1. Menu-item 5 can be used only when NAMES option is selected.
2. Menu-item 6 can be used only when NAMES or NBFR option is selected.
3. GRVIEW without any options does not make use of any internal picture storage. It will run more efficiently and there should not be any restriction on the size of the metafile-input.

1. Menu-item 2 can be used only when NAMES option is selected.
2. Menu-item 3 can be used only when NAMES or NBFR option is selected.

1. Users who wish to incorporate pictures in SGML documents on the IBM-3812 should use either the parameter SGML (for the old SGML/Script format), or BOOKM, for the new SGML/DCF format (Bookmaster is based on DCF). The main difference that the user will see is that, in the first case, PSEG38PP files are produced, whereas, in the second case, it is PSEG3820 files (the new format requested by IBM 3812-compatible printers). In the first case an additional control file (with filetype SGML) is also produced and is used by the SGML/Script processor to reserve space within the document for each picture.
2. If IBM3812 or SGML output format is selected then the conversion must be performed on CERNVM. If the current host is a VAX or an Apollo connected to the computer centre via a network link, then the job to convert the metafile is sent to CERNVM automatically (see section ).
3. For IBM-3812 or SGML the output is not placed into a single file, but each frame is stored in a separate output file. In fact, in the case of SGML, each output picture file has an ancillary file This ancillary file is not used by the BookMaster processor and eventually will be suppressed. which defines the picture size, and which is used by the Waterloo/Script version of SGML. The VM output file names are GR$$00nS SGML and GR$$00nP PSEG38PP (with n equal to 1, 2, etc...) if the frames have not been named, or else XXXXXXXS SGML and XXXXXXXP PSEG38PP, where XXXXXXX is the seven character frame name defined by the call to GCNAME in the application which wrote the metafile. If the name has less than seven characters it is padded with $ (dollar) characters as necessary.
4. For EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) one output file per frame should normally be produced, as this output format is designed specifically for the inclusion of pictures within a document. This can be achieved by using the SPLIT option, and the naming scheme is described in section . Note that if OTYPE EPS is requested and SPLIT was not specified in the command then the program allows the user to select it afterwards.

For more information on how to include pictures inside a document users should refer to the Guide to Computer Graphics at CERN (CN/US/111).

Optional Parameters

These are different qualifiers which the user can specify to enable specific options, but in all cases a default is provided. BATCH is an example of an optional parameters: if option BATCH is not specified in the command then the session by default is interactive.

The following is a list of all the optional parameters provided by GRCONV with their meaning.

LOGFILE filename

Qualifier LOgfile followed by a filename must be used to specify the name of the logfile produced by the run. This is, by default, GRCONV LOG A (on VM) and GRCONV.LOG (on other systems). The logfile contains all error messages coming from GKS or from the program itself. If the BATCH option is selected then the logfile contains also the whole run description.

Syntax:

GRCONV ( LOG myconv log c (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV/LOG=myconv.log (on VAX/VMS),

grconv -log myconv.log (on Apollo).

BATCH

Qualifier BAtch must be selected to initiate a batch session: no interactive input at all is requested from the user. If a mandatory parameter is missing in the command the job is stopped and the user will find an error message in the logfile. If option BATCH is not specified then the session by default is interactive.

If the option FRAMES is selected (see section ) with BATCH mode then a list of frames to be converted may be specified, otherwise the whole input metafile is processed. This is different to the use of GRCONV without the BATCH option, which interactively prompts the user to find out which frames to process.

On IBM/VM the job is submitted to the BATCH machine, on VAX/VMS the job is sent to a batch queue (see option QUEUE described in section ), and on Apollo the command is put into a background process.

The BATCH option does not require any value.

Syntax:

GRCONV ( BATCH (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV/BATCH (on VAX/VMS),

grconv -batch (on Apollo).

Default output file naming:

The output filename is given either in the command (OUTput option) or a name is chosen automatically as follows:

• If the option SPLIT (see ) is NOT selected there is only one output file produced with name: GRCONV OTYPE FMO (or GRCONV.OTYPE), where OTYPE is the output type given in the command (METafile, POSTscript, TEKtronix, MAE2DO, PSTPC, ...). On VM the output filemode is 'A' by default if it is not specified with qualifier FMO.
• If SPLIT is selected each frame is put into a separate output file with the name: FNAME OTYPE FMO, where FNAME is the frame name if one has been defined (by calling GCNAME in the application which created the metafile). If the input metafile frames were not named, then the files are called FRAM001, FRAM002, etc...

SPLIT

The qualifier SPlit provides a way for the user to decide whether all the converted frames should be kept together in the same output file (the default), or if a separate output-file should be produced for each frame. The SPLIT option can be useful if one wishes to incorporate pictures inside a document using a text-processing system, such as SGML/Bookmaster or TeX, which requires each picture to be stored separately.

The SPLIT option does not require any value.

Syntax:

GRCONV ( SPLIT (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV/SPLIT (on VAX/VMS),

grconv -split (on Apollo).

On VM the name given to each output file is FNAME OTYPE FMO where FNAME is the corresponding frame name, OTYPE the output file type (given in the command/panel or interactively) and FMO the output file mode (if not given in the command/panel this is A by default). On other systems the name of each file is FNAME.OTYPE.

For an interactive session if the input metafile does not contain frame names, or if option FAST (see ) is selected, then whatever the output file type is the user is asked to give a name to the frames selected for conversion. For a batch session the names FRAM001, FRAM002,... are generated automatically for the output files produced. GKS metafiles are sequential files. Thus, some information stored at the beginning of the file, concerning attributes for instance, may be required for all frames. In order to SPLIT the input-metafile the program needs firstly to REWIND it for each frame to restore the initial conditions. This is why the user gets for each frame except the first one the message: "Rewinding the whole metafile ... Please be patient".

FRAMES f1 f2 f3

The qualifier FRames followed by a list of integers allows the user to select the frames to be processed by giving their position number in the input metafile. Thus, f1 f2 f3 are the order numbers of the frames to be converted. For example, to process only the 2nd, 5th and 7th frames, use FRAMES 2 5 7. This will increase the speed of the process if the user does not need to convert the whole metafile.

Syntax:

GRCONV ( FRAM 2 5 7 (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV/FRAM=(2,5,7) (on VAX/VMS),

grconv -fram 2 5 7 (on Apollo).

Up to 20 frame numbers can be entered following the FRAMES keyword. If more than 20 numbers are given they are ignored and a warning is issued.

FAST

The qualifier FAst may be used to avoid reading the input metafile to check the number of frames and their names. When FAST is NOT selected the whole metafile is read in order to count the frames and to make a list of their names. This allows for a nicer user interface, for example users can have displayed the names of the frames on the metafile, but can be a slow process if the metafile is large. Note that the use of this option is equivalent to the default case in GRVIEW.

The FAST option does not require any value.

Syntax:

GRCONV ( FAST (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV/FAST (on VAX/VMS),

grconv -fast (on Apollo).

STOP value

The qualifier STop may be used to set the maximum number of GKS errors allowed before processing is stopped. This can save both wasted CPU time, as well as the disk space used to store the log file. Thus, "STOP n" means that after n errors the job will end. If STOP is set to 0 then the option has no effect and the job will not stop regardless of the number of errors. The default value for STOP is 50 on all systems.

Syntax:

GRCONV ( STOP 20 (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV/STOP=20 (on VAX/VMS),

grconv -stop 20 (on Apollo).

FMO filemode (VM only)

The qualifier FMo followed by a valid filemode allows the user to change the filemode of the output file produced (this is A by default).

Syntax:

GRCONV ( FMO B (on IBM/VM).

JOBNAME name (VM only)

The qualifier JOBNAME can be used to set the batch job name on VM. In any case a default is provided by the system.

Syntax:

GRCONV ( JOB myjob (on IBM/VM).

CLASS class (VM only)

The qualifier CLASS followed by a valid value has to be used in order to set the batch job class. If a class is entered, no checks are made on the size of the metafile and/or on the validity of the class itself. If the class is not a valid one or does not allow for enough time, the batch job will fail.

If CLASS is not given the following rule is used:

• Metafiles of up to 8000 lines: class S
• between 8000 and 50000 lines: class M
• 50000 lines and over: class L

Syntax:

GRCONV ( CLASS S (on IBM/VM).

QUEUE queue-name (VAX/VMS only)

Qualifier QUeue followed by a valid name allows the user to define the queue to which the job should be sent when option BATCH is selected. The queue name is system-dependant, and the default on VXCERN is SYS$SHORT.

Syntax:

GRCONV/QUEUE=SYS$MEDIUM (on VAX/VMS).

SGML Output

The qualifier OTYPE SGML (/OTYPE=SGML on VAX, and -otype sgml on Apollo) has to be used to convert GKS metafiles into a form suitable for inclusion in an SGML document using the "PICTURE" tag. The frames are output into separate files, and the details of this are described in the note in section .

Users should be aware that if SGML output is selected when using a computer system at CERN other than CERNVM, then a batch job will be sent automatically to CERNVM to perform the conversion. Therefore it must be possible to access a VM/CMS minidisk WITH a write password (the qualifier PASSWORD MUST be given, VMUSERID should be given if different from the VAX one, and ADDRESS if the minidisk is not 191). Any output files produced will remain on CERNVM and will NOT be sent back to the originating host. Only the logfile of the VM batch job is returned, and on VXCERN users may access it by typing "RDRLIST" and selecting the number of the corresponding file. An error message will be displayed if the connection to CERNVM is not available, and the response time clearly will be affected by the load on both CERNVM and the network. The qualifiers OUTPUT, LOGFILE, SPLIT, FAST, PROMPT and STOP are ignored for SGML output.

The following is a list of qualifiers specific to SGML output. Apart from XFACT and YFACT, available on any systems, the other qualifiers are for hosts in order to communicate with CERNVM.

XFACT number

YFACT number

VMUSERID userid (VAX and APOLLO only)

ADDRESS number (VAX and APOLLO only)

PASSWORD value (VAX and APOLLO only)

TIME number (VAX and APOLLO only)

Examples

Example 1: No Options

Syntax:

GRCONV meta dat (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV meta.dat (on VAX/VMS),

grconv meta.dat (on Apollo).

This command converts the input metafile META DAT (META.DAT). The run is fully interactive: the user is asked to give all mandatory parameters (such as the output filename and type). For a conversion into an output metafile the user is asked also to give a name to each picture in the case that no names have been given during creation of the input metafile via a call to the CERN utility GCNAME.

The following is the console logfile produced on VM (user answers are enclosed with brackets). The user interface is similar on other systems (VAX and Apollo).

Example 2: SPLIT, FRAMES and OTYPE

Syntax:

GRCONV meta dat (SPLIT FRAM 3 4 OTYP POS (on IBM/VM),

GRCONV meta.dat/SPLIT/FRAM=(3,4)/OTYP=POS (on VAX/VMS),

grconv meta.dat -split -fram 3 4 -otyp pos (on Apollo).

This command converts frames numbers 3 and 4 from the input metafile META DAT (META.DAT) into two separate (SPLIT) PostScript files (portrait/monochrome). The session is interactive: output files produced will have the same name as the frame-names if names have been given at metafile creation, otherwise the user will be asked to give a name to each picture and this name will be used for the output files produced (with filetype or file-extension POS).

Example 3: FRAMES, OTYPE, OUT, BATCH and FAST

Syntax:

GRCONV meta dat (FRAM 3 4 OTYPE PSTPC OUT OMETA PS BATCH FAST

GRCONV meta.dat/FRAM=(3,4)/OTYPE=PSTPC/OUT=OMETA.PS/BATCH/FAST

grconv meta.dat -fram 3 4 -otype pstpc -out ometa.ps -batch -fast

(On IBM/VM, VAX/VMS and Apollo).

The user asks the job to run in BATCH and to convert frames numbers 3 and 4 from the input metafile META DAT (META.DAT) into one PostScript file (portrait/colour) with filename OMETA PS (OMETA.PS). The job will run in the batch machine on VM, it will be put by default in the batch queue SYS$SHORT on VXCERN, and it will run in a background process on Apollo. The qualifier FAST has been selected to make the run faster (no check is made concerning the number of frames and their names in the input metafile).

This is a part of the logfile produced by the batch job on VM (containing the run description):

Metafile Plotting with GRPLOT

GRPLOT is the general command to be used at CERN in order to print a GKS metafile on a printer or plotter. Interactive HELP is available on all Computer Centre systems. If you have any problems with GRPLOT which cannot be resolved by the UCO, or any suggestions for improvements, please contact n.cremel@cern.ch.

GRPLOT currently supports the following devices:

• XEROX 4050 printer
• IBM 3812 laser printers
• VERSATEC monochrome and colour plotters

The XEROX 4050 should be used for production work (large metafiles). It is also the printer which gives the best resolution and quality for black and white output. The VERSATEC colour A0 plotter can be used for very large outputs, and the VERSACOLOR A4 plotter should be used for publication only (for cost reasons).

The GRPLOT command exists on all CERN centrally supported systems (IBM/VM, VAX/VMS, Apollo). If the printer/plotter to which the output is directed is not connected to the machine being used, Note that at Cern, and for the moment, most printers/plotters are connected to IBM/VM. This explains why, in the following, we are using several times a VM specific terminology, especially relating to "VM batch jobs". then GRPLOT will transfer the metafile to the correct destination automatically, where it will be processed as a batch job.

General Format

The format of the GRPLOT command is, according to the system used:

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( OPTIONS [VALUE] (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/QUALIFIERS[=VALUE] (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -options [value] (on Apollo Commands and file names are case sensitive under Aegis and UNIX. ).

The filename (fn ft fm on VM) On VM "METAFILE" is used by default for the filetype. of the metafile to be plotted is a mandatory parameter and if it is missing the user will be prompted for it. This will be done via a panel if using a full screen terminal on CERNVM.

Not all options can be accessed on any device or machine. The following is a list of possible options/qualifiers with their meaning.

General Parameters

PRINTER printername

PRintername is the name of the printer/plotter to be used. Only the following printer/plotter types are valid:

• XEROX 4050 Printer (printername is XEROXDD for the one in building 513),
• VERSATEC colour A0 Plotter (printername is A0COLOUR),
• VERSACOLOR A4 Plotter (printername is A4COLOUR for the one in building 513),
• IBM3812 Printers (printername is DD513A for the one in building 513).

For other printers of these types (e.g. IBM-3812s) the printername should be a nickname entry in the USERPRT, GROUPPRT or SYSPRT NAMES files on VM.

If printer A4COLOUR Users should be aware that the cost of the material is not insignificant, being about CHF 1 for a copy on white paper, and CHF 3 for a transparency. Thus, users should test one or two plots first, before producing a more substantial number. is chosen GRPLOT generates and submits a batch job to plot the metafile on the VERSACOLOR plotter in building 513. The processed job is queued for plotting and the user must go to the machine in order to release the job using the local terminal.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT DD513A (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/PRINT=DD513A (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -print dd513a (on Apollo).

Performance considerations:

• Metafiles with a large number of frames should be printed on the XEROX as this is faster and also allows recto-verso printing.
• Metafiles with more than 10 frames sent to an IBM-3812 will be printed in class L.
• VM Batch Jobs are sent to different classes depending on the size of the metafile to be printed (class S, M or L). Class L runs overnight. If the CLASS option is used, the job is run in the class given. If the class is not a valid one or it does not allow enough time, the job will fail.

XFACT xfact

XFact is an X-axis multiplicative scaling factor. The default is 1.00.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( XFACT 0.75 (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/XFACT=0.75 (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -xfact 0.75 (on Apollo).

YFACT yfact

YFact is a Y-axis multiplicative scaling factor. The default is 1.00.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( YFACT 2.0 (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/YFACT=2.0 (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -yfact 2.0 (on Apollo).

FRAMES f1 f2 ... fn

The FRames option allows the selection of frames to be printed, where f1, f2, ... are the ordered numbers of the frames selected. For instance, to print the 2nd, 5th and the 7th frame of your metafile use the following syntax:

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( FR 2 5 7 (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/FR=(2,5,7) (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -fr 2 5 7 (on Apollo).

JOBNAME job

Use of this option is meaningful only if the printer/plotter is connected to the IBM, This is true, at the moment, for most printers and plotters at Cern. which implies that GRPLOT will process remotely the metafile as a batch job.

"JOb" is the name of the VM batch job and the default jobname is set by the system. If the call to GRPLOT is done in a batch job the default jobname consists of the first 3 characters of the user account and the time in seconds. If JOBNAME is used it will be printed on the banner page in place of the userid.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( JOB myjob (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/JOB=myjob (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -job myjob (on Apollo).

Device Dependant Parameters

DIST distcode (not for A4COLOUR)

DIst option has to be used in order to declare the distribution code (or RIOS delivery destination) for the plotter output. By default, on VM, it is the value stored in the user's directory (on VM do HELP DIRM DIST if you want to change this value). On VAX and Apollo the default DIST code is always LOCAL (Building 513).

The table of CERN distribution codes follows:

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( DIST X8 (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/DIST=X8 (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -dist x8 (on Apollo).

ORIENT orientcode (not for A0COLOUR)

The value given for ORient determines the orientation of the picture on A4 cut sheets. The possible values are device-dependent:

XEROX:

A combination of the characters P or L (for Portrait or Landscape), either A or F (for Automatic Filling of the page), and 1 (for "one side printing") is allowed. Note that if "1" is not selected, which is the default situation, plots are put on both sides of the page in order to save paper. "Automatic Filling of the page" or "Automatic scaling" means that scaling factors XFACT and YFACT are calculated by the program and applied in order to fill the page. In that case the aspect ratio of the original picture is not necessarily kept. The default value for ORIENT is "P". Note that "A" or "F" are totally equivalent and they have the same meaning as "PA" or "PF" (Portrait orientation and Automatic Filling of the page). Note also that "ORIENT A" in GRPLOT does not have the same meaning as in the old utility GKSX87.

A4COLOUR:

Only P and L are valid values. The default is P.

IBM3812:

A combination of the characters P or L, A or F is allowed (same meaning as for the XEROX). The default is P.

This is the list of all possible combinations for ORIENT (but not all values may be usable on all printers):

P

Portrait (default for all devices).

L

Landscape.

A or F or PA or PF

Portrait and Automatic scaling.

LA or LF

Landscape and Automatic scaling.

P1

Portrait and one side printing.

L1

Landscape and one side printing.

P1A or P1F

Portrait, one side printing and Automatic scaling.

L1A or L1F

Landscape, one side printing and Automatic scaling.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( ORIENT L (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/ORIENT=L (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -orient l (on Apollo).

CLASS class (not for A0COLOUR)

This can be used to set the batch job class. If a class is entered no checks are made on the size of the metafile and/or on the validity of the class itself. (See section for the rules used if CLASS is not given.)

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( CLASS S (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT filename/CLASS=S (on VAX/VMS),

grplot filename -class s (on Apollo).

MERGE value (XEROX and IBM 3812 only)

The qualifier MErge followed by an integer value can be used to merge consecutive frames The frames to be merged should have the same workstation transformation (same size) otherwise the MERGE option can give strange results. taken from an input metafile together onto a single frame, either to save paper, or to allow the pictures to be compared easily. The aspect ratio of each individual picture is not necessarily kept.

The values allowed for MERGE are 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9 (5 would give the same result as 4, and 7 the same as 6). If two or three frames are merged in portrait mode they will be placed one above the other, and in landscape mode they will be placed side by side. In each case they will be expanded to fill the width of the page, so producing a possible change in aspect ratio. The user must decide which case gives the better result.

Syntax:

GRPLOT ( MERGE 4 (on IBM/VM),

GRPLOT/MERGE=4 (on VAX/VMS),

grplot -merge 4 (on Apollo).

XPOS xpos (XEROX only)

This option may be used to displace the origin of the plot "xpos" cm from the left. If not given the workstation transformation (if any) will be used.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT XEROXDD XPOS 0.75 (on IBM/VM, for Xerox),

GRPLOT filename/PRINT=XEROXDD/XPOS=0.75 (on VAX/VMS, for Xerox),

grplot filename -print xeroxdd -xpos 0.75 (on Apollo, for Xerox).

YPOS xpos (XEROX only)

This option may be used to displace the origin of the plot "ypos" cm from the bottom. If not given the workstation transformation (if any) will be used.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT XEROXDD YPOS 2.5 (on IBM/VM, for Xerox),

GRPLOT filename/PRINT=XEROXDD/YPOS=2.5 (on VAX/VMS, for Xerox),

grplot filename -print xeroxdd -ypos 2.5 (on Apollo, for Xerox).

FORMS form (A0COLOUR only)

The FOrms option is used to define the paper format. It can take one of the following values:

WP:

36 inch roll - plain paper COLOUR output (DEFAULT) ef.)

MWP:

36 inch roll - plain paper MONOCHROME output

WV:

36 inch roll - vellum paper COLOUR output

MWV:

36 inch roll - vellum paper MONOCHROME output

WM:

36 inch roll - mylar paper COLOUR output

MWM:

36 inch roll - mylar paper MONOCHROME output

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT A0COLOUR FORM WP (on IBM/VM, for Versatec),

GRPLOT filename/PRINT=A0COLOUR/FORM=WP (on VAX/VMS, for Versatec),

grplot filename -print a0colour -form wp (on Apollo, for Versatec).

XMAX CMxxxx (A0COLOUR only)

This is to set the maximum paper length of the output (in cm) in the case of using a Versatec plotter with rolled paper. Plots beyond this total length will be cut. The default value is 300 centimeters. The maximum length is 3000 centimetres.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT A0COLOUR XMAX 500 (on IBM/VM, for Versatec),

GRPLOT filename/PRINT=A0COLOUR/XMAX=500 (on VAX/VMS, for Versatec),

grplot filename -print a0colour -xmax 500 (on Apollo, for Versatec).

GRID [yes/no] (A0COLOUR only)

This can be used to superimpose a 1 cm grid over the total plot up to the maximum allowed plot length. The GRID option will be obeyed only if XMAX is defined differently from its default value. With this option you will always receive a plot XMAX long. If XMAX > 10 metres GRID N is enforced. The default is GRID N.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT A0COLOUR GRID Y (on IBM/VM, for Versatec),

GRPLOT filename/PRINT=A0COLOUR/GRID (on VAX/VMS, for Versatec),

grplot filename -print a0colour -grid (on Apollo, for Versatec).

CENTER [Yes/No] (IBM-3812 only)

This can be used to centre Note U.S. spelling. automatically the picture. The default is No.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT DD513A CENTER Y (on IBM/VM, for IBM-3812),

GRPLOT filename/PRINT=DD513A/CENTER (on VAX/VMS, for IBM-3812),

grplot filename -print dd513a -center (on Apollo, for IBM-3812).

Machine (and eventually Device) Dependant Parameters

INTER Yes/No (VM using IBM-3812s only)

"INTER Y" must be specified in order to run GRPLOT interactively instead of submitting a batch job when printing on an IBM-3812. Note that in order to use this option you need a Virtual Machine with at least 5M of storage (use "QUERY STORAGE" on your VM account to verify). "INTER YES" is ignored if a batch CLASS is given. Default is INTER NO (submit a batch job).

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PRINT DD513A INTER Y (on IBM/VM, for IBM-3812).

PWD password (VM only)

This has to be used to specify the minidisk password of the disk containing the metafile to be plotted. This password is necessary only if the disk has a READ password. A default password cannot be set.

Syntax:

GRPLOT fn ft fm ( PWD mypass (on IBM/VM).

SPOOL [n/CLOSE] (VM only)

The SPool option was introduced for those users who create and print metafiles within FORTRAN programs (with VMCMS calls): n is the Logical Unit number to which the FORTRAN program writes the metafile and CLOSE is a keyword. The way this option works is the following:

• The call "GRPLOT [fn ft] (SPOOL n " must be issued either before the start of the FORTRAN program or within the FORTRAN program with VMCMS (e.g.: CALL VMCMS("EXEC GRPLOT (SPOOL n",IRC) ), before beginning to write on Logical Unit n. Note that:
  • fn ft are the filename and filetype of the metafile that is being created. They can be omitted.
  • "SPOOL n" should be the only option. Any other option will be ignored.
• Once the metafile has been created, and is ready to be printed, the FORTRAN program should make a VMCMS call to "GRPLOT [fn ft] (SPOOL CLOSE PRINTER printer [other options]" where:
  • fn ft must be the same as in the previous call (and omitted if it was omitted before).
  • "CLOSE" is a keyword. The job will fail if this call was not preceded by a call with the SPOOL keyword.
  • "other options" are any printing options.

Note the following points:

1. Since GRPLOT is defining a "FILEDEF n ...", the FORTRAN program cannot have an "OPEN (UNIT=n ...)" otherwise the metafile will not be spooled and GRPLOT will not be able to find it,
2. The user must NOT modify the PUNCH settings between the two calls "GRPLOT [fn ft] (SPOOL n" and "GRPLOT [fn ft] (SPOOL CLOSE PRINTER printer [other options]",
3. If the job fails between the two calls, the PUNCH will have the GRPLOT settings and not the user's. In most cases this should not cause problems since:
   • the SPOOL option will be used mostly by batch jobs, therefore the PUNCH will be that of the batch worker,
   • the only command used to modify the PUNCH settings is "CP SPOOL PUNCH TO user" where USER is the user who is running GRPLOT, which means that something is actually changed only if user USER is spooling his PUNCH to someone other than himself.
4. "GRPLOT [ ] (SPOOL n" and "GRPLOT [ ] (SPOOL CLOSE [ ]" must always be used together.

TIME time (VAX and APOLLO only)

The TIme qualifier followed by a value can be used to specify the time in minutes for the VM Batch job. The default value (2 mn.) is normally sufficient, except for very large metafiles.

Syntax:

GRPLOT/TIME=4 (on VAX/VMS),

grplot -time 4 (on Apollo).

MSG / NOMSG (VAX only)

Option MSG is selected by default: use of this option means that the qualifiers/options which are being sent to the VM batch job, and their values, are displayed on the terminal. Option /NOMSG disables this feature.

Syntax:

GRPLOT/NOMSG (on VAX/VMS. By default it is GRPLOT/MSG).

NOTIFY (APOLLO only)

Use of option NOTIFY (-n) on the Apollo means that the console log from the VM batch job will be returned to the Apollo. This file can then be fetched using the "xfetch" command. By default NO console log is returned.

Syntax:

grplot -n (on Apollo).

GRPLOT Usage Notes

1. The following metafile types are the only ones to be recognized as valid by GRPLOT:
   • GTS-GRAL
   • PLOT10 GKS "Appendix E" metafile output (EMO)
   • MGKS

   PLOT10 metafiles created before 1987 are NOT valid and must be converted (contact the Graphics Section for help).

2. A certain amount of parameter checking is done when DEFAULTS SET is used on VM, but the user is warned that it is impossible to check for all inconsistencies. A different set of defaults can be chosen for each device. The printer/plotter name given in the last DEFAULTS SET call will be the default device (see "preferred Printer/Plotter" in DEFAULTS LIST). Defaults cannot be set for FILENAME, PWD and SPOOL.
3. If the metafile is on a temporary disk on VM it will be placed on the user's PUNCH for processing by the batch job, therefore the user cannot modify the PUNCH SPOOLIDs or delete PUNCH files until the batch job submitted by GRPLOT is completed otherwise it will fail.
4. The following is about use of colours and only applies to PRINTER A4COLOUR:
   1. The GKS colour indices and corresponding colours are
      • 1 Black
      • 2 Red orange
      • 3 Green
      • 4 Dark blue
      • 5 Yellow
      • 6 Magenta (red-purple)
      • 7 Cyan (light blue)
      • 8 White
      A frequent disappointment is the yellow which stands out well on a dark terminal screen but is very pale on white paper, particularly for lines, markers and text.
   2. For economic reasons we use 3-colour ink rolls but standard Versaplot software expects black as the fourth colour. This affects the colours available when using solid fill area and the new version now gives black for colour index 1 and white for index 8, consistent with the colour indices for the other primitives. Other shades are available using interior style "PATTERN" and the pattern index from 1 to 256. Again, the lack of black causes frequent duplication and the colour table displayed at the plotter should be consulted. This feature is very device specific and should not be used in applications that must be very portable to different colour devices. HATCH colours are limited to the 7 basic colours.
   3. MAXIMUM DISPLAY SPACE: while the GRPLOT exec sets ORIENT P as the default, GKS programmers should be aware that the underlying software expects landscape with XMAX 0.24 and YMAX 0.20 metres if they wish to tailor their output for this device. For ORIENT P the XFACT and YFACT options are applied after rotation so that for simple applications with no workstation transformation setting YMAX to 1.2 will fill the page.
5. For the A0COLOUR plotter the colour table is the same as for A4COLOUR above. However, as it has black also, all 256 colors are available using the "PATTERN" style.