Peanuts NeXT Software Archives/Peanuts-2.iso/Science/mathematics/nxyplot.1.90.README

Text File | 1994-03-17 | 6.5 KB | 142 lines

This is the README file for the nxyplot package.  nxyplot is a plotting
program for computers running the Nextstep operating system, release
3.0 or higher.  Source code is provided, as well as a
multi-architecture binary, which should be executable on both Motorola
and Intel hardware.

Program Summary:
nxyplot is a program for plotting two-dimensional curves, with data
coming from one or more files.  Each file can contain multiple
y-values for each x value.  Each data file should be an ASCII or
compressed file, with each line containing the x-value followed by the
y-values for each curve.  Thus, each data file should look like
x1 y1 ... yn
x2 y2 ... yn
etc., where there are n curves to be plotted.  A sample file
(test2.xyp) is provided to illustrate this format and to use for
testing the program.  The input file can contain text comments as long
as the text contains no periods or numerals.

The various panels (controls, lines, symbols, legends) have some
information displayed on them.  They allow manipulation of the line
style, symbol type, legend, minimum and maximum value along each axis,
and titles.  Also provided is the ability to move the legend and
titles and to "zoom" in on a section of the plot.  Printing capability
is provided by standard NeXT system methods; the plot will be
automatically scaled to an 8.5 in. x 11 in. page in either landscape
or portrait mode (depending on whether the screen plot is landscape or
portrait).

Writing this program served as our introduction to programming using
the Interface Builder and Objective-C.  We wanted to emulate the
functionality of a program called "xyplot", written by Marshal Merriam
of NASA/Ames Research Center and T. Krysten Nguyen.  The plotting
program "QuickPlot" of Fred Richards (University of Illinois) was very
helpful in showing how to get started with the Interface Builder.

We use this program ourselves and intend to support it (in our spare
time).  Constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement are
welcome; send e-mail to [e-mail] or
[e-mail].

This code is provided as-is, and no warranty express or implied is
made.  The source code is not to be used in any commercial for-profit
endeavor.

Dennis Jespersen
[e-mail]

Version 1.90 of nxyplot:
1. Silly bug with titles of format files fixed.

Version 1.89 of nxyplot.
1. NeXT help system implemented.
2. Autoplot preference added.
3. Miscellaneous bug fixes.

Version 1.85 of nxyplot.
1. Capability to delete selected files.
2. Drag and drop capability added.
3. Bug fixes.

Version 1.8 of nxyplot.
1. Error bar capability added; see Error bars (under Windows menu item).
2. Some bug fixes.
3. Services menu item added.
4. Copy Graphics menu item added.
5. Preview button added to main control panel.
6. Added capability to read and write binary files.
7. Tic marks can be on all four sides of the frame box.
8. Main menu reorganized to be more in conformance with NeXT UI Guidelines.

Version 1.7 of nxyplot.
1. Allow user-specified formatting of tic labels; also bug fixes of
automatic tic label formatting.
2. Allow data files with only one column of data (the given data is
assumed to be y values, and the x values are taken to be the integers
1,2,3,...).
3. The linestyle and symbolstyle matrices now automatically arrange to
turn off all but one button in each column.
4. The linestyle, symbolstyle, and legendstyle windows are now
scrolling windows; they can be resized and scroll bars will appear
(suggested and code supplied by Paul Howell using the ScrollWindow
class of David Joerg).
5. Title of plot window now reflects name of data file most recently
read in, or "pasteboard" if data came from a pasteboard.
6. Initial curve titles in legend window now reflect file names.
7. Arbitrary column of data file can be selected as the x-data for a
plot.  Note that choice of a column other than the first for the
x-data is not taken into account when a format file is written or read.
8. Added capability for the Workspace Manager to launch nxyplot when
any file with the extension "xyp", "dat", or "nxyplot" is
double-clicked.
9. Added color vs black/white option in Preferences.
10. Any curve whose line style and symbol style are both set to none
will be ignored when doing min/max calculations.  A file's x-data will
also be ignored if all the curves from that file are ignored.
11. Data files now may contain the comment character "!" anywhere on a
line; anything following the "!" on a given line will be ignored.
12. nxyplot can now read options given on the command line.  Usage is
 nxyplot file [file...] [-f formatfile] [-o epsfile] [-q] [-h]
13. Length of tic marks is now user-controllable by a slider/text
field combination.
14. "Previous View" button added to control panel.
15. Print panel additions to allow easy printing in black and white
even if display is being viewed in color.
16. "Fine tuning" panel added to organize many small details.  Frame
box control added.  Ability to locate tic marks on axes added.  Note
that format files written by nxyplot version 1.6 or earlier may not
work properly with version 1.7 of nxyplot.

Version 1.6 of nxyplot.
1. Supports color: lines, background, text can be colored.
2. Titles may be moved, just like the legend box.
3. More robust handling of tic label formatting; also bug fixes.
4. Line thickness and symbol size controlled by sliders.
5. Format file supports colors and the previous enhancements.  This
implies that format files written with earlier version of nxyplot MAY
MALFUNCTION when read with this version of nxyplot.
6. Axis thickness now user-controllable.
7. Added capability to save data files; this may be handy if one has
read in data off the pasteboard (using services) and would like to
save the data in a file.

Version 1.5 of nxyplot.
1. More robust handling of input files; they can now have limited text
comments and arbitrary non-ASCII characters.
2. Capability to read and write "format" files.  A format file
contains information about the min/max, line types, etc., and can be
used as a template to allow easily regenerating plots where many
non-default options have been selected.
3. Capability to read compressed files.  This is to help conserve disk
space.
4. Service providing.  Under NeXT system 2.0 and higher, applications
can register as service providers.  This program offers a plotting
service to any application which can put appropriate data on an ASCII
pasteboard.  See the help file (under "Preferences") for more
information.

Version 1.0 of nxyplot.
Can now plot data from multiple files; can select different fonts for
the various labels; better labeling along the axes.