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drawgraph
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!DrawGraph
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!help
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1992-05-18
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!help for !DrawGraph version 1.03 (January 1992).
⌐ P.F.C. Groot
PURPOSE
~~~~~~~
This program allows you to create different types of graphs. Just install
the program by double clicking on the !DrawGraph icon. Data files may be
dragged to the !DrawGraph icon directly, but it also possible to dump
several files in the same window, so you can have multi-layer graphs. Use
the select option in the menu to scan through your layers. When you do, it
becomes possible to modify the styles or do some elementary mathematical
transformation. This program was written originally to generate
some simple graphs, but as time passed it became useful to add some
options to modify the graph layout and to combine different sets of data in
the same drawing (I guess there aren't many RISCOS programs which support the
latter option.) I hope this program provides a simple but effective way to
represent your (scientific) data.
FORMAT
~~~~~~
The data format is very simple: you can have 1,2,3 or 4 columns of
ASCII-data. So, for 4 columns you might have:
1.23,0.02,3.456e+2,0.30e+2
0.43,0.04,5.560e+2,0.21e+2
etc.,
which means resp. x[i] dx[i] y[i] dy[i].
The separator may be a <,> or a tab (&09).
Numbers may be surrounded by <">, eg. "15.34","12.45",...
-When there are 3 columns it is assumed you omitted the dx column.
-When there are 2 columns it is assumed you have omitted the dx and dy
columns.
-When there is 1 column it is assumed it is the y column.
I'am aware of the fact that you can't put several graph's in the same file,
but you can always drag more than one file into the same DrawGraph window
and make a script file (see below.)
OPTIONS:
~~~~~~~
'Force' is an option which forces x=0 and/or y=0 to be drawn.
'Small file' collects different objects in the same graph. It minimizes the
size of the data held in memory and the draw-file but it will become more
difficult to modify the graph with !Draw and redrawing the screen will
become slower.
When you use 'dots' you may change the dot size by altering the line width.
It is also possible to 'format' the numbers on the x or y axis. The method I
used to achieve this doesn't seem to work correctly in all cases (sorry).
When preforming some transformation, then the dx and dy data are transformed
by the use of the derivative of the transformation function. This means that
if dx or dy is big, than you will introduce some error in dx' resp. dy'
when higher derivatives of the transformation function are relatively large.
Note that there will be no copy (in the program itself) of the original
data. There is however a possibility to regain your originals by:
-reloading the originals from disk.
-preforming the inverse transformation function.
You can click-select on the function icon to step through the complete set
of transformation functions.
When you use 'Histogram', it is assumed that the 'x' data represents the
centre of a 'bin'. This construction allows you to have variable bin width's.
You may use 'Select' to step through all sets of data. The dialogue box
shows the name of the original file and the text used for the labels. You
are allowed modify or delete this text. In the latter case there will be no
label for the corresponding graph.
SCRIPTS
~~~~~~~
A script file is a short description of the 'current' settings of a graph.
This means that it describes which data file's are used and how the data
is represented (it does not handle font settings or applied transformations.)
The location of a data file is described:
-with a full path name if the script and data file are not in the same
directory.
-with only the leaf name if the script and data file remain in the same
directory.
The latter way is the most usefull one because the relative locations remain
valid if the whole (parent) directory is moved.
The data itself is not stored in the script file. Their are at least two
important reasons for this choice:
1. You save disk space because the program uses the original data files.
2. You are allowed to do some recalculation and overwrite the original
data file(s) while !DrawGraph can still use the old script file with
your favorite settings.
NB. The <#file> and <#localfile> commands allow you to make recursive scripts.
This is fine as long as they DON'T form a CYCLE, ie. only trees here.
BUGS:
~~~~
The extending of the windows doesn't go very well, this as a result of
extending the work area (seemed to be a bug in RISCOS2).
1.01 Updates:
-Fixed some bugs in dialogue box handlers.
-Input parser reacts less sick on foolish data.
-Border line width set to 1pt.
-Fixed grid patters.
-Removed 'arrow' option. (Will it ever come back?)
1.02 Updates:
-Implemented support for the fontmenu module ( ⌐ J.R╓ling )
-Font tables in draw file will now have just one item, instead of the
whole font-set.
1.03 Updates:
-Tried to 'communicate' with the interface module. All my effort turned
out to be a bit superfluous; RISCOS 3 provided the same thing in a much
friendlier way. I hope it will work under RISCOS 2. (Yes it does!)
-Moved program sprites to own resources (<Obey$Dir>.Sprites).
-Writeable zoom entry is now a real dialogue box.
-Next and prev. buttons are turned off at the end/start of the file list.
-Bounding box determination is now done by the draw module.
-Dot size is (by default) 2 OS units.
-Supports closed objects where appropriate (ie. triangles, squares).
-Implemented flex-buffer for creating draw-objects.
-Implemented flex_buffer for draw diagram.
-Implemented flex-buffer for text objects.
-Shuffled some code to get a better overview
-Removed overhead in list handling data & routines
-Implemented a script load and save procedure
NEXT (to remind the writer what he still must do some day)
-RISCOS 3 probably supports fontmenu procedures. Will we use them?
-Add other graph types?
For suggestions or bug report please contact:
Paul F.C. Groot.
Arestraat 46,
1445 EK Purmerend.
Holland.