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S P L O T - The Pen Plotter Simulator V2.52
---------------------------------------------
Copyright (C) 1989-94 by Alexandr NOVY
All rights reserved.
U S E R ' S M A N U A L F O R MS-DOS V E R S I O N
----------------------------------------------------------
July 1994
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION............................................1
2. LICENSING, EVALUATION and REGISTRATION INFORMATION......3
3. THE SPLOT WORKING PRINCIPLES............................7
4. WORKING WITH THE PROGRAM................................7
4.1 ZOOMING.............................................8
4.2 LIST OF KEYS IN A SMALL VIEW........................9
4.3 LIST OF KEYS IN A LARGE VIEW.......................10
5. EXPORT.................................................12
6. OPTIONS................................................15
7. INSERTING TEXTS INTO PICTURES..........................23
8. VIDEO CONFIGURATION....................................26
9. PEN IDENTIFICATION.....................................28
10. NOTES.................................................29
- i -
1. INTRODUCTION
---------------
The SPLOT program is a highly effective tool intended for
simulating the pen plotter on the display of an IBM PC. The
SPLOT program is the very thing you need to make your work
with the plotter more effective. The SPLOT program will give
you a guarantee you will always draw on your plotter what you
really want. That is why it will save your nerves, your time,
your plotter, pens and paper, that means your money.
The SPLOT program can offer:
- active support of about 50 HP-GL instructions (according
to the type of your plotter).
- active support of 20 DXY-GL instructions (for ROLAND
plotters).
- possibility of exporting a picture to the printer and in
this way to obtain an output of a high quality. The SPLOT
program uses the best graphics resolutions available for
each printer that it supports and optionally uses data
packing to improve transfer speed. In this way the SPLOT
program will make a fast and excellent plotter of your
printer. It supports all usual types of printers including
color ones.
- exporting a picture to the HP-GL, HP-GL/2, DXY-GL,
PLOTCALL, DXF and PostScript formats.
- possibility of making picture cuts (the ZOOM function). In
this way you can scan, draw on the plotter or print only
the selected part of the picture.
- possibility of completing the picture with a text
including multilingual characters - in this way the SPLOT
program will teach your plotter German (Spanish, French,
etc.) easily and quickly without complicated switching
between character sets! The built-in HP-GL or DXY-GL
exports respectively, will make it possible. Due to these
exports it is also possible:
- to offer a highly optimized output for your plotter
(where each pen is grasped only once).
- to teach your plotter the advanced instructions you
would get only if you buy a more expensive plotter or
additional hardware (e.g., the SPLOT program can
simulate connecting an additional HP 17440A graphics
enhancement cartridge to the HP 7440A ColorPro plotter).
- 1 -
The SPLOT program can be used by:
- anybody who wants to work with his plotter in the WYSIWYG
style (What You See Is What You Get).
- anybody who wants to develop his own plotter program
applications. You can reach it with the SPLOT program
easily even if you do not own the plotter at all!
- anybody who wants to use his printer as a plotter
occasionally or constantly. In many cases using a printer
may be faster and moreover, this may be an alternative of a
high quality.
- anybody who wants to program a printer in graphics mode and
at a high level and who does not want to develop
complicated software which would enable it. In these cases
using the HP-GL language in connection with the SPLOT
program seems to be very advantageous for creating own
graphics outputs. The HP-GL language can be learned very
easily and in addition, it offers unexpected possibilities.
The SPLOT program is available in various versions
according to the type of simulated plotter. This means that
each SPLOT.EXE module is designated for a certain plotter
type. This principle gives the maximum reliability of
simulation of the given plotter type. At present versions for
the following plotter types are at your disposal:
Plotter type | Plotter syntax
------------------------------------------------------------
HP 7470A | HP-GL
HP 7475A | HP-GL
HP 7440A ColorPro | HP-GL
HP 7550A | HP-GL
HP 7570A/7575A/7576A DraftPro DXL/EXL | HP-GL
HP 7595A/7596A DraftMaster I/II | HP-GL
ROLAND DXY 1100/1200/1300 | DXY-GL / RD-GL I
ROLAND GRX 300/400 | RD-GL II
An UNREGISTERED COPY of the program is available only in
the version for the HP 7475A plotter. The versions for other
plotter types can be received only on the basis of regular
registration. See next chapter for licensing, evaluation and
registration information or see file LICENCE.DOC for details.
The SPLOT program is designated for using with IBM PC
computers and compatibles, and for the MS-DOS and PC-DOS
version 3.00 and higher ones (in the near future the
MS-WINDOWS version will be finished too). In the DOS version
graphics cards EGA or VGA are required. To run the program
comfortably it is recommended to use a Microsoft Mouse or a
compatible one.
- 2 -
2. LICENSING, EVALUATION and REGISTRATION INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------------
SPLOT is distributed as "Shareware" or "User Supported
Software" and is fully copyrighted. If you register the
program you will receive these benefits:
1) The latest version of SPLOT.
2) A printed user's manual.
3) A printed technical reference which describes
all plotter instructions supported by SPLOT.
4) An end to the nag screens and opening banners.
5) Deep discounts on the next major versions.
6) A collection of useful utilities:
- BPRINT.COM - prints binary files on a printer
on time background with many options.
- BPLOT.COM - plots files on a pen plotter on time
background with many options.
- CLPT.COM - redirects printer ports to a disk file.
- CPORT.COM - redirects serial ports to a disk file.
The single user registration fee for SPLOT is $70.00 US.
The multisystem site fee for SPLOT is $150.00. Users outside
of Europe should include an additional $5.00 for
international airmail.
Author can accept payment in these three ways:
1) In cash (money enclosed) - this is the most quick method,
but at your risk.
2) Credit card - MasterCard, VISA and American Express are
accepted. Please, fill out carefully the credit card
information in order form.
3) Bank or travelers cheque enclosed - please make a cheque
payable in US funds.
4) Author can send to you first an invoice with an account
number. Then you will receive the SPLOT program as soon
as your payment will be done to this account number.
Since the SPLOT program is always distributed in the version
adapted for a certain plotter type, do not forget to mention
the plotter type with which you want to use the SPLOT
program. A list of plotters you can choose from is given in
the first chapter or in the PLOTTERS.DOC file. In the
PLOTTERS.DOC file there are also given the parameters of
these plotters together with a list of supported
instructions. It makes possible to choose a suitable plotter
type even if your plotter is not listed (most plotters are
- 3 -
compatible with some plotter from the list). Of course, you
can order more SPLOT program versions for different plotter
types. In this case the single user registration fee for any
further version is $20.00 (+ $5.00 outside Europe) and the
multisystem site fee is $40.00 (+ $5.00 outside Europe). This
principle is also valid for an upgrade. If you have
registered at least one SPLOT program version at the full
price of $70.00 ($150.00), now and in the future only $20.00
($40.00) is to be paid for all other versions.
Special offer:
Registered users of the MS-Windows version of the SPLOT
program can order the MS-DOS version for $50.00 only
( $100.00 for the multisystem site licence ) (+ $5.00 outside
Europe). In this case fill out your serial number in order
form and mark it as `upgrade from Windows version'.
Note: The latest MS-Windows version of the SPLOT program is
available on all SIMTEL20 archives in <MSDOS.WINDOWS3>
directory as SPLTXXXW.ZIP file (recently SPLT220W.ZIP).
To register, please use the registration/order form supplied
with this package (as provided in the file ORDER.FRM).
Please send the completed form along with a payment to:
Alexandr Novy
Havlickova 2209
390 01 TABOR
Czech Republic
NOTE: Czech users of SPLOT should contact Czech distributor
PESKA & BRTNA Computer Service
Krakovska 2805
390 05 Tabor
Czech Republic
Tel./Fax 0042-361-42138
or
SOFTECH
P.O.B. 69
323 00 Plzen 23
Czech Republic
Tel./Fax 0042-19-226294
A special Czech language version of the package is
available from them as well.
- 4 -
EVALUATION AGREEMENT
SPLOT is not and has never been public domain software,
nor is it free software.
Non-licensed users are granted a limited license to use SPLOT
on a 14-day trial basis for the purpose of determining
whether SPLOT is suitable for their needs. The use of SPLOT,
except for the initial 14-day trial, requires registration.
The use of unlicensed copies of SPLOT by any person,business,
corporation or any other entity is strictly prohibited.
No one may modify or patch the SPLOT executable file in any
way, including but not limited to decompiling, disassembling,
or otherwise reverse engineering the program.
A limited license is granted to copy and distribute SPLOT
only for the trial use of others, subject to the above
limitations, and also the following:
1) SPLOT must be copied in unmodified form, complete
with the file containing this license information.
2) The full machine-readable SPLOT documentation must
be included with each copy.
3) SPLOT may not be distributed in conjunction with
any other product without a specific license to do
so from author.
4) No fee, charge, or other compensation may be
requested or accepted, except as authorized below:
a) Operators of electronic bulletin board systems
(sysops) may make SPLOT available for
downloading as long as the above conditions are
met. An overall or time-dependent charge for
the use of the bulletin board system is
permitted as long as there is not a specific
charge for the download of SPLOT.
b) Vendors of user-supported or shareware software
may distribute SPLOT after obtaining written
permission from author. Such permission is
usually granted. Vendors may charge a reasonable
disk duplication and handling fee.
- 5 -
LICENSING AGREEMENT
Licensed user are bound to the following licensing agreement.
You may not transfer your license without written permission
from author. A single user license permits a user to use
SPLOT only on a single computer at a time.
This product is distributed AS IS. The author specifically
disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including,
but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose with respect to defects in
the diskette and documentation, and program license granted
herein, in particular, without limiting operation of the
program license with respect to any use or purpose. In no
event shall the author be liable for any loss of profit or
damage including but not limited to special, incidental,
consequential or other damages.
By licensing SPLOT you agree to the above licensing agreement.
- 6 -
3. THE SPLOT WORKING PRINCIPLES
-------------------------------
The plotter simulation consists in interpreting plotter
instructions contained in a disk file. The SPLOT program
reads these instructions from the file and plots them on the
screen of the computer in the same way as the plotter would
do on paper. The file is plotted in the window which
represents the plotting paper of the plotter. The boundaries
of this window normally correspond to the hard clip limits of
the plotter (i. e., to the physical limits in which a plotter
pen can move for the selected paper size). If the ZOOM
function is used, the chosen plotting area is displayed in
this window.
4. WORKING WITH THE PROGRAM
---------------------------
The SPLOT program can be operated using the keyboard or a
mouse. From the keyboard the program is operated by pressing
the keys the list of which is given in chapters 4.2 and 4.3.
If you have a mouse installed, its cursor will appear on the
screen. The shape of the cursor is a cross which appears in
the plotting area (paper) (see chapter 4.1), outside this
area it is a rectangle of one letter size. The function of
this cursor is to choose, activate and change items displayed
visually. You can make a choice by moving the cursor on the
selected item and by pressing any button of the mouse. At
this moment a tick off character appears on the cursor and
only after releasing the pressed button the action associated
with the selected item is realized. If you choose from more
items in the menu (e.g., choosing a file to be plotted), you
have to make a double click since the first pressing serves
to highlighting an item.
The program can perform plotting the chosen file on one of
two pages, they are called "a small view" and "a large view"
here.
A small view is used for setting the chosen parameters and
selecting the file to be plotted. The file can be also
plotted in a small area.
The choice of the file to be plotted can be made either by
entering its name or by choosing it from the menu. In this
menu there are all the files of the given directory with the
extension T displayed and there are also all the
subdirectories the contents of which can be displayed simply
by choosing a subdirectory from the menu. Any file group can
be displayed also by means of the wildcards * and ? (e.g.,
'*.*' will display all the files in the given directory). As
soon as the file to be plotted is chosen, its plotting starts
- 7 -
on the page that is set up by the F1 key (A SMALL VIEW or
A LARGE VIEW).
Plotting the file can be stopped by pressing the keys F1,
Esc, Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break at any time. If the plotting was
performed in a large view, after finishing plotting you will
stay on the page of a large view.
Returning from the large view page can be performed by the
F1 key.
4.1 ZOOMING
-----------
With the cursor run by the mouse or the keyboard resp., you
can make and enlarge the chosen cuts of the plotted area. The
control of the cursor is realized by the mouse control or by
pressing the appropriate keyboard keys.
There are two possible zoom modes named SLACK and EXACT.
In the SLACK mode the aspect ratio of the displayed cut is
identical to the aspect ratio of the original plotting area
regardless of the aspect ratio of the selected cut. To ensure
proportional aspect ratio of the displayed cut in the SLACK
mode the size of the displayed cut area is usually larger
than the size of the selected cut area.
In the EXACT mode the aspect ratio of the displayed cut is
exactly identical to the aspect ratio of the selected cut.
To ensure proportional aspect ratio of the displayed cut in
the EXACT mode the screen plotting area is usually reduced.
You can set the default zoom mode in the OPTIONS menu (see
chapter 6). However you can apply the opposite mode without
this setting (see below).
The movement of the cross cursor in the plotting area is
realized by the mouse movement or by pressing the Ctrl+arrow
keys (or plain arrow keys in large view). By pressing any
mouse button or the Ins(ert) key when the cross cursor is in
the plotting area you define first corner of the zooming box.
The next mouse movement or the pressing of the arrow (or
Ctrl+arrow) keys expands and contracts the zooming box around
the area you desire to expand. If the Scroll Lock is switched
on or the Shift key is pressed, or if you press the left
mouse button with the right mouse button simultaneously, the
box moves as a whole. By pressing the right mouse button or
by pressing the Enter key you can start zooming. Starting
zooming with the Ctrl key depressed selects the opposite zoom
mode to the default (i.e., when the default zoom mode is
SLACK (EXACT), you must press Ctrl+right mouse button or
Ctrl+Enter key to perform zooming in EXACT (SLACK) mode). The
left button or the Esc key or the Ins(ert) key cancels the
- 8 -
box cursor mode and you get back to the mode of the simple
movement of the cross cursor.
To expand the picture into the original size press the Tab
key or press both the mouse buttons simultaneously in the
cross cursor mode.
If you have a three button mouse with appropriate driver,
pressing the middle mouse button is equivalent to pressing
the right and left buttons simultaneously.
Note that in the small view the Enter and arrow keys
normally serve for control of the file menu and the edit
line. However in the mode of defining the zooming box they
serve for this operation.
4.2 LIST OF KEYS IN A SMALL VIEW
---------------------------------
F1 - It selects "A SMALL VIEW" or "A LARGE VIEW" for plotting
the file.
F2 - The choice of a disk.
F3 - It replots the selected file in the given picture box.
F4 - The choice of parameters. In the menu initiated by this
key it is possible to set various program parameters
concerning also exporting a picture to the supported
formats. See chapter 6 for more details.
F5 - It changes the paper size according to the plotter type
and the selected paper norm.
Alt_F5 - It switches among the paper norms (ISO,ANSI,ARCH)
defining the paper size according to the plotter type.
Ctrl_F5, Alt_E - It switches the EXPAND mode on and off (on
condition it is supported for the given plotter type).
F6 - In the ROLAND plotter version it switches between RD-GL
and DXY-GL command mode (Note: the RD-GL syntax
corresponds with the HP-GL syntax). In some versions it
makes a choice of the plotter type (e.g. in the HP
DraftPro version it switches among the types
7570A/7575A/7576A). In the version for HP 7440A ColorPro
it switches on or off the simulation of the HP 17440A
graphics enhancement cartridge.
Alt_F6,Alt_U - In the ROLAND plotter version in DXY-GL mode
it changes the plotter unit size from 0.1 mm to 0.025
mm. In RD-GL mode or HP-GL mode the plotter unit size
- 9 -
is always 0.025 mm.
Alt_F7, Alt_F - In the ROLAND plotter version the choice of
an initial font (the font set up after switching on the
plotter or after its initialization).
F7 - It switches on or off a multilingual TEXT filter in the
LB command of HP-GL mode (or in the P command of DXY-GL
mode of the ROLAND plotter). See chapter 7 for more
detailed information.
F8 - It activates the export of the displayed part of the
HP-GL or DXY-GL file to alternative formats (including
printing). See chapter 5 for more details.
F9 - It switches on or off the tracing of the individual
plotter commands during plotting the file. It is valid
only for "A LARGE VIEW". First every command is
executed, then it is displayed in the information
window. The next command is executed after pressing
Enter or F7. In this mode the S key or the F8 key
switches on and off automatic tracing.
F10 - It stops the program. The program can be stopped by
using the F10 key practically at any moment.
Alt_1 - Alt_0 - The identification of pens. See chapter 9 for
more details.
Alt_P - The information about assigning colors to pens.
Alt_S - It saves the selected palette of colors assigned to
individual pens to be registered in the setup file.
Alt_R - It restores the original palette unless the saving of
the palette has been already done.
Alt_I - The initialization of graphics mode (it can be used,
e.g., if the screen graphics mode is damaged - possibly
by a popup resident program).
Alt_V -
Alt_F10 - Video configuration. More details in chapter 8.
4.3 LIST OF KEYS IN A LARGE VIEW
---------------------------------
F3, F4, F8, F9, F10,
Alt_F10, Alt_V
Alt_P, Alt_S, Alt_R, Alt_I - See "A SMALL VIEW".
F1 - The return to the page of "A SMALL VIEW".
- 10 -
F2 - Opens a file selection dialog. Pressing F2 in this
dialog opens a drive selection dialog.
1 - 0
Alt_1 - Alt_0 - See the identification of pens (chapter 9).
F5 - Inserting a text into the picture and the manipulation
with it (see chapter 7 for more detailed information).
Page_Up, Page_Dn - It switches between informative pages. On
the first page there is the size of a plotted
picture box expressed in mm units. On the second
page there is the position in the plotted file and
the position of the cursor in the plotting area
expressed in plotter units. On both the pages there
are the most important parameters describing the
state of the plotter.
- 11 -
5. EXPORT
---------
The SPLOT program enables to export a plotted picture to
the following formats:
- HP-GL
- HP-GL/2
- DXY-GL (ROLAND)
- PLOTCALL
- DXF (AutoCAD)
- POSTSCRIPT (color)
-----------------
- IBM Graphics (IBM 9 pin printer)
- IBM X24 (IBM 24 pin printer)
- EPSON LX
- EPSON EX/FX (color)
- EPSON LQ (color)
- NEC 24 pin (color)
- HP LaserJet
- HP DeskJet (color)
- HP PaintJet (color)
- HP QuietJet
- HP ThinkJet (HP mode)
The HP-GL format executes the export of a plotted picture
to the HP-GL plotter. It can be employed, for example, for
plotting a picture cut on the plotter, for the output of a
multilingual text on the plotter (see chapter 7), or in case
your plotter does not support all the HP-GL commands
supported by the SPLOT program. The last case is
characteristic especially of the situation you own the HP
ColorPro 7440A plotter and you have not the additional
graphics enhancement cartridge HP 17440A.
The HP-GL/2 format can be used for exporting a picture to
any HP-GL/2 device. It may be a pen, ink-jet or electrostatic
plotter as well as a printer of any type. The HP-GL/2 is the
standardized next generation of the HP-GL ( Hewlett-Packard
Graphics Language ).
The DXY-GL format realizes the export of a picture to the
DXY plotter (usually the ROLAND plotter).
The PLOTCALL format is used in the GoldenSoftware's PLOT
program which supports a wide range of peripheral devices
(printers, plotters).
The DXF format converts a picture to a form applicable by
the AutoCAD program. From AutoCAD you can read this DXF file
via the DXFIN command. The exported picture is written in the
form of LINES where each pen of the plotter has its own
LAYER. Pen 1 has a layer with the name PEN1, pen 2 has a
layer with the name PEN2, etc.
- 12 -
The PostScript format can be used by any peripheral device
which has implemented PostScript interpreter (such as
PostScript printer).
The function of the other formats is to export a picture to
the corresponding peripheral devices - printers. The (color)
word indicates a possibility of color printing for the
appropriate format. Naturally, all formats can be used on all
printers compatible with these ones.
The picture can be exported either to the disk file or
directly to the corresponding peripheral device (a plotter, a
printer). If your peripheral device is connected to the
parallel interface, use PRN or LPT1 resp., LPT2, etc. as the
output file. If it is connected to the serial interface, use
COM1 or COM2 respectively. Set the parameters of the
corresponding serial interface by the DOS MODE command with
the parameter "p" beforehand, like this:
MODE COM1:9600,,,,p
If you export a picture to a disk file, which is less
time-consuming, you can use the enclosed programs BPLOT or
BPRINT resp., for exporting this file to the corresponding
peripheral device (in the registered version only). These
programs perform exporting files to the chosen serial or
parallel interface, on the time background. Please, realize
that it is not possible to use the DOS PRINT command for
exporting binary files (the files containing graphics data)
to the printer.
The export of the picture is started with the F8 key. In the
EXPORT menu you can specify:
- an exporting format,
- the size of the resultant picture,
- resolution (the size of a plotter unit) - in the case of
the DXY-GL export only,
- print density - if exporting to the printer,
- the output file name.
You can choose from the following export sizes:
- ZOOM size,
- ORIGINAL size,
- A3, A4 or A5 size,
- USER size.
The ZOOM size is offered only if a zoom cut is exported. It
is exactly identical to the original size of the displayed
cut (1:1 scaling). When the HP-GL or DXY-GL export is
performed it is possible to keep the original position of
the selected cut (note that the optional left and bottom
margins are added to this position too - for specifying
the left and bottom margins see chapter 6). This way you
can make an HP-GL or DXY-GL picture which contains more
- 13 -
selected cuts positioned as on original picture.
The ORIGINAL size is the whole size of the selected plotter
paper size (as defined by the F5, Alt_F5 or Ctrl_F5 keys). If
you use this size for exporting the original (non-zoomed)
image, you ensure the 1:1 scale for that export.
The A3, A4 and A5 sizes are the predefined sizes.
To ensure proportional aspect ratio of the resultant
picture for ORIGINAL, A3, A4 and A5 sizes, only the one side
from selected size is used. This determinant side is
displayed in bright color. The other side is counted so that
the resultant picture would be proportional. By default the
choice of the determinant side is performed so that the
resultant size lies entirely within the selected size. You
can override this by selecting the other determinant side. To
do this click on the non-bright side item or press the Tab
key.
The USER size serves for setting of the user defined size.
If you set your own size of the output format, you have to
give only the size of the one side , the other side is
counted automatically so that the resultant picture would be
proportional. Use the Tab key or mouse control to switch to
the editing of the desired side.
The size is given in cm units or inch units according to
the choice from the OPTIONS menu (see chapter 6). The DXF
format is an exception - here the output size is understood
in units to be defined in AutoCAD.
The chosen size corresponds with the real size of the
resultant picture realized by exporting. It is necessary to
consider it as the maximum limits into which a picture seen
in the program plotting area can be transformed
proportionally. Therefore, for example, if you choose A4 size
paper as the output size for printing and if you have a
printer of the same size, you will reach a satisfactory
result only if you choose the LANDSCAPE orientation. For the
PORTRAIT orientation it is necessary to choose the maximum A5
size for the output so that the resultant picture could be
positioned on A4 size paper.
The other parameters influencing the look of the resultant
picture can be set in the menu activated by F4 key (see
chapter 6).
- 14 -
6. OPTIONS
----------
With the menu activated by the F4 key it is possible to set:
1. DEFAULT EXTENSIONS - this item sets default extensions
of the following file types:
1.1 PLOT FILES - the files given in the menu of files from
which the files for plotting are selected. For
example, if this extension is PLT, the displaying of
all the files with the PLT extension will be
standard. If this extension is *, the displaying of
all the files will be standard.
1.2 HP-GL EXPORT -
1.3 HP-GL/2 EXPORT -
1.4 DXY-GL EXPORT -
1.5 PLOTCALL EXPORT -
1.6 DXF EXPORT -
1.7 POSTSCRIPT EXPORT - sets standard extensions of the
output files according to the type of export. The
name of the output file is composed of the base part
derived from the name of the exported file + this
standard extension. However, the file name of the
output file can be changed before the beginning of
any export.
1.8 PRINT - sets standard extensions of the output files
during exporting a picture designated for the
printer.
1.9 TEXT - sets the standard extension of the output file
determined for storing texts on the disk.
2. SORT ORDER FOR FILES - the choice of order in which files
are displayed. The sorting can be done by the NAME,
EXTENSION or SIZE.
3. BACKGROUND - switches between NORMAL and BRIGHT intensity
of background white color of plotting area (paper)
(in color modes only).
4. VIDEO SETUP - more detailed information in chapter 8.
5. SOUND - switches on and off sound signals.
6. DEFAULT ZOOM - sets the default zoom mode as SLACK or
EXACT (see chapter 4.1 for details).
7. PEN WIDTHS - this menu item enables you to manage
a variable pen widths feature provided by the SPLOT
program:
7.1 SET PEN WIDTHS - It determines the line width for
individual pens. By default the line width is
determined by the PT (pen thickness) instruction.
The line width is controlled by the HP-GL
instructions and will vary according to value
- 15 -
issued in PT instruction. However note that each
SP (select pen) instruction resets the PT to its
default value (mostly 0.3 mm).
The other way is to set the line width to fixed user
defined value. Unlike the other measurement values
the line width is expressed in millimeters (mm).
7.2 USE ON SCREEN - Check this option if you want to use
variable pen widths for screen drawing.
7.3 USE ON PRINTER - Check this option if you want to use
variable pen widths for printing and for HP-GL/2 and
PostScript exporting (the variable pen widths are not
supported for HP-GL, DXY-GL, PLOTCALL and AutoCAD
exports).
7.4 ON PRINTER - Select here a mode for use of the pen
widths when printing. It can be:
Absolute - a real printed line width will be
absolutely equal to the specified pen
width.
Relative - a real printed line width will be computed
from the specified pen width relatively to
the original plotter page size (or its
printed cut).
Only checking of the relative mode can ensure
printing in the WYSIWYG style. However by checking
the absolute mode along with PT width type for all
pens you get a native plotter simulation.
Note that on screen the pen widths are always
displayed in relative mode.
7.5 ZOOM PEN WIDTHS - Check this option if you want to
enlarge the pen widths along with enlarging an image
cut (see the ZOOMING section).
8. TEMPORARY PATH - this menu item sets the directory in
which the SPLOT program will create its auxiliary
files in some types of picture exporting. If the
picture exporting stops with an error message
"DISK FULL", it means, that there is not sufficient
disk space for the created output or auxiliary file.
In the latter case you can try to set the temporary
directory to another disk. You can choose from three
possibilities:
8.1 The directory defined by the environment variable TMP
by means of the DOS SET command (e.g., SET TMP=D:\).
8.2 The directory defined by the environment variable TEMP.
8.3 A current work directory i.e., the directory given on
the information board of the program in "a small
view".
9. USED UNITS - it defines units used for setting the size
and distances during picture exporting. The units may
be given in cm (centimeters) or inch (inches).
- 16 -
A. EDIT USER COLORS - sets the RGB values of the user colors.
They can be used in the PEN --> COLOR assignments for
PostScript and HP-GL/2 exports. The RGB values are
expressed in percents.
B. Parameters for the HP-GL EXPORT :
B.1 PEN --> PEN - by means of this item it is possible to
assign each pen on the input a pen on the output.
Thus it is possible, for example, to convert the
picture that uses more pens to a single colored one,
or it is possible to exclude using some pen (if you
assign PEN 0 as the output pen to it).
B.2 PEN OPTIMIZATION - if ON, the number of the grasping of
pens when the picture is exported will be optimized.
This means that when the resultant picture is being
drawn, each pen is grasped only once.
B.3 PEN ORDER - specifies the sequence of pens according to
which the optimized picture will be drawn.
B.4 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - every HP-GL command is given on a separate
line and it is ended with a character ";".
* PACKED - all the HP-GL commands follow closely one
after another without any separators. The
number of uses of PU and PD instructions is
minimized.
B.5 ORIGIN IN CENTER - Activate this parameter only if the
resultant HP-GL file is designated for the plotter in
which the origin of the coordinate system is situated
in the center of the plotting area (it is usual with
large paper size plotters, e.g. HP DraftPro or HP
DraftMaster).
B.6 LEFT MARGIN - specifies the offset of the exported
picture from the left margin - it is on the X axis -
it can also be a negative number.
B.7 BOTTOM MARGIN - specifies the offset of the exported
picture from the bottom margin - it is on the Y axis
- it can also be a negative number.
B.8 90 DEGREES ROTATION - It determines the orientation of
an exported picture. The 90 degrees rotation is
forced by the RO90 instruction.
B.9 PG AT END - specifies if the PG (Page Feed) instruction
will be attached to the end of the output file.
C. Parameters for the HP-GL/2 EXPORT :
C.1 DEVICE TYPE - select here to which HP-GL/2 device type
you will export. It can be:
* PEN PLOTTER
* MONOCHROME (B&W) RASTER DEVICE (e.g. electrostatic
plotter, laser printer etc.)
* COLOR RASTER DEVICE (e.g. color ink-jet plotter or
printer etc.)
C.2 DUAL CONTEXT DEVICE - for raster devices it determines
if the device supports along with HP-GL/2 the
Hewlett-Packard's printer command language (PCL).
- 17 -
Check your printer/plotter documentation to see
whether or not your device supports this extension.
C.3 PEN --> PEN - see the HP-GL export.
Valid for PEN PLOTTER device type only.
C.3 PEN --> COLOR - It assigns the output colors to
individual pens for the RASTER COLOR device type.
C.3 PEN --> SHADE - It assigns the output shades to
individual pens for the RASTER B&W device type.
The shades are expressed in percents. The value of 0%
represents black pen, the value of 100% represents
white pen and other values represent corresponding
gray levels.
C.4 PEN OPTIMIZATION - see the HP-GL export.
Valid for PEN PLOTTER device type only.
C.5 PEN ORDER - see the HP-GL export.
Valid for PEN PLOTTER device type only.
C.6 OUTPUT FORMAT - see the HP-GL export.
C.7 LEFT MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
C.8 BOTTOM MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
C.9 90 DEGREES ROTATION - see the HP-GL export.
C.A USE PS INSTRUCTION - switches on or off using of the
PS (plot size) instruction in the HP-GL/2 output.
Allowing the use of PS instruction is especially
useful with plotters drawing on rollfeed media to
avoid paper waste when drawing a small size plot.
However using PS instruction on a dual context device
can scale the resultant picture by the picture frame
scaling factor (that is the ratio of the PCL picture
frame size to the HP-GL/2 plot size).
C.B PLOT FRAME ADVANCE - Set this option to VERTICAL if
your plotter frame advance is parallel with the
longer side of paper. Set this option to HORIZONTAL
if your plotter frame advance is parallel with the
shorter side of paper.
C.C ENABLE CUTTER - enables or disables the automatic
cutter function of your HP-GL/2 plotter. If the
cutter is enabled, cutting is done after exporting.
Note: Not all devices have an automatic cutter.
Rollfeed devices that do not have a cutter may draw a
line where the paper should be cut.
C.D MEDIA TYPE - selects the type of media loaded in your
HP-GL/2 device. Your device uses this information to
change resolution, drop volume, alter plot/print
speed, change from bidirectional printing to
unidirectional printing etc. according to its
plotting or printing technology, quality level
setting, internal knowledge of the pen type and any
control-panel setups.
C.E QUALITY LEVEL - specifies the quality level of your
output from 0 (draft quality) to 100 (presentation or
final quality). On raster devices it can optimize
a toner usage when final quality is not necessary.
For a pen plotter, quality level is primarily a speed
control. The pen speed set by the plotter's control
- 18 -
panel is the maximum speed which corresponds to
quality level of 0. If the pen speed is not set, the
plotter determines the maximum speed based on its
knowledge of media type and pen type. Minimum speed
(corresponding to quality level of 100) is linearly
interpolated between the media and pen types.
Note: The default quality level in the SPLOT program
is 0 (maximum speed) for pen plotters and 100 for
raster devices.
D. Parameters for the DXY-GL EXPORT:
D.1 PEN --> PEN - see the HP-GL export.
D.2 PEN OPTIMIZATION - see the HP-GL export.
D.3 PEN ORDER - see the HP-GL export.
D.4 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - every DXY-GL command is given on a separate
line.
* PACKED - all the DXY-GL commands follow closely one
after another without any separators. The
number of uses of M and D instructions is
minimized.
D.5 ORIGIN IN CENTER - activate this parameter only if the
resultant DXY-GL file is designated for the plotter
whose origin of the originate system is situated in
the center of the plotting area.
D.6 LEFT MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
D.7 BOTTOM MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
E. Parameters for the PLOTCALL EXPORT:
E.1 NUMBER OF DECIMAL DIGITS - It determines the number of
figures written after the decimal point at the
numbers on the output.
E.2 PEN --> PEN - see the HP-GL export.
E.3 LEFT MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
E.4 BOTTOM MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
F. Parameters for the DXF EXPORT:
F.1 NUMBER OF DECIMAL DIGITS - see the PLOTCALL export.
F.2 PEN --> PEN - see the HP-GL export.
F.3 LEFT MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
F.4 BOTTOM MARGIN - see the HP-GL export.
G. Parameters for the POSTSCRIPT EXPORT:
G.1 PEN --> COLOR - It assigns the output colors to
individual pens for the color PostScript export.
G.2 PEN --> SHADE - It assigns the output shades to
individual pens for the black & white PostScript
export. The shades are expressed in percents. The
value of 0% represents black pen, the value of 100%
represents white pen and other values represent
corresponding gray levels.
G.3 LEFT MARGIN - specifies the offset of the exported
picture from the left margin - it is on the X axis -
it can also be a negative number.
- 19 -
G.4 BOTTOM/TOP MARGIN - specifies the offset of the
exported picture from the bottom margin (when the 90
degrees rotation is suppressed) or from the top
margin (when the 90 degrees rotation is demanded) -
it is on the Y axis - it can also be a negative
number.
G.5 90 DEGREES ROTATION - It determines the orientation of
an exported picture.
H. ALL PRINTERS - It sets up various parameters valid for
printing on all kinds of printers:
H.1 ORIENTATION - It determines the orientation of a
printed picture on the paper. It may be either the
LANDSCAPE orientation (breadthwise) or the PORTRAIT
orientation (heightwise).
H.2 FRAME - It determines if a printed picture is to be
situated in the frame limiting the plotted area.
H.3 PEN FOR A FRAME - It determines the number of the pen
with which the frame will be drawn. Its function is
important for color printers, where the color of the
frame is determined by assigning PEN --> COLOR. The
frame is drawn always with a thin line regardless of
the current pen widths settings.
H.4 PAGE BREAK AT END - specifies if the page break (form
feed) command will be attached to the end of the
output file.
H.5 LEFT MARGIN - specifies the distance from the left stop
of the printhead to the start printing position
independently of the orientation.
H.6 TOP MARGIN - specifies the size of shift of the printer
platen before starting printing independently of the
orientation.
The LEFT MARGIN and TOP MARGIN parameters enable to
place the printed picture in any place on the paper. At
laser printers which have neither printheads nor platens
in a classic sense of word, the terms LEFT MARGIN and
TOP MARGIN always relate to the paper oriented in the
vertical position independently of the picture
orientation on the paper.
I. DOT MATRIX PRINTERS - In this item it is possible to
increase the number of the printhead passes during
printing. It can be used for emphasizing printing or
when the ribbon is written up.
J. Parameters for IBM X24 - it sets parameters for the IBM
24 pin printers:
J.1 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
a) NORMAL - without use of relative shift instructions.
b) PACKED - the instructions for the relative shift of
the printhead are used for reducing the
output code size.
J.2 PANASONIC X24 - switches on and off Panasonic X24 mode
- 20 -
in which is used a different format for selecting a
base line feed unit. This format is not strictly IBM
compatible and should be used with Panasonic 24 pin
printers in X24 mode.
K. Parameters for EPSON - it sets parameters for the EPSON
printers:
K.1 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - without use of relative shift instructions.
* PACKED - the instructions for the relative shift of
the printhead are used for reducing the
output code size (not used for EPSON LX
printers), but on some older types it may
cause substantial reducing print rate.
K.2 PEN --> COLOR - It assigns the output color to
individual pens on the color printers of the EPSON
EX/LQ type. It is possible to choose from a fixed set
of 7 colors.
L. Parameters for NEC 24 - it sets parameters for the NEC 24
pin printers:
L.1 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - without use of relative shift instructions.
* PACKED - the instructions for the relative shift of
the printhead are used for reducing the
output code size.
L.2 PEN --> COLOR - It assigns the output color to
individual pens on the NEC 24 pin color printers. It
is possible to choose from a fixed set of 8 colors.
M. Parameters for HP LaserJet - it sets parameters for the HP
LaserJet printers:
M.1 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - no special coding used.
* PACKED - special coding is used for reducing the
output code size. This coding is NOT a
standard feature of the HP LaserJet and
compatible printers and you must be sure
that your laser printer supports this (it
must support ESC*b1M instruction - I have
tested this on the HP LaserJet IIIp model).
N. Parameters for HP DeskJet - it sets parameters for the HP
DeskJet printers:
N.1 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - no special coding used.
* PACKED - special coding is used for reducing the
output code size. This coding is a standard
feature of the HP DeskJet printers.
N.2 PEN --> COLOR - It assigns the output color to
individual pens for color printing on the HP DeskJet
printer. It is possible to choose from a fixed set of
7 colors.
- 21 -
O. Parameters for HP PaintJet - it sets parameters for the HP
PaintJet printers (but not for XL300 model):
O.1 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - no special coding used.
* PACKED - special coding is used for reducing the
output code size. This coding is a standard
feature of the HP PaintJet printers.
O.2 PEN --> COLOR - It assigns the output color to
individual pens for color printing on the HP PaintJet
printer. It is possible to choose from a fixed
(standard) or variable (extended) set of colors. Both
color sets have 7 colors. The extended color set can
be redefined by user from offer of 17 colors.
O.3 COLOR SET - switches between standard and extended
color set. The selected color set is used for
defining assignment PEN --> COLOR.
O.4 EXTENDED COLOR SET - It is used for setting individual
colors in the extended color set. If the extended
color set is selected as used color set, then if a
color in this set is changed, the corresponding
assignment PEN --> COLOR is changed automatically.
O.5 MEDIA TYPE - It selects output media type - paper or
foil.
P. Parameters for HP PaintJet XL300 - it sets parameters for
the HP PaintJet XL300 printer:
P.1 OUTPUT FORMAT can be like this:
* NORMAL - no special coding used.
* PACKED - special coding is used for reducing the
output code size. This coding is a standard
feature of the HP PaintJet XL300 printer.
P.2 PEN --> COLOR - It assigns the output color to
individual pens for color printing on the HP PaintJet
XL300 printer. It is possible to choose from a fixed
set of 7 colors.
Q. TEXT FILTER - It switches on or off a multilingual TEXT
filter in the LB command of HP-GL mode (or in the P
command of DXY-GL mode of the ROLAND plotter). See
chapter 7 for more detailed information.
R. CODE PAGE SELECTION - It sets a code page for a text
filter (see chapter 7). The code page can look like
this:
- United States
- German
- Multilingual
- Portugal
- Canada - French
- Norway
- 22 -
7. INSERTING TEXTS INTO PICTURES
--------------------------------
The SPLOT program is able to process a multilingual text in
your HP-GL (or DXY-GL) files. As known, plotters receive only
the ASCII characters in the range of 0 to 127. Therefore, if
the instruction for the output of the text (LB at HP-GL and P
at DXY-GL resp.) contains the ASCII characters with the value
higher than 127, the plotter will not draw them or will
ignore the highest bit of characters and will draw the
corresponding characters from the lower half of the ASCII
table. For example, if you use the following statement in
GW-BASIC (handle #1 represents the plotter),
PRINT #1, "LBGröße";CHR$(3)
the plotter will draw only the text
Gre or Grae respectively.
If you want to draw the text correctly, you have to use the
following statements, e.g.:
PRINT #1, "CS0;CA33;SS;LBGr";CHR$(3)
PRINT #1, "SA;LB|~";CHR$(3)
PRINT #1, "SS;LBe;CHR$(3)
However, e.g., if you own the HP ColorPro 7440A plotter
without an additional HP 17440A graphics cartridge, it will
not help you either.
The above mentioned example concerns the use of a German
text, but similar problems occur also in other languages
which use the ASCII characters from the upper half of the
table.
Therefore, the SPLOT program offers the TEXT FILTER function
with the F7 key. If you switch on this function, all the
ASCII characters from the value of 128 to 175 and ß
character will be plotted according to the selected code page
(see chapter 6). And it does not matter what character set
of the plotter is just set. This will enable to write
multilingual texts in your HP-GL (DXY-GL) files directly
without complicated switching of character sets. The HP-GL
(DXY-GL) file created in this way must be exported to a new
HP-GL (DXY-GL) form through the HP-GL (DXY-GL) export (see
chapter 5) with the TEXT filter switched on, and only such a
newly originated file can be drawn on the plotter.
To demonstrate using this method of writing multilingual
texts we recommend you to study over the enclosed
demonstration file ASCIIT and display it at first with the
TEXT filter being switched off and then on.
- 23 -
Another function which the SPLOT program can offer for your
work with the HP-GL text is the function of direct
(interactive) inserting texts into a picture. To do it, it is
necessary to define its position (XY), size (SI), direction
(DI), slant (SL), the character set number (CS), the selected
pen (SP) and, naturally, the text itself.
By means of the menu activated by the F5 key on the page of
a large view you can choose the following individual
functions necessary for the text manipulation :
- define a new text item
- edit already existing items
- read the text items from the disk file
- save the text items to the disk file
On defining, editing or reading texts the SPLOT program is
brought into the initial state which corresponds with
executing IN;RO;IP;IW; instructions. The user's scale (if it
was set before) and rotation, if there is any, is cancelled
then. The position of the text is given in plotter units
absolutely, the size of the text is in cm (SI) absolutely,
the direction of the text is also in degrees (DI) absolutely,
the slant is understood as a tangent of the required angle
(SL).
The position of the text and its size can be defined either
by setting numeric values from the keyboard or by moving a
quadrangle which demonstrates the outline of the text and
which is controlled by the mouse in a similar way as when
making picture cuts (zooming). To do this it is necessary to
move the cursor of the mouse to the plotting area. Then by
pressing the left button and moving the mouse at the same
time the position of the text changes, by pressing the right
button and moving the mouse at the same time the size of the
text changes. The other values are set in a numeric form from
the keyboard.
Of course, the text itself can be written in a desired
language with the ASCII characters > 127. In the HP-GL
(DXY-GL) picture these characters will be displayed according
to the code page you will choose in the OPTIONS menu. The
corresponding support of the national environment must be
installed in MS-DOS (it must support graphics modes) if you
want to have the same characters on the edit line.
The function of direct inserting a text accepts the
following keys :
a) when defining a new text item or correcting already
existing text items:
Alt_T - setting the text string for plotting
- 24 -
Alt_X - setting the position of the text (X,Y) [pu]
Alt_S - setting the size (X,Y) [cm] (i.e. the size of
one text character)
Alt_D - setting the direction of the text [deg]
Alt_L - setting the slant of the text
Alt_C - setting the character set number
Alt_P - setting the number of a pen for plotting the
text
F1 - finishing the editing of the text with the
changes saved
F2 - the redrawing of the edited text
F9 or Esc - finishing the editing of the text with
canceling the changes
b) when correcting already existing text items :
F3 - skip to the correction of the previous text item
(if it exists)
F4 - skip to the correction of the next text item (if
it exists)
F6 - the choice of a text item for correcting (if you
have defined more than one text item)
F8 - the canceling (erasing from memory) of a text
item according to your choice
In this way it is possible to define any number of text
items that are loaded into memory and after finishing
plotting the respective file they are drawn.
It is supposed that the set of the text items you have
created relates to the plotted file. That is why when coming
to the plotting of a new file (i.e. when the plotting of a
file is activated otherwise than by the F3 key or F8 key
resp.), all the text items are always erased from memory.
Before it happens, the program enables to put the text on the
disk if you did not do that before.
There are two ways how to save the created texts :
1) In the HP-GL (or DXY-GL resp.) form in the plotted file
(according to the item in the menu in the ORIGINAL file).
Respective commands for plotting the defined text items on
the plotter are attached to the end of the plotted file.
- 25 -
After the texts are saved on the disk in this manner, they
are always erased from memory of the program, even if you
do not start plotting a new file. This is the final form
of storing texts which you can use on condition you are
already satisfied with the created texts and you want to
attach them to the displayed file for ever. If you want to
display the texts together with the plotted file on the
plotter or on the printer and you do not want to attach
the texts to the original file for ever, use directly the
appropriate export format with the F8 key (as the texts
loaded in the memory of the program are also exported).
Then you can put the texts on the disk in the other
described way.
2) In a special format in a EXTRA file. Only the texts saved
in such a way can be read into the program memory later
again and thus you can continue in their editing.
8. VIDEO CONFIGURATION
----------------------
The SPLOT program is a graphics program requiring a
graphics card EGA or VGA and supporting the following
graphics modes:
1) monochrome mode
- EGA 640x350
2) 16 color modes
- EGA 640x350
- VGA 640x380
- SUPER EGA 640x480, 640x258, 800x600
- SUPER VGA 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024
The choice of the required mode can be made in the menu
which is initiated by the Alt_F10 key or Alt_V key resp. In
this menu there are the following items :
- AUTOMATIC MODE - is determined to set up the video mode
automatically according to the type of a video card and
according to this it sets up the following modes:
- EGA mono 640x350
- EGA 16 color 640x350
- VGA 16 color 640x480
- BIOS MODE - is determined to set up the mode you require
according to the number and resolution. The mode
numbers together with the appropriate resolution should
be given in the documentation of your graphics card.
- 26 -
The BIOS mode number is to be set in decimal
units standardly, if you want to set it in hexadecimal
units, write the H character at its end. This way of
setting the video mode is useful if you own an EGA card
or VGA card with high resolution (SUPER EGA or VGA)
and you will not find it in the list of SUPER cards
offered by the SPLOT program.
- SUPER VIDEO CARDS - contains the lists of SUPER EGA or
VGA cards divided according to resolution (640x480,
640x528, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024). Even if your
card is not in the list, it is possible that it will
function when you choose another card of the list. In
the other case you can try to set the required mode
by means of the BIOS MODE item (except the resolutions
of 1024x768 and 1280x1024 which are highly hardware
dependent).
Notice - not all listed SVGA cards have been tested.
Only standard VESA video modes are supported (not OEM).
- the other items of the menu contain standard EGA or VGA
modes in which the SPLOT program can work (EGA mono
640x350, EGA color 640x350 and VGA color 640x480). It is
possible to set any of these three modes on VGA, but on
the EGA cards it is possible to set only EGA modes
according to the type of the connected monitor (mono or
color).
- the last item of the menu called `VGA GRAY-SCALE' serves
to switch ON/OFF the gray-scale summing on VGA video
adapter. You will need switch ON this option in case you
have an VGA video adapter with mono monitor and your VGA
adapter doesn't perform the gray-scale summing
automatically. The gray-scale summing enables use of
color video modes along with VGA mono monitor. If the
gray-scale summing is active, each color is transformed
to corresponding gray level and thus you are able to
distinguish individual colors even when using a mono
monitor. If the gray-scale summing is inactive, some
colors are undistinguishable on mono monitor (e.g., in
SPLOT program you may not see some pen colors unless you
change its color value). The `VGA GRAY-SCALE' item is not
displayed if your video adapter or active video mode
doesn't support it.
- 27 -
9. PEN IDENTIFICATION
---------------------
The identification of pens serves to emphasizing parts of
the picture drawn with the same pen and to informing about
the number of pens used during drawing the given picture.
This information is useful namely for the correct loading of
the plotter pens in case you decide to draw the given picture
on the plotter.
The keys from Alt_1 to Alt_0 in a small view and the keys
from 1 to 0 in a large view are determined for indicating a
part of the picture drawn by the same pen. If you press the
appropriate key, a part of the picture drawn by the
appropriate pen will begin to flash and it will be flashing
until you press the key corresponding with the identification
of another pen or if you do not cancel the identification by
pressing the Alt_0 key or 0 key resp. This identification
functions only in color video modes.
Example: If you press the key Alt_1 (in a small view) or 1
(in a large view) resp., the part of the picture
drawn by the pen number 1 will begin to flash (Alt_2
or 2 resp. by the pen number 2, etc.).
In color modes in the SPLOT program each pen is associated
with appropriate color. It is possible to choose from the
palette of 62 colors for each pen. You can change the color
of the pen when the identification of this pen is switched on
by pressing the Gray-Plus key or the Gray-Minus key resp.
(increasing or decreasing the number of the color associated
with this pen). When the pen identification is switched on,
information about the color number of the pen in a large view
is given in the right bottom corner of the screen. In large
view you can change pen colors also after pressing the Alt_1
key, the Alt_2 key etc. In this case there is no flashing of
the part of the picture as it is in a small view, but only
information about the color number of the pen, which can be
changed in the described way, appears in the right bottom
corner. You can save the palette of the colors you have
chosen by pressing the Alt_S key, or you can restore the
original palette by the Alt_R key.
The information panel containing the individual pen numbers
serves to identify the numbers of pens used during drawing
the picture. At the beginning of drawing all the pen numbers
are gray, during drawing the color of the number
corresponding with the pen just being used is white, after
finishing drawing the color of the numbers corresponding with
all the used pens is white.
- 28 -
10. NOTES
---------
- When the SPLOT program is started, it is in the state
corresponding with the state of the simulated plotter just
switched on. When coming to plotting a new file, the
program performs only the operation of changing paper. In
this case the program (plotter) is in the state in which it
has been left by the commands of the previous file. That is
why it is generally recommended to place an initiating
command sequence to the beginning of each file. It will
bring the plotter to the well-known state. Otherwise it
can happen that the same file can be drawn in another way
every time, dependently of the contents of the previous
plotted files. The author recommends to use the initiating
sequence IN;RO;IP;IW; (in some plotters the IN command does
not influence the setting of rotation).
In other cases the program is brought to the state
corresponding with the switching off and on the plotter in
these cases:
- at any change of the format or the paper size,
- at the change of the language syntax (HP-GL <--> DXY-GL),
- at switching on/off the simulation of the graphics
cartridge HP 17440A (ColorPro).
- After finishing the SPLOT program saves the important
parameters (a palette of colors for pens, a choice of view
for plotting, a size of paper, command mode, etc.) in the
SPLOT.INI file in the directory in which the program EXE
file is situated. When starting the program, the SPLOT.INI
file is used for resetting these parameters. If you want to
set a permanent configuration of the program which will not
be changed,set on the READ ONLY attribute of this file.
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NOTICE
- Hewlett-Packard, HP-GL, HP-GL/2, HP, DraftPro,
DraftMaster, LaserJet, DeskJet and PainJet are
registered trademarks of the Hewlett-Packard Company.
- Microsoft, MS, MS-DOS and GW-BASIC are registered
trademarks and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft
Corporation.
- IBM and PC-DOS are registered trademarks of
International Business Machines Corporation.
- EPSON is a registered trademark of EPSON Corporation.
- AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc.
- PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.
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