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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



 NAME
      plot - translate GNU metafiles to other graphics formats

 SYNOPSIS
      plot [ options ] [ files ]

 DESCRIPTION
      plot translates files in GNU metafile format to other graphics
      formats, or displays them on an X Window System display.  GNU metafile
      format is a device-independent format for the storage of graphic data.
      It is the default output format of the programs graph(1), pic2plot(1),
      tek2plot(1), and plotfont(1), and is further documented in plot(5),
      since it is an enhanced version of the traditional plot(5) format
      found on non-GNU systems.  It can also be produced by the GNU libplot
      2-D graphics export library (see plot(3)).  The output format is
      specified with the -T option.  The possible output formats and display
      types are the same as those supported by graph(1), plotfont(1),
      pic2plot(1), and tek2plot(1).  If an output file is produced, it is
      written to standard output.  Options and file names may be
      interspersed on the command line, but the options are processed before
      the file names are read.  If -- is seen, it is interpreted as the end
      of the options.  If no file names are specified, or the file name - is
      encountered, the standard input is read.

 OPTIONS
    General Options
      -T type
      --output-format type
           Select type as the output format.  It may be "X", "png", "pnm",
           "gif", "svg", "ai", "ps", "cgm", "fig", "pcl", "hpgl", "regis",
           "tek", or "meta" (the default).  These refer respectively to the
           X Window System, PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format, portable
           anymap format (PBM/PGM/PPM), a pseudo-GIF format that does not
           use LZW encoding, the new XML-based Scalable Vector Graphics
           format, the format used by Adobe Illustrator, Postscript or
           Encapsulated Postscript (EPS) that can be edited with idraw(1),
           CGM format (by default, confirming to the WebCGM profile), the
           format used by the xfig(1) drawing editor, the Hewlett-Packard
           PCL 5 printer language, the Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language,
           ReGIS graphics format (which can be displayed by the dxterm(1)
           terminal emulator or by a VT330 or VT340 terminal), Tektronix
           format (which can be displayed by the xterm(1) terminal
           emulator), and device-independent GNU metafile format itself.
           Unless type is "X", an output file is produced and written to
           standard output.

           Omitting the -T option is equivalent to specifying -T meta.
           Translating from metafile format to itself is occasionally
           useful, since there are two versions of metafile format (see the



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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



           -O option below).

           A listing of the fonts available in any specified output format
           may be obtained with the --help-fonts option (see below).  If a
           requested font is unavailable, a default font will be
           substituted.  The default font is "Helvetica" for "X", "svg",
           "ai", "ps", "cgm", and "fig", "Univers" for "pcl", and
           "HersheySerif" for "png", "pnm", "gif", "hpgl", "regis", "tek",
           and "meta".

      -p n
      --page-number n
           Output only page number n, within the metafile or sequence of
           metafiles that is being translated.

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

           The default behavior, if -p is not used, is to output all pages.
           For example, plot -T X displays each page in its own X window.
           If the -T png, -T pnm, -T gif, -T ai, or -T fig option is used,
           the default behavior is to output only the first nonempty page,
           since files in those output formats contain only a single page of
           graphics.

           Metafiles produced by graph(1) and plotfont(1) contain only a
           single page (page #1), which consists of two frames: an empty
           frame to clear the display, and a second frame that contains the
           graphics.

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

           This option is useful when merging together single-page plots
           from different sources.  For example, it can be used to merge
           together plots obtained from separate invocations of graph(1).

      --bitmap-size bitmap_size
           Set the size of the graphics display in which the plot will be
           drawn, in terms of pixels, to be bitmap_size.  The default is
           "570x570".  This is relevant only to plot -T X, plot -T png, plot



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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



           -T pnm, and plot -T gif, all of which produce bitmaps.  If you
           choose a rectangular (non-square) window size, the fonts in the
           plot will be scaled anisotropically, i.e., by different factors
           in the horizontal and vertical directions.  For plot -T X, this
           requires an X11R6 display.  Any font that cannot be scaled in
           this way will be replaced by a default scalable font, such as the
           vector font "HersheySerif".

           The environment variable BITMAPSIZE can equally well be used to
           specify the window size.  For backward compatibility, the X
           resource Xplot.geometry may be used instead.

      --emulate-color option
           If option is yes, replace each color in the output by an
           appropriate shade of gray.  This is seldom useful, except when
           using plot -T pcl to prepare output for a PCL 5 device.  (Many
           monochrome PCL 5 devices, such as monochrome LaserJets, do a poor
           job of emulating color on their own.) You may equally well
           request color emulation by setting the environment variable
           EMULATE_COLOR to "yes".

      --max-line-length max_line_length
           Set the maximum number of points that a polygonal line may
           contain, before it is flushed out, to be max_line_length.  If
           this flushing occurs, the polygonal line will be split into two
           or more sub-lines, though the splitting should not be noticeable.
           The default value of max_line_length is 500.

           The reason for splitting long polygonal lines is that some
           display devices (e.g., old Postscript printers and pen HP-GL
           plotters) have limited buffer sizes.  The environment variable
           MAX_LINE_LENGTH can also be used to specify the maximum line
           length.

      --page-size pagesize
           Set the size of the page on which the plot will be positioned.
           This is relevant only to plot -T svg, plot -T ai, plot -T ps,
           plot -T cgm, plot -T fig, plot -T pcl, and plot -T hpgl.  The
           default is "letter", which means an 8.5 inch by 11 inch page.
           Any ISO page size in the range "a0"..."a4" or ANSI page size in
           the range "a"..."e" may be specified ("letter" is an alias for
           "a" and "tabloid" is an alias for "b").  "legal" and "ledger" are
           recognized page sizes also.  The environment variable PAGESIZE
           can equally well be used to specify the page size.

           The graphics display in which the plot is drawn will, by default,
           be a square region that occupies nearly the full width of the
           specified page.  An alternative size for the graphics display can
           be specified.  For example, the page size could be specified as



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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



           "letter,xsize=4in,ysize=6in", or "a4,xsize=5.0cm,ysize=100mm".
           For all of the above except plot -T hpgl, the graphics display
           will, by default, be centered on the page. For all of the above
           except plot -T svg and plot -T cgm, the graphics display may be
           repositioned manually, by specifying the location of its lower
           left corner, relative to the lower left corner of the page.  For
           example, the page size could be specified as
           "letter,xorigin=2in,yorigin=3in", or
           "a4,xorigin=0.5cm,yorigin=0.5cm".  It is also possible to specify
           an offset vector.  For example, the page size could be specified
           as "letter,xoffset=1in", or "letter,xoffset=1in,yoffset=1.2in",
           or "a4,yoffset=-1cm".  In SVG format and WebCGM format it is
           possible to specify the size of the graphics display, but not its
           position.

      --rotation angle
           Rotate the graphics display by angle degrees.  Recognized values
           are "0", "90", "180", and "270".  "no" and "yes" are equivalent
           to "0" and "90", respectively.  The environment variable ROTATION
           can also be used to specify a rotation angle.

    Parameter Initialization Options
      The following options set the initial values of drawing parameters.
      However, all of these may be overridden by directives in a metafile.
      In fact, these options are useful primarily when plotting old
      metafiles in the traditional (pre-GNU) plot(5) format, which did not
      support such directives.

      --bg-color name
           Set the color initially used for the background to be name.  This
           is relevant only to plot -T X, plot -T png, plot -T pnm, plot -T
           gif, plot -T svg, plot -T cgm, and plot -T regis.  An
           unrecognized name sets the color to the default, which is
           "white".  The environment variable BG_COLOR can equally well be
           used to specify the background color.

           If the -T png or -T gif option is used, a transparent PNG file or
           a transparent pseudo-GIF, respectively, may be produced by
           setting the TRANSPARENT_COLOR environment variable to the name of
           the background color.  If the -T svg or -T cgm option is used, an
           output file without a background may be produced by setting the
           background color to "none".

      -f size
      --font-size size
           Set the size of the font initially used for rendering text, as a
           fraction of the width of the graphics display, to be size.  The
           default is 0.0525.




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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



      -F name
      --font-name name
           Set the font initially used for text to be name.  Font names are
           case-insensitive.  If the specified font is not available, the
           default font will be used.  Which fonts are available, and the
           default font, depend on which -T option is specified (see above).
           A list of available fonts can be obtained with the --help-fonts
           option (see below).

      -W line_width
      --line-width line_width
           Set the initial width of lines, as a fraction of the width of the
           display, to be line_width.  A negative value means that a default
           value should be used.  This value is format-dependent.  The
           interpretation of zero line width is also format-dependent (in
           some output formats, a zero-width line is the thinnest line that
           can be drawn; in others, a zero-width line is invisible).

      --pen-color name
           Set the initial pen color to be name.  An unrecognized name sets
           the pen color to the default, which is "black".

    Options for Metafile Output
      The following option is relevant only if the -T option is omitted or
      if -T meta is used.  In this case the output of plot, like the input,
      will be in GNU graphics metafile format.

      -O
      --portable-output
           Output the portable (human-readable) version of GNU metafile
           format, rather than the binary version (the default).  The format
           of the binary version is machine-dependent.

    Options for Backward Compatibility
      By default, plot assumes that its input file(s) are in either the
      binary version or the portable version of GNU metafile format.  You
      may specify that the input is, instead, in the traditional Unix (pre-
      GNU) graphics metafile format, which is documented in plot(5).  The
      traditional graphics metafile format was produced by pre-GNU versions
      of graph(1).

      -h
      --high-byte-first-input
           Input file(s) are assumed to be in the binary, `high byte first'
           version of traditional metafile format.  This variant is
           uncommon.

      -l
      --low-byte-first-input



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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



           Input file(s) are assumed to be in the binary, `low byte first'
           version of traditional metafile format.  This variant is the most
           common.

      -A
      --ascii-input
           Input file(s) are assumed to be in the ASCII (human-readable)
           variant of traditional metafile format.  On some older Unix
           systems, this variant was produced by plottoa(1).

    Informational Options
      --help
           Print a list of command-line options, and exit.

      --help-fonts
           Print a table of available fonts, and exit.  The table will
           depend on which output format is specified with the -T option.
           plot -T X, plot -T svg, plot -T ai, plot -T ps, plot -T cgm, and
           plot -T fig each support the 35 standard Postscript fonts.  plot
           -T svg, plot -T pcl, and plot -T hpgl support the 45 standard PCL
           5 fonts, and the latter two support a number of Hewlett-Packard
           vector fonts.  All seven support a set of 22 Hershey vector
           fonts, as do plot -T png, plot -T pnm, plot -T gif, plot -T
           regis, and plot -T tek.  plot without a -T option in principle
           supports any of these fonts, since its output must be translated
           to other formats by a further invocation of plot.

           The plotfont(1) utility may be used to obtain a character map of
           any supported font.

      --list-fonts
           Like --help-fonts, but lists the fonts in a single column to
           facilitate piping to other programs.  If no output format is
           specified with the -T option, the full set of supported fonts is
           listed.

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

 ENVIRONMENT
      The environment variables BITMAPSIZE, PAGESIZE, BG_COLOR,
      EMULATE_COLOR, MAX_LINE_LENGTH and ROTATION serve as backups for the
      options --bitmap-size, --page-size, --bg-color, --emulate-color,
      --max-line-length, and --rotation, respectively.  The remaining
      environment variables are specific to individual output formats.  plot
      -T X, which pops up a window on an X Window System display and draws
      graphics in it, checks the DISPLAY environment variable.  Its value
      determines the display that will be used.  plot -T png and plot -T



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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



      gif, which produce output in PNG format and pseudo-GIF format
      respectively, are affected by the INTERLACE environment variable.  If
      its value is "yes", the output will be interlaced.  Also, if the
      TRANSPARENT_COLOR environment variable is set to the name of a color,
      that color will be treated as transparent in the output.  plot -T pnm,
      which produces output in portable anymap (PBM/PGM/PPM) format, is
      affected by the PNM_PORTABLE environment variable.  If its value is
      "yes", the output will be in a human-readable format rather than
      binary (the default).  plot -T cgm, which produces output in CGM
      (Computer Graphics Metafile) format, is affected by the
      CGM_MAX_VERSION and CGM_ENCODING environment variables.  By default,
      it produces a binary-encoded version of CGM version 3 format.  For
      backward compatibility, the version number may be reduced by setting
      CGM_MAX_VERSION to "2" or "1".  Irrespective of version, the output
      CGM file will use the human-readable clear text encoding if
      CGM_ENCODING is set to "clear_text".  However, only binary-encoded CGM
      files conform to the WebCGM profile.  plot -T pcl, which produces PCL
      5 output for Hewlett-Packard printers and plotters, is affected by the
      environment variable PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS. It should be set to "yes" when
      producing PCL 5 output for a color printer or other color device.
      This will ensure accurate color reproduction by giving the output
      device complete freedom in assigning colors, internally, to its
      "logical pens".  If it is "no" then the device will use a fixed set of
      colored pens, and will emulate other colors by shading.  The default
      is "no" because monochrome PCL 5 devices, which are much more common
      than colored ones, must use shading to emulate color.  plot -T hpgl,
      which produces Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language output, is affected
      by several environment variables.  The most important is HPGL_VERSION,
      which may be set to "1", "1.5", or "2" (the default).  "1" means that
      the output should be generic HP-GL, "1.5" means that the output should
      be suitable for the HP7550A graphics plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A
      and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL with some HP-GL/2 extensions),
      and "2" means that the output should be modern HP-GL/2.  If the
      version is "1" or "1.5" then the only available fonts will be vector
      fonts, and all lines will be drawn with a default width (the -W option
      will not work).  Additionally, if the version is "1" then the filling
      of arbitrary curves with solid color will not be supported (circles
      and rectangles aligned with the coordinate axes may be filled,
      though).  The position of the plot -T hpgl graphics display on the
      page can be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by setting the
      HPGL_ROTATE environment variable to "yes".  This is not the same as
      the rotation obtained with the --rotation option, since it both
      rotates the graphics display and repositions its lower left corner
      toward another corner of the page.  Besides "no" and "yes", recognized
      values for HPGL_ROTATE are "0", "90", "180", and "270". "no" and "yes"
      are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively.  "180" and "270" are
      supported only if HPGL_VERSION is "2" (the default).  By default, plot
      -T hpgl will draw with a fixed set of pens.  Which pens are present
      may be specified by setting the HPGL_PENS environment variable.  If



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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



      HPGL_VERSION is "1", the default value of HPGL_PENS is "1=black"; if
      HPGL_VERSION is "1.5" or "2", the default value of HPGL_PENS is
      "1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan".  The format
      should be self-explanatory.  By setting HPGL_PENS you may specify a
      color for any pen in the range #1...#31.  All color names recognized
      by the X Window System may be used.  Pen #1 must always be present,
      though it need not be black.  Any other pen in the range #1...#31 may
      be omitted.  If HPGL_VERSION is "2" then plot -T hpgl will also be
      affected by the environment variable HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS. If its value
      is "yes", then plot -T hpgl will not be restricted to the palette
      specified in HPGL_PENS: it will assign colors to "logical pens" in the
      range #1...#31, as needed.  The default value is "no" because other
      than color LaserJet printers and DesignJet plotters, not many HP-GL/2
      devices allow the assignment of colors to logical pens.  Opaque
      filling and the drawing of visible white lines are supported only if
      HPGL_VERSION is "2" and the environment variable HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE is
      "yes" (the default).  If its value is "no" then white lines (if any),
      which are normally drawn with pen #0, will not be drawn.  This feature
      is to accommodate older HP-GL/2 devices.  HP-GL/2 pen plotters, for
      example, do not support opacity or the use of pen #0 to draw visible
      white lines.  Some older HP-GL/2 devices may, in fact, malfunction if
      asked to draw opaque objects.  plot -T tek, which produces output for
      a Tektronix terminal or emulator, checks the TERM environment
      variable.  If the value of TERM is a string beginning with "xterm",
      "nxterm", or "kterm", it is taken as a sign that plot is running in an
      X Window System VT100 terminal emulator: a copy of xterm(1),
      nxterm(1), or kterm(1).  Before drawing graphics, plot -T tek will
      emit an escape sequence that causes the terminal emulator's auxiliary
      Tektronix window, which is normally hidden, to pop up.  After the
      graphics are drawn, an escape sequence that returns control to the
      original VT100 window will be emitted.  The Tektronix window will
      remain on the screen.  If the value of TERM is a string beginning with
      "kermit", "ansi.sys", or "nansi.sys", it is taken as a sign that plot
      is running in the VT100 terminal emulator provided by the MS-DOS
      version of kermit(1).  Before drawing graphics, plot -T tek will emit
      an escape sequence that switches the terminal emulator to Tektronix
      mode.  Also, some of the Tektronix control codes emitted by plot -T
      tek will be kermit-specific.  There will be a limited amount of color
      support, which is not normally the case (the 16 `ansi.sys' colors will
      be supported).  After drawing graphics, plot -T tek will emit an
      escape sequence that returns the emulator to VT100 mode.  The key
      sequence `ALT minus' can be employed manually within kermit to switch
      between the two modes.

 SEE ALSO
      graph(1), pic2plot(1), tek2plot(1), plotfont(1), plot(3), plot(5), and
      "The GNU Plotting Utilities Manual".

 AUTHORS



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 PLOT(1)                             FSF                             PLOT(1)
 GNU Plotting Utilities                               GNU Plotting Utilities

                                  Jun 2000



      plot was written by Robert S. Maier (rsm@math.arizona.edu).

 BUGS
      Email bug reports to bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org.
















































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