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4Subj:	plotpg.hlp
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13Subject:  plotpg.hlp
14To:       tjp@citdeimo
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16
17
18        Interactive Pgplot via                  [Version 2.1]   August 1989
19        Program PLOTPG from Ed Shaya
20
21                              PLOTPG USER'S GUIDE
22
23        This is a quick description of how to operate PLOTPG, a facility
24        which allows either interactive or command file operation of PGPLOT.
25        With this facility, you need not write a program to make simple
26        plots with PGPLOT.  The data you want plotted just need to be
27        in a file with any number of columns.   Within PLOTPG, you specify
28        the file with the command DATAFILE followed by the name
29        of the file and the number of columns in the file.
30        The program will read your data file in free format (not very good
31        with strings).
32        You specify which columns in the data file are to be used for x and y
33        in the upcoming plot via the  command XYCOLUMN.
34
35        To start the program, type:     $ plotpg
36
37        PLOTPG will prompt you for the 'Plotting Command File:';
38        the response 'terminal' will allow the session to be interactive,
39        otherwise you can respond with the filename of a command list.
40        The commands read in are recorded in the file 'plt.plt'.  Once
41        produced 'plt.plt' can be copied, edited, and then used as the command
42        file for similar plots.
43
44        Next the program requests the  'Graphics device/type: '.
45        The usual response, such as /tek (Tektronics graphics) or /ps
46        (Postscript for Laserwriters) will direct the output for this pgplot
47        run. Then you are asked how the page will be divided into sections.
48        The page can be divided into NX horizontal sections and NY verticle
49        sections.  For one plot per page, the response should be "1 1".
50
51        The command ENV will set up the axes.  The data is plotted
52        only when the command PLOT is given.  No more than 500 points
53        can be plotted at a time, but the command PLOT can be repeated.
54
55        The '%' sign is the comment character; any line beginning with '%'
56        is ignored.  Limited online help is available by typing:
57                'help any_command'.
58        A UNIX system command can be executed by starting the command line
59        with the '$' symbol.
60
61        The following are the commands that PLOTPG understands.  Each
62        command is followed by specified parameters.  The parameters may
63        be real, integer or strings.  No quotes are necessary for strings.
64        Be sure to give all required parameters for each command.
65
66        Refer to the PGPLOT manual for more information about the basic
67        operations.  If you wish more PGPLOT commands to be incorporated,
68        let me know and I can simply add them.
69                                                ED SHAYA    8/15/89
70
71        COMMANDS:
72        =========
73
74        For labeling and setting up coordinates:
75xlabel ANYSTRING                label for x-axis
76ylabel ANYSTRING                Label for y-axis.
77tlabel ANYSTRING                Label for top of plot.
78setc CHARACTER_SIZE             Character size [1.0].
79setlw LINE_WIDTH                Line thickness.
80setls LINE_STYLE                1-FULL,2-DASHED,3-DOTDASH,4-DOTTED, OR 5-FANCY
81setfont FONT_TYPE               1-NORMAL, 2-ROMAN, 3-ITALIC, 4-SCRIPT
82just                            Set just-parameter for pgenv to 1.
83axis  INTEGER                   Set axis-parameter for pgenv.
84env   XMIN XMAX YMIN YMAX       Set up axes with numerical labels.
85autoscale                       Switch on and off autoscale of axes:
86                                 with autoscale, axes are automatically set up
87                                        during plotting.
88label                           Put x,y and tlabels around axes.
89advance                         Advance to a new (sub)page.
90vstand                          Define viewport to be standard viewport.
91window X1 X2 Y1 Y2              Change the window in world coordinate space.
92box XOPT XTICK NXSUB YOPT YTICK NYSUB     Calls pgbox with standard options.
93vport XLEFT XRIGHT YBOT YTOP    Change viewport, specified in normalized device
94                                                coordinates.
95
96
97        The file with the data is specified so:
98datafile NAME_OF_FILE NUMBER_OF_COL
99xycolumn NX NY
100string                          Use if first column contains string names.
101nostring                        To turn off string flag.
102
103        Various ways of plotting the data:
104point POINT_SYMBOL         plot data as points.  All data with same symbol.
105points NCOL_POINT_SYMBOL   Plot data as points.  Symbol types in column
106                                NCOL_POINT_SYMBOL of datafile.
107line                       connect data with a line
108hist DATAMIN DATAMAX       histogram that bins for you
109bin CENTER (Logical)       histogram that you bin
110move X Y                   move without plotting
111draw X Y                   a simple straight line to X,Y
112
113        To add error bars:
114errx NERRX1 NERRX2 ERRXT
115erry NERRY1 NERRY2 ERRYT
116
117        To actually plot:
118plot NDATA_PTS    The datafile is read and the data is plotted.
119                  If you don't know how many data points there are just
120                  use 500 which is the largest number permitted.
121
122        Add legends and strings anywhere in the graph interactively:
123labels    You are then prompted for the text and the coordinates of the labels.
124
125rewind                  To rewind the datafile.
126
127skip NSKIP              To skip NSKIP lines.
128
129print                   To print out x, y data values before plotting.
130
131noprint                 To turn off printing of x,y data values.
132
133        Some odd-and-ends
134
135help COMMAND    Get online help for each command.
136
137text NCOLUMN To plot the values in a third column at the given x,y position.
138
139curse [X Y]             Obtain interactively the X,Y position on the plot.
140        X and Y are optional coordinates.  Move the cursors
141        with the arrows, then hit any key to get coordinates.
142
143repeat NUMBER_OF_TIMES   Repeats following commands multiple times.
144endrepeat                Ends section of commands to be repeated
145
146goto LABEL               Continue commands after LABEL:.  Be sure to add ':'.
147
148        Rotation of coordinate axes:
149rottheta ANGLE(radians)  Rotates viewer and axes counterclockwise around z-axis.
150rotphi  ANGLE(radians)   Rotates viewer and axes counterclockwise around x-axis.
151                        If both rotations are made rottheta is done first.
152
153xyzcolumn X_COLUMN Y_COLUMN Z_COLUMN    Needed for rotphi command only.
154
155polar NTHETA_COLUMN NR_COLUMN  Use polar coordinates: instead of xycolumn.
156
157        Use spherical coordinates:
158spherical NTHETA_COLUMN NPHI_COLUMN NR_COLUMN
159                                             instead of xycolumn.
160
161lwswitch         Turn off and on the setlw command. (when off, setlw = 1)
162
163        Connect a second point along the same radial direction with each
164        point (in spherical coordinates):
165pair SECOND_ND
166
167terminal                Return to interactive mode from a command file.
168
169commandfile [filename]  Return control to previous command file or name a new
170                                one.
171
172quit            When finished.
173