time any Plotter is created
     will be copied into it.

In the old API, selecting a Plotter with `pl_selectpl' and setting a
value for a Plotter parameter with `pl_parampl' are global operations.
That is why the old API is not thread-safe.

   An even older C API omitted the prefix "pl_" from the names of
`libplot' functions.  The prefix "pl_" was added in part to distinguish
GNU `libplot' from pre-GNU versions of `libplot'.  If you need to
compile code written for very early versions of GNU `libplot' or for
pre-GNU `libplot', you should include the header file `plotcompat.h'.
`plotcompat.h' redefines `openpl' as `pl_openpl', and so forth.  *Note
C Compiling and Linking::.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: C Compiling and Linking,  Next: Sample C Drawings,  Prev: Older C APIs,  Up: C Programming

C compiling and linking
-----------------------

   The source code for a graphics application written in C, if it is to
use the GNU `libplot' C API (C application programming interface), must
contain the lines

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>

The header file `plot.h' is distributed with `libplot', and should have
been installed on your system where your C compiler will find it.
It contains a prototype for each of the functions in the C API, and
some miscellaneous definitions.

   To each Plotter operation there corresponds a function in the C API
whose name begins with "pl_" and ends with "_r".  To invoke the Plotter
operation, this function would be called.  For example, the `openpl'
operation would be invoked on a Plotter by calling the function
`pl_openpl_r', the first argument of which is a pointer to the Plotter.
All such functions are declared in `plot.h'.

   In releases of GNU `libplot' before `libplot' 3.0, Plotter
operations were performed in a different way.  For example, there was a
function `pl_openpl' that operated on a Plotter that was `selected',
rather than specified as an argument.  The old C API is still supported
by `plot.h'.  For more information on it, see *Note Older C APIs::.

   In even older releases of GNU `libplot', and in the non-GNU versions
of `libplot' that preceded it, the "pl_" prefix was not used.  If you
need to compile code written for early versions of GNU `libplot' or for
non-GNU `libplot', you should also include the header file
`plotcompat.h'.  That file redefines `openpl' as `pl_openpl', and
so forth.

   To link your application with GNU `libplot', you would use the
appropriate `-l' option(s) on the command line when compiling it.  You
would use

     -lplot -lXaw -lXmu -lXt -lXext -lX11 -lpng -lz -lm

or, in recent releases of the X Window System,

     -lplot -lXaw -lXmu -lXt -lSM -lICE -lXext -lX11 -lpng -lz -lm

These linking options assume that your version of `libplot' has been
compiled with PNG support; if not, you would omit the `-lpng -lz'
options.

   As an alternative to the preceding, you may need to use `-lplot -lXm
-lXt -lXext -lX11 -lpng -lz -lm', `-lplot -lXm -lXt -lXext -lX11 -lpng
-lz -lm -lc -lgen', or `-lplot -lXm -lXt -lXext -lX11 -lpng -lz -lm -lc
-lPW', on systems that provide Motif widgets instead of Athena widgets.
In recent releases of the X Window System, you would insert `-lSM
-lICE'.  Recent releases of Motif require `-lXp' and possibly `-lXpm'
as well.)

   On some platforms, the directories in which `libplot' or the other
libraries are stored must be specified on the command line.
For example, the options `-lXaw -lXmu -lXt -lSM -lICE -lXext -lX11',
which specify X Window System libraries, may need to be preceded by an
option like `-L/usr/X11/lib'.

   On most systems `libplot' is installed as a shared library.  This
means that the linking with your application will take place at run time
rather than compile time.  The environment variable `LD_LIBRARY_PATH'
lists the directories which will be searched for shared libraries at
run time.  For your application to be executable, this environment
variable should include the directory in which `libplot' is stored.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Sample C Drawings,  Next: Paths and Subpaths,  Prev: C Compiling and Linking,  Up: C Programming

Sample drawings in C
--------------------

   The following is a sample application, written in C, that invokes GNU
`libplot' operations to draw vector graphics.  It draws an intricate
and beautiful path (Bill Gosper's "C" curve, discussed as Item #135 in
`HAKMEM', MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Memo #239, 1972).
As the numeric constant `MAXORDER' (here equal to 12) is increased, the
path will take on the shape of a curly letter "C", which is the
envelope of a myriad of epicyclic octagons.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     #define MAXORDER 12
     
     void draw_c_curve (plPlotter *plotter, double dx, double dy, int order)
     {
       if (order >= MAXORDER)
         /* continue path along (dx, dy) */
         pl_fcontrel_r (plotter, dx, dy);
       else
         {
           draw_c_curve (plotter,
                         0.5 * (dx - dy), 0.5 * (dx + dy), order + 1);
           draw_c_curve (plotter,
                         0.5 * (dx + dy), 0.5 * (dy - dx), order + 1);
         }
     }
     
     int main ()
     {
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
     
       /* set a Plotter parameter */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "PAGESIZE", "letter");
     
       /* create a Postscript Plotter that writes to standard output */
       if ((plotter = pl_newpl_r ("ps", stdin, stdout, stderr,
                                  plotter_params)) == NULL)
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't create Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
     
       if (pl_openpl_r (plotter) < 0)      /* open Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't open Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       pl_fspace_r (plotter, 0.0, 0.0, 1000.0, 1000.0); /* set coor system */
       pl_flinewidth_r (plotter, 0.25);    /* set line thickness */
       pl_pencolorname_r (plotter, "red"); /* use red pen */
       pl_erase_r (plotter);               /* erase graphics display */
       pl_fmove_r (plotter, 600.0, 300.0); /* position the graphics cursor */
       draw_c_curve (plotter, 0.0, 400.0, 0);
       if (pl_closepl_r (plotter) < 0)     /* close Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't close Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
     
       if (pl_deletepl_r (plotter) < 0)    /* delete Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't delete Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       return 0;
     }

   As you can see, this application begins by creating a
`plPlotterParams' object to hold Plotter parameters, and sets the
`PAGESIZE' parameter.  It then calls the `pl_newpl_r' function to
create a Postscript Plotter.  The Postscript Plotter will produce
output for a US letter-sized page, though any other standard page size,
e.g., "a4", could be substituted.  This would be arranged by altering
the call to `pl_setplparam'.  The `PAGESIZE' parameter is one of
several Plotter parameters that an application programmer may set.  For
a list, see *Note Plotter Parameters::.

   After the Plotter is created, the application opens it and draws the
"C" curve recursively.  The drawing of the curve is accomplished by
calling the `pl_fmove_r' function to position the Plotter's graphics
cursor, and then calling `draw_c_curve'.  This subroutine repeatedly
calls `pl_fcontrel_r'.  The `pl_fcontrel_r' function continues a path
by adding a line segment to it.  The endpoint of each line segment is
specified in relative floating point coordinates, i.e., as a floating
point offset from the previous cursor position.  After the "C" curve is
drawn, the Plotter is closed by calling `pl_closepl_r', which
automatically invokes `pl_endpath_r' to end the path.  A Postscript
file is written to standard output when `pl_deletepl_r' is called to
delete the Plotter.

   Specifying "png", "pnm", "gif", "svg", "ai", "cgm", "fig", "pcl",
"hpgl", "regis", "tek", or "meta" as the first argument in the call to
`pl_newpl_r', instead of "ps", would yield a Plotter that would write
graphics to standard output in the specified format, instead of
Postscript.  The `PAGESIZE' parameter is relevant to the "svg", "ai",
"cgm", "fig", "pcl", and "hpgl" output formats, but is ignored for the
others.  Specifying "meta" as the Plotter type may be useful if you
wish to avoid recompilation for different output devices.  Graphics
metafile output may be piped to the `plot' utility and converted to any
other supported output format, or displayed in an X window.  *Note
plot::.

   If "X" were specified as the first argument of `pl_newpl_r', the
curve would be drawn in a popped-up X window, and the output stream
argument would be ignored.  Which X Window System display the window
would pop up on would be determined by the `DISPLAY' parameter, or if
that parameter were not set, by the `DISPLAY' environment variable.
The size of the X window would be determined by the `BITMAPSIZE'
parameter, or if that parameter were not set, by the `BITMAPSIZE'
environment variable.  The default value is "570x570".  For the "png",
"pnm", and "gif" Plotter types, the interpretation of `BITMAPSIZE' is
similar.

   You could also specify "Xdrawable" as the Plotter type.  For you to
make this work, you would need to know a bit about X Window System
programming.  You would need to create at least one X drawable (i.e.,
window or a pixmap), and by invoking `pl_setplparam' before
`pl_newpl_r' is called, set it as the value of the parameter
`XDRAWABLE_DRAWABLE1' or `XDRAWABLE_DRAWABLE2'.  For the parameters
that affect X Drawable Plotters, see *Note Plotter Parameters::.

   The following is another sample application, written in C, that
invokes `libplot' operations to draw vector graphics.  It draws a
spiral consisting of elliptically boxed text strings, each of which
reads "GNU libplot!".  This figure will be sent to standard output in
Postscript format.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     #include <math.h>
     #define SIZE 100.0   /* nominal size of user coordinate frame */
     #define EXPAND 2.2   /* expansion factor for elliptical box */
     
     void draw_boxed_string (plPlotter *plotter,
                             char *s, double size, double angle)
     {
       double true_size, width;
     
       pl_ftextangle_r (plotter, angle);      /* set text angle (degrees) */
       true_size = pl_ffontsize_r (plotter, size);  /* set font size */
       width = pl_flabelwidth_r (plotter, s); /* compute width of string */
       pl_fellipserel_r (plotter, 0.0, 0.0,
                         EXPAND * 0.5 * width, EXPAND * 0.5 * true_size,
                         angle);              /* draw surrounding ellipse */
       pl_alabel_r (plotter, 'c', 'c', s);    /* draw centered text string */
     }
     
     int main()
     {
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
       int i;
     
       /* set a Plotter parameter */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "PAGESIZE", "letter");
     
       /* create a Postscript Plotter that writes to standard output */
       if ((plotter = pl_newpl_r ("ps", stdin, stdout, stderr,
                                  plotter_params)) == NULL)
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't create Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
     
       if (pl_openpl_r (plotter) < 0)      /* open Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't open Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       /* specify user coor system */
       pl_fspace_r (plotter, -(SIZE), -(SIZE), SIZE, SIZE);
       pl_pencolorname_r (plotter, "blue");     /* use blue pen */
       pl_fillcolorname_r (plotter, "white");   /* set white fill color */
       pl_filltype_r (plotter, 1);   /* fill ellipses with fill color */
       /* choose a Postscript font */
       pl_fontname_r (plotter, "NewCenturySchlbk-Roman");
     
       for (i = 80; i > 1; i--)      /* loop through angles */
         {
           double theta, radius;
     
           theta = 0.5 * (double)i;  /* theta is in radians */
           radius = SIZE / pow (theta, 0.35);  /* this yields a spiral */
           pl_fmove_r (plotter, radius * cos (theta), radius * sin (theta));
           draw_boxed_string (plotter, "GNU libplot!", 0.04 * radius,
                              (180.0 * theta / M_PI) - 90.0);
         }
     
       if (pl_closepl_r (plotter) < 0)        /* close Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't close Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       if (pl_deletepl_r (plotter) < 0)       /* delete Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't delete Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       return 0;
     }

   This example shows what is involved in plotting a text string or text
strings.  First, the desired font must be retrieved.  A font is fully
specified by calling `pl_fontname_r', `pl_fontsize_r', and
`pl_textangle_r', or their floating point counterparts
`pl_ffontname_r', `pl_ffontsize_r', and `pl_ftextangle_r'.  Since these
three functions may be called in any order, each of them returns the
size of the font that it selects, as a convenience to the programmer.
This may differ slightly from the size specified in the most recent
call to `pl_fontsize_r' or `pl_ffontsize_r', since many Plotters have
only a limited repertory of fonts.  The above example plots each text
string in the "NewCenturySchlbk-Roman" font, which is available on
Postscript Plotters.  *Note Text Fonts::.

   If you replace "ps" by "X" in the call to `pl_newpl_r', an X Plotter
rather than a Postscript Plotter will be used, and the spiral will be
drawn in a popped-up X window.  If your X display does not support the
"NewCenturySchlbk-Roman" font, you may substitute any other scalable
font, such as the widely available "utopia-medium-r-normal".  For the
format of font names, see *Note Text Fonts in X::.  If the X Plotter is
unable to retrieve the font you specify, it will first attempt to use a
default scalable font ("Helvetica"), and if that fails, use a default
Hershey vector font ("HersheySerif") instead.  Hershey fonts are
constructed from line segments, so each built-in Hershey font is
available on all types of Plotter.

   If you are using an older (pre-X11R6) X Window System display, you
will find that retrieving a scalable font is a time-consuming operation.
The above example may run slowly on some older X displays, since a new
font must be retrieved before each text string is drawn.  That is
because each text string has a different angle of inclination.  It is
possible to retrieve individual characters from an X11R6 display,
rather than retrieving an entire rasterized font.  If this feature is
available, the X Plotter will automatically take advantage of it to
save time.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Paths and Subpaths,  Next: Drawing on a Page,  Prev: Sample C Drawings,  Up: C Programming

Simple paths and compound paths
-------------------------------

   The most sophisticated sort of graphical object that `libplot' can
draw is a *path*.  In this section we explain the fine details of
constructing paths.  The other three sorts of graphical object (text
strings, marker symbols, and points [i.e., pixels]) are discussed
elsewhere.

   As in Postscript, paths may be simple or compound.  A simple path is
a contiguous sequence of line segments, circular arcs, elliptic arcs,
quadratic Bezier curves, and/or cubic Bezier curves.  A simple path may
also be a circle, an ellipse, or a rectangle.  A compound path consists
of one or more simple paths, which must be *nested*: they should not
intersect each other.  *This is more restrictive than in Postscript.*

   `libplot''s drawing model is significantly different from
Postscript's, and is more user-friendly.  Before drawing a path by
invoking `libplot' operations, you do not need to call any special
function.  You would specify the attributes of the path before drawing,
however.  Attributes include pen color, line type, line width, cap type,
join type, and miter limit.  If the path is to be filled, the fill
color and fill rule would be specified too.  All these attributes are
`modal': their values are preserved from path to path.

   In principle, you would end any path you construct, and request that
it be drawn on the graphics display, by invoking the `endpath'
operation.  But `endpath' is called automatically when any path-related
attribute is changed, when `move' is called to change the graphics
cursor position, and before any other object is constructed and drawn.
It is also called at the end of each page of graphics, i.e., when
`closepl' is invoked.  So invoking `endpath' explicitly is usually
unnecessary.  This is quite different from Postscript, where an
explicit command to stroke or fill a path is required.

   `libplot' also differs from Postscript in the way it constructs and
draws compound paths.  In `libplot', you would end each of the
constituent simple paths of a compound path by invoking the
`endsubpath' operation.  After all simple paths are drawn, the compound
path as a whole would be drawn by invoking `endpath'.  After each of
the calls to `endsubpath', you are allowed to call `move' to reposition
the graphics cursor, prior to beginning the next simple path.
Immediately after an invocation of `endsubpath', a call to `move' will
not automatically invoke `endpath'.

   The following sample program uses a Postscript Plotter to produce
Postscript output.  It draws a typical compound path, which consists of
17 simple paths.  The first simple path is a large box.  This box
contains 7 circles, nested within each other, and a separate set of
7 circles that are also nested within each other.  Within each of the
two sets of nested circles is a pair of contiguous line segments, which
make up an additional simple path.  The compound path is drawn in
green, and it is filled.  The fill color is light blue.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     
     int main ()
     {
       int i, j;
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
     
       /* set a Plotter parameter */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "PAGESIZE", "letter");
       /* create a Postscript Plotter that writes to standard output */
       plotter = pl_newpl_r ("ps", stdin, stdout, stderr, plotter_params);
       /* open Plotter, i.e. begin a page of graphics */
       pl_openpl_r (plotter);
     
       pl_fspace_r (plotter, 0.0, 0.0, 1000.0, 1000.0); /* set coor system */
       pl_flinewidth_r (plotter, 5.0);  /* set line thickness */
       pl_pencolorname_r (plotter, "green");
       pl_fillcolorname_r (plotter, "light blue");
       pl_filltype_r (plotter, 1);      /* do filling, full strength */
       pl_erase_r (plotter);            /* erase graphics display */
     
       /* draw a compound path consisting of 17 simple paths */
     
       /* draw the first simple path: a large box */
       pl_orientation_r (plotter, 1);
       pl_fbox_r (plotter, 50.0, 50.0, 950.0, 950.0);
       pl_endsubpath_r (plotter);
       for (i = 0; i < 2; i++)
         /* draw 8 simple paths that are nested inside the box */
         {
           /* first, draw 7 simple paths: nested circles */
           for (j = 9; j >= 3; j--)
             {
               pl_orientation_r (plotter, j % 2 ? -1 : 1);
               pl_fcircle_r (plotter, 250.0 + 500 * i, 500.0, j * 20.0);
               pl_endsubpath_r (plotter);
             }
           /* draw an open simple path comprising two line segments */
           pl_fmove_r (plotter, 225.0 + 500 * i, 475.0);
           pl_fcont_r (plotter, 250.0 + 500 * i, 525.0);
           pl_fcont_r (plotter, 275.0 + 500 * i, 475.0);
           pl_endsubpath_r (plotter);
         }
       /* formally end the compound path (not actually necessary) */
       pl_endpath_r (plotter);
     
       /* close Plotter, i.e. end page of graphics */
       pl_closepl_r (plotter);
       /* delete Plotter */
       if (pl_deletepl_r (plotter) < 0)
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't delete Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       return 0;
     }

   As you will see if you run this program, the filling of the compound
path takes place in a visually pleasing way: alternating annular regions
are filled.  That is because `libplot''s default fill rule is
"even-odd".  Since a compound path's constituent simple paths must
always be nested, it is easy for `libplot' to determine which regions
between them are `even' and which are `odd'.  It is the latter that are
filled.

   The above program includes many invocations of `orientation'.  The
value of the modal `orientation' attribute (1, meaning
counterclockwise, or -1, meaning clockwise) applies to subsequently
drawn boxes, circles, and ellipses.  If "even-odd" filling is used,
they have no effect.  But if the fill rule for the compound path is set
to "nonzero-winding" by an initial call to `fillmod', these calls to
`orientation' will arrange matters so that alternating annular regions
are filled, just as if "even-odd" filling were used.

   If the preceding paragraph is mysterious, it would be wise to
consult a good book on Postscript programming, or any other reference
on the subject of `winding numbers'.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Drawing on a Page,  Next: Animated GIFs,  Prev: Paths and Subpaths,  Up: C Programming

Drawing on a physical page
--------------------------

   GNU `libplot' can draw graphics over an entire page of paper, not
merely within the graphics display or `viewport' that it normally uses.

   The default viewport used by an Illustrator, Postscript, Fig, or PCL
Plotter is a square region centered on the page.  The size of the
default viewport depends on the `PAGESIZE' parameter, which may be
"letter", "a4", etc.  See *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.  For example,
the default viewport on a letter-sized page, which has width 8.5in and
height 11in, is a square of side 8in.

   However, you may specify different dimensions for the viewport, and a
different position as well.  In particular, you may specify a viewport
that covers the entire page.  This would be accomplished by setting
`PAGESIZE' to, for example,
"letter,xsize=8.5in,ysize=11in,xorigin=0in,yorigin=0in".  "xorigin" and
"yorigin" specify the location of the lower left corner of the viewport,
relative to the lower left corner of the page.

   With this choice for the viewport, the entire page is in principle
imageable.  For full-page drawing, it is convenient to define a user
coordinate system in terms of which the lower left corner of the page is
(0,0), and in which the units are physical inches or centimeters.
To do so, you would use appropriate arguments when invoking the `space'
operation on the Plotter.  The following program shows how the `space'
operation would be invoked.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     
     int main()
     {
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
     
       /* set page size parameter, including viewport size and location */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "PAGESIZE",
                      "letter,xsize=8.5in,ysize=11in,xorigin=0in,yorigin=0in");
     
       /* create a Postscript Plotter with the specified parameter */
       plotter = pl_newpl_r ("ps", stdin, stdout, stderr, plotter_params);
     
       pl_openpl_r (plotter);                /* begin page of graphics */
       pl_fspace_r (plotter,
                    0.0, 0.0, 8.5, 11.0);   /* set user coor system */
     
       pl_fontname_r (plotter, "Times-Bold");
       pl_ffontsize_r (plotter, 0.5);        /* font size = 0.5in = 36pt */
     
       pl_fmove_r (plotter, 1.0, 10.0);
       pl_alabel_r (plotter, 'l', 'x', "One inch below the top");
       pl_fline_r (plotter, 1.0, 10.0, 7.5, 10.0);
     
       pl_fmove_r (plotter, 7.5, 1.0);
       pl_alabel_r (plotter, 'r', 'x', "One inch above the bottom");
       pl_fline_r (plotter, 1.0, 1.0, 7.5, 1.0);
     
       pl_closepl_r (plotter);               /* end page of graphics */
       pl_deletepl_r (plotter);              /* delete Plotter */
       return 0;
     }

The program will print two strings and draw the baseline for each.  The
first string will be left-justified at position (1.0,11.0), which is one
inch below the top of the page.  The second string will be
right-justified at position (7.5,1.0), which is one inch above the
bottom of the page.  For both strings, the 'x' argument of
`pl_alabel_r' specifies the vertical positioning: it requests that the
baseline of the string, rather than (say) its top or bottom, be
positioned at the current vertical position.

   The preceding discussion and sample program dealt with the portrait
orientation of the printed page, which is the default.  Drawing in
landscape orientation is only slightly more complicated.  For this, the
viewport would be rotated on the page by setting the Plotter parameter
`ROTATION'.  Its default value is "0" (or "no"), and other allowed
values are "90" (or "yes"), "180", and "270".  On a letter-sized page
in landscape orientation, a rotated viewport has lower left corner
(0.0,0.0) and upper right corner (11.0,8.5), provided that inches are
used.  The following program is a modified version of the preceding,
showing how a landscape orientation would be produced.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     
     int main()
     {
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
     
       /* set Plotter parameters */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "PAGESIZE",
                      "letter,xsize=8.5in,ysize=11in,xorigin=0in,yorigin=0in");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "ROTATION", "90");
     
       /* create a Postscript Plotter with the specified parameters */
       plotter = pl_newpl_r ("ps", stdin, stdout, stderr, plotter_params);
     
       pl_openpl_r (plotter);                /* begin page of graphics */
       pl_fspace_r (plotter,
                    0.0, 0.0, 11.0, 8.5);   /* set user coor system */
     
       pl_fontname_r (plotter, "Times-Bold");
       pl_ffontsize_r (plotter, 0.5);        /* font size = 0.5in = 36pt */
     
       pl_fmove_r (plotter, 1.0, 7.5);
       pl_alabel_r (plotter, 'l', 'x', "One inch below the top");
       pl_fline_r (plotter, 1.0, 7.5, 10.0, 7.5);
     
       pl_fmove_r (plotter, 10.0, 1.0);
       pl_alabel_r (plotter, 'r', 'x', "One inch above the bottom");
       pl_fline_r (plotter, 1.0, 1.0, 10.0, 1.0);
     
       pl_closepl_r (plotter);               /* end page of graphics */
       pl_deletepl_r (plotter);              /* delete Plotter */
       return 0;
     }

   It is worth nothing that rotating a viewport, by specifying a nonzero
value for `ROTATION', does not change the position of its four corners.
Rather, any graphics that are drawn are rotated within it.  If the
viewport is rectangular rather than square, this `rotation' necessarily
includes a rescaling.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Animated GIFs,  Next: X Animations,  Prev: Drawing on a Page,  Up: C Programming

Animated GIFs in C
------------------

   Using GNU `libplot' to create pseudo-GIF files, including animated
pseudo-GIFs, is straightforward.  A GIF Plotter is a Plotter like any
other, and it supports the same drawing operations.  However, it has
two special properties.  (1) It can draw only a single page of
graphics, i.e., only the graphics contained in the first
`openpl'...`closepl' pair appear in the output file.  In this, it
resembles other Plotters that do not plot in real time.  (2) Within
this page, each invocation of `erase' is normally treated as the
beginning of a new image in the output file.  There is an exception to
this: the first invocation of `erase' begins a new image only if
something has already been drawn.

   The reason for the exception is that many programmers who use
`libplot' are in the habit of invoking `erase' immediately after a
Plotter is opened.  That is not a bad habit, since a few types of
Plotter (e.g., X Drawable and Tektronix Plotters) are `persistent' in
the sense that previously drawn graphics remain visible.

   The following program creates a simple animated pseudo-GIF, 150
pixels wide and 100 pixels high.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     
     int main()
     {
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
       int i;
     
       /* set Plotter parameters */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "BITMAPSIZE", "150x100");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "BG_COLOR", "orange");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "TRANSPARENT_COLOR", "orange");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "GIF_ITERATIONS", "100");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "GIF_DELAY", "5");
     
       /* create a GIF Plotter with the specified parameters */
       plotter = pl_newpl_r ("gif", stdin, stdout, stderr, plotter_params);
     
       pl_openpl_r (plotter);                 /* begin page of graphics */
       pl_fspace_r (plotter,
                    -0.5, -0.5, 149.5, 99.5); /* set user coor system */
     
       pl_pencolorname_r (plotter, "red");    /* use red pen */
       pl_linewidth_r (plotter, 5);           /* set line thickness */
       pl_filltype_r (plotter, 1);            /* objects will be filled */
       pl_fillcolorname_r (plotter, "black"); /* set the fill color */
     
       for (i = 0; i < 180 ; i += 15)
         {
           pl_erase_r (plotter);              /* begin new GIF image */
           pl_ellipse_r (plotter, 75, 50, 40, 20, i); /* draw an ellipse */
         }
     
       pl_closepl_r (plotter);                /* end page of graphics */
       pl_deletepl_r (plotter);               /* delete Plotter */
       return 0;
     }

   The animated pseudo-GIF will be written to standard output.  It will
consist of twelve images, showing the counterclockwise rotation of a
black-filled red ellipse through 180 degrees.  The pseudo-GIF will be
`looped' (see below), so the ellipse will rotate repeatedly.

   The parameters of the ellipse are expressed in terms of user
coordinates, not pixel coordinates.  But the call to `pl_fspace_r'
defines user coordinates that are effectively the same as pixel
coordinates.  In the user coordinate system, the lower left corner of
the rectangle mapped into the 150x100 pseudo-GIF image is given
coordinates (-0.5,-0.5), and the upper right corner is given
coordinates (149.5,99.5).  So individual pixels may be addressed in
terms of integer user coordinates.  For example, invoking
`pl_point_r(plotter,0,0)' and `pl_point_r(plotter,149,99)' would set
the pixels in the lower left and upper right corners of the image to
the current pen color.

   Besides `BITMAPSIZE' and `BG_COLOR', there are several important GIF
Plotter parameters that may be set with the `pl_setplparam' function.
The `TRANSPARENT_COLOR' parameter may be set to the name of a color.
Pixels in a pseudo-GIF that have that color will be treated as
transparent by most software.  This is usually used to create a
transparent background.  In the example above, the background color is
specified as orange, but the transparent color is also specified as
orange.  So the background will not actually be displayed.

   The `GIF_ITERATIONS' parameter, if set, specifies the number of
times that a multi-frame pseudo-GIF should be looped.  The `GIF_DELAY'
parameter specifies the number of hundredths of a seconds that should
elapse between successive images.

   The `INTERLACE' parameter is sometimes useful.  If it is set to
"yes", the pseudo-GIF will be interlaced.  This is of greatest value for
single-frame GIFs.  For full details on Plotter parameters, see *Note
Plotter Parameters::.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: X Animations,  Next: X Programming,  Prev: Animated GIFs,  Up: C Programming

X Window System animations in C
-------------------------------

   You may use GNU `libplot' to produce vector graphics animations on
any Plotter that does real-time plotting (i.e., an X, X Drawable,
ReGIS, Tektronix, or Metafile Plotter).  By definition, the `frames' in
any page of graphics are separated by invocations of `erase'.  So the
graphics display will be cleared after each frame.  If successive
frames differ only slightly, a smooth animation will result.

   The following is a sample application, written in C, that produces
an animation for the X Window System.  It displays a `drifting eye'.
As the eye drifts across a popped-up window from left to right, it
slowly rotates.  After the eye has drifted across twice, the window
will vanish.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     
     int main ()
     {
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
       int i = 0, j;
     
       /* set Plotter parameters */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "BITMAPSIZE", "300x150");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "VANISH_ON_DELETE", "yes");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "USE_DOUBLE_BUFFERING", "yes");
     
       /* create an X Plotter with the specified parameters */
       if ((plotter = pl_newpl_r ("X", stdin, stdout, stderr,
                                  plotter_params)) == NULL)
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't create Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
     
       if (pl_openpl_r (plotter) < 0)         /* open Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't open Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       pl_fspace_r (plotter,
                    -0.5, -0.5, 299.5, 149.5);  /* set user coor system */
       pl_linewidth_r (plotter, 8);           /* set line thickness */
       pl_filltype_r (plotter, 1);            /* objects will be filled */
       pl_bgcolorname_r (plotter, "saddle brown"); /* set background color */
       for (j = 0; j < 300; j++)
         {
           pl_erase_r (plotter);                 /* erase window */
           pl_pencolorname_r (plotter, "red");   /* use red pen */
           pl_fillcolorname_r (plotter, "cyan"); /* use cyan filling */
           pl_ellipse_r (plotter, i, 75, 35, 50, i);  /* draw an ellipse */
           pl_colorname_r (plotter, "black"); /* use black pen and filling */
           pl_circle_r (plotter, i, 75, 12);  /* draw a circle [the pupil] */
           i = (i + 2) % 300;                 /* shift rightwards */
         }
       if (pl_closepl_r (plotter) < 0)        /* close Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't close Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
     
       if (pl_deletepl_r (plotter) < 0)       /* delete Plotter */
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Couldn't delete Plotter\n");
           return 1;
         }
       return 0;
     }

   As you can see, this application begins by calling `pl_setplparam'
several times to set Plotter parameters, and then calls `pl_newpl_r' to
create an X Plotter.  The X Plotter window will have size 300x150
pixels.  This window will vanish when the Plotter is deleted.  If the
`VANISH_ON_DELETE' parameter were not set to "yes", the window would
remain on the screen until removed by the user (by typing `q' in it, or
by clicking with a mouse).

   Setting the parameter `USE_DOUBLE_BUFFERING' to "yes" requests that
double buffering be used.  This is very important if you wish to produce
a smooth animation, with no jerkiness.  Normally, an X Plotter draws
graphics into a window in real time, and erases the window when
`pl_erase_r' is called.  But if double buffering is used, each frame of
graphics is written into an off-screen buffer, and is copied into the
window, pixel by pixel, when `pl_erase_r' is called or the Plotter is
closed.  This is a bit counterintuitive, but is exactly what is needed
for smooth animation.

   After the Plotter is created, it is selected for use and opened.
When `pl_openpl_r' is called, the window pops up, and the animation
begins.  In the body of the for loop there is a call to `pl_erase_r',
and also a sequence of `libplot' operations that draws the eye.  The
pen color and fill color are changed twice with each passage through
the loop.  You may wish to experiment with the animation parameters to
produce the best effects on your video hardware.

   The positions of the objects that are plotted in the animation are
expressed in terms of user coordinates, not pixel coordinates.  But the
call to `pl_fspace_r' defines user and pixel coordinates to be
effectively the same.  User coordinates are chosen so that the lower
left corner of the rectangle mapped to the X window is (-0.5,-0.5) and
the upper right corner is (299.5,149.5).  Since this agrees with the
window size, individual pixels may be addressed in terms of integer
user coordinates.  For example, `pl_point_r(plotter,299,149)' would set
the pixel in the upper right corner of the window to the current pen
color.

   The following is another sample animation, this time of a rotating
letter `A'.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     
     int main()
     {
       plPlotter *plotter;
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
       int angle = 0;
     
       /* set Plotter parameters */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "BITMAPSIZE", "300x300");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "USE_DOUBLE_BUFFERING", "yes");
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "BG_COLOR", "blue");
     
       /* create an X Plotter with the specified parameters */
       plotter = pl_newpl_r ("X", stdin, stdout, stderr, plotter_params);
     
       /* open X Plotter, initialize coordinates, pen, and font */
       pl_openpl_r (plotter);
       pl_fspace_r (plotter, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0);  /* use normalized coors */
       pl_pencolorname_r (plotter, "white");
       pl_ffontsize_r (plotter, 1.0);
       pl_fontname_r (plotter, "NewCenturySchlbk-Roman");
     
       pl_fmove_r (plotter, 0.5, 0.5);        /* move to center */
       while (1)                              /* loop endlessly */
         {
           pl_erase_r (plotter);
           pl_textangle_r (plotter, angle++); /* set new rotation angle */
           pl_alabel_r (plotter, 'c', 'c', "A"); /* draw a centered `A' */
         }
       pl_closepl_r (plotter);                /* close Plotter */
     
       pl_deletepl_r (plotter);               /* delete Plotter */
       return 0;
     }

   This animation serves as a good test of the capabilities of an
X Window System display.  On a modern X11R6 display, animation will be
smooth and fast.  That is because X11R6 displays can rasterize
individual characters from a font without rasterizing the entire font.
If your X display does not support the "NewCenturySchlbk-Roman" font,
you may substitute any other scalable font, such as the widely
available "utopia-medium-r-normal".  For the format of font names, see
*Note Text Fonts in X::.  If the X Plotter is unable to retrieve the
font you specify, it will first attempt to use a default scalable font
("Helvetica").  If that too fails, it will use a default Hershey vector
font ("HersheySerif") instead.

   Animations that use Hershey fonts are normally faster than ones that
use Postscript fonts or other X Window System fonts, since the Hershey
fonts are constructed from line segments.  Rasterizing line segments can
be done rapidly.  But if you use a scalable font such as
"NewCenturySchlbk-Roman" or "utopia-medium-r-normal", you will notice
that the rotation speeds up after the letter `A' has rotated through
360 degrees.  That is because the `A' at angles past 360 degrees has
already been rasterized.

   If you are writing an application that performs a lengthy sequence of
drawing operations on an X Plotter, you may find it useful to set the
Plotter parameter `X_AUTO_FLUSH' to "no".  By default, an X Plotter
flushes all graphics to its X Window System display after each drawing
operation.  This flushing ensures that graphics are visible to the user
immediately after they are drawn.  However, it sometimes considerably
slows down the rendering process.  For additional details on Plotter
parameters, see *Note Plotter Parameters::.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: X Programming,  Prev: X Animations,  Up: C Programming

Advanced X Window System programming
------------------------------------

   Applications that run under the X Window System are often built using
Xt, the X Toolkit.  In Xt, an application is constructed from `widgets'
such as text entry fields, buttons, sliders, drawing areas, etc.  When
the application starts up, each widget is configured to respond
appropriately to `events', which include key presses and mouse clicks.
After the widgets are configured, control is transferred to the
Xt event loop.

   GNU `libplot' can be used within the Xt event loop to draw vector
graphics.  For this, it would use one or more X Drawable Plotters.  An
X Drawable Plotter is a Plotter that can plot into an off-screen pixmap
or an on-screen window, such as a window associated with a widget.

   The following sample application shows how an X Drawable Plotter
would be used.  The application draws a `C' curve, as defined in a
previous section, in a popped-up window.  The usual Xt command-line
options may be used: the window background color is specified with the
`-bg' option, the window geometry with `-geometry', etc.  The curve is
initially drawn in red, but clicking once with the mouse will redraw it
in green.  A second mouse click will redraw it in red, and so forth.
The application will terminate when `q' is typed.

     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <plot.h>
     #include <X11/Xlib.h>
     #include <X11/Intrinsic.h>
     #include <X11/Shell.h>
     #include <X11/StringDefs.h>
     #include <X11/Core.h>
     
     plPlotter *plotter;
     int green = 0;                  /* draw in green, not red? */
     
     #define MAXORDER 12
     void draw_c_curve (double dx, double dy, int order)
     {
       if (order >= MAXORDER)
         /* continue path along (dx, dy) */
         pl_fcontrel_r (plotter, dx, dy);
       else
         {
           draw_c_curve (0.5 * (dx - dy), 0.5 * (dx + dy), order + 1);
           draw_c_curve (0.5 * (dx + dy), 0.5 * (dy - dx), order + 1);
         }
     }
     
     void Redraw (Widget w, XEvent *ev, String *params, Cardinal *n_params)
     {
       /* draw C curve */
       pl_erase_r (plotter);
       pl_pencolorname_r (plotter, green ? "green" : "red");
       pl_fmove_r (plotter, 600.0, 300.0);
       draw_c_curve (0.0, 400.0, 0);
       pl_endpath_r (plotter);
     }
     
     void Toggle (Widget w, XEvent *ev, String *params, Cardinal *n_params)
     {
       green = (green ? 0 : 1);
       Redraw (w, ev, params, n_params);
     }
     
     void Quit (Widget w, XEvent *ev, String *params, Cardinal *n_params)
     {
       exit (0);
     }
     
     /* mapping of events to actions */
     static const String translations =
     "<Expose>:      redraw()\n\
     <Btn1Down>:     toggle()\n\
     <Key>q:         quit()";
     
     /* mapping of actions to subroutines */
     static XtActionsRec actions[] =
     {
       {"redraw",            Redraw},
       {"toggle",            Toggle},
       {"quit",              Quit},
     };
     
     /* default parameters for widgets */
     static String default_resources[] =
     {
       "Example*geometry:      250x250",
       (String)NULL
     };
     
     int main (int argc, char *argv[])
     {
       plPlotterParams *plotter_params;
       Arg wargs[10];                /* storage of widget args */
       Display *display;             /* X display */
       Widget shell, canvas;         /* toplevel widget; child */
       Window window;                /* child widget's window */
       XtAppContext app_con;         /* application context */
       int i;
       char *bg_colorname = "white";
     
       /* take background color from command line */
       for (i = 0; i < argc - 1; i++)
         if (strcmp (argv[i], "-bg") == 0)
           bg_colorname = argv[i + 1];
       /* create toplevel shell widget */
       shell = XtAppInitialize (&app_con,
                                (String)"Example", /* app class */
                                NULL,              /* options */
                                (Cardinal)0,       /* num of options */
                                &argc,             /* command line */
                                argv,              /* command line */
                                default_resources,
                                NULL,              /* ArgList */
                                (Cardinal)0        /* num of Args */
                                );
       /* set default widget parameters (including window size) */
       XtAppSetFallbackResources (app_con, default_resources);
       /* map actions to subroutines */
       XtAppAddActions (app_con, actions, XtNumber (actions));
       /* create canvas widget as child of shell widget; realize both */
       XtSetArg(wargs[0], XtNargc, argc);
       XtSetArg(wargs[1], XtNargv, argv);
       canvas = XtCreateManagedWidget ((String)"", coreWidgetClass,
                                       shell, wargs, (Cardinal)2);
       XtRealizeWidget (shell);
       /* for the canvas widget, map events to actions */
       XtSetArg (wargs[0], XtNtranslations,
                 XtParseTranslationTable (translations));
       XtSetValues (canvas, wargs, (Cardinal)1);
     
       /* initialize GNU libplot */
       plotter_params = pl_newplparams ();
       display = XtDisplay (canvas);
       window = XtWindow (canvas);
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "XDRAWABLE_DISPLAY", display);
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "XDRAWABLE_DRAWABLE1", &window);
       pl_setplparam (plotter_params, "BG_COLOR", bg_colorname);
       plotter = pl_newpl_r ("Xdrawable", NULL, NULL, stderr,
                             plotter_params);
       pl_openpl_r (plotter);
       pl_fspace_r (plotter, 0.0, 0.0, 1000.0, 1000.0);
       pl_flinewidth_r (plotter, 0.25);
     
       /* transfer control to X Toolkit event loop (doesn't return) */
       XtAppMainLoop (app_con);
     
       return 1;
     }

   Even if you are not familiar with X Window System programming, the
structure of this application should be clear.  It defines three
callbacks: `Redraw', `Toggle', and `Quit'.  They are invoked
respectively in response to (1) a window expose event or mouse click,
(2) a mouse click, and (3) a typed `q'.  The first drawing of the
`C' curve (in red) takes place because the window receives an initial
expose event.

   This example could be extended to take window resizing into account.
Actually, X Drawable Plotters are usually used to draw vector graphics
in off-screen pixmaps rather than on-screen windows.  Pixmaps, unlike
windows, are never resized.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: C++ Programming,  Next: Functions,  Prev: C Programming,  Up: libplot

C++ Programming with `libplotter'
=================================

* Menu:

* The Plotter Class::           The Plotter class
* C++ Compiling and Linking::   C++ compiling and linking
* Sample C++ Drawings::         Sample drawings in C++


File: plotutils.info,  Node: The Plotter Class,  Next: C++ Compiling and Linking,  Prev: C++ Programming,  Up: C++ Programming

The `Plotter' class
-------------------

   The C++ binding for `libplot' is provided by a class library named
`libplotter'.  This library implements a `Plotter' class of which all
Plotters are instances.  Actually, a Plotter would normally be an
instance of an appropriate derived class, determined by the Plotter's
output format.  Derived classes include `XPlotter', `XDrawablePlotter',
`PNGPlotter', `PNMPlotter', `GIFPlotter', `AIPlotter', `PSPlotter',
`CGMPlotter', `FigPlotter', `PCLPlotter', `HPGLPlotter',
`ReGISPlotter', `TekPlotter', and `MetaPlotter'.  The names should be
self-explanatory.  The operations that may be applied to any Plotter
(e.g., the `openpl' operation, which begins a page of graphics) are
implemented as public function members of the `Plotter' class.

   At the time a Plotter is created, its input, output, and error
streams must be specified, along with a PlotterParams object that
optionally contains other Plotter parameters.  (The input stream is
ignored, since at present, all Plotters are write-only.)  The streams
may be specified either as iostreams or as `FILE' pointers.  That is,
the two constructors

       Plotter(istream& instream, ostream& outstream, ostream& errstream,
               PlotterParams &params);
       Plotter(FILE *infile, FILE *outfile, FILE *errfile,
               PlotterParams &params);

are provided for the base Plotter class, and similarly for each of its
derived classes.  So, for example, both

     PSPlotter plotter(cin, cout, cerr, params);

and

     PSPlotter plotter(stdin, stdout, stderr, params);

are possible declarations of a Postscript Plotter that writes to
standard output.  In the iostream case, an ostream with a null stream
buffer may be specified as the output stream and/or the error stream, to
request that no output take place.  In the `FILE' pointer case,
specifying a null `FILE' pointer would accomplish the same thing.
Instances of the `XPlotter' and `XDrawablePlotter' classes always
ignore the output stream argument, since they write graphics to an
X Display rather than to a stream.

   The `PlotterParams' class supports copying and assignment, but has
only a single public function member, `setplparam'.  The following is a
formal description.

int PlotterParams::setplparam (const char *PARAMETER, void *VALUE);
     Set the value of the Plotter parameter PARAMETER to VALUE.  For
     most parameters, VALUE should be a `char *', i.e., a string.
     Unrecognized parameters are ignored.  For a list of the recognized
     parameters and their meaning, see *Note Plotter Parameters::.

   Like the `plPlotterParams' datatype and the function `pl_setplparam'
of the C binding, the `PlotterParams' class and the
`PlotterParams::setplparam' function of the C++ binding give the
programmer fine control over the parameters of subsequently created
Plotters.  The parameter values used by any Plotter are constant over
the lifetime of the Plotter, and are those that were specified when the
Plotter was created.  If at Plotter creation time a parameter has *not*
been set in the specified `PlotterParams' object, its default value
will be used, unless the parameter is string-valued and there is an
environment variable of the same name, in which case the value of that
environment variable will be used.

   Once set in a PlotterParams object, a parameter may be unset by the
programmer by invoking `PlotterParams::setplparam' with a value
argument of NULL.  This further increases flexibility.

   There is an alternative (older) way of constructing a Plotter, which
is deprecated but still supported.  By using either of

       Plotter(istream& instream, ostream& outstream, ostream& errstream);
       Plotter(FILE *infile, FILE *outfile, FILE *errfile);

one may construct a Plotter without specifying a PlotterParams object.
In this case the parameter values for the Plotter are copied from
static storage.  A parameter may be set in static storage by invoking a
static member function of the Plotter class, `Plotter::parampl', which
has declaration

     int PlotterParams::parampl (const char *PARAMETER, void *VALUE);

This alternative way of creating a Plotter is not thread-safe, which is
why it is deprecated.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: C++ Compiling and Linking,  Next: Sample C++ Drawings,  Prev: The Plotter Class,  Up: C++ Programming

C++ compiling and linking
-------------------------

   The source code for a graphics application written in C++, if it is
to use `libplotter', must contain the line

     #include <plotter.h>

The header file `plotter.h' is distributed with `libplotter', and
should have been installed on your system where your C++ compiler will
find it.  It declares the `Plotter' class and its derived classes, and
also contains some miscellaneous definitions.  It includes the header
files `<iostream.h>' and `<stdio.h>', so you do not need to include
them separately.

   To link your application with `libplotter', you would use the
appropriate `-l' option(s) on the command line when compiling it.  You
would use

     -lplotter -lXaw -lXmu -lXt -lXext -lX11 -lpng -lz -lm

or, in recent releases of the X Window System,

     -lplotter -lXaw -lXmu -lXt -lSM -lICE -lXext -lX11 -lpng -lz -lm

These linking options assume that your version of `libplotter' has been
compiled with PNG support; if not, you would omit the `-lpng -lz'
options.

   As an alternative to the preceding, you may need to use `-lplotter
-lXm -lXt -lXext -lX11 -lpng -lz -lm', `-lplotter -lXm -lXt -lXext
-lX11 -lpng -lz -lm -lc -lgen', or `-lplotter -lXm -lXt -lXext -lX11
-lpng -lz -lm -lc -lPW', on systems that provide Motif widgets instead
of Athena widgets.  In recent releases of the X Window System, you
would insert `-lSM -lICE'.  Recent releases of Motif require `-lXp' and
possibly `-lXpm' as well.)

   On some platforms, the directories in which `libplotter' or the
other libraries are stored must be specified on the command line.
For example, the options `-lXaw -lXmu -lXt -lSM -lICE -lXext -lX11',
which specify X Window System libraries, may need to be preceded by an
option like `-L/usr/X11/lib'.

   On most systems `libplotter' is installed as a shared library.  This
means that the linking with your application will take place at run
time rather than compile time.  The environment variable
`LD_LIBRARY_PATH' lists the directories which will be searched for
shared libraries at run time.  For your application to be executable,
this environment variable should include the directory in which
`libplotter' is stored.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Sample C++ Drawings,  Prev: C++ Compiling and Linking,  Up: C++ Programming

Sample drawings in C++
----------------------

   In a previous section, there are several sample C programs that show
how to draw vector graphics using `libplot''s C binding.  *Note Sample
C Drawings::.  In this section, we give a modified version of one of
the C programs, showing how `libplot''s C++ binding, i.e.,
`libplotter', can be used similarly.

   The following C++ program draws an intricate and beautiful path (Bill
Gosper's "C" curve).

     #include <plotter.h>
     const int maxorder = 12;
     
     void draw_c_curve (Plotter& plotter, double dx, double dy, int order)
     {
       if (order >= maxorder)
         plotter.fcontrel (dx, dy);	// continue path along (dx, dy)
       else
         {
           draw_c_curve (plotter,
                         0.5 * (dx - dy), 0.5 * (dx + dy), order + 1);
           draw_c_curve (plotter,
                         0.5 * (dx + dy), 0.5 * (dy - dx), order + 1);
         }
     }
     
     int main ()
     {
       // set a Plotter parameter
       PlotterParams params;
       params.setplparam ("PAGESIZE", (char *)"letter");
     
       PSPlotter plotter(cin, cout, cerr, params); // declare Plotter
       if (plotter.openpl () < 0)                  // open Plotter
         {
           cerr << "Couldn't open Plotter\n";
           return 1;
         }
     
       plotter.fspace (0.0, 0.0, 1000.0, 1000.0); // specify user coor system
       plotter.flinewidth (0.25);       // line thickness in user coordinates
       plotter.pencolorname ("red");    // path will be drawn in red
       plotter.erase ();                // erase Plotter's graphics display
       plotter.fmove (600.0, 300.0);    // position the graphics cursor
       draw_c_curve (plotter, 0.0, 400.0, 0);
       if (plotter.closepl () < 0)      // close Plotter
         {
           cerr << "Couldn't close Plotter\n";
           return 1;
         }
       return 0;
     }

   The above is a straightforward translation of the corresponding
C program.  Here, `plotter' is declared as an instance of the
`PSPlotter' class, which will write Postscript graphics to the output
stream `cout'.  The graphics are drawn by invoking member functions.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Functions,  Next: Plotter Parameters,  Prev: C++ Programming,  Up: libplot

The functions in `libplot': A detailed listing
==============================================

   In the current release of GNU `libplot', any Plotter supports 97
distinct operations.  A language binding for `libplot' necessarily
includes 97 functions that correspond to these operations.  In the C
binding, these 97 functions belong to the C API (application
programming interface).  The name of each function begins with the
prefix "pl_" and ends with the suffix "_r".  In the C++ binding, the 97
functions are implemented as public members of the `Plotter' class.
No prefix or suffix is used.

   A language binding may also include functions for creating,
selecting, and deleting Plotters.  For example, the C binding includes
the additional functions `pl_newpl_r' and `pl_deletepl_r'.  *Note The C
API::.

   The 97 functions that operate on a specified Plotter are divided into
the four sets tabulated below.

   Many functions come in two versions: integer and double precision
floating point.  Internally, `libplot' uses double precision floating
point.  The integer versions are provided for backward compatibility.
If there are two versions of a function, the name of the floating point
version begins with the letter `f'.

   Many functions come in both absolute and relative versions, also.
The latter use relative coordinates (i.e., coordinates relative to the
current position of the graphics cursor), and their names end in `rel'.

   Currently, only a few of the 97 functions have meaningful return
values.

* Menu:

* Control Functions::   Functions that open, initialize or close a Plotter
* Drawing Functions::   Functions that draw objects
* Attribute Functions:: Functions that affect drawing attributes
* Mapping Functions::   Functions affecting the user -> device coordinate map


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Control Functions,  Next: Drawing Functions,  Prev: Functions,  Up: Functions

Control functions
-----------------

   The following are the "control functions" in `libplot'.  They are
the basic functions that open, initialize, or close an already-created
Plotter.  They are listed in the approximate order in which they would
be called.

   In the current C binding, each of these functions takes a pointer to
a `plPlotter' as its first argument.  Also in the current C binding,
the name of each function begins with "pl_" and ends with "_r".
("_r" stands for `revised' or `reentrant'.)  For information on older
C bindings, see *Note Older C APIs::.  In the C++ binding, these are
member functions of the `Plotter' class and its subclasses, and the
prefix and suffix are not used.

int openpl ();
     openpl opens a Plotter, i.e., begins a page of graphics.  This
     resets the Plotter's drawing attributes to their default values.
     A negative return value indicates the Plotter could not be opened.

     Currently, an X Plotter pops up a new window on an X Window System
     display for each page of graphics, i.e., with each invocation of
     `openpl'.  Future releases may support window re-use.

int bgcolor (int RED, int GREEN, int BLUE);
     bgcolor sets the background color for the Plotter's graphics
     display, using a 48-bit RGB color model.  The arguments RED, GREEN
     and BLUE specify the red, green and blue intensities of the
     background color.  Each is an integer in the range
     0x0000...0xffff, i.e., 0...65535.  The choice (0, 0, 0) signifies
     black, and the choice (65535, 65535, 65535) signifies white.

     bgcolor affects only Plotters that have a notion of background
     color, i.e., X Plotters, X Drawable Plotters, PNG Plotters, PNM
     Plotters, and GIF Plotters (all of which produce bitmaps), CGM
     Plotters, ReGIS Plotters and Metafile Plotters.  Its effect is
     simple: the next time the erase operation is invoked on such a
     Plotter, its display will be filled with the specified color.

int bgcolorname (const char *NAME);
     bgcolorname sets the background color for the the graphics display
     to be NAME.  Unrecognized colors are interpreted as "white".  For
     information on what color names are recognized, see *Note Color
     Names::.  A 24-bit RGB color may also be specified as a six-digit
     hexadecimal string, e.g., "#c0c0c0".

     bgcolorname affects only Plotters that have a notion of background
     color, i.e., X Plotters, X Drawable Plotters, PNG Plotters, PNM
     Plotters, and GIF Plotters (all of which produce bitmaps), CGM
     Plotters, ReGIS Plotters, and Metafile Plotters.  Its effect is
     simple: the next time the erase operation is invoked on such a
     Plotter, its display will be filled with the specified color.

     SVG Plotters and CGM Plotters support "none" as a value for the
     background color.  It will turn off the background: the drawn
     objects will not be backed by anything.  This is useful when the
     generated SVG or WebCGM file is to be placed on a Web page.

int erase ();
     erase begins the next frame of a multiframe page, by clearing all
     previously plotted objects from the graphics display, and filling
     it with the background color (if any).

     It is frequently useful to invoke erase at the beginning of each
     page, i.e., immediately after invoking openpl.  That is because
     some Plotters are persistent, in the sense that objects drawn
     within an `openpl'...`closepl' pair remain on the graphics display
     even after a new page is begun by a subsequent invocation of
     `openpl'.  Currently, only X Drawable Plotters and Tektronix
     Plotters are persistent.  Future releases may support optional
     persistence for X Plotters also.

     On X Plotters and X Drawable Plotters the effects of invoking erase
     will be altogether different if the Plotter parameter
     `USE_DOUBLE_BUFFERING' is set to "yes".  In this case, objects
     will be written to an off-screen buffer rather than to the graphics
     display, and invoking erase will (1) copy the contents of this
     buffer to the display, and (2) erase the buffer by filling it with
     the background color.  This `double buffering' feature facilitates
     smooth animation.  *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int space (int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1);
int fspace (double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1);
     space and fspace take two pairs of arguments, specifying the
     positions of the lower left and upper right corners of a
     rectangular window in the user coordinate system that will be
     mapped to the `viewport': the rectangular portion of the output
     device that graphics will be drawn in.  The default window is a
     square, with opposite corners (0,0) and (1,1).

     In mathematical terms, calling space or fspace sets the affine
     transformation from user coordinates to device coordinates.  That
     is, it sets the transformation matrix attribute for each object
     subsequently drawn on the display.  Either space or fspace would
     usually be invoked at the beginning of each page of graphics,
     i.e., immediately after the call to openpl.  Additional calls to
     space or fspace are allowed, and there are several "mapping
     functions" that also affect the transformation matrix attribute.
     See *Note Mapping Functions::.

     Note that the size and location of the viewport depend on the type
     of Plotter, and on the Plotter parameters that are specified at
     Plotter creation time.  For example, the default viewport used by
     any Illustrator, Postscript, Fig, PCL, and HP-GL Plotter is a
     square whose size depends on the Plotter's page type.  See *Note
     Page and Viewport Sizes::.

int space2 (int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1, int X2, int Y2);
int fspace2 (double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1, double X2, double Y2);
     space2 and fspace2 are extended versions of space and fspace.
     Their arguments are the three defining vertices of an
     parallelogram-shaped window in the user coordinate system.  The
     specified vertices are the lower left, the lower right, and the
     upper left.  This window will be mapped affinely onto the
     viewport: the rectangular portion of the output device that
     graphics will be drawn in.

int havecap (const char *S);
     havecap is not really a control function: it is a query function.
     It tests whether or not a Plotter, which need not be open, has a
     specified capability.  The return value is 0, 1, or 2, signifying
     no/yes/maybe.  For unrecognized capabilities the return value is
     zero.  Recognized capabilities include "WIDE_LINES" (i.e., the
     ability to draw lines with a non-default thickness), "DASH_ARRAY"
     (the ability to draw in arbitrary dashing styles, as requested by
     the linedash function), "SETTABLE_BACKGROUND" (the ability to set
     the color of the background), and "SOLID_FILL".  The
     "HERSHEY_FONTS", "PS_FONTS", "PCL_FONTS", and "STICK_FONTS"
     capabilities indicate whether or not fonts of a particular class
     are supported.  *Note Text Fonts::.

     All Plotters except Tektronix Plotters have the "SOLID_FILL"
     capability, meaning they can fill paths with solid color.  Each
     such Plotter has at least one of the "EVEN_ODD_FILL" and
     "NONZERO_WINDING_NUMBER_FILL" capabilities.  These indicate the
     supported rules for determining the `inside' of a path.

     The `maybe' value is returned for most capabilities by Metafile
     Plotters, which do no drawing themselves.  The output of a Metafile
     Plotter must be translated to another format, or displayed, by
     invoking `plot'.

int flushpl ();
     flushpl flushes (i.e., pushes onward) all previously plotted
     objects to the graphics display.  This is useful only if the
     affected Plotter is one that does real-time plotting (X Plotters,
     X Drawable Plotters, ReGIS Plotters, Tektronix Plotters, and
     Metafile Plotters).  It ensures that all previously plotted
     objects are visible to the user.  On Plotters that do not do
     real-time plotting, this operation has no effect.

int closepl ();
     closepl closes a Plotter, i.e., ends a page of graphics.  If a path
     is in progress, it is first ended and plotted, as if endpath had
     been called.  A negative return value indicates the Plotter could
     not be closed.

     In the present release of `libplot', some Plotters output each page
     of graphics immediately after it is plotted, i.e., when closepl is
     invoked to end the page.  That is the case with PCL and HP-GL
     Plotters, in particular.  Plotters that can output only a single
     page of graphics (PNG, PNM, GIF, SVG, Illustrator, and Fig
     Plotters) do so immediately after the first page is plotted, i.e.,
     when closepl is invoked for the first time.  Postscript and CGM
     Plotters store all pages of graphics internally, and do not
     produce output until they are deleted.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Drawing Functions,  Next: Attribute Functions,  Prev: Control Functions,  Up: Functions

Object-drawing functions
------------------------

   The following are the "drawing functions" in `libplot'.  When
invoked on a Plotter, these functions cause it to draw objects (paths,
text strings, marker symbols, and points [i.e., pixels]) on the
associated graphics display.

   Paths may be simple or compound.  A simple path is a sequence of
contiguous line segments, arc segments (either circular or elliptic),
and/or Bezier curve segments (either quadratic or cubic).  Such simple
paths are drawn incrementally, one segment at a time.  A simple path
may also be a circle, rectangle, or ellipse.  A compound path consists
of multiple simple paths, which must be nested.

   You do not need to begin a path by calling any special function.  You
should, at least in theory, end a path under construction, and request
that it be drawn on the graphics display, by calling `endpath'.  But
the `endpath' function is automatically called when any other object is
drawn, and at the end of each page of graphics.  It is also called
automatically when any path-related attribute is changed: for example,
when `move' is called to change the graphics cursor position.  So
`endpath' seldom needs to be invoked explicitly.

   When drawing a compound path, you would end each of its constituent
simple paths by calling `endsubpath', and the compound path as a whole
by calling `endpath'.  After each call to `endsubpath', you are allowed
to call `move' to reposition the graphics cursor, prior to beginning
the next simple path.  Such a call to `move' will not automatically
invoke `endpath'.  This is an exception to the above rule.

   In the current C binding, each of these functions takes a pointer to
a `plPlotter' as its first argument.  Also in the current C binding,
the name of each function begins with "pl_" and ends with "_r".
("_r" stands for `revised' or `reentrant'.)  For information on older
C bindings, see *Note Older C APIs::.  In the C++ binding, these are
member functions of the `Plotter' class and its subclasses, and the
prefix and suffix are not used.

int alabel (int HORIZ_JUSTIFY, int VERT_JUSTIFY, const char *S);
     alabel takes three arguments HORIZ_JUSTIFY, VERT_JUSTIFY, and S,
     which specify an `adjusted label,' i.e., a justified text string.
     The path under construction (if any) is ended and drawn, as if
     endpath had been called, and the string S is drawn according to
     the specified justifications.  If HORIZ_JUSTIFY is equal to `l',
     `c', or `r', then the string will be drawn with left, center or
     right justification, relative to the current graphics cursor
     position.  If VERT_JUSTIFY is equal to `b', `x', `c', `C', or `t',
     then the bottom, baseline, center, cap line, or top of the string
     will be placed even with the current graphics cursor position.
     The graphics cursor is moved to the right end of the string if
     left justification is specified, and to the left end if right
     justification is specified.

     The string may contain escape sequences of various sorts (see
     *Note Text String Format::), though it should not contain line
     feeds or carriage returns.  In fact it should include only
     printable characters, from the byte ranges 0x20...0x7e and
     0xa0...0xff.  The string may be plotted at a nonzero angle, if
     `textangle' has been called.

int arc (int XC, int YC, int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1);
int farc (double XC, double YC, double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1);
int arcrel (int XC, int YC, int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1);
int farcrel (double XC, double YC, double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1);
     arc and farc take six arguments specifying the beginning (X0, Y0),
     end (X1, Y1), and center (XC, YC) of a circular arc.  If the
     graphics cursor is at (X0, Y0) and a path is under construction,
     then the arc is added to the path.  Otherwise the current path
     (if any) is ended and drawn, as if endpath had been called, and
     the arc begins a new path.  In all cases the graphics cursor is
     moved to (X1, Y1).

     The direction of the arc (clockwise or counterclockwise) is
     determined by the convention that the arc, centered at (XC, YC),
     sweep through an angle of at most 180 degrees.  If the three
     points appear to be collinear, the direction is taken to be
     counterclockwise.  If (XC, YC) is not equidistant from (X0, Y0) and
     (X1, Y1) as it should be, it is corrected by being moved to the
     closest point on the perpendicular bisector of the line segment
     joining (X0, Y0) and (X1, Y1).  arcrel and farcrel are similar to
     `arc' and `farc', but use cursor-relative coordinates.

int bezier2 (int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1, int X2, int Y2);
int fbezier2 (double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1, double X2, double Y2);
int bezier2rel (int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1, int X2, int Y2);
int fbezier2rel (double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1, double X2, double Y2);
     bezier2 and fbezier2 take six arguments specifying the beginning
     `p0'=(X0, Y0) and end `p2'=(X2, Y2) of a quadratic Bezier curve,
     and its intermediate control point `p1'=(X1, Y1).  If the graphics
     cursor is at `p0' and a path is under construction, then the curve
     is added to the path.  Otherwise the current path (if any) is
     ended and drawn, as if endpath had been called, and the curve
     begins a new path.  In all cases the graphics cursor is moved
     to `p2'.  bezier2rel and fbezier2rel are similar to `bezier2' and
     `fbezier2', but use cursor-relative coordinates.

     The quadratic Bezier curve is tangent at `p0' to the line segment
     joining `p0' to `p1', and is tangent at `p2' to the line segment
     joining `p1' to `p2'.  So it fits snugly into a triangle with
     vertices `p0', `p1', and `p2'.

     When using a PCL Plotter to draw Bezier curves on a LaserJet III,
     you should set the parameter `PCL_BEZIERS' to "no".  That is
     because the LaserJet III, which was Hewlett-Packard's first PCL 5
     printer, does not recognize the Bezier instructions supported by
     later PCL 5 printers.  See *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int bezier3 (int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1, int X2, int Y2, int X3, int Y3);
int fbezier3 (double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1, double X2, double Y2, double X3, double Y3);
int bezier3rel (int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1, int X2, int Y2, int X3, int Y3);
int fbezier3rel (double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1, double X2, double Y2, double X3, double Y3);
     bezier3 and fbezier3 take eight arguments specifying the beginning
     `p0'=(X0, Y0) and end `p3'=(X3, Y3) of a cubic Bezier curve, and
     its intermediate control points `p1'=(X1, Y1) and `p2'=(X2, Y2).
     If the graphics cursor is at `p0' and a path is under
     construction, then the curve is added to the path.  Otherwise the
     current path (if any) is ended and drawn, as if endpath had been
     called, and the curve begins a new path.  In all cases the graphics
     cursor is moved to `p3'.  bezier3rel and fbezier3rel are similar
     to `bezier3' and `fbezier3', but use cursor-relative coordinates.

     The cubic Bezier curve is tangent at `p0' to the line segment
     joining `p0' to `p1', and is tangent at `p3' to the line segment
     joining `p2' to `p3'.  So it fits snugly into a quadrangle with
     vertices `p0', `p1', `p2', and `p3'.

     When using a PCL Plotter to draw Bezier curves on a LaserJet III,
     you should set the parameter `PCL_BEZIERS' to "no".  That is
     because the LaserJet III, which was Hewlett-Packard's first PCL 5
     printer, does not recognize the Bezier instructions supported by
     later PCL 5 printers.  See *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int box (int X1, int y1, int X2, int Y2);
int fbox (double X1, double Y1, double X2, double Y2);
int boxrel (int X1, int y1, int X2, int Y2);
int fboxrel (double X1, double y1, double X2, double Y2);
     box and fbox take four arguments specifying the starting corner
     (X1, Y1) and opposite corner (X2, Y2) of a `box', or rectangle.
     The path under construction (if any) is ended, and the box is
     drawn as a new path.  This path is also ended, and the graphics
     cursor is moved to the midpoint of the box.  boxrel and fboxrel
     are similar to box and fbox, but use cursor-relative coordinates.

int circle (int XC, int YC, int R);
int fcircle (double XC, double YC, double R);
int circlerel (int XC, int YC, int R);
int fcirclerel (double XC, double YC, double R);
     circle and fcircle take three arguments specifying the center (XC,
     YC) and radius (R) of a circle.  The path under construction
     (if any) is ended, and the circle is drawn as a new path.  This
     path is also ended, and the graphics cursor is moved to (XC, YC).
     circlerel and fcirclerel are similar to circle and fcircle, but
     use cursor-relative coordinates for XC and YC.

int cont (int X, int Y);
int fcont (double X, double Y);
int contrel (int X, int Y);
int fcontrel (double X, double Y);
     cont and fcont take two arguments specifying the coordinates (X,
     Y) of a point.  If a path is under construction, the line segment
     from the current graphics cursor position to the point (X, Y) is
     added to it.  Otherwise the line segment begins a new path.  In
     all cases the graphics cursor is moved to (X, Y).  contrel and
     fcontrel are similar to cont and fcont, but use cursor-relative
     coordinates.

int ellarc (int XC, int YC, int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1);
int fellarc (double XC, double YC, double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1);
int ellarcrel (int XC, int YC, int X0, int Y0, int X1, int Y1);
int fellarcrel (double XC, double YC, double X0, double Y0, double X1, double Y1);
     ellarc and fellarc take six arguments specifying the three points
     `pc'=(XC,YC), `p0'=(X0,Y0), and `p1'=(X1,Y1) that define a
     so-called quarter ellipse.  This is an elliptic arc from `p0' to
     `p1' with center `pc'.  If the graphics cursor is at point `p0'
     and a path is under construction, the quarter-ellipse is added to
     it.  Otherwise the path under construction (if any) is ended and
     drawn, as if endpath had been called, and the quarter-ellipse
     begins a new path.  In all cases the graphics cursor is moved to
     `p1'.

     The quarter-ellipse is an affinely transformed version of a quarter
     circle.  It is drawn so as to have control points `p0', `p1', and
     `p0'+`p1'-`pc'.  This means that it is tangent at `p0' to the line
     segment joining `p0' to `p0'+`p1'-`pc', and is tangent at `p1' to
     the line segment joining `p1' to `p0'+`p1'-`pc'.  So it fits
     snugly into a triangle with these three control points as
     vertices.  Notice that the third control point is the reflection of
     `pc' through the line joining `p0' and `p1'.  ellarcrel and
     fellarcrel are similar to ellarc and fellarc, but use
     cursor-relative coordinates.

int ellipse (int XC, int YC, int RX, int RY, int ANGLE);
int fellipse (double XC, double YC, double RX, double RY, double ANGLE);
int ellipserel (int XC, int YC, int RX, int RY, int ANGLE);
int fellipserel (double XC, double YC, double RX, double RY, double ANGLE);
     ellipse and fellipse take five arguments specifying the center
     (XC, YC) of an ellipse, the lengths of its semiaxes (RX and RY),
     and the inclination of the first semiaxis in the counterclockwise
     direction from the x axis in the user coordinate system.  The path
     under construction (if any) is ended, and the ellipse is drawn as
     a new path.  This path is also ended, and the graphics cursor is
     moved to (XC, YC).  ellipserel and fellipserel are similar to
     ellipse and fellipse, but use cursor-relative coordinates.

int endpath ();
     endpath terminates the path under construction, if any, and
     draws it.  It also removes the path from the current graphics
     context, so that a new path may be constructed.

     The path under construction may be a simple path, or a compound
     path constructed with the aid of endsubpath (see below).  A simple
     path is constructed by one or more successive calls to cont, line,
     arc, ellarc, bezier2, bezier3, and/or their floating point
     counterparts.  A simple path may also be constructed by a single
     call to circle, ellipse, or box.

     It is often not necessary to call endpath explicitly, since it is
     frequently called automatically.  It will be called if any non-path
     object is drawn, if any path-related drawing attribute is set, or
     if move or fmove is invoked to set the cursor position.  It will
     also be called if restorestate is called to pop a graphics context
     off the stack, and if closepl is called to end a page of graphics.
     So it is seldom necessary to call endpath explicitly.  However,
     if a Plotter plots objects in real time, calling endpath will
     ensure that a completed path is drawn on the graphics display
     without delay.

int endsubpath ();
     endsubpath terminates the simple path under construction, if any,
     and signals that the construction of the next simple path in a
     compound path is to begin.  Immediately after endsubpath is called,
     it is permissible to call move or fmove to reposition the graphics
     cursor.  (At other times in the drawing of a compound path,
     calling move or fmove would force a premature end to the path, by
     automatically invoking endpath.)

int label (const char *S);
     label takes a single string argument S and draws the text
     contained in S at the current graphics cursor position.  The text
     is left justified, and the graphics cursor is moved to the right
     end of the string.  This function is provided for backward
     compatibility; the function call label(S) is equivalent to
     alabel(`l',`x',S).

int labelwidth (const char *S);
double flabelwidth (const char *S);
     labelwidth and flabelwidth are not really object-drawing
     functions: they are query functions.  They compute and return the
     width of a string in the current font, in the user coordinate
     system.  The string is not drawn.

int line (int X1, int Y1, int X2, int Y2);
int fline (double X1, double y1, double X2, double Y2);
int linerel (int X1, int y1, int X2, int Y2);
int flinerel (double X1, double y1, double X2, double Y2);
     line and fline take four arguments specifying the start point (X1,
     Y1) and end point (X2, Y2) of a line segment.  If the graphics
     cursor is at (X1, Y1) and a path is under construction, the line
     segment is added to it.  Otherwise the path under construction
     (if any) is ended and drawn, as if endpath had been called, and
     the line segment begins a new path.  In all cases the graphics
     cursor is moved to (X2, Y2).  linerel and flinerel are similar to
     line and fline, but use cursor-relative coordinates.

int marker (int X, int Y, int TYPE, int SIZE);
int fmarker (double X, double Y, int TYPE, double SIZE);
int markerrel (int X, int Y, int TYPE, int SIZE);
int fmarkerrel (double X, double Y, int TYPE, double SIZE);
     marker and fmarker take four arguments specifying the position
     (X,Y) of a marker symbol, its type, and its font size in user
     coordinates.  The path under construction (if any) is ended and
     drawn, as if endpath had been called, and the marker symbol is
     plotted.  The graphics cursor is moved to (X,Y).  markerrel and
     fmarkerrel are similar to marker and fmarker, but use
     cursor-relative coordinates for the position (X,Y).

     A marker symbol is a visual representation of a point, which is
     visible on all types of Plotter.  In this it differs from the
     points produced by the point function (see below).  Marker symbol
     types 0...31 are taken from a standard set, and marker symbol
     types 32 and above are interpreted as the index of a character in
     the current text font.  *Note Marker Symbols::.

int point (int X, int Y);
int fpoint (double X, double Y);
int pointrel (int X, int Y);
int fpointrel (double X, double Y);
     point and fpoint take two arguments specifying the coordinates (X,
     Y) of a point.  The path under construction (if any) is ended and
     drawn, as if endpath had been called, and the point is plotted.
     The graphics cursor is moved to (X, Y).  pointrel and fpointrel
     are similar to point and fpoint, but use cursor-relative
     coordinates.

     `Point' is a misnomer.  Any Plotter that produces a bitmap, i.e.,
     an X Plotter, an X Drawable Plotter, a PNG Plotter, a PNM Plotter,
     or a GIF Plotter, draws a point as a single pixel.  Most other
     Plotters draw a point as a small solid circle, usually so small
     as to be invisible.  So point should really be called pixel.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Attribute Functions,  Next: Mapping Functions,  Prev: Drawing Functions,  Up: Functions

Attribute-setting functions
---------------------------

   The following are the "attribute functions" in `libplot'.  When
invoked on a Plotter, these functions set its drawing attributes, or
save them or restore them.  Path-related attributes include graphics
cursor position, pen color, fill color, fill rule, line thickness, line
style, cap style, join style, miter limit, and transformation matrix.
Text-related attributes include pen color, font name, font size, text
angle, and transformation matrix.

   Setting any path-related drawing attribute automatically terminates
and draws the path under construction (if any), as if the `endpath'
operation had been invoked.  The `orientation' attribute
(clockwise/counterclockwise), which affects circles, ellipses, and
boxes, is an exception to this.  The exception allows a compound path to
include circles, ellipses, and boxes with different orientations.

   In the current C binding, each of these functions takes a pointer to
a `plPlotter' as its first argument.  Also in the current C binding,
the name of each function begins with "pl_" and ends with "_r".
("_r" stands for `revised' or `reentrant'.)  For information on older
C bindings, see *Note Older C APIs::.  In the C++ binding, these are
member functions of the `Plotter' class and its subclasses, and the
prefix and suffix are not used.

int capmod (const char *S);
     capmod terminates and draws the path under construction (if any),
     as if endpath had been called, and sets the cap mode (i.e., cap
     style) for all paths subsequently drawn on the graphics display.
     Recognized styles are "butt" (the default), "round", and
     "projecting".  The three styles are visibly distinct only if the
     line thickness is fairly large.  Butt caps do not extend beyond
     the end of the path.  The other two kinds do, however.  Round caps
     are filled semicircles, and projecting caps are filled rectangular
     regions that extend a distance equal to half the line width beyond
     the end of the path.

     PNG, PNM, GIF, PCL, and HP-GL Plotters support a fourth cap mode,
     "triangular".  (For all but PCL and HP-GL Plotters, the support is
     currently only partial.)  Plotters other than these treat
     "triangular" as equivalent to "round".

     This function has no effect on ReGIS or Tektronix Plotters.  Also,
     it has no effect on HP-GL Plotters if the parameter `HPGL_VERSION'
     is set to a value less than "2" (the default), or on CGM Plotters
     if the parameter `CGM_MAX_VERSION' is set to a value less
     than "3".  *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int color (int RED, int GREEN, int BLUE);
     color is a convenience function.  Calling color is equivalent to
     calling both pencolor and fillcolor, to set both the the pen color
     and fill color of all objects subsequently drawn on the graphics
     display.  Note that the physical fill color depends also on the
     fill level, which is specified by calling filltype.

int colorname (const char *NAME);
     colorname is a convenience function.  Calling colorname is
     equivalent to calling both pencolorname and fillcolorname, to set
     both the the pen color and fill color of all objects subsequently
     drawn on the graphics display.  Note that the physical fill color
     depends also on the fill level, which is specified by calling
     filltype.

int fillcolor (int RED, int GREEN, int BLUE);
     fillcolor terminates and draws the path under construction
     (if any), as if endpath had been called, and sets the fill color
     for all paths subsequently drawn on the graphics display, using a
     48-bit RGB color model.  The arguments RED, GREEN and BLUE specify
     the red, green and blue intensities of the fill color.  Each is an
     integer in the range 0x0000...0xffff, i.e., 0...65535.  The choice
     (0, 0, 0) signifies black, and the choice (65535, 65535, 65535)
     signifies white.  Note that the physical fill color depends also
     on the fill level, which is specified by calling filltype.

int fillcolorname (const char *NAME);
     fillcolorname sets the fill color of all paths subsequently drawn
     on the graphics display to be NAME.  Unrecognized colors are
     interpreted as "black".  For information on what color names are
     recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  A 24-bit RGB color may also
     be specified as a six-digit hexadecimal string, e.g., "#c0c0c0".

     Note that the physical fill color depends also on the fill level,
     which is specified by calling filltype.

int fillmod (const char *S);
     fillmod terminates and draws the path under construction (if any),
     as if endpath had been called, and sets the fill mode, i.e., fill
     rule, for all paths subsequently drawn on the graphics display.
     The fill rule affects only compound paths and self-intersecting
     simple paths: it determines which points are `inside'.  Two rules
     are supported: "even-odd" (the default for all Plotters), and
     "nonzero-winding".  For the distinction, see the `Postscript
     Language Reference Manual'.  "alternate" is an alias for
     "even-odd" and "winding" is an alias for "nonzero-winding".

     CGM, Fig, and ReGIS Plotters do not support the "nonzero-winding"
     rule, because the CGM, Fig, and ReGIS vector graphics formats do
     not support it.  Also, HP-GL Plotters do not support
     "nonzero-winding" if `HPGL_VERSION' is set to a value less than
     "2" (the default).  *Note Plotter Parameters::.

     The LaserJet III, which was Hewlett-Packard's first PCL 5 printer,
     did not support the nonzero-winding fill rule.  However, all later
     PCL 5 printers from Hewlett-Packard support it.

int filltype (int LEVEL);
     filltype terminates and draws the path under construction
     (if any), as if endpath had been called, and sets the fill level
     for all subsequently drawn paths.  A value of 0 for LEVEL
     specifies no filling.  This is the default.  A value of 1
     specifies 100% filling: the fill color will be the color previously
     specified by calling fillcolor or fillcolorname.

     As a convenience to the user, LEVEL may be set to any value in the
     range 0x0000...0xffff, i.e., 0...65535.  Any nonzero value will
     produce filling.  If LEVEL=0xffff, the fill color will be white.
     Values in the range 0x0001...0xffff are interpreted as specifying
     a desaturation, or gray level.  For example, 0x8000 specifies 50%
     filling (the fill color will be half-way between the color
     specified by calling fillcolor or fillcolorname, and white).

     To draw the region bounded by a path in an edgeless way, you would
     call filltype to turn on the filling of the interior, and pentype
     to turn off the drawing of the boundary.

     Tektronix Plotters do not support filling, and HP-GL Plotters
     support filling of arbitrary paths only if the parameter
     `HPGL_VERSION' is equal to "1.5" or "2" (the default).  (If the
     version is "1" then only circles and rectangles aligned with the
     coordinate axes may be filled.)  *Opaque* filling, including white
     filling, is supported only if the parameter `HPGL_VERSION' is "2"
     and the parameter `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE' is "yes" (the default).
     *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int fmiterlimit (double LIMIT);
     fmiterlimit terminates and draws the path under construction
     (if any), as if endpath had been called, and sets the miter limit
     for all paths subsequently drawn on the graphics display.  The
     miter limit controls the treatment of corners, if the join mode is
     set to "miter" (the default).  At a join point of a path, the
     `miter length' is defined to be the distance between the inner
     corner and the outer corner.  The miter limit is the maximum value
     that will be tolerated for the miter length divided by the line
     thickness.  If this value is exceeded, the miter will be cut off:
     the "bevel" join mode will be used instead.

     Examples of typical values for LIMIT are 10.43 (the default, which
     cuts off miters if the join angle is less than 11 degrees), 2.0
     (the same, for 60 degrees), and 1.414 (the same, for 90 degrees).
     In general, the miter limit is the cosecant of one-half the
     minimum angle for mitered joins.  The minimum meaningful value for
     LIMIT is 1.0, which converts all mitered joins to beveled joins,
     irrespective of join angle.  Specifying a value less than 1.0
     resets the limit to the default.

     This function has no effect on X Drawable Plotters or X Plotters,
     since the X Window System miter limit, which is also 10.43, cannot
     be altered.  It also has no effect on Tektronix, ReGIS, or Fig
     Plotters, or on HP-GL Plotters if the parameter `HPGL_VERSION' is
     set to a value less than "2" (the default).  *Note Plotter
     Parameters::.  The miter limit used by HP-GL or PCL Plotters is
     always rounded to the closest integer, downward.

int fontname (const char *FONT_NAME);
double ffontname (const char *FONT_NAME);
     fontname and ffontname take a single case-insensitive string
     argument, FONT_NAME, specifying the name of the font to be used
     for all text strings subsequently drawn on the graphics display.
     (The font for plotting strings is fully specified by calling
     fontname, fontsize, and textangle.)  The size of the font in user
     coordinates is returned.

     The default font name depends on the type of Plotter.  It is
     "Helvetica" for all Plotters except for PCL Plotters, for which it
     is "Univers", and PNG, PNM, GIF, HP-GL, ReGIS, Tektronix and
     Metafile Plotters, for which it is "HersheySerif".  If the argument
     FONT_NAME is NULL or the empty string, or the font is not
     available, the default font name will be used.  Which fonts are
     available also depends on the type of Plotter; for a list of all
     available fonts, see *Note Text Fonts::.

int fontsize (int SIZE);
double ffontsize (double SIZE);
     fontsize and ffontsize take a single argument, interpreted as the
     size, in the user coordinate system, of the font to be used for all
     text strings subsequently drawn on the graphics display.  (The
     font for plotting strings is fully specified by calling fontname,
     fontsize, and textangle.)  The size of the font in user
     coordinates is returned.

     A negative value for SIZE sets the size to the default, which
     depends on the type of Plotter.  Typically, the default font size
     is 1/50 times the size (i.e., minimum dimension) of the display.
     The interpretation of zero font size is also Plotter-dependent
     (most Plotters do not draw text strings if the font size is zero).

int joinmod (const char *S);
     joinmod terminates and draws the path under construction (if any),
     as if endpath had been called, and sets the join mode (i.e., join
     style) for all paths subsequently drawn on the graphics display.
     Recognized styles are "miter" (the default), "round", and "bevel".
     The three styles are visibly distinct only if the line thickness
     is fairly large.  Mitered joins are sharp, rounded joins are
     round, and beveled joins are squared off.  However, unusually
     sharp joins are never mitered: instead, they are beveled.  The
     angle at which beveling replaces mitering may be specified by
     calling fmiterlimit.

     PNG, PNM, GIF, PCL, and HP-GL Plotters support a fourth join mode,
     "triangular".  Other Plotters treat "triangular" as equivalent to
     "round".

     This function has no effect on ReGIS or Tektronix Plotters.  Also,
     it has no effect on HP-GL Plotters if the parameter `HPGL_VERSION'
     is set to a value less than "2" (the default), or on CGM Plotters
     if the parameter `CGM_MAX_VERSION' is set to a value less
     than "3".  *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int linedash (int N, const int *DASHES, int OFFSET);
int flinedash (int N, const double *DASHES, double OFFSET);
     linedash and flinedash terminate and draw the path under
     construction (if any), as if endpath had been called, and set the
     line style for all paths subsequently drawn on the graphics
     display.  They provide much finer control of dash patterns than
     the linemod function (see below) provides.  DASHES should be an
     array of length N.  Its elements, which should be positive, are
     interpreted as distances in the user coordinate system.  Along any
     path, circle, or ellipse, the elements DASHES[0]...DASHES[N-1]
     alternately specify the length of a dash and the length of a gap
     between dashes.  When the end of the array is reached, the reading
     of the array wraps around to the beginning.  If the array is
     empty, i.e., N equals zero, there is no dashing: the drawn line is
     solid.

     The OFFSET argument specifies the `phase' of the dash pattern
     relative to the start of the path.  It is interpreted as the
     distance into the dash pattern at which the dashing should begin.
     For example, if OFFSET equals zero then the path will begin with a
     dash, of length DASHES[0] in user space.  If OFFSET equals
     DASHES[0] then the path will begin with a gap of length DASHES[1],
     and so forth.  OFFSET is allowed to be negative.

     Not all Plotters fully support linedash and flinedash.  PCL and
     HP-GL Plotters cannot dash with a nonzero offset, and in the dash
     patterns used by X and X Drawable Plotters, each dash or gap has a
     maximum length of 255 pixels.  linedash and flinedash have no
     effect at all on Tektronix, ReGIS, and Fig Plotters.  Also, they
     have no effect on HP-GL Plotters for which the parameter
     `HPGL_VERSION' is less than "2" (the default), or on CGM Plotters
     for which the parameter `CGM_MAX_VERSION' is less than "3".  For
     information on Plotter parameters, see *Note Plotter Parameters::.

     *Warning*: If the transformation from the user coordinate system
     to the device coordinate system is anisotropic, each dash pattern
     should ideally be drawn on the graphics display with a length that
     depends on its direction.  But currently, only SVG and Postscript
     Plotters do this.  Other Plotters always draw any specified dash
     pattern with the same length, irrespective of its direction.  The
     length that is used is the minimum length, in the device
     coordinate system, that can correspond to the specified dash
     pattern length in the user coordinate system.

int linemod (const char *S);
     linemod terminates and draws the path under construction (if any),
     as if endpath had been called, and sets the line style for all
     paths subsequently drawn on the graphics display.  The supported
     line styles are "solid", "dotted", "dotdashed", "shortdashed",
     "longdashed", "dotdotdashed", "dotdotdotdashed", and
     "disconnected".  The first seven correspond to the following dash
     patterns:

          "solid"             --------------------------------
          "dotted"            -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -
          "dotdashed"         ----   -   ----   -   ----   -
          "shortdashed"       ----    ----    ----    ----
          "longdashed"        -------    -------    -------
          "dotdotdashed"      ----   -   -   ----   -   -
          "dotdotdotdashed"   ----   -   -   -   ----   -   -   -

     In the preceding patterns, each hyphen stands for one line
     thickness.  This is the case for sufficiently thick lines,
     at least.  So for sufficiently thick lines, the distance over
     which a dash pattern repeats is scaled proportionately to the line
     thickness.

     The "disconnected" line style is special.  A "disconnected" path is
     rendered as a set of filled circles, each of which has diameter
     equal to the nominal line thickness.  One of these circles is
     centered on each of the juncture points of the path (i.e., the
     endpoints of the line segments or arcs from which it is
     constructed).  Circles and ellipses with "disconnected" line style
     are invisible.  Disconnected paths are not filled; this includes
     circles and ellipses.

     All line styles are supported by all Plotters, with the following
     exceptions.  HP-GL Plotters do not support the "dotdotdotdashed"
     style unless the parameter `HPGL_VERSION' is set to "2" (the
     default).  Tektronix Plotters do not support the "dotdotdotdashed"
     style, and do not support the "dotdotdashed" style unless the
     parameter `TERM' is set to "kermit".  *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int linewidth (int SIZE);
int flinewidth (double SIZE);
     linewidth and flinewidth terminate and draws the path under
     construction (if any), as if endpath had been called, and set the
     thickness, in the user coordinate system, of all paths subsequently
     drawn on the graphics display.  A negative value resets the
     thickness to the default.  The default thickness depends on the
     type of Plotter.  For most Plotters, it is 1/850 times the size of
     the viewport, i.e., the drawn-on portion of the display.  (Here
     `size' means minimum dimension.)  But for Plotters that produce
     bitmaps, i.e., X Plotters, X Drawable Plotters, PNG Plotters, PNM
     Plotters, and GIF Plotters, it is zero.

     By convention, a zero-thickness line is the thinnest line that can
     be drawn.  However, the drawing editors `idraw' and `xfig' treat
     zero-thickness lines as invisible.  So when producing editable
     graphics with a Postscript or Fig Plotter, using a zero line
     thickness may not be desirable.

     Tektronix and ReGIS Plotters do not support drawing with other
     than a default thickness, and HP-GL Plotters do not support doing
     so if the parameter `HPGL_VERSION' is set to a value less than "2"
     (the default; see *Note Plotter Parameters::).

     *Warning*: If the transformation from the user coordinate system
     to the device coordinate system is anisotropic, each line segment
     in a polygonal path should ideally be drawn on the graphics
     display with a thickness that depends on its direction.  But
     currently, only SVG and Postscript Plotters do this.  Other
     Plotters draw all line segments in a path with the same thickness.
     The thickness that is used is the minimum thickness, in the
     device coordinate system, that can correspond to the specified
     line thickness in the user coordinate system.

int move (int X, int Y);
int fmove (double X, double Y);
int moverel (int X, int Y);
int fmoverel (double X, double Y);
     move and fmove take two arguments specifying the coordinates (X,
     Y) of a point to which the graphics cursor should be moved.  The
     path under construction (if any) is ended and drawn, as if endpath
     had been called, and the graphics cursor is moved to (X, Y).  This
     is equivalent to lifting the pen on a plotter and moving it to a
     new position, without drawing any line.  moverel and fmoverel are
     similar to move and fmove, but use cursor-relative coordinates.

     When a new page of graphics is begun by invoking openpl, the cursor
     is initially at the point (0,0) in user space.  Most of the drawing
     functions reposition the cursor.  *Note Drawing Functions::.

int orientation (int DIRECTION);
     orientation sets the orientation for all circles, ellipses, and
     boxes subsequently drawn on the graphics display.  DIRECTION must
     be 1, meaning counterclockwise, or -1, meaning clockwise.  The
     default is 1.

     orientation will have a visible effect on a circle, ellipse, or box
     only if it is dashed, or if it is one of the simple paths in a
     filled compound path.  Its effects on filling, when the
     "nonzero-winding" fill rule is used, are dramatic, since it is the
     orientation of each simple path in a compound path that determines
     which points are `inside' and which are `outside'.

int pencolor (int RED, int GREEN, int BLUE);
     pencolor terminates and draws the path under construction
     (if any), as if endpath had been called, and sets the pen color
     for all objects subsequently drawn on the graphics display, using
     a 48-bit RGB color model.  The arguments RED, GREEN and BLUE
     specify the red, green and blue intensities of the pen color.
     Each is an integer in the range 0x0000...0xffff, i.e., 0...65535.
     The choice (0, 0, 0) signifies black, and the choice (65535,
     65535, 65535) signifies white.

     HP-GL Plotters support drawing with a white pen only if the value
     of the parameter `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default), and the
     value of the parameter `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE' is "yes" (the default).
     *Note Plotter Parameters::.

int pencolorname (const char *NAME);
     pencolorname sets the pen color of all objects subsequently drawn
     on the graphics display to be NAME.  Unrecognized colors are
     interpreted as "black".  For information on what color names are
     recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  A 24-bit RGB color may also
     be specified as a six-digit hexadecimal string, e.g., "#c0c0c0".

     HP-GL Plotters support drawing with a white pen only if the value
     of the parameter `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default) and the value
     of the parameter `HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE' is "yes" (the default).  *Note
     Plotter Parameters::.

int pentype (int LEVEL);
     pentype terminates and draws the path under construction (if any),
     as if endpath had been called, and sets the pen level for all
     subsequently drawn paths.  A value of 1 for LEVEL specifies that
     an outline of each of these objects should be drawn, in the color
     previously specified by calling pencolor or pencolorname.  This is
     the default.  A value of 0 specifies that outlines should not be
     drawn.

     To draw the region bounded by a path in an edgeless way, you would
     call pentype to turn off the drawing of the boundary, and filltype
     to turn on the filling of the interior.

     pentype also affects the drawing of marker symbols and points,
     i.e., pixels.  A value of 0 specifies that they should not be
     drawn.

     *Note*: In future releases, pentype may also affect the drawing of
     text strings (a value of 0 will specify that they should not be
     drawn).  It already affects text strings that are rendered using
     Hershey fonts, since they are drawn using polygonal paths.

int restorestate ();
     restorestate pops the current graphics context off the stack of
     drawing states.  The graphics context consists largely of
     `libplot''s drawing attributes, which are set by the attribute
     functions documented in this section.  So popping off the graphics
     context restores the drawing attributes to values they previously
     had.  A path under construction is regarded as part of the graphics
     context.  For this reason, calling restorestate automatically calls
     endpath to terminate and draw the path under construction, if any.
     All graphics contexts on the stack are popped off when `closepl'
     is called, as if `restorestate' had been called repeatedly.

int savestate ();
     savestate pushes the current graphics context onto the stack of
     drawing states.  The graphics context consists largely of
     `libplot''s drawing attributes, which are set by the attribute
     functions documented in this section.  A path under construction,
     if any, is regarded as part of the graphics context.  That is
     because paths may be drawn incrementally, one line segment or arc
     at a time.  The new graphics context created by savestate will
     contain no path.  When the previous graphics context is
     returned to by calling restorestate, the path previously under
     construction may be continued.

int textangle (int ANGLE);
double ftextangle (double ANGLE);
     textangle and ftextangle take one argument, which specifies the
     angle in degrees counterclockwise from the x (horizontal) axis in
     the user coordinate system, for text strings subsequently drawn on
     the graphics display.  The default angle is zero.  (The font for
     plotting strings is fully specified by calling fontname, fontsize,
     and textangle.)  The size of the font for plotting strings, in user
     coordinates, is returned.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Mapping Functions,  Prev: Attribute Functions,  Up: Functions

Mapping functions
-----------------

   The following are the "mapping functions" in `libplot'.  When
invoked on a Plotter, they affect the affine transformation it employs
to map the user coordinate system to the device coordinate system.
That is, they affect the transformation matrix attribute of objects
subsequently drawn on the graphics display.

   The names of these functions resemble those of the corresponding
functions in the Postscript language.  For information on how to use
them to draw graphics efficiently, consult any good book on Postscript
programming, or the `Postscript Language Reference Manual'.

   Each of these functions, if called, terminates and draws the path
under construction (if any), as if endpath had been called.

   In the current C binding, each of these functions takes a pointer to
a `plPlotter' as its first argument.  Also in the current C binding,
the name of each function begins with "pl_" and ends with "_r".
("_r" stands for `revised' or `reentrant'.)  For information on older
C bindings, see *Note Older C APIs::.  In the C++ binding, these are
member functions of the `Plotter' class and its subclasses, and the
prefix and suffix are not used.

int fsetmatrix (double M0, double M1, double M2, double M3, double TX, double TY);
     Use the Postscript-style transformation matrix [M0 M1 M2 M3 TX TY]
     as the transformation matrix from user space to NDC (normalized
     device coordinate) space.  This matrix determines the
     transformation matrix from user space to unnormalized device
     space, i.e., sets the transformation matrix attribute that will be
     used when subsequently drawing objects on the graphics display.

     In NDC space, the graphics display (i.e., viewport) has corners
     `(0,0)', `(1,0)', `(1,1)', and `(0,1)'.  For information on the
     size of the graphics display in physical units, see *Note Page and
     Viewport Sizes::.

     The default transformation matrix from user space to NDC space is
     [1 0 0 1 0 0], which means that by default, user coordinates are
     the same as NDC coordinates.  This transformation matrix is also
     altered by space, fspace, space2, and fspace2, and by the following
     functions.

int fconcat (double M0, double M1, double M2, double M3, double TX, double TY);
     Modify the transformation matrix from user space to NDC space by
     pre-multiplying it by the matrix [M0 M1 M2 M3 TX TY].
     Equivalently, apply the linear transformation defined by the
     two-by-two matrix [M0 M1 M2 M3] to the user coordinate system, and
     then translate by TX units in the x direction and TY units in the
     y direction.

     fconcat is a wrapper around the more fundamental fsetmatrix
     function.  The following three functions (frotate, fscale,
     ftranslate) are convenience functions that are special cases of
     fconcat.

int frotate (double THETA);
     Modify the transformation matrix from user space to NDC space by
     pre-multiplying it by the matrix [cos(THETA) sin(THETA)
     -sin(THETA) cos(THETA) 0 0].  Equivalently, rotate the user
     coordinate system axes about their origin by THETA degrees
     counterclockwise, with respect to their former orientation.  The
     position of the user coordinate origin and the size of the x and y
     units remain unchanged.

int fscale (double SX, double SY);
     Modify the transformation matrix from user space to NDC space by
     pre-multiplying it by the matrix [SX 0 0 SY 0 0].  Equivalently,
     make the x and y units in the user coordinate system be the size
     of SX and SY units in the former user coordinate system.  The
     position of the user coordinate origin and the orientation of the
     coordinate axes are unchanged.

int ftranslate (double TX, double TY);
     Modify the transformation matrix from user space to NDC space by
     pre-multiplying it by the matrix [0 0 0 0 TX TY].  Equivalently,
     move the origin of the user coordinate system by TX units in the
     x direction and TY units in the y direction, relative to the
     former user coordinate system.  The size of the x and y units and
     the orientation of the coordinate axes are unchanged.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Plotter Parameters,  Prev: Functions,  Up: libplot

Plotter parameters
==================

   In designing the `libplot' library, every effort was made to make
the Plotter interface independent of the type of Plotter.  To the
extent that Plotters display individual (i.e., instance-specific)
behavior, that behavior is captured by a manageable number of *Plotter
parameters*.  Each parameter has a value that is allowed to be a
generic pointer (a `void *').  For most parameters, the value is a
string (a `char *').

   The parameter values of any Plotter are constant over the lifetime of
the Plotter, and are specified when the Plotter is created.  In the
C binding, a value for any parameter is specified by calling the
`pl_setplparam' function.  The `pl_setplparam' function acts on a
`plPlotterParams' object, which encapsulates Plotter parameters.  When
a Plotter is created by calling `pl_newpl_r', a pointer to a
`plPlotterParams' object is passed as the final argument.

   If at Plotter creation time a parameter is *not* specified, its
default value will be used, unless the parameter is string-valued and
there is an environment variable of the same name, in which case the
value of that environment variable will be used.  This rule increases
run-time flexibility: an application programmer may allow non-critical
Plotter parameters to be specified by the user via environment
variables.

   In the C++ binding, the `PlotterParams' class and
`PlotterParams::setplparam', a member function, are the analogues of
the `plPlotterParams' datatype and the function `pl_setplparam'.

   The following are the currently recognized parameters (unrecognized
ones are ignored).  The most important ones are `DISPLAY', which affects
X Plotters, `BITMAPSIZE', which affects X Plotters, PNG Plotters, PNM
Plotters, and GIF Plotters, `PAGESIZE', which affects Illustrator,
Postscript, CGM, Fig, and HP-GL Plotters, and `ROTATION', which affects
all Plotters except Metafile Plotters.  These four parameters are
listed first and the others alphabetically.  Most of the remaining
parameters, such as the several whose names begin with "HPGL", affect
only a single type of Plotter.

`DISPLAY'
     (Default NULL.)  The X Window System display on which the graphics
     display will be popped up, as an X window.  This is relevant only
     to X Plotters.

`BITMAPSIZE'
     (Default "570x570".)  The size of the graphics display (i.e., the
     viewport) in terms of pixels.  This is relevant only to X Plotters,
     PNG Plotters, PNM Plotters, and GIF Plotters.  For X Plotters, the
     value of this parameter will automatically, if it is not set, be
     taken from the X resource `Xplot.geometry'.  That is for backward
     compatibility.

     X Plotters support precise positioning of the graphics display.
     For example, if `BITMAPSIZE' is "570x570+0+0" then it will be
     positioned in the upper left corner of the X Window System display.

`PAGESIZE'
     (Default "letter".)  The page type, which determines the size of
     the graphics display (i.e., the viewport) used by the Plotter.
     This is relevant only to SVG, Illustrator, Postscript, CGM, Fig,
     PCL, and HP-GL Plotters.  "letter" means an 8.5in by 11in page.
     Any ISO page size in the range "a0"..."a4" or ANSI page size in
     the range "a"..."e" may be specified ("letter" is an alias for "a"
     and "tabloid" is an alias for "b").  "legal", "ledger", and "b5"
     are recognized page sizes also.

     For Illustrator, Postscript, PCL and Fig Plotters, the graphics
     display will be, by default, a square region centered on the
     specified page.  (For example, it will be a centered 8in square if
     `PAGESIZE' is "letter".)  For HP-GL Plotters, it will be a square
     region of the same size, but will not by default be centered.  SVG
     format and WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which
     the graphics display will ultimately be positioned.  They do have
     a notion of default display size, though this will normally be
     overridden when the SVG or WebCGM file is placed on a Web page.
     For the default display size, SVG and CGM Plotters will use the
     graphics display size that is used by other Plotters.

     For the default size and location of the graphics display for each
     page type, see *Note Page and Viewport Sizes::.  You do not need
     to use the default graphics display, since either or both of its
     dimensions can be specified explicitly.  For example, `PAGESIZE'
     could be specified as "letter,xsize=4in", or
     "a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".  The dimensions are allowed to be
     negative (a negative dimension results in a reflection).

     For Plotters other than SVG and CGM Plotters, the position of the
     graphics display on the page, relative to its default position,
     can be adjusted by specifying an offset vector.  For example,
     `PAGESIZE' could be specified as "letter,yoffset=1.2in", or
     "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  Inches, centimeters, and
     millimeters are the supported units.

     It is also possible to position the graphics display precisely, by
     specifying the location of its lower left corner relative to the
     lower left corner of the page.  For example, `PAGESIZE' could be
     specified as "letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or
     "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".  The preceding options may be
     intermingled.  SVG and WebCGM Plotters ignore the "xoffset",
     "yoffset", "xorigin", and "yorigin" options, since SVG format and
     WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which the graphics
     display will ultimately be positioned.

`ROTATION'
     (Default "0".)  Relevant to all Plotters other than Metafile
     Plotters, which have no output device.  The angle, in degrees, by
     which the graphics display (i.e., the viewport) should be rotated,
     relative to its default orientation.  Recognized values are "0",
     "90", "180", and "270"; "no" and "yes" are equivalent to
     "0" and "90" respectively.  The rotation is counterclockwise.

     A rotated viewport does not change the position of its four
     corners.  Rather, the graphics are rotated within it.  If the
     viewport is rectangular rather than square, this `rotation'
     necessarily includes a rescaling.

     This parameter is useful for switching between portrait and
     landscape orientations.  Internally, it determines the affine
     transformation from NDC (normalized device coordinate) space to
     device space.

`BG_COLOR'
     (Default "white".)  The initial background color of the graphics
     display, when drawing each page of graphics.  This is relevant to
     X Plotters, PNG Plotters, PNM Plotters, GIF Plotters, CGM
     Plotters, ReGIS Plotters, and Metafile Plotters; also to
     X Drawable Plotters (for the last, the background color shows up
     only if `erase' is invoked).  For information on what color names
     are recognized, see *Note Color Names::.  The background color may
     be changed at any later time by invoking the bgcolor (or
     bgcolorname) and erase operations.

     SVG Plotters and CGM Plotters support "none" as a value for the
     background color.  It will turn off the background: the drawn
     objects will not be backed by anything.  This is useful when the
     generated SVG or WebCGM file is to be placed on a Web page.

`CGM_ENCODING'
     (Default "binary".)  Relevant only to CGM Plotters.  "binary"
     means that the CGM output should use the binary encoding.
     "clear_text" means that the CGM output should use a human-readable
     encoding.  The WebCGM profile requires that the binary encoding be
     used, but many CGM viewers and interpreters can also parse the
     clear text encoding.  The third standard CGM encoding,
     "character", is not currently supported.

`CGM_MAX_VERSION'
     (Default "4".)  Relevant only to CGM Plotters.  An upper bound on
     the version number of CGM format that is produced.  Many older CGM
     interpreters and viewers, such as the ones built into Microsoft
     Office and other commercial software, only support version 1 CGM
     files.  For fully adequate handling of fonts and line styles,
     version 3 is necessary.  By default, the present release of
     `libplot' produces version 3 CGM files, i.e., it does not use
     version 4 features.

`EMULATE_COLOR'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant to all Plotters.  "yes" means that each
     color in the output should be replaced by an appropriate shade of
     gray.  The well known formula for CIE luminance, namely 0.212671R
     + 0.715160G + 0.072169B, is used.

     This parameter is seldom useful, except when using a PCL Plotter to
     prepare output for a monochrome PCL 5 device.  Many monochrome
     PCL 5 devices, such as monochrome LaserJets, do a poor job of
     emulating color on their own.  They usually map HP-GL/2's seven
     standard pen colors, including even yellow, to black.

`GIF_ANIMATION'
     (Default "yes".)  Relevant only to GIF Plotters.  "yes" means that
     the `erase' operation will have special semantics: with the
     exception of its first invocation, it will act as a separator
     between successive images in the written-out pseudo-GIF file.
     "no" means that `erase' should act as it does on other Plotters
     that do not write graphics in real time, i.e., it should erase the
     image under construction by filling it with the background color.
     If "no" is specified, the pseudo-GIF file will contain only a
     single image.

`GIF_DELAY'
     (Default "0".)  Relevant only to GIF Plotters.  The delay, in
     hundredths of a second, after each image in a written-out animated
     pseudo-GIF file.  The value should be an integer in the range
     "0"..."65535".

`GIF_ITERATIONS'
     (Default "0".)  Relevant only to GIF Plotters.  The number of
     times that an animated pseudo-GIF file should be `looped'.  The
     value should be an integer in the range "0"..."65535".

`HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant only to HP-GL Plotters, and only if the
     value of `HPGL_VERSION' is "2".  "no" means to draw with a fixed
     set of pens, specified by setting the `HPGL_PENS' parameter.  "yes"
     means that pen colors will not restricted to the palette specified
     in `HPGL_PENS': colors will be assigned to "logical pens" in the
     range #1...#31, as needed.  Other than color LaserJet printers and
     DesignJet plotters, not many HP-GL/2 devices allow the assignment
     of colors to logical pens.  In particular, HP-GL/2 pen plotters do
     not.  So this parameter should be used with caution.

`HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE'
     (Default "yes".)  Relevant only to HP-GL Plotters, and only if the
     value of `HPGL_VERSION' is "2".  "yes" means that the HP-GL/2
     output device should be switched into opaque mode, rather than
     transparent mode.  This allows objects to be filled with opaque
     white and other opaque colors.  It also allows the drawing of
     visible white lines, which by convention are drawn with pen #0.
     Not all HP-GL/2 devices support opaque mode or the use of pen #0
     to draw visible white lines.  In particular, HP-GL/2 pen plotters
     do not.  Some older HP-GL/2 devices reportedly malfunction if
     asked to switch into opaque mode.  If the output of an HP-GL
     Plotter is to be sent to such a device, a "no" value is
     recommended.

`HPGL_PENS'
     (Default "1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan"
     if the value of `HPGL_VERSION' is "1.5" or "2" and "1=black" if the
     value of `HPGL_VERSION' is "1".  Relevant only to HP-GL Plotters.
     The set of available pens; the format should be self-explanatory.
     The color for any pen in the range #1...#31 may be specified.  For
     information on what color names are recognized, see *Note Color
     Names::.  Pen #1 must always be present, though it need not be
     black.  Any other pen in the range #1...#31 may be omitted.

`HPGL_ROTATE'
     (Default "0".)  Relevant only to HP-GL Plotters.  The angle, in
     degrees, by which the graphics display (i.e., the viewport) should
     be rotated on the page relative to the default orientation.
     Recognized values are "0", "90", "180", and "270"; "no" and "yes"
     are equivalent to "0" and "90" respectively.  "180" and "270" are
     supported only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2".

     The rotation requested by `HPGL_ROTATE' is different from the sort
     requested by the `ROTATION' parameter.  `ROTATION' rotates the
     graphics display in place, but `HPGL_ROTATE' both rotates the
     graphics display and moves its lower left corner toward another
     corner of the page.  Altering the plotting area in such a way is
     supported by the HP-GL language.

     The `HPGL_ROTATE' parameter facilitates switching between portrait
     and landscape orientations.  For HP-GL devices that is frequently a
     concern, since some HP-GL devices ("plotters") draw with a default
     landscape orientation, while others ("printers") draw with a
     default portrait orientation.  There is no programmatic way of
     determining which is which.

`HPGL_VERSION'
     (Default "2".)  Relevant only to HP-GL Plotters.  "1" means that
     the output should be generic HP-GL, "1.5" means that the output
     should be suitable for the HP7550A graphics plotter and the
     HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL with some
     HP-GL/2 extensions), and "2" means that the output should be
     modern HP-GL/2.  If the version is less than "2" then the only
     available fonts will be vector fonts, and all paths will be drawn
     with a default thickness, so that invoking linewidth, capmod,
     joinmod, and fmiterlimit will have no effect.  Also, the `nonzero
     winding number rule' will not be supported when filling paths, so
     invoking fillmod will have no effect.  Additionally, if the
     version is "1" then the filling of arbitrary paths will not be
     supported (circles and rectangles aligned with the coordinate axes
     may be filled, however).

`INTERLACE'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant only to PNG and GIF Plotters.  If the
     value is "yes", the output file will be interlaced.  That means it
     will be displayed in an interlaced (nonlinear) way by many
     applications.

`MAX_LINE_LENGTH'
     (Default "500".)  The maximum number of defining points that a
     path may have, before it is flushed to the output device.  If this
     flushing occurs, the path will be split into two or more
     sub-paths, though the splitting should not be noticeable.
     Splitting will not be performed if the path is to be filled.

     This parameter is relevant to all Plotters except Tektronix and
     Metafile Plotters.  The reason for splitting long paths is that
     some display devices (e.g., old Postscript printers and HP-GL pen
     plotters) have limited buffer sizes.  It is not relevant to
     Tektronix or Metafile Plotters, since they draw paths in real time
     and have no buffer limitations.

`META_PORTABLE'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant only to Metafile Plotters.  "yes" means
     that the output metafile should use a portable (human-readable)
     encoding of graphics, rather than the default (binary) encoding.
     *Note Metafiles::.

`PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant only to PCL Plotters.  "no" means to draw
     with a fixed set of pens.  "yes" means that pen colors will not
     restricted to this palette: colors will be assigned to "logical
     pens", as needed.  Other than color LaserJet printers, not many
     PCL 5 devices allow the assignment of colors to logical pens.
     So this parameter should be used with caution.

`PCL_BEZIERS'
     (Default "yes".)  Relevant only to PCL Plotters.  "yes" means that
     when drawing Bezier curves, the special `Bezier instructions' will
     be used.  "no" means that these instructions will not be used.
     Instead, each Bezier curve will be approximated and drawn as a
     polygonal line.  Other than the LaserJet III, which was
     Hewlett-Packard's first PCL 5 printer, all Hewlett-Packard's PCL 5
     printers support the Bezier instructions.

`PNM_PORTABLE'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant only to PNM Plotters.  "yes" means that
     the output should be in a portable (human-readable) version of
     PBM/PGM/PPM format, rather than the default (binary) version.
     `Portable' is something of a misnomer, since binary PBM/PGM/PPM
     files are also portable, in the sense that they are
     machine-independent.

`TERM'
     (Default NULL.)  Relevant only to Tektronix Plotters.  If the
     value is a string beginning with "xterm", "nxterm", or "kterm",
     it is taken as a sign that the current application is running in
     an X Window System VT100 terminal emulator: an `xterm', `nxterm',
     or `kterm'.  Before drawing graphics, a Tektronix Plotter will
     emit an escape sequence that causes the terminal emulator's
     auxiliary Tektronix window, which is normally hidden, to pop up.
     After the graphics are drawn, an escape sequence that returns
     control to the original VT100 window will be emitted.  The
     Tektronix window will remain on the screen.

     If the value is a string beginning with "kermit", "ansi.sys", or
     "nansi.sys", it is taken as a sign that the current application is
     running in the VT100 terminal emulator provided by the MS-DOS
     version of `kermit'.  Before drawing graphics, a Tektronix Plotter
     will emit an escape sequence that switches the terminal emulator
     to Tektronix mode.  Also, some of the Tektronix control codes
     emitted by the Plotter will be `kermit'-specific.  There will be a
     limited amount of color support, which is not normally the case
     (the 16 `ansi.sys' colors will be supported).  The "dotdotdashed"
     line style will be supported, which is also not normally the case.
     After drawing graphics, the Plotter will emit an escape sequence
     that returns the emulator to VT100 mode.  The key sequence
     `ALT minus' may be employed manually within `kermit' to switch
     between the two modes.

`TRANSPARENT_COLOR'
     (Default "none".)  Relevant only to PNG and GIF Plotters.  If the
     value is a recognized color name, that color, if it appears in the
     output file, will be treated as transparent by most applications.
     For information on what names are recognized, see *Note Color
     Names::.

     If `TRANSPARENT_COLOR' is set and an animated pseudo-GIF file is
     produced, the `restore to background' disposal method will be used
     for each image in the file.  Otherwise, the `unspecified' disposal
     method will be used.

`USE_DOUBLE_BUFFERING'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant only to X Plotters and X Drawable
     Plotters.  If the value is "yes", a double buffering scheme will
     be used when drawing graphics.  Each frame of graphics, within a
     openpl...closepl pair, will be written to an off-screen buffer
     rather than to the Plotter's display.  When erase is invoked to
     end a frame, or when closepl is invoked, the contents of the
     off-screen buffer will be copied to the Plotter's display, pixel by
     pixel.  If successive frames differ only slightly, this will
     create the illusion of smooth animation.

     Some X displays provide special hardware support for double
     buffering.  If this support is available, the X Plotter will
     detect its presence, and will draw graphics using the appropriate
     extension to the X11 protocol (either DBE or MBX).  In this case
     the animation will be significantly faster; on high-end graphics
     hardware, at least.

`VANISH_ON_DELETE'
     (Default "no".)  Relevant only to X Plotters.  If the value is
     "yes", when a Plotter is deleted, the window or windows that it
     has popped up will vanish.  Otherwise, each such window will
     remain on the screen until it is removed by the user (by typing
     `q' in it, or by clicking with a mouse).

`XDRAWABLE_COLORMAP'
     (Default NULL.)  Relevant only to X Drawable Plotters.  If the
     value is non-NULL, it should be a `Colormap *', a pointer to a
     colormap from which colors should be allocated.  NULL indicates
     that the colormap to be used should be the default colormap of the
     default screen of the X display.

`XDRAWABLE_DISPLAY'
     (Default NULL.)  Relevant only to X Drawable Plotters.  The value
     should be a `Display *', a pointer to the X display with which the
     drawable(s) to be drawn in are associated.

`XDRAWABLE_DRAWABLE1'
`XDRAWABLE_DRAWABLE2'
     (Default NULL.)  Relevant only to X Drawable Plotters.  If set, the
     value of each of these parameters should be a `Drawable *', a
     pointer to a drawable to be drawn in.  A `drawable' is either a
     window or a pixmap.  At the time an X Drawable Plotter is created,
     at least one of the two parameters must be set.

     X Drawable Plotters support simultaneous drawing in two drawables
     because it is often useful to be able to draw graphics
     simultaneously in both an X window and its background pixmap.  If
     two drawables are specified, they must have the same dimensions
     and depth, and be associated with the same screen of the X display.

`XDRAWABLE_VISUAL'
     (Default NULL.)  Relevant only to X Drawable Plotters.  If set, the
     value should be a `Visual *', a pointer to the `visual' with which
     the colormap (see above) is associated.  Setting this parameter is
     not required, but it is recommended that it be set if
     `XDRAWABLE_COLORMAP' is set.  Under some circumstances, that will
     speed up color cell allocation.

`X_AUTO_FLUSH'
     (Default "yes".)  Relevant only to X Plotters.  If the value is
     "yes", an `XFlush' operation is performed after each drawing
     operation.  That ensures that graphics are flushed to the X Window
     System display, and are visible to the user, immediately after
     they are drawn.  However, it slows down rendering considerably.
     If the value is "no", drawing is faster, since it does not take
     place in real time.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Appendices,  Prev: libplot,  Up: Top

   The following appendices contain supplementary information on the GNU
plotting utilities and the GNU `libplot' library.

* Menu:

* Text and Markers::         Text fonts, text strings, and marker symbols
* Color Names::              Specifying colors by name
* Page and Viewport Sizes::  Specifying the size of an output page
* Metafiles::                The device-independent GNU metafile format
* Auxiliary Software::       How to obtain auxiliary software
* History and Acknowledgements::    The contributors
* Reporting Bugs::           How to report bugs


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Text and Markers,  Next: Color Names,  Prev: Appendices,  Up: Appendices

Fonts, Strings, and Symbols
***************************

   The GNU `libplot' graphics library and applications built on it,
such as `graph', `plot', `pic2plot', `tek2plot', and `plotfont', can
draw text strings in a wide variety of fonts.  Text strings may include
characters from more than one font in a typeface, and may include
superscripts, subscripts, and square roots.  A wide variety of marker
symbols can also be drawn.  The following sections explain how to use
these features.

* Menu:

* Text Fonts::          Available text fonts
* Cyrillic and Japanese::  The Cyrillic and Japanese fonts
* Text Fonts in X::     Available text fonts in the X Window System
* Text String Format::  Text string formatting (with escape sequences)
* Marker Symbols::      Available marker symbols


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Text Fonts,  Next: Cyrillic and Japanese,  Prev: Text and Markers,  Up: Text and Markers

Available text fonts
====================

   The GNU `libplot' library and applications built on it, such as
`graph', `plot', `pic2plot', `tek2plot', and `plotfont', can use many
fonts.  These include 22 Hershey vector fonts, 35 Postscript fonts, 45
PCL 5 fonts, and 18 Hewlett-Packard vector fonts.  We call these 120
supported fonts the `built-in' fonts.  The Hershey fonts are
constructed from stroked characters digitized c. 1967 by Dr. Allen V.
Hershey at the U.S. Naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, VA.  The
35 Postscript fonts are the outline fonts resident in all modern
Postscript printers, and the 45 PCL 5 fonts are the outline fonts
resident in modern Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers and plotters.  (Of
the PCL 5 fonts, the old LaserJet III, which was Hewlett-Packard's
first PCL 5 printer, supported only eight: the Univers and CGTimes
fonts.)  The 18 Hewlett-Packard vector fonts are fonts that are
resident in Hewlett-Packard printers and plotters (mostly the latter).

   The Hershey fonts can be used by all types of Plotter supported by
`libplot', and the Postscript fonts can be used by X, SVG, Illustrator,
Postscript, and Fig Plotters.  So, for example, all variants of `graph'
can use the Hershey fonts, and `graph -T X', `graph -T svg', `graph -T
ai', `graph -T ps', `graph -T cgm' and `graph -T fig' can use the
Postscript fonts.  The PCL 5 fonts can be used by by SVG, Illustrator,
PCL, and HP-GL Plotters, and by `graph -T svg', `graph -T ai', `graph
-T pcl', and `graph -T hpgl'.  The Hewlett-Packard vector fonts can be
used by PCL and HP-GL Plotters, and by `graph -T pcl' and `graph -T
hpgl'.  X Plotters and `graph -T X' are not restricted to the built-in
Hershey and Postscript fonts.  They can use any X Window System font.

   The `plotfont' utility, which accepts the `-T' option, will print a
character map of any font that is available in the specified output
format.  *Note plotfont::.

   For the purpose of plotting text strings (see *Note Text String
Format::), the 120 built-in fonts are divided into typefaces.  As you
can see from the following tables, our convention is that in any
typeface with more than a single font, font #1 is the normal font, font
#2 is italic or oblique, font #3 is bold, and font #4 is bold italic or
bold oblique.  Additional variants (if any) are numbered #5 and higher.

   The 22 Hershey fonts are divided into typefaces as follows.

   * HersheySerif

       1. HersheySerif

       2. HersheySerif-Italic

       3. HersheySerif-Bold

       4. HersheySerif-BoldItalic

       5. HersheyCyrillic

       6. HersheyCyrillic-Oblique

       7. HersheyEUC

   * HersheySans

       1. HersheySans

       2. HersheySans-Oblique

       3. HersheySans-Bold

       4. HersheySans-BoldOblique

   * HersheyScript

       1. HersheyScript

       2. HersheyScript

       3. HersheyScript-Bold

       4. HersheyScript-Bold

   * HersheyGothicEnglish

   * HersheyGothicGerman

   * HersheyGothicItalian

   * HersheySerifSymbol
       1. HersheySerifSymbol

       2. HersheySerifSymbol-Oblique

       3. HersheySerifSymbol-Bold

       4. HersheySerifSymbol-BoldOblique

   * HersheySansSymbol
       1. HersheySansSymbol

       2. HersheySansSymbol-Oblique

Nearly all Hershey fonts except the Symbol fonts use the ISO-Latin-1
encoding, which is a superset of ASCII.  The Symbol fonts consist of
Greek characters and mathematical symbols, and use the symbol font
encoding documented in the `Postscript Language Reference Manual'.  By
convention, each Hershey typeface contains a symbol font
(HersheySerifSymbol or HersheySansSymbol, as appropriate) as font #0.

   HersheyCyrillic, HersheyCyrillic-Oblique, and HersheyEUC (which is a
Japanese font) are the only non-Symbol Hershey fonts that do not use the
ISO-Latin-1 encoding.  For their encodings, see *Note Cyrillic and
Japanese::.

   The 35 Postscript fonts are divided into typefaces as follows.

   * Helvetica

       1. Helvetica

       2. Helvetica-Oblique

       3. Helvetica-Bold

       4. Helvetica-BoldOblique

   * Helvetica-Narrow

       1. Helvetica-Narrow

       2. Helvetica-Narrow-Oblique

       3. Helvetica-Narrow-Bold

       4. Helvetica-Narrow-BoldOblique

   * Times

       1. Times-Roman

       2. Times-Italic

       3. Times-Bold

       4. Times-BoldItalic

   * AvantGarde

       1. AvantGarde-Book

       2. AvantGarde-BookOblique

       3. AvantGarde-Demi

       4. AvantGarde-DemiOblique

   * Bookman

       1. Bookman-Light

       2. Bookman-LightItalic

       3. Bookman-Demi

       4. Bookman-DemiItalic

   * Courier

       1. Courier

       2. Courier-Oblique

       3. Courier-Bold

       4. Courier-BoldOblique

   * NewCenturySchlbk

       1. NewCenturySchlbk-Roman

       2. NewCenturySchlbk-Italic

       3. NewCenturySchlbk-Bold

       4. NewCenturySchlbk-BoldItalic

   * Palatino

       1. Palatino-Roman

       2. Palatino-Italic

       3. Palatino-Bold

       4. Palatino-BoldItalic

   * ZapfChancery-MediumItalic

   * ZapfDingbats

   * Symbol

All Postscript fonts except the ZapfDingbats and Symbol fonts use the
ISO-Latin-1 encoding.  The encodings used by the ZapfDingbats and Symbol
fonts are documented in the `Postscript Language Reference Manual'.  By
convention, each Postscript typeface contains the Symbol font as
font #0.

   The 45 PCL 5 fonts are divided into typefaces as follows.

   * Univers

       1. Univers

       2. Univers-Oblique

       3. Univers-Bold

       4. Univers-BoldOblique

   * UniversCondensed

       1. UniversCondensed

       2. UniversCondensed-Oblique

       3. UniversCondensed-Bold

       4. UniversCondensed-BoldOblique

   * CGTimes

       1. CGTimes-Roman

       2. CGTimes-Italic

       3. CGTimes-Bold

       4. CGTimes-BoldItalic

   * Albertus

       1. AlbertusMedium

       2. AlbertusMedium

       3. AlbertusExtraBold

       4. AlbertusExtraBold

   * AntiqueOlive

       1. AntiqueOlive

       2. AntiqueOlive-Italic

       3. AntiqueOlive-Bold

   * Arial

       1. Arial-Roman

       2. Arial-Italic

       3. Arial-Bold

       4. Arial-BoldItalic

   * ClarendonCondensed

   * Coronet

   * Courier

       1. Courier

       2. Courier-Italic

       3. Courier-Bold

       4. Courier-BoldItalic

   * Garamond

       1. Garamond

       2. Garamond-Italic

       3. Garamond-Bold

       4. Garamond-BoldItalic

   * LetterGothic

       1. LetterGothic-Roman

       2. LetterGothic-Italic

       3. LetterGothic-Bold

       4. LetterGothic-BoldItalic

   * Marigold

   * CGOmega

       1. CGOmega-Roman

       2. CGOmega-Italic

       3. CGOmega-Bold

       4. CGOmega-BoldItalic

   * TimesNewRoman

       1. TimesNewRoman

       2. TimesNewRoman-Italic

       3. TimesNewRoman-Bold

       4. TimesNewRoman-BoldItalic

   * Wingdings

   * Symbol

All PCL 5 fonts except the Wingdings and Symbol fonts use the
ISO-Latin-1 encoding.  The encoding used by the Symbol font is the
symbol font encoding documented in the `Postscript Language Reference
Manual'.  By convention, each PCL typeface contains the Symbol font as
font #0.

   The 18 Hewlett-Packard vector fonts are divided into typefaces as
follows.

   * Arc

       1. Arc

       2. Arc-Oblique

       3. Arc-Bold

       4. Arc-BoldOblique

   * Stick

       1. Stick

       2. Stick-Oblique

       3. Stick-Bold

       4. Stick-BoldOblique

   * ArcANK

       1. ArcANK*

       2. ArcANK-Oblique*

       3. ArcANK-Bold*

       4. ArcANK-BoldOblique*

   * StickANK

       1. StickANK*

       2. StickANK-Oblique*

       3. StickANK-Bold*

       4. StickANK-BoldOblique*

   * ArcSymbol*

   * StickSymbol*

The Hewlett-Packard vector fonts with an asterisk (the ANK and Symbol
fonts) are only available when producing HP-GL/2 graphics, or HP-GL
graphics for the HP7550A graphics plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and
HP7596A drafting plotters.  That is, they are available only if
`HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default) or "1.5".  The ANK fonts are
Japanese fonts (*note Cyrillic and Japanese::.), and the Symbol fonts
contain a few miscellaneous mathematical symbols.

   All Hewlett-Packard vector fonts except the ANK and Symbol fonts use
the ISO-Latin-1 encoding.  The Arc fonts are proportional
(variable-width) fonts, and the Stick fonts are fixed-width fonts.  If
HP-GL/2 or HP-GL output is selected, the Arc fonts are assumed to be
kerned via device-resident kerning tables.  But when producing PCL 5
output, it is assumed that the display device will do no kerning.
Apparently Hewlett-Packard dropped support for device-resident kerning
tables when emulating HP-GL/2 from within PCL 5.  For information about
Hewlett-Packard vector fonts and the way in which they are kerned
(in HP-GL pen plotters, at least), see the article by L. W.  Hennessee
et al. in the Nov. 1981 issue of the `Hewlett-Packard Journal'.

   To what extent do the fonts supported by `libplot' contain
ligatures?  The Postscript fonts, the PCL 5 fonts, and the
Hewlett-Packard vector fonts, at least as implemented in `libplot',
do not contain ligatures.  However, six of the 22 Hershey fonts contain
ligatures.  The character combinations "fi", "ff", "fl", "ffi", and
"ffl" are automatically drawn as ligatures in HersheySerif and
HersheySerif-Italic.  (Also in the two HersheyCyrillic fonts and
HersheyEUC, since insofar as printable ASCII characters are concerned,
they are identical [or almost identical] to HersheySerif.)
In addition, "tz" and "ch" are ligatures in HersheyGothicGerman.  The
German double-s character `ss', which is called an `eszet', is not
treated as a ligature in any font.  To obtain an eszet, you must either
request one with the escape sequence "\ss" (*note Text String
Format::.), or, if you have an 8-bit keyboard, type an eszet explicitly.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Cyrillic and Japanese,  Next: Text Fonts in X,  Prev: Text Fonts,  Up: Text and Markers

Cyrillic and Japanese fonts
===========================

   The built-in fonts discussed in the previous section include Cyrillic
and Japanese vector fonts.  This section explains how these fonts are
encoded, i.e., how their character maps are laid out.  You may use the
`plotfont' utility to display the character map for any font, including
the Cyrillic and Japanese vector fonts.  *Note plotfont::.

   The HersheyCyrillic and HersheyCyrillic-Oblique fonts use an encoding
called KOI8-R, a superset of ASCII that has become the de facto
standard for Unix and networking applications in the former Soviet
Union.  Insofar as printable ASCII characters go, they resemble the
HersheySerif vector font.  But their upper halves are different.  The
byte range 0xc0...0xdf contains lower-case Cyrillic characters and the
byte range 0xe0...0xff contains upper case Cyrillic characters.
Additional Cyrillic characters are located at 0xa3 and 0xb3.  For more
on the encoding scheme, see the official KOI8-R Web page (http://www.nagual.pp.ru/~ache/koi8.html) and Internet RFC 1489, which is available
from the Information Sciences Institute (http://www.isi.edu).

   The HersheyEUC font is a vector font that is used for displaying
Japanese text.  It uses the 8-bit EUC-JP encoding.  EUC stands for
`extended Unix code', which is a scheme for encoding Japanese, and also
other character sets (e.g., Greek and Cyrillic) as multibyte character
strings.  The format of EUC strings is explained in Ken Lunde's
`Understanding Japanese Information Processing' (O'Reilly, 1993), which
contains much additional information on Japanese text processing.  See
also his on-line supplement (http://www.ora.com/people/authors/lunde/cjk_inf.html), and his more recent book `CJKV Information Processing'
(O'Reilly, 1999).

   In the HersheyEUC font, characters in the printable ASCII range,
0x20...0x7e, are similar to HersheySerif (their encoding is `JIS
Roman', an ASCII variant standardized by the Japanese Industrial
Standards Committee).  Also, each successive pair of bytes in the
`0xa1'...`0xfe' range defines a single character in the JIS X0208
standard.  The characters in the JIS X0208 standard include Japanese
syllabic characters (Hiragana and Katakana), ideographic characters
(Kanji), Roman, Greek, and Cyrillic alphabets, punctuation marks, and
miscellaneous symbols.  For example, the JIS X0208 standard indexes the
83 Hiragana as `0x2421'...`0x2473'.  To obtain the EUC code for any JIS
X0208 character, you would add `0x80' to each byte (i.e., `set the high
bit' on each byte).  So the first of the 83 Hiragana (`0x2421') would
be encoded as the successive pair of bytes `0xa4' and `0xa1'.

   The implementation of the JIS X0208 standard in the HersheyEUC font
is based on Dr. Hershey's digitizations, and is complete enough to be
useful.  All 83 Hiragana and 86 Katakana are available, though the
little-used `half-width Katakana' are not supported.  Also, 603 Kanji
are available, including 596 of the 2965 JIS Level 1 (i.e., frequently
used) Kanji.  The Hiragana, the Katakana, and the available Kanji all
have the same width.  The file `kanji.doc', which on most systems is
installed in `/usr/share/libplot' or `/usr/local/share/libplot', lists
the 603 available Kanji.  Each JIS X0208 character that is unavailable
will be drawn as an `undefined character' glyph (a bundle of horizontal
lines).

   The eight Hewlett-Packard vector fonts in the ArcANK and StickANK
typefaces are also used for displaying Japanese text.  They are
available when producing HP-GL/2 output, or HP-GL output for the HP7550A
graphics plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters.
That is, they are available only if `HPGL_VERSION' is "2" (the default)
or "1.5".

   ANK stands for Alphabet, Numerals, and Katakana.  The ANK fonts use a
special mixed encoding.  The lower half of each font uses the JIS Roman
encoding, and the upper half contains half-width Katakana.  Half-width
Katakana are simplified Katakana that may need to be equipped with
diacritical marks.  The diacritical marks are included in the encoding
as separate characters.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Text Fonts in X,  Next: Text String Format,  Prev: Cyrillic and Japanese,  Up: Text and Markers

Available text fonts for the X Window System
============================================

   The command-line graphics programs `graph -T X', `plot -T X',
`pic2plot -T X', `tek2plot -T X', and `plotfont -T X', and the
`libplot' library that they are built on, can draw text on an X Window
System display in a wide variety of fonts.  This includes the 22
built-in Hershey vector fonts.  They can use the 35 built-in Postscript
fonts too, if those fonts are available on the X display.  Most
releases of the plotting utilities include freely distributable
versions of the 35 Postscript fonts, in Type 1 format, that are easily
installed on any X display.

   In fact, the plotting utilities can use most fonts that are
available on the current X display.  This includes all scalable fonts
that have a so-called XLFD (X Logical Font Description) name.  For
example, the "CharterBT-Roman" font is available on many X displays.
It has a formal XLFD name, namely
"-bitstream-charter-medium-r-normal-0-0-0-0-p-0-iso8859-1".  The
plotting utilities would refer to it as "charter-medium-r-normal".  The
command

     echo 0 0 1 1 2 0 | graph -T X -F charter-medium-r-normal

would draw a plot in a popped-up X window, in which all axis ticks are
labeled in this font.

   You may determine which fonts are available on an X display by using
the `xlsfonts' command.  Fonts whose names end in
"-0-0-0-0-p-0-iso8859-1" or "-0-0-0-0-m-0-iso8859-1" are scalable
ISO-Latin-1 fonts that can be used by `libplot''s X Plotters and by the
plotting utilities that are built on `libplot'.  The two sorts of font
are variable-width and fixed-width fonts, respectively.  Fonts whose
names end in "iso8859-2", etc., and "adobe-fontspecific", may also be
used, even though they do not employ the standard ISO-Latin-1 encoding.

   The escape sequences that provide access to the non-ASCII `8-bit'
characters in the built-in ISO-Latin-1 fonts may be employed when using
any ISO-Latin-1 X Window System font.  For more on escape sequences,
see *Note Text String Format::.  As an example, "\Po" will yield the
British pounds sterling symbol `#'.  The command

     echo 0 0 1 1 | graph -T X -F charter-medium-r-normal -L "A \Po1 Plot"

shows how this symbol could be used in a graph label.  In the same way,
the escape sequences that provide access to mathematical symbols and
Greek characters may be employed when using any X Window System font,
whether or not it is an ISO-Latin-1 font.

   The plotting utilities, including `graph', support a `--bitmap-size'
option.  If the `-T X' option is used, it sets the size of the
popped-up X Window.  You may use it to obtain some interesting visual
effects.  Each of the plotting utilities assumes that it is drawing in
a square region, so if you use the `--bitmap-size 800x400' option, your
plot will be scaled anisotropically, by a larger factor in the
horizontal direction than in the vertical direction.  The fonts in the
plot will be scaled in the same way.  Actually, this requires a modern
(X11R6) display.  If your X display cannot scale a font, a default
scalable font (such as "HersheySerif") will be substituted.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Text String Format,  Next: Marker Symbols,  Prev: Text Fonts in X,  Up: Text and Markers

Text string format and escape sequences
=======================================

   Text strings that are drawn by the GNU `libplot' library and by
applications built on it, such as `graph', `plot', `pic2plot',
`tek2plot', and `plotfont', must consist of printable characters.
No embedded control characters, such as newlines or carriage returns,
are allowed.  Technically, a character is `printable' if it comes from
either of the two byte ranges 0x20...0x7e and 0xa0...0xff.  The former
is the printable ASCII range and the latter is the printable `8-bit'
range.

   Text strings may, however, include embedded `escape sequences' that
shift the font, append subscripts or superscripts, or include non-ASCII
characters and mathematical symbols.  As a consequence, the axis labels
on a plot prepared with `graph' may include such features.  So may the
text strings that `pic2plot' uses to label objects.

   The format of the escape sequences should look familiar to anyone
who is familiar with the TeX, `troff', or `groff' document formatters.
Each escape sequence consists of three characters: a backslash and two
additional characters.  The most frequently used escape sequences are
as follows.

"\sp"
     start superscript mode

"\ep"
     end superscript mode

"\sb"
     start subscript mode

"\eb"
     end subscript mode

"\mk"
     mark position

"\rt"
     return to marked position

For example, the string "x\sp2\ep" would be interpreted as `x squared'.
Subscripts on subscripts, etc., are allowed.  Subscripts and
superscripts may be vertically aligned by judicious use of the "\mk" and
"\rt" escape sequences.  For example, "a\mk\sbi\eb\rt\sp2\ep" produces
"a sub i squared", with the exponent `2' placed immediately above the
subscript.

   There are also escape sequences that switch from font to font within
a typeface.  For an enumeration of the fonts within each typeface, see
*Note Text Fonts::.  Suppose for example that the current font is
Times-Roman, which is font #1 in the `Times' typeface.  The string "A
\f2very\f1 well labeled axis" would be a string in which the word `very'
appears in Times-Italic rather than Times-Roman.  That is because
Times-Italic is the #2 font in the typeface.  Font-switching escape
sequences are of the form "\fN", where N is the number of the font to
be switched to.  For compatibility with `troff' and `groff', "\fR",
"\fI", "\fB" are equivalent to "\f1", "\f2", "\f3", respectively.
"\fP" will switch the font to the previously used font (only one font
is remembered).  There is currently no support for switching between
fonts in different typefaces.

   There are also a few escape sequences for horizontal shifts, which
are useful for improving horizontal alignment, such as when shifting
between italic and non-italic fonts.  "\r1", "\r2", "\r4", "\r6",
"\r8", and "\r^" are escape sequences that shift right by 1 em, 1/2 em,
1/4 em, 1/6 em, 1/8 em, and 1/12 em, respectively.  "\l1", "\l2",
"\l4", "\l6", "\l8", and "\l^" are similar, but shift left instead of
right.  "A \fIvery\r^\fP well labeled axis" would look slightly better
than "A \fIvery\fP well labeled axis".

   Square roots are handled with the aid of a special pair of escape
sequences, together with the "\mk" and "\rt" sequences discussed above.
A square root symbol is begun with "\sr", and continued arbitrarily far
to the right with the overbar (`run') escape sequence, "\rn".  For
example, the string "\sr\mk\rn\rn\rtab" would be plotted as `the square
root of ab'.  To adjust the length of the overbar, you may need to
experiment with the number of times "\rn" appears.

   To underline a string, you would use "\ul", the underline escape
sequence, one or more times.  The "\mk"..."\rt" trick would be employed
in the same way.  So, for example, "\mk\ul\ul\ul\rtabc" would yield an
underlined "abc".  To adjust the length of the underline, you may need
to experiment with the number of times "\ul" appears.  You may also
need to use one or more of the abovementioned horizontal shifts.
For example, if the "HersheySerif" font were used,
"\mk\ul\ul\l8\ul\rtabc" would yield a better underline than
"\mk\ul\ul\ul\rtabc".

   Besides the preceding escape sequences, there are also escape
sequences for the printable non-ASCII characters in each of the built-in
ISO-Latin-1 fonts (which means in every built-in font, except for the
symbol fonts, the HersheyCyrillic fonts, HersheyEUC, and ZapfDingbats).
The useful non-ASCII characters include accented characters among
others.  Such `8-bit' characters, in the 0xa0...0xff byte range, may be
included directly in a text string.  But if your terminal does not
permit this, you may use the escape sequences for them instead.

   There are escape sequences for the mathematical symbols and Greek
characters in the symbol fonts, as well.  This is how the symbol fonts
are usually accessed.  Which symbol font the mathematical symbols and
Greek characters are taken from depends on whether your current font is
a Hershey font or a non-Hershey font.  They are taken from the
HersheySerifSymbol font or the HersheySansSymbol font in the former
case, and from the Symbol font in the latter.

   The following are the escape sequences that provide access to the
non-ASCII characters of the current font, provided that it is an
ISO-Latin-1 font.  Each escape sequence is followed by the position of
the corresponding character in the ISO-Latin-1 encoding (in decimal),
and the official Postscript name of the character.  Most names should be
self-explanatory.  For example, `eacute' is a lower-case `e', equipped
with an acute accent.

"\r!"
     [161] exclamdown

"\ct"
     [162] cent

"\Po"
     [163] sterling

"\Cs"
     [164] currency

"\Ye"
     [165] yen

"\bb"
     [166] brokenbar

"\sc"
     [167] section

"\ad"
     [168] dieresis

"\co"
     [169] copyright

"\Of"
     [170] ordfeminine

"\Fo"
     [171] guillemotleft

"\no"
     [172] logicalnot

"\hy"
     [173] hyphen

"\rg"
     [174] registered

"\a-"
     [175] macron

"\de"
     [176] degree

"\+-"
     [177] plusminus

"\S2"
     [178] twosuperior

"\S3"
     [179] threesuperior

"\aa"
     [180] acute

"\*m"
     [181] mu

"\ps"
     [182] paragraph

"\md"
     [183] periodcentered

"\ac"
     [184] cedilla

"\S1"
     [185] onesuperior

"\Om"
     [186] ordmasculine

"\Fc"
     [187] guillemotright

"\14"
     [188] onequarter

"\12"
     [189] onehalf

"\34"
     [190] threequarters

"\r?"
     [191] questiondown

"\`A"
     [192] Agrave

"\'A"
     [193] Aacute

"\^A"
     [194] Acircumflex

"\~A"
     [195] Atilde

"\:A"
     [196] Adieresis

"\oA"
     [197] Aring

"\AE"
     [198] AE

"\,C"
     [199] Ccedilla

"\`E"
     [200] Egrave

"\'E"
     [201] Eacute

"\^E"
     [202] Ecircumflex

"\:E"
     [203] Edieresis

"\`I"
     [204] Igrave

"\'I"
     [205] Iacute

"\^I"
     [206] Icircumflex

"\:I"
     [207] Idieresis

"\-D"
     [208] Eth

"\~N"
     [209] Ntilde

"\'O"
     [210] Ograve

"\'O"
     [211] Oacute

"\^O"
     [212] Ocircumflex

"\~O"
     [213] Otilde

"\:O"
     [214] Odieresis

"\mu"
     [215] multiply

"\/O"
     [216] Oslash

"\`U"
     [217] Ugrave

"\'U"
     [218] Uacute

"\^U"
     [219] Ucircumflex

"\:U"
     [220] Udieresis

"\'Y"
     [221] Yacute

"\TP"
     [222] Thorn

"\ss"
     [223] germandbls

"\`a"
     [224] agrave

"\'a"
     [225] aacute

"\^a"
     [226] acircumflex

"\~a"
     [227] atilde

"\:a"
     [228] adieresis

"\oa"
     [229] aring

"\ae"
     [230] ae

"\,c"
     [231] ccedilla

"\`e"
     [232] egrave

"\'e"
     [233] eacute

"\^e"
     [234] ecircumflex

"\:e"
     [235] edieresis

"\`i"
     [236] igrave

"\'i"
     [237] iacute

"\^i"
     [238] icircumflex

"\:i"
     [239] idieresis

"\Sd"
     [240] eth

"\~n"
     [241] ntilde

"\`o"
     [242] ograve

"\'o"
     [243] oacute

"\^o"
     [244] ocircumflex

"\~o"
     [245] otilde

"\:o"
     [246] odieresis

"\di"
     [247] divide

"\/o"
     [248] oslash

"\`u"
     [249] ugrave

"\'u"
     [250] uacute

"\^u"
     [251] ucircumflex

"\:u"
     [252] udieresis

"\'y"
     [253] yacute

"\Tp"
     [254] thorn

"\:y"
     [255] ydieresis

   The following are the escape sequences that provide access to
mathematical symbols and Greek characters in the current symbol font,
whether HersheySerifSymbol or HersheySansSymbol (for Hershey fonts) or
Symbol (for Postscript fonts).  Each escape sequence is followed by the
position (in octal) of the corresponding character in the symbol
encoding, and the official Postscript name of the character.  Many
escape sequences and names should be self-explanatory.  "\*a" represents
a lower-case Greek alpha, for example.  For a table displaying each of
the characters below, see the `Postscript Language Reference Manual'.

"\fa"
     [0042] universal

"\te"
     [0044] existential

"\st"
     [0047] suchthat

"\**"
     [0052] asteriskmath

"\=~"
     [0100] congruent

"\*A"
     [0101] Alpha

"\*B"
     [0102] Beta

"\*X"
     [0103] Chi

"\*D"
     [0104] Delta

"\*E"
     [0105] Epsilon

"\*F"
     [0106] Phi

"\*G"
     [0107] Gamma

"\*Y"
     [0110] Eta

"\*I"
     [0111] Iota

"\+h"
     [0112] theta1

"\*K"
     [0113] Kappa

"\*L"
     [0114] Lambda

"\*M"
     [0115] Mu

"\*N"
     [0116] Nu

"\*O"
     [0117] Omicron

"\*P"
     [0120] Pi

"\*H"
     [0121] Theta

"\*R"
     [0122] Rho

"\*S"
     [0123] Sigma

"\*T"
     [0124] Tau

"\*U"
     [0125] Upsilon

"\ts"
     [0126] sigma1

"\*W"
     [0127] Omega

"\*C"
     [0130] Xi

"\*Q"
     [0131] Psi

"\*Z"
     [0132] Zeta

"\tf"
     [0134] therefore

"\pp"
     [0136] perpendicular

"\ul"
     [0137] underline

"\rx"
     [0140] radicalex

"\*a"
     [0141] alpha

"\*b"
     [0142] beta

"\*x"
     [0143] chi

"\*d"
     [0144] delta

"\*e"
     [0145] epsilon

"\*f"
     [0146] phi

"\*g"
     [0147] gamma

"\*y"
     [0150] eta

"\*i"
     [0151] iota

"\+f"
     [0152] phi1

"\*k"
     [0153] kappa

"\*l"
     [0154] lambda

"\*m"
     [0155] mu

"\*n"
     [0156] nu

"\*o"
     [0157] omicron

"\*p"
     [0160] pi

"\*h"
     [0161] theta

"\*r"
     [0162] rho

"\*s"
     [0163] sigma

"\*t"
     [0164] tau

"\*u"
     [0165] upsilon

"\+p"
     [0166] omega1

"\*w"
     [0167] omega

"\*c"
     [0170] xi

"\*q"
     [0171] psi

"\*z"
     [0172] zeta

"\ap"
     [0176] similar

"\+U"
     [0241] Upsilon1

"\fm"
     [0242] minute

"\<="
     [0243] lessequal

"\f/"
     [0244] fraction

"\if"
     [0245] infinity

"\Fn"
     [0246] florin

"\CL"
     [0247] club

"\DI"
     [0250] diamond

"\HE"
     [0251] heart

"\SP"
     [0252] spade

"\<>"
     [0253] arrowboth

"\<-"
     [0254] arrowleft

"\ua"
     [0255] arrowup

"\->"
     [0256] arrowright

"\da"
     [0257] arrowdown

"\de"
     [0260] degree

"\+-"
     [0261] plusminus

"\sd"
     [0262] second

"\>="
     [0263] greaterequal

"\mu"
     [0264] multiply

"\pt"
     [0265] proportional

"\pd"
     [0266] partialdiff

"\bu"
     [0267] bullet

"\di"
     [0270] divide

"\!="
     [0271] notequal

"\=="
     [0272] equivalence

"\~~"
     [0273] approxequal

"\.."
     [0274] ellipsis

NONE
     [0275] arrowvertex

"\an"
     [0276] arrowhorizex

"\CR"
     [0277] carriagereturn

"\Ah"
     [0300] aleph

"\Im"
     [0301] Ifraktur

"\Re"
     [0302] Rfraktur

"\wp"
     [0303] weierstrass

"\c*"
     [0304] circlemultiply

"\c+"
     [0305] circleplus

"\es"
     [0306] emptyset

"\ca"
     [0307] cap

"\cu"
     [0310] cup

"\SS"
     [0311] superset

"\ip"
     [0312] reflexsuperset

"\n<"
     [0313] notsubset

"\SB"
     [0314] subset

"\ib"
     [0315] reflexsubset

"\mo"
     [0316] element

"\nm"
     [0317] notelement

"\/_"
     [0320] angle

"\gr"
     [0321] nabla

"\rg"
     [0322] registerserif

"\co"
     [0323] copyrightserif

"\tm"
     [0324] trademarkserif

"\PR"
     [0325] product

"\sr"
     [0326] radical

"\md"
     [0327] dotmath

"\no"
     [0330] logicalnot

"\AN"
     [0331] logicaland

"\OR"
     [0332] logicalor

"\hA"
     [0333] arrowdblboth

"\lA"
     [0334] arrowdblleft

"\uA"
     [0335] arrowdblup

"\rA"
     [0336] arrowdblright

"\dA"
     [0337] arrowdbldown

"\lz"
     [0340] lozenge

"\la"
     [0341] angleleft

"\RG"
     [0342] registersans

"\CO"
     [0343] copyrightsans

"\TM"
     [0344] trademarksans

"\SU"
     [0345] summation

NONE
     [0346] parenlefttp

NONE
     [0347] parenleftex

NONE
     [0350] parenleftbt

"\lc"
     [0351] bracketlefttp

NONE
     [0352] bracketleftex

"\lf"
     [0353] bracketleftbt

"\lt"
     [0354] bracelefttp

"\lk"
     [0355] braceleftmid

"\lb"
     [0356] braceleftbt

"\bv"
     [0357] braceex

"\eu"
     [0360] euro

"\ra"
     [0361] angleright

"\is"
     [0362] integral

NONE
     [0363] integraltp

NONE
     [0364] integralex

NONE
     [0365] integralbt

NONE
     [0366] parenrighttp

NONE
     [0367] parenrightex

NONE
     [0370] parenrightbt

"\rc"
     [0371] bracketrighttp

NONE
     [0372] bracketrightex

"\rf"
     [0373] bracketrightbt

"\RT"
     [0374] bracerighttp

"\rk"
     [0375] bracerightmid

"\rb"
     [0376] bracerightbt

   Finally, there are escape sequences that apply only if the current
font is a Hershey font.  Most of these escape sequences provide access
to special symbols that belong to no font, and are accessible by no
other means.  These symbols are of two sorts: miscellaneous, and
astronomical or zodiacal.  The escape sequences for the miscellaneous
symbols are as follows.

"\dd"
     daggerdbl

"\dg"
     dagger

"\hb"
     hbar

"\li"
     lineintegral

"\IB"
     interbang

"\Lb"
     lambdabar

"\~-"
     modifiedcongruent

"\-+"
     minusplus

"\||"
     parallel

"\s-"
     [variant form of s]

The final escape sequence in the table above, "\s-", yields a letter
rather than a symbol.  It is provided because in some Hershey fonts,
the shape of the lower-case letter `s' differs if it is the last letter
in a word.  This is the case for HersheyGothicGerman.  The German word
"besonders", for example, should be written as "besonder\s-" if it is
to be rendered correctly in this font.  The same is true for the two
Hershey symbol fonts, with their Greek alphabets (in Greek text,
lower-case final `s' is different from lower-case non-final `s').
In Hershey fonts where there is no distinction between final and
non-final `s', "s" and "\s-" are equivalent.

   The escape sequences for the astronomical symbols, including the
signs for the twelve constellations of the zodiac, are listed in the
following table.  We stress that that like the preceding miscellaneous
escape sequences, they apply only if the current font is a Hershey font.

"\SO"
     sun

"\ME"
     mercury

"\VE"
     venus

"\EA"
     earth

"\MA"
     mars

"\JU"
     jupiter

"\SA"
     saturn

"\UR"
     uranus

"\NE"
     neptune

"\PL"
     pluto

"\LU"
     moon

"\CT"
     comet

"\ST"
     star

"\AS"
     ascendingnode

"\DE"
     descendingnode

"\AR"
     aries

"\TA"
     taurus

"\GE"
     gemini

"\CA"
     cancer

"\LE"
     leo

"\VI"
     virgo

"\LI"
     libra

"\SC"
     scorpio

"\SG"
     sagittarius

"\CP"
     capricornus

"\AQ"
     aquarius

"\PI"
     pisces

   The preceding miscellaneous and astronomical symbols are not the only
special non-font symbols that can be used if the current font is a
Hershey font.  The entire library of glyphs digitized by Allen Hershey
is built into GNU `libplot'.  So text strings may include any Hershey
glyph.  Each of the available Hershey glyphs is identified by a
four-digit number.  Standard Hershey glyph #1 would be specified as
"\#H0001".  The standard Hershey glyphs range from "\#H0001" to
"\#H3999", with a number of gaps.  Some additional glyphs designed by
others appear in the "\#H4000"..."\#H4194" range.  Syllabic Japanese
characters (Kana) are located in the "\#H4195"..."\#H4399" range.

   You may order a table of nearly all the Hershey glyphs in the
"\#H0001"..."\#H3999" range from the U.S. National Technical
Information Service, at +1 703 487 4650.  Ask for item number PB251845;
the current price is about US$40.  By way of example, the string

     "\#H0744\#H0745\#H0001\#H0002\#H0003\#H0869\#H0907\#H2330\#H2331"

when drawn will display a shamrock, a fleur-de-lys, cartographic (small)
letters A, B, C, a bell, a large circle, a treble clef, and a bass
clef.  Again, this assumes that the current font is a Hershey font.

   You may also use Japanese syllabic characters (Hiragana and Katakana)
and ideographic characters (Kanji) when drawing strings in any Hershey
font.  In all, 603 Kanji are available; these are the same Kanji that
are available in the HersheyEUC font.  The Japanese characters are
indexed according to the JIS X0208 standard for Japanese typography,
which represents each character by a two-byte sequence.  The file
`kanji.doc', which is distributed along with the GNU plotting
utilities, lists the available Kanji.  On most systems it is installed
in `/usr/share/libplot' or `/usr/local/share/libplot'.

   Each JIS X0208 character would be specified by an escape sequence
which expresses this two-byte sequence as four hexadecimal digits, such
as "\#J357e".  Both bytes must be in the `0x21'...`0x7e' range in order
to define a JIS X0208 character.  Kanji are located at "\#J3021" and
above.  Characters appearing elsewhere in the JIS X0208 encoding may be
accessed similarly.  For example, Hiragana and Katakana are located in
the "\#J2421"..."\#J257e" range, and Roman characters in the
"\#J2321"..."\#J237e" range.  The file `kana.doc', which is installed
in the same directory as `kanji.doc', lists the encodings of the
Hiragana and Katakana.  For more on the JIS X0208 standard, see Ken
Lunde's `Understanding Japanese Information Processing' (O'Reilly,
1993), and his on-line supplement (http://www.ora.com/people/authors/lunde/cjk_inf.html).

   The Kanji numbering used in A. N. Nelson's `Modern Reader's
Japanese-English Character Dictionary', a longtime standard, is also
supported.  (This dictionary is published by C. E. Tuttle and Co., with
ISBN 0-8048-0408-7.  A revised edition [ISBN 0-8048-2036-8] appeared in
1997, but uses a different numbering.)  `Nelson' escape sequences for
Kanji are similar to JIS X0208 escape sequences, but use four decimal
instead of four hexadecimal digits.  The file `kanji.doc' gives the
correspondence between the JIS numbering scheme and the Nelson
numbering scheme.  For example, "\#N0001" is equivalent to "\#J306c".
It also gives the positions of the available Kanji in the Unicode
encoding.

   All available Kanji have the same width, which is the same as that of
the syllabic Japanese characters (Hiragana and Katakana).  Each Kanji
that is not available will print as an `undefined character' glyph
(a bundle of horizontal lines).  The same is true for non-Kanji JIS
X0208 characters that are not available.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Marker Symbols,  Prev: Text String Format,  Up: Text and Markers

Available marker symbols
========================

   The GNU `libplot' library supports a standard set of marker symbols,
numbered 0...31.  A marker symbol is a visual representation of a
point.  The `libplot' marker symbols are the symbols that the `graph'
program will plot at each point of a dataset, if the `-S' option is
specified.

   Like a text string, a marker symbol has a font size.  In any output
format, a marker symbol is guaranteed to be visible if its font size is
sufficiently large.  Marker symbol #0 is an exception to this: by
convention, symbol #0 means no symbol at all.  Marker symbols in the
range 1...31 are defined as follows.

  1. dot

  2. plus (+)

  3. asterisk (*)

  4. circle

  5. cross

  6. square

  7. triangle

  8. diamond

  9. star

 10. inverted triangle

 11. starburst

 12. fancy plus

 13. fancy cross

 14. fancy square

 15. fancy diamond

 16. filled circle

 17. filled square

 18. filled triangle

 19. filled diamond

 20. filled inverted triangle

 21. filled fancy square

 22. filled fancy diamond

 23. half filled circle

 24. half filled square

 25. half filled triangle

 26. half filled diamond

 27. half filled inverted triangle

 28. half filled fancy square

 29. half filled fancy diamond

 30. octagon

 31. filled octagon

The interpretation of marker symbols 1 through 5 is the same as in the
well known Graphical Kernel System (GKS).

   By convention, symbols 32 and up are interpreted as characters in a
certain text font.  For `libplot', this is simply the current font.
But for the `graph' program, it is the symbol font selected with the
`--symbol-font-name' option.  By default, the symbol font is the
ZapfDingbats font except in `graph -T png', `graph -T pnm', `graph -T
gif', `graph -T pcl', `graph -T hpgl' and `graph -T tek'.  Those
variants of `graph' normally have no access to ZapfDingbats and other
Postscript fonts, so they use the HersheySerif font instead.

   Many of the characters in the ZapfDingbats font are suitable for use
as marker symbols.  For example, character #74 is the Texas star.  Doing

     echo 0 0 1 2 2 1 3 2 4 0 | graph -T ps -m 0 -S 74 0.1 > plot.ps

will produce a Postscript plot consisting of five data points, not
joined by line segments.  Each data point will be marked by a Texas
star, of a large font size (0.1 times the width of the plotting box).

   If you are using `graph -T pcl' or `graph -T hpgl' and wish to use
font characters as marker symbols, you should consider using the
Wingdings font, which is available when producing PCL 5 or HP-GL/2
output.  Doing

     echo 0 0 1 2 2 1 3 2 4 0 |
         graph -T pcl -m 0 --symbol-font Wingdings -S 181 0.1 > plot.pcl

will produce a PCL 5 plot that is similar to the preceding Postscript
plot.  The Wingdings font has the Texas star in location #181.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Color Names,  Next: Page and Viewport Sizes,  Prev: Text and Markers,  Up: Appendices

Specifying Colors by Name
*************************

   The GNU `libplot' library allows colors to be specified by the user.
It includes the `bgcolorname', `pencolorname', and `fillcolorname'
functions, each of which takes a color as an argument.

   The command-line graphics programs built on `libplot', namely
`graph', `plot', `pic2plot', `tek2plot', and `plotfont', allow colors
to be specified on the command line.  Each of them supports a
`--bg-color' option, and each of them, other than `graph', supports a
`--pen-color' option.  (`graph' supports a more complicated
`--pen-colors' option, and a `--frame-color' option.)

   In any of these contexts, a color may be specified precisely as a
hexadecimal string that gives by its 48-bit RGB representation.  For
example, "#c0c0c0" is a silvery gray, and "#ffffff" is white.  Also,
colors may be specified by name.  665 distinct names are recognized,
including familiar ones like "red", "green", and "blue", and obscure
ones like "dark magenta", "forest green", and "olive drab".  Color names
are case-insensitive, and spaces are ignored.  So, for example,
"RosyBrown" is equivalent to "rosy brown", and "DarkGoldenrod3" to "dark
goldenrod 3".

   The file `colors.txt', which is distributed along with the GNU
plotting utilities, lists the 665 recognized color names.  On most
systems it is installed in `/usr/share/libplot' or
`/usr/local/share/libplot'.  The names are essentially those recognized
by recent releases of the X Window System, which on most machines are
listed in the file `/usr/lib/X11/rgb.txt'.  However, for every color
name containing the string "gray", a version containing "grey" has been
included.  For example, both "dark slate gray 4" and "dark slate grey
4" are recognized color names.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Page and Viewport Sizes,  Next: Metafiles,  Prev: Color Names,  Up: Appendices

Page Sizes and Viewport Sizes
*****************************

   When producing output in such formats as Illustrator, Postscript,
PCL 5, HP-GL, and Fig, it is important to specify the size of the page
on which the output will be printed.  The GNU `libplot' library allows
the user to specify a `PAGESIZE' parameter, which can be used for this.
The command-line graphics programs `graph', `plot', `pic2plot',
`tek2plot', and `plotfont', which are built on `libplot', support a
`PAGESIZE' environment variable and a `--page-size' option.

   Graphics drawn by `libplot' are nominally drawn within a graphics
display, or `viewport'.  When producing such raster formats as PNG, PNM,
and pseudo-GIF, it will use a square or rectangular bitmap as its
viewport.  But when producing Illustrator, Postscript, PCL 5, HP-GL,
and Fig format, it will use a square or rectangular region on the page
as its viewport.  Except in the HP-GL case, the viewport will
by default be centered on the page.  Graphics will not be clipped to the
viewport, so the entire page will in principle be imageable.

   Either or both of the dimensions of the graphics display can be
specified explicitly.  For example, the page size could be specified as
"letter,xsize=4in", or "a4,xsize=10cm,ysize=15cm".  The dimensions of
the graphics display are allowed to be negative (a negative dimension
results in a reflection).  Inches, centimeters, and millimeters are the
supported units.

   It is also possible to position the graphics display precisely, by
specifying the location of its lower left corner relative to the lower
left corner of the page.  For example, the page size could be specified
not merely as "letter" or "a4", but as
"letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".
In all cases, the viewport position may be adjusted by specifying an
offset vector.  For example, the page size could be specified as
"letter,yoffset=1.2in", or "a4,xoffset=-5mm,yoffset=2.0cm".  The
viewport may also be rotated, by setting the `ROTATION' parameter or
environment variable, or (in the case of the graphics programs) by
using the `--rotation' option.  A rotated viewport does not change the
position of its four corners.  Rather, the graphics are rotated
within it.  If the viewport is rectangular rather than square, this
`rotation' necessarily includes a rescaling.

   Any ISO page size in the range "a0"..."a4" or ANSI page size in the
range "a"..."e" may be specified.  ("letter" is an alias for "a", which
is the default, and "tabloid" is an alias for "b").  "legal", "ledger",
and the JIS [Japanese Industrial Standard] size "b5" are recognized
also.  The following are the supported page sizes and the default
square viewport size that corresponds to each.

"a" (or "letter"; 8.5in by 11.0in)
     8.0in

"b" (or "tabloid"; 11.0in by 17.0in)
     10.0in

"c" (17.0in by 22.0in)
     16.0in

"d" (22.0in by 34.0in)
     20.0in

"e" (34.0in by 44.0in)
     32.0in

"legal" (8.5in by 14.0in)
     8.0in

"ledger" (17.0in by 11.0in)
     10.0in

"a4" (21.0cm by 29.7cm)
     19.81cm

"a3" (29.7cm by 42.0cm)
     27.18cm

"a2" (42.0cm by 59.4cm)
     39.62cm

"a1" (59.4cm by 84.1cm)
     56.90cm

"a0" (84.1cm by 118.9cm)
     81.79cm

"b5" (18.2cm by 25.7cm)
     16.94cm

   SVG format and WebCGM format have no notion of the Web page on which
the viewport will ultimately be positioned.  They do have a notion of
default viewport size, though this will normally be overridden when the
output file is placed on a Web page.  When producing SVG or WebCGM
output, this default viewport size is set by `PAGESIZE', or (in the
case of the graphics programs) the `--page-size' option.  The
"xorigin", "yorigin", "xoffset", and "yoffset" specifiers, if included,
are ignored.

   For a similar reason, the "xorigin" and "yorigin" specifiers are
ignored when producing HP-GL or HP-GL/2 output.  The lower left corner
of the viewport is positioned at the HP-GL `scaling point' P1, whose
location is device-dependent.  The "xoffset" and "yoffset" specifiers
are respected, however, and may be used to reposition the viewport.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Metafiles,  Next: Auxiliary Software,  Prev: Page and Viewport Sizes,  Up: Appendices

The Graphics Metafile Format
****************************

   A GNU graphics metafile is produced by any application that uses the
Metafile Plotter support contained in GNU `libplot'.  That includes the
raw variants of `graph', `plot', `pic2plot', `tek2plot', and
`plotfont'.  A metafile is a sort of audit trail, which specifies a
sequence of Plotter operations.  Each operation is represented by an
`op code': a single ASCII character.  The arguments of the operation,
if any, immediately follow the op code.

   A metafile may use either of two encodings: binary (the default) or
portable (human-readable).  Metafiles in the binary encoding begin with
the magic string "#PLOT 1\n", and metafiles in the portable encoding
with the magic string "#PLOT 2\n".  If you intend to transfer metafiles
between machines of different types, you should use the portable rather
than the binary encoding.  Portable metafiles are produced by Metafile
Plotters if the `META_PORTABLE' parameter is set to "yes", and by the
raw variants of GNU `graph' and the other command-line graphics
programs if the `-O' option is specified.  Both binary and portable
metafiles can be translated to other formats by GNU `plot'.  *Note
plot::.

   In the portable encoding, the arguments of each operation (integers,
floating point numbers, or strings) are printed in a human-readable
form, separated by spaces, and each argument list ends with a newline.
In the binary encoding, the arguments are represented as integers,
single precision floating point numbers, or newline-terminated ASCII
strings.  Using the newline character as a terminator is acceptable
because each Plotter operation includes a maximum of one string among
its arguments, and such a string may not include a newline.  Also, the
string must come last among the arguments.

   There are 97 Plotter operations in all.  The most important are
`openpl' and `closepl', which open and close a Plotter, i.e., begin and
end a page of graphics.  They are represented by the op codes
`o' and `x', respectively.  The `erase' operation, if present,
separates frames within a page.  On real-time display devices, it is
interpreted as a screen erasure.  It is represented by the op code `e'.

   Each of the 94 other Plotter operations has a corresponding op code,
with 12 exceptions.  These 12 exceptions are (1) the control operation
`flushpl', (2) the operations `havecap', `labelwidth', and
`flabelwidth', which merely return information, (3) the `color',
`colorname', `pencolorname', `fillcolorname', and `bgcolorname'
operations, which are internally mapped to `pencolor', `fillcolor', and
`bgcolor', (4) the `frotate', `fscale', and `ftranslate' operations,
which are internally mapped to `fconcat', and (5) the `ffontname'
operation, which in a metafile would be indistinguishable from
`fontname'.  So besides `o' and `x', there are 83 possible op codes,
for a total of 85.  The following table lists 10 of the op codes other
than `o' and `x', followed by the Plotter operation they stand for.

Op Code
     Operation

`a'
     `arc'

`c'
     `circle'

`e'
     `erase'

`f'
     `linemod'

`l'
     `line'

`m'
     `move'

`n'
     `cont'

`p'
     `point'

`s'
     `space'

`t'
     `label'

The full set of 85 op codes is listed in the `libplot' header file
`plot.h' and the `libplotter' header file `plotter.h', which are
distributed along with the plotting utilities.  On most systems they
are installed in `/usr/include' or `/usr/local/include'.

   The 10 op codes in the table above are actually the op codes of the
traditional `plot(5)' format produced by pre-GNU versions of `graph'
and `libplot'.  The use of these op codes make GNU metafile format
compatible with plot(5) format.  The absence of a magic string, and the
absence of the `o' and `x' op codes, makes it possible to distinguish
files in plot(5) format from GNU metafiles in the binary encoding.  GNU
`plot' can convert files in plot(5) format to GNU metafiles in either
the binary or the portable encoding.  *Note plot::.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Auxiliary Software,  Next: History and Acknowledgements,  Prev: Metafiles,  Up: Appendices

Obtaining Auxiliary Software
****************************

* Menu:

* idraw::       Obtaining the idraw drawing editor
* xfig::        Obtaining the xfig drawing editor


File: plotutils.info,  Node: idraw,  Next: xfig,  Prev: Auxiliary Software,  Up: Auxiliary Software

How to get `idraw'
==================

   The `idraw' utility mentioned several times in this documentation is
a freely distributable interactive drawing editor for the X Window
System.  It can display and edit the output of any application that
uses the Postscript Plotter support contained in GNU `libplot'.  That
includes `graph -T ps', `plot -T ps', `pic2plot -T ps', `tek2plot -T
ps', and `plotfont -T ps'.

   The current version of `idraw' is maintained by Vectaport, Inc., and
is available at their Web site (http://www.vectaport.com).  It is part
of the `ivtools' package, which is a framework for building custom
drawing editors.  `idraw' was originally part of the `InterViews'
package, developed by Stanford University and Silicon Graphics.  The
`InterViews' package is available at a distribution site (ftp://interviews.stanford.edu), but is no longer supported.  Retrieving the
`ivtools' package instead is recommended.

   Also available at Vectaport's Web site (http://www.vectaport.com) is
an enhanced version of `idraw' called `drawtool'.  `drawtool' can
import additional graphics in TIFF and PBM/PGM/PPM formats, besides the
X11 bitmaps that `idraw' can import.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: xfig,  Prev: idraw,  Up: Auxiliary Software

How to get `xfig'
=================

   The `xfig' utility mentioned several times in this documentation is
a freely distributable interactive drawing editor for the X Window
System.  It can display and edit the output of any application that
uses the Fig Plotter support contained in GNU `libplot'.  That includes
`graph -T fig', `plot -T fig', `pic2plot -T fig', `tek2plot -T fig',
and `plotfont -T fig'.

   The current version is available at
`ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/applications/drawing_tools/'.  It can import
additional graphics in GIF, X11 bitmap, and Postscript formats.
Accompanying the editor is a package called `transfig', which allows
`xfig' graphics to be exported in many formats.  GIF, X11 bitmap,
LaTeX, and Postscript formats are supported.

   There is a Web page on Fig format (http://duke.usask.ca/~macphed/soft/fig), which discusses application software that can interoperate with
`xfig'.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: History and Acknowledgements,  Next: Reporting Bugs,  Prev: Auxiliary Software,  Up: Appendices

History and Acknowledgements
****************************

   Several of the GNU plotting utilities were inspired by Unix plotting
utilities.  A `graph' utility and various plot filters were present in
the first releases of Unix from Bell Laboratories, going at least as
far back as the Version 4 distribution (1973).  The first supported
display device was a Tektronix 611 storage scope.  Most of the work on
tying the plot filters together and breaking out device-dependent
versions of `libplot' was performed by Lorinda Cherry <llc@research.att.com>.  By the time of Version 7 Unix (1979) and the subsequent
Berkeley releases, the package consisting of `graph', `plot', `spline',
and several device-dependent versions of `libplot' was a standard Unix
feature.  Supported devices by the early 1980's included Tektronix
storage scopes, early graphics terminals, 200dpi electrostatic
printer/plotters from Versatec and Varian, and pen plotters from
Hewlett-Packard.

   In 1989, Rich Murphey <rich@freebsd.org> wrote the first GNU
versions of `graph', `plot', and `spline', and the earliest
documentation.  Richard Stallman further directed development of the
programs and provided editorial support for the documentation.
John Interrante <interran@uluru.stanford.edu>, then of the InterViews
team at Stanford, generously provided the `idraw' Postscript prologue
now included in `libplot', and helpful comments.  The package as it
stood in 1991 was distributed under the name `GNU graphics'.

   In 1995 Robert S. Maier <rsm@math.arizona.edu> took over development
of the package, and designed and wrote the current, maximally
device-independent, standalone version of `libplot'.  He also rewrote
`graph' from scratch, turning it into a real-time filter that would use
the new library.  He fleshed out `spline' too, by adding support for
splines in tension, periodicity, and cubic Bessel interpolation.

   `libplot' now incorporates the X Window System code for filling
polygons and drawing wide polygonal lines and arcs.  The code is used
when producing output in bitmap formats (e.g., PNG, PNM, and
pseudo-GIF).  It was written by Brian Kelleher, Joel McCormack, Todd
Newman, Keith Packard, Robert Scheifler and Ken Whaley, who worked for
Digital Equipment Corp., MIT, and/or the X Consortium, and is copyright
(C) 1985-89 by the X Consortium.

   The pseudo-GIF support now in `libplot' uses the `miGIF' run-length
encoding routines developed by der Maus <mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca>
and ivo <ivo@hasc.com>, which are copyright (C) 1998 by
Hutchison Avenue Software Corporation (http://www.hasc.com).  The
copyright notice and permission notice for the miGIF routines are
distributed with the source code distribution of the plotting utilities.

   Most development work on `ode' was performed by Nick Tufillaro <nbt@reed.edu> in 1978-1994, on a sequence of platforms that extended back
to a PDP-11 running Version 4 Unix.  In 1997 Robert Maier modified his
1994 version to agree with GNU conventions on coding and command-line
parsing, extended it to support the full set of special functions
supported by `gnuplot', and extended the exception handling.

   Many other people aided the development of the plotting utilities
package along the way.  The Hershey vector fonts now in `libplot' are
of course based on the characters digitized in the mid to late 1960's
by Allen V. Hershey, who deserves a vote of thanks.  Additional
characters and/or marker symbols were taken from the SLAC Unified
Graphics System developed by Robert C. Beach in the mid-1970's, and
from the fonts designed by Thomas Wolff <wolff@inf.fu-berlin.de> for
Ghostscript.  The interpolation algorithms used in `spline' are based
on the algorithms of Alan K. Cline <cline@cs.utexas.edu>, as described
in his papers in the Apr. 1974 issue of `Communications of the ACM'.
The table-driven parser used in `tek2plot' was written at Berkeley in
the mid-1980's by Edward Moy <moy@parc.xerox.com>.  The `sagitta'
algorithm used in an extended form in `libplot' for drawing circular
and elliptic arcs was developed by Peter Karow of URW and
Ken Turkowski <turk@apple.com> of Apple.  Raymond Toy <toy@rtp.ericsson.se> helped with the tick mark spacing code in `graph' and was the
first to incorporate GNU `getopt'.  Arthur Smith, formerly of LASSP at
Cornell, provided code for his `xplot' utility.  Nelson Beebe <beebe@math.utah.edu> exhaustively tested the package installation process.

   Robert Maier wrote the documentation, which now incorporates Nick
Tufillaro's `ode' manual.  Julie Sussmann checked over the
documentation for style and clarity.


File: plotutils.info,  Node: Reporting Bugs,  Prev: History and Acknowledgements,  Up: Appendices

Reporting Bugs
**************

   Please report all bugs in the GNU plotting utilities to
<bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org>.  Be sure to say which version of the plotting
utilities package you have.  Each command-line program announces the
package version if you use the `--version' argument.

   If you installed the plotting utilities from scratch, be sure to say
what compiler (and compiler version) you used.  If your problems are
installation-related, be sure to give all relevant information.



Tag Table:
Node: Top1763
Node: Plotutils Intro2706
Node: graph13919
Node: Simple Examples14741
Node: Non-Square Plots29295
Node: Multiple Datasets34304
Node: Multiplotting39954
Node: Data Formats43572
Node: graph Invocation46288
Node: Plot Options48069
Node: Dataset Options69158
Node: Multiplot Options78845
Node: Raw graph Options80728
Node: Info Options81539
Node: graph Environment83125
Node: plot90838
Node: plot Examples91105
Node: plot Invocation94821
Node: plot Environment110919
Node: pic2plot118586
Node: pic2plot Introduction118883
Node: pic2plot Invocation125044
Node: pic2plot Environment138843
Node: tek2plot146587
Node: tek2plot Introduction146888
Node: tek2plot Invocation148594
Node: tek2plot Environment163855
Node: plotfont169975
Node: plotfont Examples170268
Node: plotfont Invocation174108
Node: plotfont Environment187278
Node: spline194255
Node: spline Examples194533
Node: Advanced Use of spline201663
Node: spline Invocation206169
Node: ode215681
Node: Basic Math217015
Node: Simple ode Examples219897
Node: Additional ode Examples229051
Node: ode Invocation236051
Node: Diagnostics240261
Node: Numerical Error244372
Node: Running Time256128
Node: Input Language257457
Node: ODE Bibliography265816
Node: libplot266740
Node: libplot Overview267331
Node: C Programming282538
Node: The C API283242
Node: Older C APIs287783
Node: C Compiling and Linking290792
Node: Sample C Drawings294120
Node: Paths and Subpaths305127
Node: Drawing on a Page311664
Node: Animated GIFs317470
Node: X Animations322271
Node: X Programming330697
Node: C++ Programming337402
Node: The Plotter Class337746
Node: C++ Compiling and Linking342103
Node: Sample C++ Drawings344441
Node: Functions346741
Node: Control Functions348652
Node: Drawing Functions357779
Node: Attribute Functions374786
Node: Mapping Functions399378
Node: Plotter Parameters403671
Node: Appendices425985
Node: Text and Markers426619
Node: Text Fonts427515
Node: Cyrillic and Japanese437475
Node: Text Fonts in X441730
Node: Text String Format445002
Node: Marker Symbols463989
Node: Color Names466915
Node: Page and Viewport Sizes468802
Node: Metafiles473025
Node: Auxiliary Software477181
Node: idraw477474
Node: xfig478760
Node: History and Acknowledgements479750
Node: Reporting Bugs484503

End Tag Table
