ACE/gr is an XY plotting tool for workstations or X-terminals using X. A few of its features are:
While ACE/gr has a convenient point-and-click interface, most parameter settings and operations are available through a command line interface (found in Files/Commands).
Objects - Sets, Regions, Graphs, annotative text, lines, and boxes.
Graphs are the collection of data sets, tick marks, titles, etc. drawn to display the data. By default, there are 10 graphs available in this version of ACE/gr. Operations on graphs are found in the View/Graphs pullright. There are numerous popups that allow the manipulation of graph parameters accessible through theView pulldown. Most operate on what is referred to as the `current graph', marked by small filled rectangles at the corners of one graph. The 10 graphs available in this version of ACE/gr are numbered from 0 to 9.
Sets are collections of points, with optional associated values at these points. The associated values can be used for error bars and high-low open-close plots. Sets are connected to a graph, up to a maximum of 30 per graph and are numbered from 0 to 29. The number of points in a set is limited by the size of virtual memory and are numbered from 1 to N where N is the total number of points in the set. Operations to manipulate sets are found in Edit/Set operations,and the particular representation of a set can be changed inView/Symbols.
Regions are sections of the graph defined by the interior or exterior of a polygon, or a half plane defined by a line. A region defined by a linecan be above, below, to the right, or left of the line. Defining regions and operations on points inside regions are found in Edit/Region operations.
Parameters are the settings of symbols, line styles, colors, fonts, etc. used to define a particular graph.
As ACE/gr comes in two flavors, XView and Motif, there are two different names for the respective executables. The XView version is called xvgr, the Motif version, xmgr. Which version to execute depends on which was installed on your system. As a rule of thumb, xvgr will be found on SUN systems using OpenWindows, and xmgr will be found everywhere else. Contact your system administrator for further details.
xvgr (XView) or xmgr (Motif) [ -autoscale x|y|xy ] [ -noauto x|y|xy ] [ -arrange rows columns ] [ -cols columns ][ -rows rows ] [ -device device_number ][-eps][-noask] [ -batch batch_file][ -graph graph_number ] [ -graphtype graph_type ] [-printfile graphics_output_file ] [ -type XY_data_set_type ][ -ihl IHL_formatted_file ] [ -log x|y|xy ] [ -nxy ][-xydx][-xydy][-xydxdx][-xydydy][-xydxdy][-xyr][-xyd][-xyz][-ihl][-ihilo] [-block block_data ] [ -parameter parameter_file ] [-pexec parameter_string ] [ -result result_file ] [ -rvideo ] [-mono ] [ -world xmin ymin xmax ymax ] [ -view xmin yminxmax ymax ] [ -source data_source ] [ -legend load ] [-refresh value] [-GXxor] [-GXinvert] [-bs] [-nobs] [-dc] [-nodc] [maxcolors number_of_colors] [-redraw] [-noredraw] [-seed seed_value] [-maxplot number_of_sets][-maxgraph number_of_graphs][data_files ]
Autoscale the axis denoted by x or y or both axes by xy overiding any parameter file specified by the -p option.
Arrange graphs in column major order starting from the lower left corner in a grid rows by columns. .For example, `-arrange 2 2' will position the first four graphs (0, 1, 2, 3) in a 2x2 matrix of graphs starting with graph 0 in the lower left corner of the plotting surface. This function is not as complete as the similar function found in View/Graphs/ Arrange and gives a different result.
Arrange the first columns graphs in columns columns.
Arrange the first rows graphs in rows rows.
Write the results of regression and anything else that gets written to the results popup to file results_file.
Set the hardcopy device to device_number. The device numbering follows:
Set the PostScript driver to produce EPS.
Write the graphics output to file graphics_output_file rather than spool graphics data to a printer.
Execute the commands in batch_file on startup of the window system.
Assume the answer is yes to all requests, This means that files will be overwritten without asking if they exist, and ACE/gr will exit abruptly.
Make graph_number the current graph. Graph_number is an integer between 0 and 9.
Set the current graph type to graph_type. Where graph_type is one of:
The format of the next data source is data_set_type. Where data_set_type is one of xydx (XY data with error bars along X), xydy (XY data with error bars along Y), xydxdx (XY data with error bars along X of differing values), xydydy (XY data with error bars along Y of differing values), xydxdy (error bars along X and Y), xyr (a circle drawn at XY of radius R) and xyhilo (XY data with high-low open-close data). This setting remains in effect until a new format type is specified.
Assume IHL_formatted_file or the next source of data is in IHL format (a local format).
The format of the next data source is X1, Y1, Y2, ..., Yn.
The format of the next data source is X Y DX
The format of the next data source is X Y DY
The format of the next data source is X Y DX1 DX2
The format of the next data source is X Y DY1 DY2
The format of the next data source is X Y DX DY
The format of the next data source is X Y Z where Z is a value drawn as text at X, Y.
The format of the next data source is X Y R, where a circle of radius R is drawn at X, Y.
The format of the next data source is X HIGH LOW OPEN CLOSE, where a symbol denoting the open, close, the high and the low values for an observation is drawn at X.
Assume the format of the next data file is block data. No sets are formed by reading block data, and only one set of block data is allowed in an active session. To create sets from the block data, use Edit/Block data.
Set the current graph type to logarithmic depending the the string "x" or "y" or both axes by "xy".
Read the parameter file parameter_file.
Interpret parameter_string as a parameter setting.
Write results from regression to result_file
Limit colors to black and white, affects the display only.
Allow double click canvas operations, overriding any application default setting.
Disallow double click canvas operations.
Do not redraw the entire page when Expose events are received.
Set the maximum number of colors allocated.
Set the scaling of the axes for the current graph.
Set source for the next data file, the argument takes on the following values:
Read from stdin and plot each set when the end of the set is seen. Use the -pipe option to monitor the results coming from a model or other data stream.
For each data set read, make the set legend label the same as the filename the data set originated.
Initialize the random number generator using seed seed_value. This value is used in a call to the library function srandom().
GXinvert and GXxor set the type of graphics operation used to draw rubberband lines and draw the graph focus markers. In a colormapped display, the xor of a source and destination pixel may not generate a color visible on the drawing area. The default is to use xor to draw rubberband lines, if the lines don't show, try -GXinvert. This draw mode can be set via X resource settings (see below).
Set the maximum number of data sets per graph. Number_of_sets must be greater than 30 and there is no support in the graphical user interface for more than 30 sets. Note that this is a new item and there may be problems. If -maxplot is used in conjunction with -maxgraph, then the -maxplot setting must precede the -maxgraph setting.
Set the maximum number of graphs per session. Number_of_graphs must be greater than 10 and there is no support in the graphical user interface for more than 10 graphs. Note that this is a new item and there may be problems. If -maxgraph is used in conjuction with -maxplot, then -maxplot must precede the use of -maxgraph.
Display a brief explanation of command line settings
The files or commands in the case of a pipe from which data are read.
On startup ACE/gr will look for a .xvgrrc (XView version) or a .xmgrrc (Motif) file in the users' home directory allowing changes to the default behavior of ACE/gr. The construction of the ACE/gr default file is the same as for a parameter file.
The following X resource settings are supported:
A boolean resource used to exchange the color indices for black and white.
Set the number of sets per graph.
Set the number of graphs.
Set the number of colors allocated. There is no support in the graphical portion of the user interface for more than 16.
Applies to the Pick set operations and allows an opportunity to accept or cancel any operation performed.
When Yes, allow double clicks on the canvas to bring up various popups depending on the location of the pointer when the double click occurs. Double clicking to the right of a graph brings up the View/Ticks popup set to the Y-axis, below the graph brings up the View/Ticks popup set to the X-axis, inside the graph brings up the files popup if no sets are active or the View/Symbols popup set to the set nearest the pointer. Double clicking above the graph brings up the View/Title-subtitle popup, to the right of the graph, the View/Legend popup.
The command line option to set this resource is -dc or -nodc.
When this resource is Yes or True, allow autoscaling to occur each time a set is read from the File/Read sets popup.
Have ACE/gr handle backing store if the server doesn't.
The command line option for this is -bs or -nobs.
When the server does not do backing store, redraw the entire page when expose events are generated. Set either AllowRefresh to True or Backingstore to True, but not both as they perform similar functions using different techniques.
The command line option for this is -redraw or -noredraw.
Set the command string to use for spooling to a PostScript printer. The default (unless changed during the build process) is "lpr -h".
Set the command string to use for printing the FrameMaker .mif format. The default (unless changed during the build process) is "cat >acegr.mif < ", i.e., output is to a file.
Set the command string to use for spooling to an HPGL capable printer or plotter.
Select the hardcopy device.
The device numbering is as follows:
Executing ACE/gr as grbatch suppresses the initialization of the toolkit (both versions) and allows hardcopy plots to be made without intervention.
Due to time constraints, please look for solutions to problems with ACE/gr locally before contacting the author. The author reserves the right not to respond to every request received.
For bug reports, comments, etc., send mail to pturner@amb4.ccalmr.ogi.edu. The home of ACE/gr sources and documentation is ftp.ccalmr.ogi.edu [129.95.72.34] in CCALMR/pub/acegr.
Note: In the descriptions to follow, `->' indicates the item is a pulldown or pull-right menu, `...' indicates a popup, neither indicates an action item or button.
Main panel items
Read data from disk or pipes, read and write plot parameters, read block data, write one or more ACE/gr datasets, set the printer options, and print (hardcopy), access the command line interpreter, describe the status of data sets, graphs and regions, and display hardwired default values.
Read one or more data sets. The list item at the top of the popup displays the contents of
the current directory. Select a file or directory by clicking on the item with the right
mouse button. The selection is placed in the text item labeled `File:' and checked to see
if it is a directory or a file. Selecting a directory causes ACE/gr to change to the new
directory and reload the file list with the contents of the new directory. Selecting a file
does nothing until the `Accept' button is pressed or
There are 4 cases for the error bars' position with respect to the datum:
`Read from:' sets the source of the data, either a disk file or a pipe. In the case of a pipe,
the information provided by the file filter item is not used, as the `file' in this case will
be a command as typed at the UNIX prompt.
`Read to graph:' selects a particular graph to serve as the repository for the incoming
data. The `Current' graph is the graph that has the focus, and can be any of the 10 available graphs. If you aren't sure which graph is current, the locator item on the main panel
displays the current graph number.
Selecting `Autoscale on read:' forces an autoscale of the target graph each time a set is read.
Note: Data is read into the next available set. All data are assumed to be delimited by
tabs or blanks.
For the xy, xydx, xydy, xydxdx, xydydy, xydxdy, xyz, xyr data file formats, sets are separated by a line containing non-numeric characters, that are neither comment lines (lines
with a '#' in column 1) nor parameter lines (lines beginning with an `@'). Data files can
have imbedded comments by placing a `#' in the first column of the comment line. Plot
parameters can be set by placing a `@' in the first column of the line followed immediately by the parameter name and setting. See the command line reference for a description of plot parameters and other commands that may be placed in a data file using the
`@' character. Comment lines and parameter lines can occur at any place in the data file,
and are not used to indicate data set separators. I recommend a single `&' on a line to
use as a data set separator.
Press `Accept' to read the data. If the read was successful, the graph of the data is drawn
using the current plot scaling parameters. If the data lies outside the current plotting limits, the new set(s) will not be visible until the plotting limits are changed by autoscaling
or manually through the View/Define world popup.
Press `Cancel' to close the popup.
Open the File/Status popup to get information on the state of sets. If reading the file generates more than 10 errors you'll be prompted by an alert requesting whether or not
you'd like to continue. These errors generally arise when an attempt is made to read a
text file - ACE/gr relies on the interpretive capabilities of sscanf() to parse the data.
ACE/gr will read data sets until there are no more sets available, after the maximum
number of sets have been used, you'll need to free some sets using the [Kill] or [Kill all]
items in the Edit/Set operations pullright.
Note: ACE/gr scans and replaces commas with blanks and the `D' in Fortran double
precision exponential formats with `e'.
Enter the parameter file name on the line labeled "File:", press "Accept" to read a saved
state of adjustable parameters, legends, strings, etc, to the graph selected by the `Read to
graph' cycle. As the graph number is saved in the parameter file this isn't used at the
present time.
Select the data source, either Disk or Pipe and enter the block data file name in the text
item labeled "File:" to read a data set in block data file format. The block data file format consists of columns of data. For example, the following is a block data file consisting of 4 columns:
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
After reading the file of block data, the popup will close if no errors were found, and the
Edit/Block data popup will take its place. Use the functions in the Edit/Block data
popup to create sets from the block data.
NOTE: All items are assumed delimited by spaces or tabs. There is presently a 30 column limit. Only one set of block data per session, i.e., reading another set of block data
will obliterate the previous set of block data.
Write one or all sets to disk. Select the set to write using the cycle displaying the set
numbers (there is an item for selecting all active sets). The item denoted "Format" is the
C language format string that will be used to format the data for output - the default
should work well for most cases. Enter the file name on the line labeled "File:" and
press the button marked [Accept], to write the data. The item, `Imbed parameters,'
causes ACE/gr to write not only the data, but the parameters describing the graph or
graphs as well.
A complete dump of the contents of ACE/gr may be accomplished by selecting all sets,
imbed parameters, and all active graphs. The file generated this way can then be read as
a normal data file, and should recreate the originating environment.
Select the graph from which to save the parameters. This can be the current graph, any
particular graph, or all active graphs. Enter the parameter file name on the line labeled
"Write parameters to", press "Accept" to write the current state of adjustable parameters, legends, strings, etc. A prompt will appear if the action would overwrite an existing
file. allowing the operation to be cancelled.
Perform a `Write sets' using all active sets, all active graphs, and imbed parameters. Use
this to save the current session.
Kill all sets, graphs, and annotative text, lines, and boxes. After performing this action,
it will be necessary to activate a graph using View/Graphs/Activate graphs.
Generate a hardcopy of the current plot on the device specified in the File/Printer setup
popup.
Set the hardcopy device parameters. Select the device, where to print (either the printer
or a file), and the string to use as a spooling command for the print job, or file name if
output is directed to disk. Click on the `Accept' button to make the selections above current, or `Done' to close the popup and cancel the operation. If the selection is accepted,
the next time File/Print is selected, hardcopy output will be to the selected device. Click
on the `Print' button to accept the settings and print a hardcopy.
Command driven version of the interface to ACE/gr. Here, commands are typed at the
`Command:' text item and executed when
Display useful information about the state of sets, grids,and graphs. The top panel has
buttons providing functions as follows:
Done ... Close the status popup
Update ... Refresh the status area
Write ... Write the status to the monitor window (a multi-line text item that is used
for displaying this item and the results of the regression routine).
Page ... Page through the list of items displayed
Display status of ... Select the objects to display, sets, graphs, or regions
Display the results of the regression routine and the output of the `Write' button in File/
Status in the monitor window.
3.2.13 About...
Display the value of certain hardcoded limits in ACE/gr. Also displays the author's
email address and where the version of ACE/gr originated.
Click on the Exit button to terminate the session with ACE/gr.
The selections in the Graph pulldown menu allow the modification of graph parameters.
There are popups for setting the scaling of the axes, the number of tick marks to display,
legends, writing annotative text, and drawing objects such as lines and boxes.
ACE/gr uses 3 coordinate systems in drawing a graph. These are the world, viewport,
and device coordinate systems (following Foley and Van Dam). The world coordinates
system is the one in which the data are defined and constitutes the user's coordinate system. The viewport coordinate system (in ACE/gr), is a rectangle defined by the points
(0.0, 0.0) or the lower left corner of the device and (1.0, 1.0) or the upper right corner of
the device. The pipeline for drawing objects on the screen or hardcopy device is a pair
of linear transformations that carry points in world coordinates to the viewport and then
on to the device coordinate system. The upshot is that an object located in world coordinates can be drawn in various parts of the screen or hardcopy device depending on the
scaling while an object located in viewport coordinates remains in the same spot regardless of the world scaling. Strings, lines, boxes, and the graph legend can be located in
either world or viewport coordinates.
Activate, kill, copy, display, arrange, overlay, select the graph with the current focus, and set the
focus policy.
Make a graph eligible for receiving the graph focus and other operations.
Select the graph to activate and press `Apply'.
Copy a graph to another graph.
Select the graph to copy from and the graph to copy to and press `Apply'.
Note: Copying a graph will automatically conceal one of the graphs as they will both
have the same viewport settings. Some adjustments in the viewport settings of either or
both graphs will be required for each graph to be displayed in a non-overlapping manner.
Exchange two graphs.
Select the first graph then the second and press `Apply' to exchange the contents of the
two graphs. This can be used to adjust the order in which graphs are drawn, as graphs
are drawn in numerical order starting with graph 0 and proceeding to graph 9.
Make a graph inactive and free all storage associated with sets.
Select the graph to kill and press `Apply'.
Set the graph focus, the focus policy and toggle the display of focus markers.
Select the graph to have the focus, the focus policy, and the toggle for the focus markers
and press `Apply'.
Note: Most operations in ACE/gr act on the current graph. Not noticing which graph has
the current focus can be a source of frustration when working with ACE/gr - if you plan
to work extensively with a particular graph, it might be useful to set the focus policy to
`Set' to fix ACE/gr's notion of the current graph.
Toggle the display of a one or more graphs.
Select which graph or graphs to show, then press `Apply'. The default is to show all
active graphs.
This item can relieve some of the drudgery when working with multiple graphs, especially when some of the graphs contain large data sets.
Set the current graph type to XY, log-linear, linear-log, log-log, bar or stacked bar.
Select the graph type, and press `Apply'.
Note: As of this writing, very little is done to ensure that the data is acceptable for log
plots.
Place several graphs in a non-overlapping manner.
Select the number of rows and the number of columns, the packing method, the vertical
and horizontal spacing between graphs in viewport coordinates, the start of the first
graph in viewport coordinates, and how wide and how tall each graph should be. Graphs
are laid out in column major order starting from the lower left. So, given 3 columns and
2 rows the graphs will be laid out thusly:
1 3 5
0 2 4
Given 3 colums and 3 rows:
2 5 8
1 4 7
0 3 6
Note that graphs are numbered from 0.
The packing selection packs the graphs vertically, horizontally or both.Use this item
when there are several graphs with the same X or Y axis scaling so graphs on the outside of the packing arrangement provide the tick and axis labelling for all graphs in that
row or column. In the 3x3 example above,selecting packing `both', graphs 3, 6 will
have X-axis tick labels, and graphs 1, 2 will have Y-axis tick labels. Graphs 4, 5, 7, 8
will have neither X or Y axis tick labels, while graph 0 will have both.
Define the world coordinate system by filling in the items Xmin, Xmax, Ymin, and
Ymax. The plot is drawn in world coordinates in a rectangle described by the two points
(Xmin, Ymin), (Xmax, Ymax). The input is scanned for arithmetic expressions so setting Xmin = -PI and Xmax = PI is legal input (see the section on transformations for a
description of the syntax and available functions). The tick spacing can also be set in
this popup by filling in the items for the major and minor spacing for each axis. `Update
world/ticks' is used, when, occasionally, the state of the items used to define the world
scaling get out of sync with what is actually used to draw the graph, clicking on this
item synchronizes the internal values with the displayed values. Press the button marked
"Accept" to inform ACE/gr of the changes.
Note: make sure Xmin
Define the viewport by filling in the items Xmin, Xmax, Ymin,Ymax. Viewport coordinates run from (0.0,0.0), the lower left corner of the screen or hardcopy device, to
(1.0,1.0), the upper right corner of the screen or hardcopy device.
Press the button marked "Accept" to make the change to the new viewport.
Press the "Pick view" button to use the mouse to define the viewport. Take the mouse to
the lower left corner of the desired viewport and press the left button (there is no need to
hold the button down). A rubberband box will show you the current size of the viewport
you may select. When you are satisfied with the view, press the left mouse button again
to activate the new viewport.
Press the button marked "Done" to close the `Define view' popup.
Use the Autoscale popup to set parameters associated with autoscaling. Select the axis
to scale, or none. Selecting none allows the autoscale type and the number of ticks to
create to be set but no autoscaling is done. Select the particular set to use or All. The
Autoscale type sets the method of autoscaling, either Heckbert or fixed. Heckbert uses a
method based on routines posted to the net by Paul Heckbert and generates nice looking
tick spacing, but alters the scaling of the axes. The fixed option uses the minimum and
maximum values in the set (or over all sets) to set the scale of the axes. Select the number of tick marks to use for defining the tickmark spacing (in the case of Heckbert scaling, these settings are advisory only). The item labeled `Apply to:' allows the
autoscaling of the current graph, or all active graphs.
Set the amount of scrolling, linked scrolling (scrolling the current graph scrolls all
graphs), automatic redraw, and whether the screen is erased before refreshing the
screen.
The title and subtitle are strings that appear centered at the top of the plot. Fill in the
items indicated and press the button marked "Accept". To change the font, color, or
character size used for titles use the items from the popup denoted `Props...'.
Set the spacing and type of major and minor tick marks, definition of axes labels, and
toggle features associated with the drawing of the graph axes. The top item, `Edit',
selects the axis for which the feature selections will apply. There are three axes defined
for each co-ordinate direction, the primary axis, the zero axis, and an alternate axis. The
primary axis will be used the most, the others are, by default, turned off. The button to
the right of the `Edit' item labelled `Props...' allows the application of an alternate map
to the tick labels and the capability to offset the axis by a specified amount in viewport
co-ordinates. The item `Axis label' accepts the definition of the label to be used when
drawing the axis. Various properties of the label may be set in the popup just below
labeled `Axis label props...'.
The two items `Major tick spacing' and `Minor tick spacing' sets the spacing of major
and minor ticks. Tick labels are drawn based on the settingfor the major tick spacing.
These items are duplicated in the `Define world'popup described previously. Fill in the
appropriate blanks and press "Apply" to refresh the display. The units are positive deltas
starting with the world minimums. Input is run through the scanner so expressions are
allowed. The are special symbols "dx" and "dy" for setting a prescribed number of tick
marks. Dx is the distance along the X-axis and dy is the distance along the Y-axis, as
defined in the current window of the world coordinate system. Typing at "Major tick
spacing" "dx/10" will give 10 major tickmarks.
Tick labels, tick marks, the axis bar, may be toggled by the check boxes. Properties for
each of these can be set by the `Props...' popups associated with each item.
Properties for tick labels are:
Font - which font to use when drawing the labels
Color - which color to use
Line width - width of line to use when drawing the label
Char size - size of characters to use
Format - Decimal, exponential, power, general plus several time and date formats.
To use the time and date formats, the data is required to be in Julian Date format, the
long version. Two auxillary programs, jul2greg and greg2jul, are available with the
distribution to assist in the conversion from Julian to Gregorian date formats.
Stagger - each tick label may be offset with respect to its neighbor, the levels of staggering ranging from 0 to 3, This is especially useful with some of the time and date
formats.
Precision - sets the number of places to display to the right of the decimal point
Skip every - tick labels are drawn at every major tick mark, use the skip factor to
circumvent this.
Start labels at - Graph minimum, or specified. To start the labels at some other point
than the graph minimum, fill in the text item to the immediate right with the value
where tick labels are to begin. There is a similar item in the property sheet for tick
marks that can be used to set where the major tick marks begin. between these two,
there should be sufficient flexibility.
Stop labels at - same as above only works at the other end of the axis.
Layout - allows the tick labels to be drawn horizontally, vertically, or a specified
angle (in degrees).
Draw tick labels - which side of the graph to draw tick labels, either the normal side
(the bottom of the graph in the case of the X-axis, or to the left of the graph in the
case of the Y-axis), The opposite side, or both. This can be handy when using multiple axes, or overlaying graphs with differingscales.
Sign - allows the numerical value of the label to be displayed as is, as its absolute
value, or negated. This can be used to effectively reverse the sense of the axis
(negate), or reflect the axis about zero (absolute value).
Apply to - Override the selected axis from the Ticks/tick label popup, causing the
settings to be selected for all axes in the current graph, the current axis for all graphs,
or all axes in all graphs.
Press the button `Accept' when everything is OK, or `Cancel' to close the popup.
Properties for tick marks are:
Tick mark direction - in, out, or both. Which direction the ticks point.
Tick marks on - Which side of the graph to draw ticks. The normal side is the bottom of the graph in the case of the X-axis, or to the left of the graph in the case of the
Y-axis, the default is to draw ticks on both sides.
Major tick length - sets the length of major tick marks
Minor tick length - sets the length of minor tick marks
Major grid lines - a check box that when toggled on, grid lines will be drawn at the
settings for major tick marks.
Minor grid lines - a check box that when toggled on, grid lines will be drawn at the
settings for minor tick marks.
Color, line width, and line style items set the characteristics of the lines use to draw
ticks and grid lines.
Apply to - allows the axis select in the Ticks/tick label popup to be overidden, causing the settings to be selected for all axes in the current graph, the current axis for all
graphs, or all axes in all graphs.
Press the button `Accept' when everything is OK, or `Cancel' to close the popup.
Properties for the axis bar are:
Color, line width, and line style items set the characteristics of the lines use to draw
ticks and grid lines.
Press the button `Accept' when everything is OK, or `Cancel' to close the popup.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR LOG PLOTS:
When log scaling is selected for a particular axis or axes, the meaning of major and
minor ticks changes slightly. Major ticks should be set to integer values. Use minor ticks
to set the number of interdecade tickmarks, these should be set to integer values ranging
from 0 (no interdecade tickmarks) to5. A value of 1 will draw each interdecade position,
2 will skip every other position, etc.
The frame is the box drawn around the clipping region of the graph, and the region inside. Items in the frame popup are:
Frame - turn the frame on or off
Style - either `closed' or `open.
Color - set the color of the line drawn around the graph
Line width - set the width of the line around the graph
Line style - set the line style of the line
Fill graph background - toggle the filling of the frame.
Background color - the color with which to fill the frame
Press `Accept' to register the settings, `Done' to close the popup.
The items in the symbols popup allow the selection of symbols, lines, and fill styleto be
used when drawing a set.
Items in the symbols popup are:
Select set - the set to which the following items will apply
Symbol:
Symbol - select the symbol to use, or none for no symbol
Fill - select the fill option, none, filled, or opaque. The opaque option allows the
symbol to be filled with the background color (white as of this writing) overwriting
the line used to connect each point.
Size - set the size of the symbol
Char - select a character to use instead of a symbol (not active)
Skip - select the number of points to skip when drawing symbols
Legend - A string defining the legend to use for this set
Apply to - either this set or all sets
Line:
Style - select the line style for the lines connecting the points in the set
Width - select the line width for the lines
Color - the color to use when drawing lines and symbols
Fill:
Fill - select the type of fill, none, as polygon, to y=0.0, x=0.0, x=graph Xmin,
x=graph Xmax, y=graph Ymin, y=graph Ymax.
Fill using - either Color or Pattern.
Color - select the color to use, or none.
Pattern - select the pattern to use or none
There are three additional buttons in this popup that can be used to set the colors, symbols, and line widths in a regular fashion, avoiding the need to specify each.
Symbols:
NOTE: symbols 16-29 do not appear in the legends
Error bars are created by reading in the data as a set with error bars (see Files above).
Properties of error bars are set by opening the `Error bar props' popup.
Size
Set the length of the error bar.
Line width
Set the line width of the error bar.
Line style
Set the line style of the error bar.
Riser
Toggle the display of the line connecting the error bar with the data point.
Riser line width
Set the width of the riser.
Riser line style
Set the riser line style.
Display
Toggle the display of the error bar.
Legend items:
Legend on/off - toggle the display of the graph legend
Legend location type - Select the coordinate system to use when interpreting the legend x, and legend y items described below. Either the world or viewport coordinates.
Legends placed in viewport coordinates make the legends stay put as the plot scale
changes. Legends placed in world co-ordiantes will float as the graph scaling is
changed.
Legend gap - specify the vertical gap between legend entries
Legend length - specify how long the line representing the set should be.
Legend X - X value of legend location
Legend Y - Y value of legend location
Font - specify the font for the legend labels
Frame - toggle a box drawn around the legend. The three items below set the line
color, line width, and line style of the box.
Fill frame - toggle the fill of the box around the legend. The frame fill will obliterate
anything beneath, grid lines, sets, etc. Set the type of fill either color or pattern and
the corresponding color or pattern.
The items Legend gap and Legend length refer to the gap between legend items and the
length of the legend in units of characters (arbitrary).
Pressing the left mouse button on "Place" is a convenient method of placing the legend
on the canvas. After pressing this button, move the mouse pointer to the desired location
and press again with the left button. The location will be in world or viewport coordinates as selected above.
Press "Load comments" to make the set comment (generally the file name from which
the set originated) the legend label. This affects all active sets in the current graph.
Press the button marked "Accept" to register the legend settings.
Press the button marked "Done" to close the popup.
Note: The item to define or edit the set legend is located in View/Symbols.
The numbers of strings, lines, and boxes are fixed, open File/About to see what the limits are for your version of ACE/gr.
To define a text string to be drawn on the canvas:
Select font, pen, justification, rotation (in integer degrees [0,360]), size. Press the
button marked "Text" to activate the text writing routines. Move the mouse to the
canvas and press the left mouse button at the desired location and type away. Press
NOTE: It is necessary to press
To define a line or box to be drawn on the canvas:
The cycle "Position in: World | viewport coordinates" allows the line (box) position to
be defined in the world coordinate system or viewport coordinates. The difference is
that in World coordinates the line (box) position on the display will change as the plot is
re-scaled. Placing the line (box) in viewport coordinates will force the line (box) to
remain in the same place as the plot scale is changed.
Lines:
Set the properties of the line using View/Strings & things/Line props if needed.
Click on Line.
Click at the start of the line, and again at the end of the line to define the line.
Boxes:
Set the properties of the line using View/Strings & things/Line props if needed.
Click on Box.
Click on one corner of the box, then click again on the opposite corener to define the
box
Move:
To move a line, box or string:
Press the button marked "Move", this should change the cursor to the "move" cursor.
Press the left mouse button near the object to be moved.
Move the cursor to the new location and press the left mouse button.
To delete a line, box, or string:
Press the button marked "Delete", this should change the cursor to a bullseye cursor.
Press the left mouse button near the object to be deleted.
NOTE:
The right mouse button cancels all operations (true throughout ACE/gr with respect to
mouse operations).
Lines and boxes drawn in world coordinates scale with the plot, to draw fixed length
boxes and lines, use viewport coordinates.
Release the right mouse button on "Flip X-Y" to swap the positions of X and Y (all sets,
tickmarks, and labels will be swapped).
Reverse the sense of the X-axis making increasing X toward the left. What this function
does is to negate all X data values and exchange and negate the world settings for the X-
axis. There could be problems with underflow if the original graph world has a minimum X of 0.0. This will show up as a -0.0 as the tick label for the inverted X-axis maximum. If this occurs, use View/Ticks/Tick labels to set the sign of the tick labels to
Absolute.
Reverse the sense of the Y-axis making increasing Y toward the bottom of the graph.
What this function does is to negate all Y data values and exchange and negate the
world settings for the Y-axis. There could be problems with underflow if the original
graph world has a minimumY of 0.0. This will show up as a -0.0 as the tick label for the
inverted Y-axis maximum. If this occurs, use View/Ticks/Tick labels to set the sign of
the tick labels to Absolute.
The locator is the message item on the main panel that displays the location of the
pointer. There are several formats and options for this display. By selecting a fixed point
(see below) the location is presented releative toa point on the canvas.
Select this item to mark a spot on the canvas to use as a reference point for the locator
display types [DX, DY], [DIST], [R, THETA]. Click at a point on the canvas to set the
fixed point, the point will be marked by a circle with a cross.
Select this item to remove the fixed point previously selected. The fixed point becomes
(0.0, 0.0).
Set the properties of the locator.
Toggle the continuous display of the pointer location by selecting Locator on or off. If
the locator is off, the pointer location may be displayed by clicking on the canvas at the
point of interest.
The Locator display type selects the transformation used to display the pointer location.
[X, Y] uses the transformation provided by the scaling in the current graph. [DX, DY]
gives the location of the point relative to the locator fixed points (set above or in this
popup). [DISTANCE] gives the pointer location in terms of the Euclidian distance relative to the fixed point or 0.0 if no fixed point is defined. [R, Theta] gives the locator
position in terms of polar co-ordinates. Use [VX, VY] to display the pointer location in
viewport co-ordiantes, and [SX, SY] to give screen co-ordinates.
The Format item selects the format of the display of the location of the pointer. Formats
are decimal, exponential, power, general, several time and date formats. and several longitude and latitude formats. To use the time and date formats, the data is required to be
in Julian Date format, the long version. Two auxillary programs, jul2greg and greg2jul,
are available with the distribution to assist in the conversion from Julian to Gregorian
date formats.
Set the number of decimal places to display using the Precision item.
Set the value of the fixed point using the two text items provided for X and Y, be sure to
set the fixed point toggle to ON.
Press Accept to register the changes, and Done to close this popup.
NOTE:
Some of these operations generate new sets, if you run out of sets use Edit/Set operations (described below) to kill unneeded sets. Also, the scaling of the world coordinate
system may be inappropriate for the results of many of these operations. Use the Status
popup to determine the appropriate scaling factors to use in "Define world" (above), or
use "Autoscale..." (in View/Autoscale above). Most functions operate on active sets
only.
Evaluates a formula defined in infix fashion.
Select the set on which the formula will operate, (set must be active, use File/Status to
find the current state of sets). If you desire the result be loaded to a new set rather than
overwriting the set used for computations, use the panel cycle denoted `Result to' to
inform ACE/gr you'd like the result placed in a new set (if there is one). A new set is
created only if a single set is selected from step 1. If `All sets' are selected then the
results will overwrite all active sets.
Enter the formula, the syntax is:
(x,y,a,b,c,d)=
where (x,y,a,b,c,d) are defined as the x and y of the currently selected set and a,b,c,d are
scratch arrays that can be used to perform operations between sets. Case is ignored, so
X=COS(X) is correct.
Press the button "Apply" with the left mouse button when you are satisfied with everything or press
Functions:
Note: See pars.y for the yacc grammer.
Examples:
y=-y
y=x*cos(2*x*PI/100)+sqr(x)
x=(index>10)*(x-5)+(index<=10)*x
If the index of the current point is greater than 10 then x=x-5 else x=x.
a=y
Store y of the current set into scratch array "a" you may now select another set and perform the operation y=somefunctionof(a)
Load a sequence to (x,y) or (a,b,c,d).
Compute a frequency histogram.
Select the set.
Enter the width of a bin (all bin widths are the same).
Enter the minimum and maximum values of the portion of the data you wish histoed (sic).
Xmin and Xmax refer to the RANGE of the set, not the domain.
Press `Apply' to compute the histogram.
Compute the Discrete Fourier transform.
Select the set
Select the type of data window, the default is the rectangular window in which case
the data is tranformed unmodified.
The data windows are defined as follows:
Use the default rectangular window
1.0 - |(i-0.5*(N-1))/(0.5*(N-1))|
0.5 * [1-cos(2*pi*i/(N-1))]
1-((i-0.5*(N-1))/(0.5*(N+1)))^2
0.54-0.46*cos(2*pi*i/(N-1))
0.42-0.5*cos(2*pi*i/(N-1))+0.08*cos(4*pi*i/(N-1))
1.0 - |(i-0.5*(N-1))/(0.5*(N+1))|
Select the form of the output, magnitude (spectrum), phase, or the coefficients.
The spectrum is computed by sqrt(x*x + y*y) where x, y arethe coefficients computed
by the DFT or FFT. Only N/2 values (representing frequencies 0 to PI) are loaded to the
resulting set.
If the magnitude or phase is selected, then the next item, `X = `, determines what values should be loaded to X.
The index runs from 0 to n/2, the frequency is the cyclical ith fourier frequency, the
period is the reciprocal of the frequency with the period of the 0th fourier frequency
plotted at T+delt, where T is the total length of the data and delt is the sampling interval.
Select transform or inverse transform.
Select real or complex data.
If real is selected, then the data to be transformed is assumed to be in Y, X is assumed
equally spaced and is ignored. If complex is selected then the real part is assumed to be
in X and the imaginary part in Y.
Press DFT (for small data sets whose length is not a power of 2) - or
FFT (for data sets whose length is a power of 2).
Press `Window only' to generated a windowed version of the data in a new set.
NOTE:
Small is < 1000 points. The DFT is O(N**2).
Compute a running average, median, minimum, maximum, or standard deviation.
Select the method.
Select the set.
Set the length of the running method in the text item marked "Length", it must be
less than the set length.
Press the button marked "Apply".
Perform linear or polynomial regression.
Select the set.
Select the degree of fit.
Select fitted curve or residuals to load.
Press the button marked "Regress".
A set is loaded (if there is one) with the resulting curve and a summary of the statistical
results are written to standard output.
Numerical differentiation.
Select the set.
Select the method - one of forward, backward, or centered difference. Assumes
unevenly spaced data, increasing in X.
Press the button marked "Differentiate".
A set is loaded (if there is one) with the resulting curve.
Numerical integration.
Select the set.
Select the form of the results, the item marked "cumulative sum" will construct a set
composed of the current value of the integral at a given X. Sum only reports just the
value on the next line. Assumes unevenly spaced data, increasing in X.
Press the button marked "Integrate".
A set is loaded (if there is one) with the resulting curve if "cumulative sum" is chosen.
Cross/auto-correlation
Select both sets (use the same set if autocorrelation is desired).
Select the lag, N/3 is a reasonable value (your mileage may vary).
Select bias - generally this will not make any difference for large data sets with lags
<< the length of the set, I was just curious. The difference is division by N (biased)
or N-lag (unbiased).
A set is loaded (if there is one) with the resulting curve.
Compute a spline fit to a set
Select the set.
Select the starting value of X for the fitted curve.
Select the ending value of X.
Select the number of samples. The spline curve will be evaluated at X+i*(MaxX -
MinX)/Nsteps for each i in (0, Nsteps-1).
Press "Spline"
A set is loaded (if there is one) with the resulting curve.
Notes: The code to compute the spline is a literal translation of the code in FMM.
Sample a set pointwise or logically
Select the set.
Select the type of sample, either Start/step or Logical expression.
If Start/step is selected then enter the starting index to begin the sample.
Select the number of points to skip between samples in Step.
If Logical expression is selected, enter the expression in the text item denoted "Expr:".
Values of the resulting evaluation of theexpression not equal to zero are interpreted as
TRUE, and the point is accepted. Any expression evaluating to zero will result in the
point being ignored.
Apply a digital filter to a set.
Select the set to be filtered
select the set with the filter weights.
Perform convolution of 2 sets.
Evaluate parametric functions.
Enter the functions to be used to define X and Y.
Select the independant variable (x,y,a,b,c,d).
Enter the start, stop and the number of points items.
Press the button "Apply' to evaluate the functions and load the result to a new set.
Set operations allow sets to be created, destroyed, written to disk, sorted.
Make a set active and able to participate in operations.
Select the set to activate.
Set the length of the set.
Select the type of set.
Press the button marked "Apply".
Make a set inactive and unable to participate in operations. The data associated with a
deactivated set are still available and all plot parameters associated with the set are
unchanged. Use the Re-activate set item below to make the set known to ACE/gr again.
This item is include for those situations where a set is to be ignored temporarily, but
needed later in the session.
Select the set to Deactivate.
Press the button marked "Apply".
Undo the effect of Deactivate.
Select the set to Reactivate, it is a no-op to Reactivate an unused set.
Press the button marked "Apply".
Set the length of a set.
Select the set.
Fill in the item marked Length.
Press the button marked "Apply".
Set the type of a set.
Select the set
Select the type to set
Press the button marked "Accept"
Copy one set to another in a possibly different graph.
Select the set to copy from.
Select the set to copy to.
Select the graph to receive the copy.
Press the button marked "Apply".
Move one set to another in a possibly different graph.
Select the set to move from.
Select the set to move to.
Select the graph to receive the set.
Press the button marked "Apply"
Exchange one set with another.
Select the sets and the graphs these sets reside.
Click on "Apply."
The contents of the sets plus all parameters associated with the display of the sets are
exchanged.
Drop points from a set.
Select the set.
Fill in the items "Start drop" and "End drop".
Press the button marked "Apply."
NOTE: Elements in a set are numbered from 1 to N, where N is the number of elements
in the set (as opposed to sets which are numbered from 0).
Merge 2 sets together.
Select the set that will be appended.
Select the set accepting the previous set.
Press the button marked "Apply" to append the first set to the second.
Divide a set into other sets.
Select the set to split.
Enter the length of the resulting sets (say N).
Press the button marked "Apply" to divide the selected set into (length of selected
set) / N sets with the remainder to the last set.
The first set will be the set selected to split and will contain the first N points.
Eliminate a set.
Select the set to kill or All to kill every active set.
To save the parameter settings, toggle `Preserve parameters.'
Press the button "Apply".
NOTE:
This operation is final.
Kill all active sets.
This is an action item, you'll be asked if it is OK to kill all active sets.
sort x or y of a set.
Select set to sort.
Select which component (x or y) as a key.
Select the order of the sort.
Press the button marked "Apply" to sort the set in place.
Write a set(s) to disk.
Select the set to write or "All" for all sets.
Fill in the format to use to write, syntax is C, default is "%lf %lf".
Fill in the item marked "Write to file" with the filename to write.
Press the button marked "Apply".
Note: A complete dump of ACE/gr may be accomplished by selecting All sets, All
active graphs and toggling Imbed parameters. The generated file may be read as a normal data file and will contain the necessary information to completly reconstruct all
graphs in the current session.
Exchange points in a set.
Select set to reverse.
Press the button marked "Apply" to reverse the order of a set.
Merge active sets to an inactive set.
Select set to receive points from all active sets. This selected setshould not be an
active set.
Press the button marked "Apply" to merge all sets to the selected set.
Define a region of interest on a graph or graphs.
Select the region, there are 5.
Select the type of region:
Select the type of linkage, either a particular graph or all graphs, the default is the
current graph.
Press `Apply' to make the pointer ready for the region definition.
In the polygonal region type, define the region by successive clicks with the left mouse
button, use the right mouse button to register the polygon. In the line case, define the
line by clicking on the beginning point and end point of the line.
Evaluate an expression applied to points within a region.
Select the region to use.
Enter the expression, regions are referred to by Rn.x or Rn.y where `n' is the number
of the region to use. Functions available are the same as those in `Evaulate expressions' described above.
Examples:
R0.X = R0.X - 1
Remove a defined region
Select the region to remove and press `Apply'.
Extract points from a region to a set
Select the region to use.
Select the set to receive the points.
Select the graph to put the set.
Click on `Apply' to combine all points within the specified region to the specified set
and graph.
Delete points in a region
Select the region to use.
Click on `Apply' to delete all points within the specified region.
Compute the area and perimeter of a region
This item doesn't belong here as it does not use the region structures. Click on `Area' or
`Perimeter' and use the mouse to define the region. The area or perimeter will be displayed in the text items `Area = ` or `Perimeter = ` as the case may be. Use the right
mouse button to close the region.
Compute the area of a polygon.
Press "Area" with the left mouse button to put ACE/gr into area computing mode. Mark
the bounds of the polygon with the left mouse button (the area is zero until three points
have been selected). A rubber band line will be drawn to mark the location of the polygon. There is no need to close the polygon as the algorithm assumes closure. Press the
right mouse button to exit area mode. There is presentlya 100 vertex limit on the size of
the polygon.
Compute the length of connected line segments.
Press "Perimeter" with the left mouse button to put ACE/gr into distance computing
mode. ACE/gr will total the successive lengths of line segmentscreated by pressing the
left mouse button at each point.Press the right mouse button to exit "Perimeter" mode.
There is presently a100 node limit.
The `Edit sets' popup is an embryonic spreadsheet allowing the direct editing of points
in a set. Use the `Edit set:' item to select the set. Page up/down are buttons to page
through the data. Home goes to the beginning and End goes to the end of the data set. To
make a change to a point, place the cursor on the item to change, make the change and
press
Find - Find the set and point nearest the pointer
Tracker - Follow a set
Delete - Delete the point nearest the pointer
Add... - Add a point to the nearest set
Move - Move a point from one location to another
Goto... - Go to a given point on the drawing area
Find grid point - Find the nearest grid point
Report on a point in a set
Press "Find points" with the left mouse button to activate.
Position the pointer close to the data point to identify.
Press the left mouse button.
The set, the location in the set, and (X, Y) for the datum nearest to the pointer will be
displayed in a popup.
Press the right mouse button to shut off the "Find point" feature.
Track points in a set
Visit each point of a set in a sequential manner. Click nearest the set to track, and use the
left mouse button to go forward through the set and the middle mouse button to go backwards through the set. The right mouse button exits tracking.
Press "Delete point" with the left mouse button to activate.
Position the pointer close to the data point to delete.
Press the left mouse button.
Add points to a set.
Select the set and press "Add points" to append points to the selected set by clicking on
the location where the point is desired. This can be used to digitize (crudely) data from
pages pasted on the screen.
Press "Move" with the left mouse button to activate.
Position the pointer close to the data point to move.
Press the left mouse button.
Move the pointer to the new location and press the left mouse button agin to register
the point's new location.
Enter the X, Y of the point to go to, and press `Goto point' to have the pointer warp to
that position on the drawing area.
Create sets from block data. Select the type of set and the columns to use for each vector
of the new set. Press `Accept' to create the set. Note that reading block data does not
affect the scaling of the graph so when a set is created using this popup, the set may not
appear within the graph's scaling limits - use AS (Autoscale) to set the scale of the
graph if needed (or use View/Define world).
An action item activated by the left mouse button. Re-draw redraws the canvas with the
current set of draw parameters and active sets. Some operations do not perform an automatic re-draw, notably operations using the Compose and Setops functions. If you feel
something should have happened press this button to force a draw operation. ACE/gr
does not automatically re-draw after a resize event so you will need to to a re-draw in
this instance also.
The item marked G0:[X,Y] on the top panel displays the number of the graph with the
current focus and the location in world coordinates of the mouse pointer. Properties of
the locator are set in View/Locator/Props. The location can be made relative to a fixed
point by using View/Locator/Set fixed point.
Evaluates infix expressions. There are 6 variables, x,y,a,b,c,d that can be used to store
previous values. See the section on transformations for available functions. This item
uses the same interpreter as the command line interpreter item in Files, but without a
history list.
ACE/gr provides a command line interface and the ability to save plot parameters in a
file for later retrieval. The syntax for the command line interpreter and parameter files is
the same. It is instructive to read a parameter file into the command line interpreter and
press the `Replay' button to verify this feature.
Case is ignored by the command line interpreter.
Description of parameters:
The Julian date format is the long form. There are 2 programs in the subdirectory aux/
that can be used to convert data from Gregorian to Julian and vice versa.
The Degrees format is for latitude and longitude. Below the equator latitudes are negative. Longitude is assumed positive east of Greenwich and negative to the west.
Leave ACE/gr.
4.2.2 Devices
In the discussion to follow, printer refers to one of:
Set the printer command string to string.
Example:
print psmonop "lpr -Pps"
Spool hardcopy output to the printer. This command sets the output destination, but
does not generate a hardcopy, see the HARDCOPY command.
Spool hardcopy output to a file, using the current value of the printer file string (see
PRINT TO string above). This command sets the output destination, but does not generate a hardcopy, see the HARDCOPY command.
Spool hardcopy output to a file named string. This command sets the output destination,
but does not generate a file, see the HARDCOPY command.
Example:
print to file "hardcopy.out"
Set the hardcopy device to printer.
Print to the current hardcopy device or file.
Set the screen device to integer. At the present time 0 (the X server) is the only value.
4.2.3 Display
Refresh the display.
Toggle the automatic redrawing of the display.
Set the background color of the drawing area.
Set the RGB values of a colormap entry. The value of color ranges from 2 to 29, The
three integer values following the color number are values from 0 to 255 and represent
red, green, and blue resp. Colors 0 and 1 are black and white (reversed if the -rvideo
command line option was selected), and cannot be changed. Xmgr presently dumps core
when using this command after startup, colormap entries can be initialized only.
Example:
To set colormap entry 5, use
cmap 5, 0, 0, 255
This sets color 5 to solid blue.
Page left, right, up, down, in. out.
Set the amount of scrolling, and integer value giving the amount of scroll in percent of
the graph scaling. For example:
PAGE 100
would set the amount to scroll left, right, up, down to 100 percent of the graph axis scaling.
Set the amount to increase or decrease the graph scaling when using the In/Out buttons
on the main panel. An integer value expressing the percent to expand or shrink.
Toggle linked scrolling. Linked scrolling affects the scroll buttons on the main panel,
when linked scrolling is on, all graphs are scrolled simultaneously. Linked scrolling
OFF makes scrolling affect the current graph only.
4.2.4 Set operations
Activate a set in the current graph and set the length
Copy a set to another set
Copy a set from a particular graph to a set in another graph
Example
copy g0.s0 to g1.s5
Move a set to another set.
Example
move s0 to s1
Move a set from a particular graph to a set in another graph
Example
move g0.s0 to g1.s5
Kill a set. Plot parameters are set to their default values.
Add a point to a set, create the set if the set is inactive. The first version adds a point to
set setnum in the current graph, the second adds a point to setnum in the graph graphno.
4.2.5 Block data
The two block data commands allow block data to be read and sets formed from the
active set of block data.
Read a file of block data from file string.
Create a set of type xytype using columns coded in string. String describes columns as:
"c1:c2:..."
Where c1, c2, ... are the numbers of the columns to use in the construction of the set
from the block data.
Examples:
Create a set with error bars using x from column 1, y from column 2 and the errors in
column 5:.
read block "block2.dat"
block xydy "1:2:5"
Create an XY type data set from columns 7 and 2.
block xy "7:2"
4.2.6 Graph operations
Kill graph graphno.
Kill all graphs and sets, but not annotative text, lines, and boxes.
Kill all graphs, sets, and annotation.
4.2.7 Transformations
Load a set sequentially
Regress a set where number is the degree of the fit in the range 1-5.
Difference a set using the method specified by number.
Integrate a set using a trapezoid rule.
Compute a DFT either forward or inverse, using the DFT or FFT.
ffttype is one of:
Compute a running average, standard deviation, median, maximum, or minimum.
runtype is one of the following:
Compute a histogram using set setnum. Xmin and xmax are the bounds of the histogram
and the integer is how many bins to create in this range.
4.2.8 Autoscaling
Autoscale the current graph
Autoscale the current graph on a particular set
Autoscale the X-axis and the axis at Y = 0 in the current graph.
Autoscale the Y-axis and the axis at X = 0 in the current graph.
Suppress autoscaling on startup. Use this command in a data file that uses imbedded
parameter settings to set the axes scaling.
4.2.9 Graph focus
Set the current graph to graphno.
Focus fixed on the current graph.
Turn the drawing of the focus indicators on or off.
Focus follows the pointer.
Set the focus by clicking on a graph.
4.2.10 Locator
Turn the locator on the front panel on or off.
4.2.11 IO
Set the source (disk or pipe) for reading XY data sets.
Read an XY data set.
Read a batch file.
Read a data set of a particular type.
Read a data set of type xytype from source sourcetype.
Read a parameter file.
Write a parameter file.
4.2.12 Boxes
NOTE: Boxes, used or not, are numbered from 0 to the maximum number of boxes.
This is also true of lines and strings.
Get the next available box and make it current. A box needs to be current before any of
the following commands will apply.
Get the box numbered integer and make it the current box
Toggle the display of the current box.
Set the location of the box in world or viewport coordinates depending on the value of
BOX LOCTYPE. The 4 values represent xmin, ymin, xmax, ymax respectively.
Set the location type of the next box created. World or viewport coordinates.
If the LOCTYPE is WORLD, set the graph to use.
Set the line style to use for the next box created.
Set the line width of the next box created.
Set the color to use for the box lines.
Set the type of fill to either COLOR or PATTERN.
Set the color to use to fill the next box created.
Set the pattern to use for the next box created.
Define the current box using the values set above.
Remove all boxes
4.2.13 Lines
ACE/gr uses an array of a data type called lines internally to hold the definition of lines.
The actual construction of this data type is not important, but it is important to note that
lines, used or not, are numbered from 0 to the maximum number of lines.
Make the next available line the current line.
Make line integer the current line.
Toggle the display of the current line.
Set the location of the current line created. The four expressions represent (X1, Y1),
(X2, Y2) respectively.
Set the location type of the current line created. World or viewport coordinates.
If the line LOCTYPE is WORLD, set the graph to use for scaling.
Set the line width of the current line created.
Set the line style of the current line created.
Set the color of the current line created.
Define a line with or without arrow(s) and where they are located.
Set the size of the current line's arrowhead.
Define a line using the current set of line settings.
Remove all lines.
4.2.14 Strings
ACE/gr uses an array of a data type called plotstr internally to hold the definition of
strings. The actual construction of this data type is not important, but it is important to
note that strings, used or not, are numbered from 0 to the maximum number of strings.
Get the next available string
Get the particular string numbered integer.
Toggle the display opf the current string.
Location of the string, in world or viewport coordinates depending on the value of LOCTYPE.
Set the location type of the string, either world or viewport coordiantes. If the setting is
WORLD, then the strings position is affected by changes in the axes scaling, if VIEW,
then the string is fixed to that spot in viewport coordinates.
Set the graph to uses for scaling when the LOCTYPE is WORLD.
Set the line width of the current string.
Set the color of the current string.
Set the rotation of the current string from-360 to 360 in degrees
Set the font of the current string.
Set the justification for the current string. 0 is left justified, 1 is right justified, and 2 is
centered.
Set the character size of the current string.
Define the current string using the values set above.
Remove all strings
4.2.15 World
Set the scaling limits for the current graph.
4.2.16 World stack
Push the current graph scaling limits and tick spacing onto the graph's world stack.
Pop the current graph's world stack and set the new scaling limits and tick spacing from
the new stack top.
Cycle through the current graph's world stack.
Set the current graph's scaling limits and tick spacing to the value at position integer of
the current graph's world stack.
Push specific values onto the current graph's world stack - primarily for use in paramter
files generated by ACE/gr.
Clear the current graph's world stack.
4.2.17 Viewport
Set the current graph's viewport (where on the device the graph is displayed).
4.2.18 Title and subtitle
Set the graph title.
Set the font for the graph title.
Set the character size for the graph title.
Set the color for the graph title.
Set the graph subtitle.
Set the font for the graph subtitle.
Set the character size for the graph subtitle.
Set the color for the graph subtitle.
4.2.19 Sets
Setnum, in the following descriptions, refer to the symbolic name of each set, i.e., the
letter `s' followed by the integer number of the set. S0 would refer to set 0, s1 to set 1,
etc. The following commands for setting set parameters have two prefixes, GRAPHS
and SETS, that allow the setting to be made for all graphs, all sets, or a given set in all
graphs. So, to set the line width for set 0 to be 3 in all graphs that have a set 0 active, the
command would be:
graphs s0 linewidth 3
Likewise, to set the line width for all sets in the current graph, give the command:
sets linewidth 3
To set the line width for all sets in all graphs to 3, execute:
graphs sets linewidth 3
Toggle the active/inactive status of sets. This can be used to force ACE/gr to ignore a
set(s), even though data are still attached to the set. For example, assuming S0 is an
active set:
S0 ignore
will allow ACE/gr to ignore S0 for all purposes, except any operation that kills a set.
Autoscaling will ignore this set, etc - in effect, S0 is dead. To bring it back to life:
S0 on
will reintroduce the set with its data intact. This operation may be performed in either
Edit/Set operations/De-activate or in the File/Status popup.
Set the type of set setnum to xytype, where xytype is one of xy, xydx, xydy, xydxdx,
xydydy, xydxdy, xyz, xyr, or xyhilo
Set the font to use when the set type is xyz.
Set the precision when the set type is xyz.
Set the format to use when the set type is xyz.
Set the symbol for the set.
Set the size of the symbol.
Set the character to use when using the symbol type character. The value is the decimal
representation of the character using the ASCII collating sequence.
Set the lines style for the set.
Set the line width for the set.
Set the color to use to draw the lines and symbol.
Set the type of fill for the set.
Set the type of fill for the set.
Set the type of fill for the set.
Set the color for the fill if the fill selected is color.
Set the color for the fill if the fill selected is color.
Set the number of points to skip before placing a symbol.
Set the the error bar display type. Opchoice is one of RIGHT, LEFT, or BOTH if the
error bar type is xydx or xydxdx, or TOP, BOTTOM, or BOTH if the type is xydy or
xydydy. The default in either case is BOTH, i.e. display both error bars.
Set the length of the error bar.
Set the line width for the error bar.
Set the linestyle for the error bar.
Toggle the display of the error bar riser.
Set the line style for the error bar riser.
Set the line width for the error bar riser.
Set the comment string for the set.
4.2.20 Legend
Toggle display of the legend.
Position the legend in either world or viewport coordinates.
Set the vertical gap between legend entries in characters.
Specify the gap between the display of the symbol and the legend label in units of characters.
Set the length of the legend in units of characters.
Set the location of the legend.
Set the X value of the location.
Set the Y value of the legend.
Set the font to use for the legend labels.
Set the size of the characters in the legend label.
Set the line width to use to draw the legend labels.
Set the color of the legend labels.
Toggle the display of the bounding box for the legend.
Toggle the filling of the bounding box for the legend.
Set the line width to use to draw the bound box for the legend.
Set the line style to use to draw the bound box for the legend.
Set the color of the legend bounding box.
Set the color to use for the filled legend bounding box.
Set the pattern to use for the filled legend bounding box.
Set the type of fill for the bounding box, either COLOR or PATTERN.
Set the legend label for setnum integer.
4.2.21 Graph frame
Toggle the display of the current graph's frame.
Set the type of frame for the current graph:
Set the line style of the current graph's frame.
Set the width of the line for the current graph's frame.
Set the color of the current graph's frame.
Toggle the fill of the graph frame.
Set the color to use for filling the current graph's frame.
4.2.22 Graph axes
The are three axes in each coordinate direction. In the case of the X coordinate direction, there is one that follows the world scaling, one at Y = 0 and another that may be
used to display an alternate scale. The names used by ACE/gr to refer to these axes are,
XAXIS, ZEROXAXIS, and ALTXAXIS, respectively. Likewise along Y there is the
YAXIS, ZEROYAXIS, and ALTYAXIS. There are names that can be used to refer to all
the axes along a coordinate direction or to both directions or to all graphs, these being
AXES (both coordinate directions, current graph), XAXES (along X in the current
graph), YAXES (along Y in the current graph), and preceeding these with the key word
GRAPHS, will cause the setting to be made throughout all the active graphs.
In the following descriptions, axis refers to the choices described above.
Toggle the display of the axis or axes referred to by axis.
Set the color for the axis or axes specified by axis.
Set the line width for the axis or axes specified by axis.
Set the line style for the axis or axes specified by axis.
Set the font to use for text for the axis or axes specified by axis.
Set the character size for text for the axis or axes specified by axis.
4.2.23 tick marks.
Set the tick spacing for major tick marks.
Set the spcing for minor tick marks.
Set the amount to offset the axis, in viewport coordinates in the X direction.
Set the amount to offset the axis in viewport coordinates in the Y direction.
Toggle the use of the alternate map for the axis scaling.
Specifiy the minimum value to use for the alternate map.
Specify the maximum value to use for the altermate map.
Set the default number of ticks to use when autoscaling.
Set the display of tick marks to IN, OUT, or BOTH.
Set the size of tick marks.
Set the size of major tick marks.
Set the size of minor tick marks.
Set the color to use for tick marks.
Set the color to use for major tick marks.
Set the color to use for minor tick marks.
Set the line width to use for grid lines at major tick marks.
Set the line style to use for grid lines at major tick marks.
Set the line width to use for grid lines at minor tick marks.
Set the line width to use for grid lines at minor tick marks.
Toggle the display of grid lines at major tick marks.
Toggle the display of grid lines at minor tick marks.
Set the display of tick marks on the axis to LEFT, RIGHT, or BOTH if the axis is in the
X direction, or TOP, BOTTOM, or BOTH if the axis is in the Y direction. The default is
BOTH in either case.
Use the values for major and minor spacing for draw the tick marks. See the next it for
tick marks at specified locations.
Use specified values for drawing tick marks. These values are for major tick marks only.
Give the number of specified tick marks.
Set the value of specified tick mark number integer to value, expr.
4.2.24 Axes tick mark labels
Set the number of places to the right of the decimal point when drawing tick lables.
Set the format to use for drawing tick labels.
Set the angle of the axis tick labels to be horizontal.
Set the angle of the axis tick labels to be vertical.
Specifiy the use of the specified tick label angle.
Specifiy the angle to use for drawing the tick labels in degrees from 0 to 360.
Sepcifiy the type of justification to use when drawing the tick label.
Set the number of major tick marks to skip before drawing a tick lablel.
Set the number of characters to use to offset the tick labels.
Set the side(s) to draw tick labels, LEFT, RIGHT, or BOTH for tick labels in the Y
direction and TOP, BOTTOM, or BOTH for tick labels in the X direction. The default is
LEFT for the Y axis tick labels and BOTTOM for the X axis tick labels.
Set the function to uise on the numeric value used to create the tick mark label. One of
NORMAL, ABSOLUTE, or NEGATE. The default is NORMAL, i.e., no transformation is applied. ABSOLUTE indicates that the absolute value of the tick label location is
used, NEGATE is the negative of the tick mark location. The latter two can be used to
achieve a reversal of axis or a reflection effect of the axes. Of course, the data will need
to be transformed also.
Set the value to use to begin drawing tick lables.
Set the value to stop drawing tick labels.
Use the specified starting value for drawing tick mark labels.
Use the specified stopping value for drawing tick mark labels.
Use the graph minimum to use as the starting point for drawing tick labels, this is the
default.
Use the graph maximum as the stopping point for drawing tick mark labels. This is the
default.
Set the size of characters to use when drawing the tick mark labels.
Set the font to use when drawing tick mark labels.
Set the color to use for drawing tick mark labels.
Set the line width to use for drawing tick mark labels.
Use the values of major tick marks for position the tick mark labels.
Specify the tick mark label to use at each major tick mark.
4.2.25 Axes label strings.
Set the text string to use for the axis label.
Set the layout of the axis label to be perpendicular to the axis.
Set the layout of the axis label to be parallel to the axis.
Set the character size of the text used for the axis label.
Set the font to use for the axis label.
Set the color to use for the axis label.
Set the line width to use for drawing the axis label.
Axes bar
Toggle the display of the axis bar. The dfault is OFF.
Set the color to use for the axis bar.
Set the line width to use when drawing the axis bar.
Set the line style to use for drawing the axis bar.
4.2.26 Graphs
Set the current graph to graphno.
Set graphno on or off.
Set the method of autoscaling to a type developed by Paul Heckbert. This method makes
nice tick spacing, but fiddles with scales of the axes.
Set the method of autoscaling to use the minimum and maximum values of the data.
Toggle the display of graphno.
Set the type of graphno to graphtype, where graphtype is one of:
Toggle the use of the graph fixed point, i.e., the point used as a reference for the locator
display.
Set the value of the graph fixed point.
Set the type of display for the locator on the main panel.
Select the format to use for both X and Y in the locator display.
Set the number of places to display to the right of the decimal point in the locator display for both X and Y.
CHAPTER 5 Reference
5.1 Hot keys
When the mouse is on the canvas (where the graph is drawn), there are some shortcuts
that can be taken to bring up several popups. They are:
5.2 Fonts
5.2.1 Changing fonts within a string
To change fonts within a string preceed the font number listed below by a backslash. To
turn subscripting or superscripting on or off use \s for subscripts and \S for superscripting. Font selection is current for the remainder of the string or until the next font change.
Subscripts and superscripts remain for the remainder of the string or until \N is seen. To
print a backslash use \\. To backspace use \b. To begin underlining use \u, to stop underlining use \U. \+ increases the size of the characters and \- decreases the size of the characters.
ACE/gr uses the Hershey fonts to draw text on the screen, but PostScript fonts for hardcopy. There are discrepancies between the two sets of fonts and of this writing, there are
problems with the mapping of Greek and special characters.
Font # Font
Summary of other special commands
Example:
\0F\sX\N(\8e\0) = sin(\8e\0)*e\S(-X)\N*cos(\8e\0)
prints roughly FX(e) = sin(e)*e -X*cos(e)
using font 0 and e prints as epsilon from the Simplex Greek font.
NOTE:
Special characters are mapped to the keyboard, the present mapping is not very well
organized and may change.
Read parameters
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Command interpreter reference and parameter file format
Introduction
Reference