GCGFigure User's Guide

Copyright (C) 1995 by the Genetics Computer Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contents

• Introduction
• Creating a Figure File
• Using GCGFigure
• Troubleshooting

Introduction

GCGFigure is a Macintosh program for displaying graphic output from GCG programs. It reads files in GCG's Figure format, displays them, prints them, and converts them to PICT format for use by other Macintosh programs.

The Wisconsin Package directly supports graphic output on a number of devices: Hewlett-Packard plotters; PostScript printers; Tektronx, ReGIS and X window terminals; and Sixel dot-matrix printers. Until now, it did not support Macintosh PICT format, which was an inconvenience to people who accessed GCG through Mac terminal emulators, or who wanted to include GCG graphics in Mac word processing or page layout programs.

The Wisconsin Package also can create graphics in a device-independent "metafile" called Figure format. Historically, Figure files have been used so that the graphic output of a program can be printed on a variety of printers without having to rerun the program. But since Figure files are ordinary text, and since their format is clearly documented by GCG, they provide a means for programs outside the Wisconsin Package to display GCG graphics. GCGFigure for the Macintosh is an example of such a program.

PICT is the universal graphics format on the Macintosh. Virtually every Mac program with any graphics handling ability at all can read a PICT file. This includes word processors such as Microsoft Word, page layout programs such as Aldus PageMaker, image processors such as Adobe PhotoShop, and drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator. These programs usually save documents in their own private format but also provide a way to import (and sometimes export) PICT files. This common format makes it easy for different programs to exchange information.

Furthermore, images in PICT format can be copied to the Mac clipboard and pasted into other programs without actually creating a file on disk.

Creating a Figure File

$ dotplot /figure=mydotplot.figure

And on Unix:

% dotplot -figure=mydotplot.figure

The result in either case is a text file named mydotplot.figure residing in your current directory.

If you are using the Wisconsin Package Interface (WPI), then all graphic output is created in Figure format automatically. You simply need to go to the Output Manager window and Save the graphic output you are interested in.

Directions on how to transfer the Figure files to your Macintosh are beyond the scope of this document. If you use a terminal emulator program to access GCG, your emulator probably has a way to transfer text files. If your Macintosh is on a local area network, you very likely have a tool such as ftp or telnet. You should consult with the Macintosh expert at your site for more information.

One thing to remember is that Figure files are ASCII text files. Whatever method you use to transfer the file, you might need to specify that you're transfering a text file, as opposed to a binary file, so that the software will interpret line breaks correctly. This is also a topic to discuss with your local Macintosh expert.

Using GCGFigure

To Open a Figure File

1. Choose Open... from the File menu.
2. Use the standard Macintosh dialog box to find and open the desired file.
3. After a short delay, the figure appears in a window.

To View Multi-Page Files

To Zoom In on a Detail

1. Move the cursor into the display window.
2. Click and drag a rectangle around the area of interest.
3. Release the mouse button. The area you selected expands to fill the window.

To Copy Part of the Figure to the Clipboard

1. Resize the window to the size you want your clipboard picture to be.
2. Zoom in on the portion of the figure you want to copy.
3. Choose Copy Selection to Clipboard from the File menu.

To Convert Part of the Figure to a PICT File

1. Resize and zoom in to the graphic as desired.
2. Choose Save Selection as PICT... from the File menu.
3. Use the standard Macintosh dialog box to name and save the output file.

To Print the Zoomed Part of the Figure

1. Choose Page Setup... from the File menu and select the appropriate options.
2. Zoom in on the desired portion of the figure.
3. Choose Print Selection... from the File menu.
4. Use the standard Macintosh printing dialog to print the graphic.

To Print All Pages of the Figure

1. Choose Page Setup... from the File menu and select the appropriate options.
2. Choose Print All... from the File menu.
3. Use the standard Macintosh printing dialog to print the graphic.

Troubleshooting

Handwritten Figures

Memory Considerations

Reporting Bugs