fig2vect 1.1.20
Get fig2vect at SourceForge.net. Fast, secure and Free Open Source software downloads

fig2vect 1.1.20

 

FAQ

General FAQ

What's the purpose of the program

The fig2vect program converts Fig drawings to MetaPost, EPS, PDF, TeX and SVG files.
It is intended for LaTeX users which want to use their Fig drawings with both LaTeX and pdfLaTeX.

How does fig2vect compare against other Fig to xxx conversion software

  • fig2vect is specialized for use with LaTeX/pdfLaTeX.
    The transfig package provides a large number of output drivers for general purpose usage. The fig2vect program is intended for those who want to use Fig drawings with LaTeX/pdfLaTeX. At this time there are only five output drivers (MetaPost, EPS, PDF, TeX and SVG).
  • X-Spline to Bezier spline conversion in fig2vect.
    In fig2dev X-splines are converted to a polyline when reading the Fig file. The fig2vect program calculates Bezier splines. Each X-spline segment can be drawn by using a number of Bezier spline segments.
  • Fill patterns are implemented as vector graphics.
    Fig2vect uses vector drawing operations to fill objects, not bitmap images.
  • Support for UTF-8 encoded text.
    As more and more Linux/Unix installations use a ``lang.UTF-8'' languages setting, support for UTF-8 encoded text becomes more and more important.
    Fig2vect can handle Fig files containing UTF-8 encoded texts.
    See the UTF-8 support FAQ section for details
  • Both fig2vect and transfig are designed to be extensible.
    Both fig2vect and transfig allow programmers to add new output drivers. In transfig an output driver is a set of functions obtaining a pointer to a drawing primitive. For each drawing primitive one function from the set is invoked, the function has only access to the drawing primitive's data.
    In fig2vect an output driver is one function obtaining a pointer to the entire drawing and the conversion options. The driver function can traverse the list of drawing primitives as often as necessary. This can be used to collect style information in a first pass and to write output using the style information in a second pass.
  • Different configuration mechanisms.
    The fig2dev program is configured via command line options only.
    The fig2vect program uses a configuration file (${prefix}/etc/fig2vect/fig2vect.cfg or a users own copy) to define different output configurations for different purposes. Command line options are used to choose an output configuration and/or to overwrite settings from the output configuration.
  • No rotation of embedded images
    XFig and jFig behave differently if the first point of an image polygon is not the upper left point. XFig rotates the image by multiples of 90 degree depending on which point was specified first. jFig shows the image without any rotation.
    The fig2vect program does not rotate the image. If you really want a rotated image, use a graphics program to do the rotation and embed the rotated image specifying the upper left point first. This allows correct processing by XFig, jFig, transfig and fig2vect.

What license applies to the package?

  • fig2vect
    Copyright (C) 2008 Dipl.-Ing. Dirk Krause
  • Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
    • Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
    • Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
    • Neither the name of the Dirk Krause nor the names of contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
  • This software is provided by the copyright holders and contributors ``as is'' and any express or implied warranties, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are disclaimed.
    In no event shall the copyright owner or contributors be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use, data or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this software, even if advised of the possibility of such damage.

Installation FAQ

Installation on UNIX

Should I install from source?

Yes, you should. AFAIK there are no binary installation packages out there.

Which libraries do I need to install before building fig2vect?

Note: If you installed these packages using your OS vendors package management software make sure the header files... are also installed.
Some systems have separated packages: one for binaries and shared libraries and an additional one (mostly called "xxx developer support") containing C header files and other material needed to compile programs using the library.

Where can I get the sources?

The source code is available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/fig2vect.

How do I build and install the software?

The usual procedure

./configure
make
make install

can be used to install the software.

Installation on Windows

Should I use the executable setup or install from source?

For most users I recommed to use the executable setup, see below.

Installing from source is recommended for experienced programmers only. You need a good working knowledge of your development system, your C compiler and linker's options and makefiles.
You should also read http://dklibs.sourceforge.net/inst_w32.html. This document gives some hints about installing the dklibs library set and applications using it from source.

Where can I obtain the executable setup?

The dklibs-win32 package of the dklibs SourceForge project at http://sourceforge.net/projects/dklibs contains the executable files dklibs-win32-user-*.exe and dklibs-win32-base-*.exe.
The dklibs-win32-user-*.exe file is the recommended setup, it installs binaries and documentation to the local hard disk. The dklibs-win32-base-*.exe file only installs the binaries, start menu entries for documentation will point to web resources. This is recommended only for computers connected to the internet permanently.

Configuration file

What is the fig2vect.cfg.sample file?

A file ${prefix}/etc/fig2vect/fig2vect.cfg is created when the fig2vect package is installed the first time. Additionally a file fig2vect.cfg.sample is installed.
During update installation the fig2vect.cfg file is not changed as it might be modified. The current version of the fig2vect.cfg file from the distribution is installed as fig2vect.cfg.sample.

How do I manage configuration after a fig2vect update?

The configuration file is prepared to have three section:

  • Section 1: the pre-defined configurations from the fig2vect distribution.
  • Section 2: planned for site-wide configurations.
  • Section 3: planned for user-specific configurations in the users private copy of the configuration file.

A system administrator should set up site-specific configurations in section 2 only.
After an update of the fig2vect software the administrator should:

  • Replace section 1 of the existing configuration file ${prefix}/etc/fig2vect/fig2vect.cfg by the section 1 of ${prefix}/etc/fig2vect/fig2vect.cfg.sample. This guarantees that all predefined configurations are up to date.
  • Inform all users that ${prefix}/etc/fig2vect/fig2vect.cfg was updated. Users can now update their private copies and replace the sections 1 and 2 of ${HOME}/.defaults/fig2vect.cfg by the contents of the ${prefix}/etc/fig2vect/fig2vect.cfg file.

Usage FAQ

General usage

How do I start the program?

Use
  fig2vect options input-file output-file
  fig2vect options directory
to run the program. When using the MetaPost driver you can also use
  fig2vect options input-file
  fig2vect options
If there is no file name for the output file specified output goes to standard input. If the file name for the input file is omitted the program processes standard input.

Can I process compressed files directly?

Yes, it's possible if support for zlib and/or the bzip2 library was enabled during build. Simply specify a file name "*.fig.gz" or "*.fig.bz2" for input files or "*.mp.gz"..."*.eps.bz2" for output files.
To find out whether or not zlib/bzip2 support is enabled run

fig2vect --version

If the output contains the lines

zlib         General compression library
libbz2       Library for compressing/decompressing data in the bzip2 format

in the "Libraries used:" section support for zlib/bzip2 is enabled.

How do I provide configuration options to the program?

The fig2vect program uses a configuration file fig2vect.cfg. This file consists of serveral sections, each section describes one configuration. A section consists of a configuration name and several key/value pairs. Keys can consist of multi-part strings. The keys are also referred to as options.

How do I choose a name for a configuration?

The name for a configuration consists of the base driver name ("mp", "eps", "tex" or "svg"), a dot (".") and a unique name of your choice containing numbers, digits, underscore and minus.
In the configuration file the name is surrounded by "[" and "]".

How does option inheritance work?

If a user chooses a configuration "mp.my-conf" by specifying

fig2vect -l mp.my-conf ...

on the command line the program searches for a configuration section "[*]" first and processes this section. The "[mp]" section is processed next, settings in this section overwrite settings from the "[*]" section. The "[mp.my-conf]" section is processed at the end, overwriting all earlier settings.
Note: only the first dot separating the base driver from the remainder of the name is of importance. Naming a section "[mp.users.me.docs]" will result in processing "[*]", "[mp]" and "[mp.users.me.docs]", not "[*]", "[mp]", "[mp.users]", "[mp.users.me]" and "[mp.users.me.docs]".

What is the name of the configuration file?

By default the configuration file "${prefix}/etc/fig2vect/fig2vect.cfg" is used. If a file "$HOME/.defaults/fig2vect.cfg" is found, this file is used instead of the default configuration file.

How does fig2vect calculate the image dimensions?

The fig2vect program inspects all drawing elements except the texts and calculates the elements dimensions. The element dimensions of all elements are combined to calculate the dimensions for the entire drawing. The output file dimensions are choosen to match the borders of the outermost elements.
Texts are skipped for two reasons:

  • Width and height of a text depend on the output driver used to print that text. Image dimension calucalation is done before the output driver is run.
  • The methods for calculating text width and height would be driver-specific. I.e. for the SVG output driver we would need to be able to read and process SVG fonts, for the EPS output driver we would need to read *.pfb and *.afm files, for the MetaPost driver we would need to read *.dvi and *.tfm files...

If you use drivers writing graphics dimensions to the output (EPS, PDF or SVG) texts must not be the outermost left, right, top or bottom elements.
For the MetaPost driver this is not a problem as there is no bounding box information in the *.mp file.

How do I handle text on the outermost left/right/top/bottom position?

If your Fig file contains text on the outermost left/right/top/bottom position you can use either

  • a white filled rectangle or
  • a background rectangle (see below)

below all other graphics elements. A white filled rectangle can only be used on white page background. The rectangle must include the drawing elements, especially the texts.

How can I add some border space?

Use either

  • a white filled rectangle or
  • a background rectangle (see below)

below all other graphics elements. A white filled rectangle can only be used on white page background. The rectangle must include the drawing elements and the border space you want to add.

What is a background rectangle, how do I use it?

A background rectangle is an additional rectangle you add to the Fig file. This rectangle is not drawn to the output file, it is only used to calculate the output file dimensions. A background rectangle must have the following features assigned:

  • object type 2 (polygon), subtype 2 (rectangle/box),
  • layer (depth) 999,
  • stroke color -1 (default),
  • line width 0,
  • area fill -1 (no fill), fill color does not matter.

The configuration option

remove background rectangle = yes

must be used to prevent drawing of the background rectangle.

How can I produce bitmap images?

Produce a PNG image first (see below) and convert the PNG image to the bitmap type you need, i.e. using NetPBM, ImageMagick, Xnview (the nconvert program) or Gimp.

How can I produce a PNG image?

There are four choices:

  • Convert the image to SVG and convert the SVG file to PNG using either the Squiggle (the Batik SVG viewer) or the Batik rasterizer.
    Using the Batik rasterizer is the recommended method if your *.fig file does not contain special text.
    All ranges of the output file not covered by graphics elements will be transparent, so this method is well-suited to create graphics for web sites...
    This method will only work if the Fig file does not contain special text. 
    fig2vect -lsvg image.fig image.svg
java -jar /.../batik-rasterizer.jar image.svg
    The Batik software is available from xml.apache.org. A java program is available in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) from java.sun.com.
  • Convert the image into a standalone PDF and convert the PDF file to PNG using pdftoppm (form the xpdf package) and pnmtopng (from the NetPBM package).
    This is the recommended method if your *.fig file contains special text.
    fig2vect -l pdf.tex image.fig imagei.pdf
fig2vect -l tex.full -i imagei image.fig image.tex
pdflatex image && pdflatex image
pdftoppm -t1lib yes -freetype yes -aa yes -aaVector yes image.pdf image
pnmtopng < image-000001.ppm> image.png
  • Convert the image into a standalone PDF file and use Ghostscript to convert the PDF to PNG.
    fig2vect -lpdf.tex image.fig imagei.pdf
fig2vect -ltex.full -iimagei image.fig image.tex
pdflatex image && pdflatex image && pdflatex image
gs ... -sOutputFile=image.png image.pdf
    Use the following options for Ghostscript:
    -dBATCHrun in batch mode
    -dNOPAUSEdo not pause after each page
    -dNOCACHEdo not cache rendered characters
    -sDEVICE=png16mchoose output file type PNG
    -dGraphicsAlphaBits=4Anti-Aliasing for graphics uses 4 bits (1, 2 or 4 bits, or omit this option)
    -dTextAlphaBits=4Anti-Aliasing for text uses 4 bits (1, 2 or 4 bits, or omit this option)
    -dNOCACHEdo not cache rendered characters
    -r300use 300 dpi (you may choose another resolution)
    You might want to try different combinations of graphics alpha bits and text alpha bits.
  • Convert the image into a standalone EPS file and use Ghostscript to convert the EPS to PNG. 
    fig2vect -leps image.fig image.eps
gs ... -sOutputFile=image.png image.eps
    Use the following options for Ghostscript:
    -dBATCHrun in batch mode
    -dNOPAUSEdo not pause after each page
    -dEPSCropchoose output image size to fit EPS BoundingBox
    -dNOCACHEdo not cache rendered characters
    -sDEVICE=png16mchoose output file type PNG
    -dGraphicsAlphaBits=4Anti-Aliasing for graphics uses 4 bits (1, 2 or 4 bits, or omit this option)
    -dTextAlphaBits=4Anti-Aliasing for text uses 4 bits (1, 2 or 4 bits, or omit this option)
    -dNOCACHEdo not cache rendered characters
    -r300use 300 dpi (you may choose another resolution)
    You might want to try different combinations of graphics alpha bits and text alpha bits.

Once I have produced a PNG, how can I compress it?

Use the optipng program, this program can be found on SourceForge at http://sourceforge.net/projects/optipng.
For normal compression run:

optipng image.png

 

To suppress the messages add the -q option:

optipng -q image.png

 

To create an image for use on web servers, use -i1 to make the image interlaced:

optipng -i1 image.png

 

For better compression use -o7:

optipng -o7 image.png

 

To attempt a large amount of combinations for compression options (this will not necessarily result in smaller files but will result in larger computation time) use:

optipng -zc1-9 -zm1-9 -zs0-3 -f0-5 image.png

 

The options -i1, -q and the compression options can be combined.

Driver specific questions

MetaPost driver

What about the pros and cons of the MetaPost driver?

The MetaPost program can handle LaTeX special text, so you can use special text in your Fig files when using this driver. The output created by MetaPost can be used with both LaTeX and pdfLateX. As I nearly always use the MetaPost driver, this driver is better tested than the other drivers.
The MetaPost language does not provide a possibility to include any images, so you can not use included images when using this driver.

Which settings are recommended for images to be included in LaTeX documents?

  • Choose the correct TeX command
    If your document is processed by LaTeX or pdfLaTeX the configuration file should contain 
    tex command = latex
    Only if the document is processed by plain TeX or pdfTeX you should use 
    tex command = tex
    Remember to either set the TEX environment output variable to "latex" before running mpost or to invoke mpost using 
    mpost -tex=latex
    or 
    mpost --tex=latex
    to process the *.mp file. The number of minuses may differ depending on your LaTeX distribution.
  • Use the same fonts in the image as in the document text
    Using the same fonts in images and in the document text looks more professional than using different fonts. Create a minimal preamble for font setup (strip down the document preamble) and use 
    preamble file = ...
    to refer to this minimal preamble.
    If -- for example -- your document has a preamble like 
    \documentclass[12pt]{book}
\usepackage{ifpdf}
\usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{textcomp}
\usepackage[intlimits]{amsmath}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{mathptmx}
\usepackage[scaled=.92]{helvet}
\usepackage{courier}
\usepackage{array}
\usepackage{enumerate}
\usepackage{longtable}
\usepackage{latexsym}
\usepackage{varioref}
\usepackage{makeidx}
\usepackage{listings}
\lstset{numbers=left, numberstyle=\tiny, numbersep=5pt, basicstyle=\small}
\usepackage{color}
\ifpdf
\usepackage[activate=normal]{pdfcprot}
\usepackage[pdftex]{graphicx}
\usepackage{epstopdf}
\pdfcompresslevel=9
\usepackage[
    pdftex,
    a4paper=true,
    pdftitle={The fig2vect manual},
    pdfsubject={fig2vect},
    pdfauthor={Dipl.-Ing. D. Krause},
    colorlinks=true,
    bookmarks,
    bookmarksnumbered,
    linkcolor=linkgreen,
    pdfpagemode=None,
    pdfstartview=FitH
]{hyperref}
\else
\usepackage[dvips]{graphicx}
\DeclareGraphicsRule{.png}{eps}{.bb}{`bmeps #1}
\usepackage[dvips]{hyperref}
\fi
\definecolor{linkgreen}{rgb}{0,0.5,0}
\def\theyear{2002}
\author{Dipl.-Ing.~D.~Krause}
\title{The fig2vect manual}
\include{cover}
\DeclareMathOperator{\element}{\in}
\DeclareMathOperator{\notelement}{!\in}
\newcommand{\ora}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}}
\DeclareMathOperator{\grad}{grad}
\DeclareMathOperator{\divergence}{div}
\DeclareMathOperator{\rot}{rot}
\newcommand{\atpos}[2]{{\left.#1\right|}_{#2}}
\newcommand{\inrange}[3]{{\left.#1\right|}_{#2}^{#3}}
\newcommand{\intd}[0]{\mathrm{d}}
\DeclareMathOperator{\arcsinh}{arcsinh}
\DeclareMathOperator{\card}{card}
\DeclareMathOperator{\Res}{Res}
\newcommand{\imagelw}[2]{
    \begin{figure}[ht]
    {\centering
    \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{#1.mps}
    \caption{#2}
    \label{fig:#1}
    }
    \end{figure}
}
\newcommand{\ximagelw}[3]{
    \begin{figure}[ht]
    {\centering
    \includegraphics[width=#1\linewidth]{#2.mps}
    \caption{#3}
    \label{fig:#2}
    }
    \end{figure}
}
\DeclareMathOperator{\oplaplace}{\triangle}
\DeclareMathOperator{\opLaplace}{{\mathfrak L}}
\DeclareMathOperator{\iopLaplace}{{\opLaplace}^{-1}}
\DeclareMathOperator{\definedas}{\overset{=}{\text{\tiny{Def}}}}
\DeclareMathOperator{\lcorrelates}{\laplace}
\DeclareMathOperator{\ilcorrelates}{\Laplace}
\DeclareMathOperator{\mustbe}{\overset{\text{\tiny !}}{=}}
\makeindex
    create a stripped down file 
    \documentclass[12pt]{book}
\usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{textcomp}
\usepackage[intlimits]{amsmath}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{mathptmx}
\usepackage[scaled=.92]{helvet}
\usepackage{courier}
    and save it as "/home/jim/mypreamble.tex".
    In the configuration file use 
    preamble file = /home/jim/mypreamble.tex
  • Change fonts automatically if necessary
    Use 
    normal text	= handling:tex,font:similar,size:fig
special text	= handling:tex,font:tex,size:tex,mbox
    to allow automatic font changing for normal text. If -- for example -- a Fig file uses "Palatino-Bold" for a text and fig2vect was configured to use the preamble file "/home/jim/mypreamble.tex" the text is written in roman font configured by that preamble, fontweight bold, upright style (not italic).
  • No embedded fonts in the *.mps image
    When translating the LaTeX source to PS/PDF the document fonts are embedded into the output file by dvips or pdflatex once for the document. Our images should not attempt to embed the same fonts again, they should re-use the fonts already embedded.
    Use 
    embed fonts = no
  • Use MetaPost arrowheads
    Use 
    use metapost arrowheads = yes
    to allow usage of MetaPost arrowheads. MetaPost produces curved arrowheads at the end of curved lines.

Which settings are recommended to produce standalone settings?

  • Avoid text handling by TeX/LaTeX
    When creating the Fig file avoid use of special text.
    In the configuration file use 
    normal text	= handling:none,font:fig,size:fig
    to make sure that only the 35 well-known PostScript fonts are used.
  • Embed the fonts
    Use 
    embed fonts = yes
    to make sure the mpost output file contains all the fonts needed to show the texts.
PS/EPS driver

What about the pros and cons of the PS/EPS driver?

When using this driver you can use included images (PNG, JPEG, NetPBM and EPS) in the Fig file.
You can not use LaTeX special text in conjunction with this driver. In theory we could do the same things as MetaPost: write special text to a LaTeX file, process the file using LaTeX, read the DVI file and convert to EPS. Practically this is a lot of work, requiring a good knowledge of DVI file structure, PS font encodings, font metrics... and a team of volunteers contributing code.

How do I configure the PS level?

Use

ps level = 1

to produce PostScript level 1 output. Alternatively use "2" or "3".

Should I use DSC comments, how do I configure this?

Use

dsc comments = yes

to write DSC comments or

dsc comments = no

to suppress writing of DSC comments. Alternatively you can use "1", "2" or "3" to get DSC comments matching a certain PS level.
Normally there is no need to use DSC comments.

Should I use the showpage operator?

This operator is only allowed in PS files, not in EPS files. PS images included into documents should not contain the showpage operator, use

ps showpage = no

for these images.
Standalone image to be viewed using i.e. GhostView should contain this operator, use

ps showpage = yes

to use the operator.

Should I use the setpagedevice operator?

This operator is only allowed in PS files, not in EPS files. In theory you could use this operator in PS files you want to convert into other graphics formats using GhostScript to set the the output media size. A better way to restrict media size to the size of the PS bounding box is to use GhostScript's -dEPSCrop option.

If you are really sure you want to use the setpagedevice operator, use the configuration option 

ps setpagedevice = yes

Which options are related to included images?

  • remove bitmap border
    The image box for an inluced image is specified as a polygon in the Fig file. There is no GUI-based mechanism to change the line width of this polygon. To draw the included image without stroking the image border use 
    remove bitmap border = yes
    To draw the image box border use 
    remove bitmap border = no
  • keep bitmap aspect ratio
    In many cases the width/height relation of the image will differ from the relation of the image box.
    Use 
    keep bitmap aspect ratio = yes
    to keep the original ratio leaving some parts of the image box unused.
    Using 
    keep bitmap aspect ratio = no
    you can fill the entire polygon using different scale factors for width and height.
  • fill bitmap background
    There is no GUI-based way to change the background color / fill pattern of a polygon used for image inclusion.
    Use 
    fill bitmap background = no
    to ignore any background filling information from the Fig file or 
    fill bitmap background = yes
    to fill the polygon before adding the bitmap.
  • ps run-length encoding
    allows or denies usage of run-length compression.
  • separated rgb channels
    PS level 2 and above provides two choices for structuring color image data:
    • Combined data source
      For each pixel the data stream contains the red-, green- and blue value. 
      separated rgb channels = no
    • Separated data sources
      The data stream first contains the red-values for all the pixels followed by all the green-values, followed again by all the blue-values. 
      separated rgb channels = yes
    Separated data sources allow to run-length compress colored areas and runs. In a combined data source run-length compression is only possible for gray areas and runs (red=green=blue). Separated data sources will produce smaller EPS files when containing colores areas.
    Unfortunately the PostScript code must use 3 strings of width*height bytes to uncompress image data from separated sources while only one string of 3*width bytes is necessary to uncompress data from a combined data source. Separated data sources are not recommended to produce print jobs for printers with minimal memory equipment.

Which options are related to PostScript virtual memory?

  • bitmap image dictionary
    Use 
    bitmap image dictionary = yes
    to encapsulate the drawing code in a 
    ... dict begin
  % drawing code here
end
    structure. All the strings required to uncompress bitmap image data are now defined in this new dictionary. After finishing all drawing operations the dictionary is removed from the dict stack. As there is no reference to the dictionary it is unusable now, the garbage collection is allowed to remove the dictionary. The only references to the strings are contained in the dictionary, as no access to the dictionary is possible there is also no access to the strings possible. So the strings can be removed by the garbage collection too.
    Note: Do not use this option if the Fig file includes EPS images! The dictionary size is calculated to match the number of strings needed for PNG/JPEG/NetPBM images. There is no place in the dictionary for additional definitions from included EPS files.
  • force garbage collection
    Use 
    force garbage collection = yes
    to add a line 
    1 vmreclaim
    to the end of EPS output. This tells the PostScript interpreter to attempt to run the garbage collection after finishing the drawing operations.
PDF driver

What about the pros and cons of the PDF driver?

This driver produces PDF images which can be included in a LaTeX source processed with pdflatex.
If there are alpha channels in embedded PNG images, the alpha channel is converted into PDF transparency data. This allows to place partially transparent images over other content.
The PDF driver has only minimal text processing capabilities (only non-special left-aligned text, all fonts are converted into the 14 PDF base fonts). It is recommended to use the PDF driver in conjunction with the TeX driver, the TeX driver should be used for both special and non-special text.

How can I inspect the graphics instructions in the PDF file?

Use the configuration entry

plain text streams = yes

or the command line option

-o plain.text.streams=yes

to produce uncompressed plain text streams, you can open the resulting PDF file in a text editor.

How can I improve the on-screen rendering of embedded images?

Use the configuration entry

interpolate images = yes

or the command line option

-o interpolate.images=yes

to activate image interpolation.

Should I embed images containing transparency (alpha channel)?

Yes, you can. But if you use PDFs containing alpha channels with pdfLaTeX you need a special line

\pdfpageattr {/Group << /S /Transparency /I true /CS /DeviceRGB>>}

in the document preamble (suggested by J. Quirk in the pdftex mailing list).
The purpose of this line is to prevent PDF viewers from using CMYK as color space for temporary calculations.
Note: This instruction overwrites any PDF page attributes settings made previously by used packages... (the entire attributes set is replaced by the attributes specified in the \pdfpageattr instruction. Use with care!

How can I get rid of the ``At least one alpha channel...'' message?

The message

At least one alpha channel was converted to PDF.
  When referencing PDFs containing alpha data from your *.tex sources, you should use
  \ifpdf\pdfpageattr{/Group <</S /Transparency /I true /CS /DeviceRGB>>}\fi
  in the preamble.

or the german version

Ein Alpha-Kanal wurde in eine PDF-Ausgabe übertragen.
  Um PDFs mit Alpha-Kanal mit pdfLaTeX zu verwenden, sollten Sie
  \ifpdf\pdfpageattr{/Group <>}\fi
  in der Präambel der LaTeX-Quelle verwenden.

is printed when converting *.fig files referencing PNG or TIFF files containing alpha channels to PDF.
To suppress this message, use the -A option.
Use

bmeps -c -A

to configure it as a permanent option.

Alternatively you can create preferences file (Unix/Linux) or registry (Windows) entries manually:

  • On Unix/Linux systems edit $HOME/.defaults/all and add a section 
    [fig2vect]
/pdf/suppress-alpha-info=true
  • On Windows open the registry key HKCU/Software/DkApp/fig2vect (create the key if it does not exist) and add an entry 
    REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\DkApp\fig2vect]
"/pdf/suppress-alpha-info"="true"

Once I have created a PDF file, how can I optimize it?

  • Compression
    Get the latest multivalent...jar file from the MultiValent project, avaible on SourceForge at http://sourceforge.net/projects/multivalent.
    Additionally you need a Java Run-Time Environment, I suggest to use the one from Sun available at http://java.sun.com.
    To compress a PDF file, run: 
    java -Xms64m -Xmx1024m -cp ...path.../Multivalent20060102.jar tool.pdf.Compress -compatible file.pdf
    This creates file-o.pdf.
     
  • Fast web view
    Use GhostScript (available at http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/) to create a fast web view: 
    pdfopt input.pdf output.pdf
TeX driver

What is the purpose of this driver?

This driver supports other drivers which can not handle special text theirselves (i.e. the EPS or PDF driver).

Which configuration entries are needed for the TeX driver?

It depends how you want to handle normal (non-special) text. There are two choices:

  • Normal text is handled by the EPS driver and ignored by the TeX driver. The configuration entries should look like this: 
    [eps.tex]
  normal text = handling:none,font:fig,size:fig
  skip all texts = yes
[tex]
  normal text = handling:none
  • Normal text is ignored by the EPS driver and handled by the TeX driver. The configuration entries should look like this: 
    [eps.tex]
  normal text    = handling:tex,font:similar,size:fig,mbox
  skip all texts = yes
[tex]
  normal text    = handling:tex,font:similar,size:fig,mbox

how do I create the EPS- and TeX-files?

Run

fig2vect -leps.tex myfile.fig myfile.eps
fig2vect -ltex myfile.fig myfile.tex

In the LaTeX source include

\begin{figure}
{\centering
\input{myfile.tex}
\caption{My image caption}
\label{fig:my-image-label}
}
\end{figure}

The document LaTeX source imports the figure LaTeX source which in turn imports the figure EPS file and write the special texts on top of it.

Use the \resizebox instruction if you need to resize the image.

\begin{figure}
{\centering
\resizebox{\linewidth}{!}{\input{myfile.tex}}
\caption{My image caption}
\label{fig:my-image-label}
}
\end{figure}
SVG driver

What about the pros and cons of the SVG driver?

When using this driver you can use included images of any type in the Fig file as the driver does not need to convert included images, it simply writes a reference. But you must make sure your SVG viewer can render the included image.
Special comments can be used to insert ECMA-Script code into the SVG output and to attach event handlers and links to objects.
Using the Adobe SVG viewer you can embed SVG images into other applications (i.e. Office applications) on Windows systems.
Special text can not be used with this driver.

Why are some SVG images malformed when using Adobe SVG viewer plugin on Linux systems?

You should try to set the environment variable LC_NUMERIC like this

LC_NUMERIC=C
export LC_NUMERIC

before starting the web browser.
The locale definition (LANG environment variable) might indicate the use of "," instead of "." as decimal point in floating point numbers. The SVG file format always uses "." and does not care about your language.
I think the plugin should take care of this and use localization-independent functions to read floating point numbers. Unfortunately version 3.01 doesn't.

How do I configure the SVG level?

Use the

svg version = 1.0

configuration option, you can either specify "1.0", "1.1" or "1.2" here.

Should I create standalone SVG images or embedded fragments?

The driver can produce both standalone SVG images and SVG fragments for embedding in XML documents.
To produce standalone images use

embedded svg fragment = no

to produce an embedded fragment switch to "yes". When embedding an SVG fragment in an XML document the surrounding XML document must be prepared to use the XML namespaces "svg" and "xlink".

How can I choose a unit for width and height?

The SVG tag contains width/height information and a viewport specification. The width and height attributes specify the physical size of the image, the viewport attribute specifies the logical coordinates assigned to that area.
The

wh specification = inches

configuration setting allows to choose whether to produce with attributes measured in inches, without units ("points") or in px ("pixels").

How do I control object styling?

There are three ways to specify an SVG object's style:

  1. Multiple simple object property attributes.
    Each style property is defined via a separated XML attribute, i.e.: 
    <rect fill="yellow" stroke="black" stroke-width="0.9" .../>
  2. A single style attribute.
    A style attribute is used: 
    <rect style="fill: yellow; stroke: black; stroke-width: 0.9;" .../>
  3. A class attribute.
    The class attribute in an object definition refers to a style in the CSS style section. 
    <style type="text/css"><![CDATA[
.c1 {
  fill: yellow;
  stroke: black;
  stroke-width: 0.9;
}
]]></style>
<rect class="c1" .../>

Both style and class attribute have higher priority than the multiple simple property attributes. This is important if you plan to use animation or event handlers to change simple properties.
If an objects style is defined via style or class attribute, changes made on simple properties have no visible impact.
The multiple property attributes are used by fig2vect automatically if

  • it finds instructions to use JavaScript (ECMA-script) files (see below),
  • event handlers are attached to objects (see below) or
  • the 
    prepare for modifications = yes
    configuration setting is used.

If none of these conditions is fullfilled the

use css = yes

setting enables the use of class attributes, "no" uses style attributes instead.

How do I add ECMA-script (JavaScript) code?

To add ECMA-script code into a <script> tag, write it into a file, i.e. "mycode.js". Use either the configuration setting

js library = mycode.js

or add a special comment

## svg: js library = mycode.js

on the document level.
Document level comments must be inserted between line 8 (transparent color) and 9 (resolution, coord-system), i.e.

#FIG 3.2
Portrait
Center
Metric
A6
100.00
Single
-2
1200 2

is changed to

#FIG 3.2
Portrait
Center
Metric
A6
100.00
Single
-2
## svg: js library = mycode.js
1200 2

When fig2vect writes SVG output, the contents of the file mycode.js is transferred into the <script> section.

how do I attach event handlers and IDs to objects?

Comments (and special comments) related to an object must be placed immediately before the line starting the object. Event handlers can be defined in special comments, i.e. by changing

#FIG 3.2
Portrait
Center
Metric
A6
100.00
Single
-2
## svg: js library = mycode.js
1200 2
1 1 0 1 0 7 50 0 -1 0.000 1 0.0000 990 900 450 180 990 900 1440 720

to

#FIG 3.2
Portrait
Center
Metric
A6
100.00
Single
-2
## svg: js library = mycode.js
1200 2
## svg: onmouseover = fill_yellow(evt)
## svg: onmouseout = fill_white(evt)
## svg: id = e1
1 1 0 1 0 7 50 0 -1 0.000 1 0.0000 990 900 450 180 990 900 1440 720

This changes

<ellipse transform="translate(49.2 22.1)"
rx="27" ry="10.8"
fill="none" stroke="#000000" stroke-width="0.9"
/>

to

<ellipse transform="translate(49.2 22.1)"
rx="27" ry="10.8"
fill="none" stroke="#000000" stroke-width="0.9"
id="e1"
onmouseover="fill_yellow(evt)"
onmouseout="fill_white(evt)"
/>

How do I attach event handlers to the entire drawing?

Event handlers for the entire drawing can be specified in special comments in the document level, i.e. change

#FIG 3.2
Portrait
Center
Metric
A6
100.00
Single
-2
## svg: js library = mycode.js
1200 2

to

#FIG 3.2
Portrait
Center
Metric
A6
100.00
Single
-2
## svg: js library = mycode.js
## svg: onload = handler_onload(evt)
1200 2

This changes

<svg width="255px" height="298px" viewBox="0 0 255 298"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
>

to

<svg width="255px" height="298px" viewBox="0 0 255 298"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
onload="handler_onload(evt)"
>

How can I improve the quality of text rendering?

Obtain the Ghostscript fonts. Convert them to SVG fonts using the FontForge software (see below). Use the

gs svg-font directory = ...url...

configuration setting to tell fig2vect which location to reference in SVG output.

How do I convert the GhostScript fonts to SVG?

Obtain the Ghostscript fonts and the sources for these fonts. Unpack both archives into one temporary directory. You should have 35 *.pfb files and 33 *.sfd files there.
Open each of the *.pfb files in FontForge. Save the font using the same name but suffix ".svg".
Optionally: Open each of the *.sfd files in FontForge. Save the fonts as *.svg:

NimbusRomanNo9L-Regu.sfd       n021003l.svg
NimbusRomNo9L-ReguItal.sfd     n021023l.svg
NimbusRomNo9L-Medi.sfd         n021004l.svg
NimbusRomNo9L-MediItal.sfd     n021024l.svg
URWGothicL-Book.sfd            a010013l.svg
URWGothicL-BookObli.sfd        a010033l.svg
URWGothicL-Demi.sfd            a010015l.svg
URWGothicL-DemiObli.sfd        a010035l.svg
URWBookmanL-Ligh.sfd           b018012l.svg
URWBookmanL-LighItal.sfd       b018032l.svg
URWBookmanL-DemiBold.sfd       b018015l.svg
URWBookmanL-DemiBoldItal.sfd   b018035l.svg
NimbusMonL-Regu.sfd            n022003l.svg
NimbusMonL-ReguObli.sfd        n022023l.svg
NimbusMonL-Bold.sfd            n022004l.svg
NimbusMonL-BoldObli.sfd        n022024l.svg
NimbusSansL-Regu.sfd           n019003l.svg
NimbusSanL-ReguItal.sfd        n019023l.svg
NimbusSansL-Bold.sfd           n019004l.svg
NimbusSanL-BoldItal.sfd        n019024l.svg
NimbusSanL-ReguCond.sfd        n019043l.svg
NimbusSanL-ReguCondItal.sfd    n019063l.svg
NimbusSanL-BoldCond.sfd        n019044l.svg
NimbusSanL-BoldCondItal.sfd    n019064l.svg
CenturySchL-Roma.sfd           c059013l.svg
CenturySchL-Ital.sfd           c059033l.svg
CenturySchL-Bold.sfd           c059016l.svg
CenturySchL-BoldItal.sfd       c059036l.svg
URWPalladioL-Roma.sfd          p052003l.svg
URWPalladioL-Ital.sfd          p052023l.svg
URWPalladioL-Bold.sfd          p052004l.svg
URWPalladioL-BoldItal.sfd      p052024l.svg
s050000l.pfb                   s050000l.svg
URWChanceryL-MediItal.sfd      z003034l.svg
d050000l.pfb                   d050000l.svg

Experienced users might use scripting.
Place the *.svg files in a separated directory, i.e. /usr/local/share/gs-fonts/svg.
In a separated configuration section use the configuration setting

[svg.gs]
gs svg-font directory = file:///usr/local/share/gs-fonts/svg

to point to that directory. When preparing SVG files for use on web sites create an additional configuration section, i.e.

[svg.gs-web]
gs svg-font directory = http://www.my-org.com/gs-fonts/svg

So you can use the svg.gs configuration as long as you are still editing the Fig files to produce SVG files for local (and offline) viewing. Before uploading the SVG files to the web server produce the final versions using the svg.gs-web configuration.

Note: The Ghostscript fonts are licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Please read the file COPYING from the Ghostscript fonts distribution for details.
If you make GPL-licensed software (i.e. the *.svg font files) accessable to other users - i.e. by placing them in a shared directory in a LAN or on a multi-user computer system or on web/ftp servers - you are responsible for making all the sources for that software available too. Access to the sources should not be more complicated than access to the software.
To fullfill the requirements of the GPL I suggest to place the archives containing Ghostscript fonts and the Ghostscript fonts sources used to build the *.svg font files in the same directories as the *.svg font files.

Java driver

What's the purpose of this driver?

Using the Java driver you can gather information in a Java program using a GUI and print the data on paper in a form.
You can design the printed version using XFig, jFig or WinFig; the Java driver converts it into a java.awt.Printable which can be used to print from the Java program.
After creating an instance of the Printable you can call replaceText() to replace the dummy texts used in the Fig file by data entered in the GUI.

Are there restrictions when using the Java driver?

The Java driver can not handle fill patterns nor special text.

How do I configure font usage for the Printable?

In general you can use the following mechanisms to create/use fonts in the Printable:

  • Specify a *.pfb or *.ttf font file as a resource in the *.jar archive containing your application.
  • Specify a *.pfb or *.ttf font file using an URL.
  • Specify a font name and features (bold or italic) and hope the font is available on the system.
  • Specify a generic font name and features.

The ``font configuration file'' entry in the fig2vect.cfg file chooses a font configuration file (i.e. combfont.cfg or webfont.cfg).

How do I configure the Printable to search for a font in the *.jar file?

Specify a file name (without leading directory) in a ``pfb file'' line. Do not add a ``pfb base'' line.
In the example you see a section from combfont.cfg:

[Times-Roman]
name	=	Times New Roman
	source type	=	system
	features	=	roman
	family		=	Times New Roman
	driver		=	*
name	=	Bodoni MT
	source type	=	system
	features	=	roman
	family		=	Bodoni MT
	driver		=	*
name	=	NimbusRomanNo9L-Regu
	source type	=	download
	directory	=	./urw-svg
	file name	=	n021003l.svg
	features	=	roman
	family		=	Nimbus Roman No9 L
	driver		=	svg
	font type	=	svg
	pfb file	=	n021003l.pfb

The last line of the last entry in the example tells the Printable to use a font file named ``n021003l.pfb''. No base is given for the file name so the Printable searches in the root directory of the *.jar archive for the file. When creating the *.jar archive you have to make sure the archive contains the n021003l.pfb file!

How do I configure the Printable to search for fonts using URLs?

Specify a file name in a ``pfb file'' line and the URL of the directory in a ``pfb base'' line.
In the example you see a section from webfont.cfg:

[Times-Roman]
name	=	NimbusRomanNo9L-Regu
	source type	=	download
	directory	=	./urw-svg
	file name	=	n021003l.svg
	features	=	roman
	family		=	Nimbus Roman No9 L
	driver		=	svg
	font type	=	svg
	pfb file	=	n021003l.pfb
	pfb base	=	http://my-server.my-domain.com/gs-fonts

The last two lines configure the Printable to search for the font in http://my-server.my-domain.com/gs-fonts/n021003l.pfb. You must upload the *.pfb file(s) into the appropriate directory on your web server!

How do I configure the Printable to search for fonts by names?

In the example (excerpt from combfont.cfg)

[Times-Roman]
name	=	Times New Roman
	source type	=	system
	features	=	roman
	family		=	Times New Roman
	driver		=	*
name	=	Bodoni MT
	source type	=	system
	features	=	roman
	family		=	Bodoni MT
	driver		=	*
name	=	NimbusRomanNo9L-Regu
	source type	=	download
	directory	=	./urw-svg
	file name	=	n021003l.svg
	features	=	roman
	family		=	Nimbus Roman No9 L
	driver		=	svg
	font type	=	svg
	pfb file	=	n021003l.pfb

The printable first searches for the pfb file n021003l.pfb for texts written in Times-Roman in the Fig file.
If this file is not found (i.e. you did not add it to the *.jar archive), the logical font names ``Times New Roman", ``Bodoni MT'' and ``NimbusRomanNo9L-Regu'' are searched.

Where can I obtain font files (i.e. GhostScript fonts)?

Fig drawings use PostScript fonts to show text. If you want your printed form to look exactly like the Fig drawing you need fonts looking like the PostScript fonts.
A collection of such fonts is shipped with GhostScript. Download the GhostScript sources and take a look into the Resource/Font directory of the distribution.
Run x.sh

:
cp NimbusRomNo9L-Regu		n021003l.pfb
cp NimbusRomNo9L-ReguItal	n021023l.pfb
cp NimbusRomNo9L-Medi		n021004l.pfb
cp NimbusRomNo9L-MediItal	n021024l.pfb
cp URWGothicL-Book		a010013l.pfb
cp URWGothicL-BookObli		a010033l.pfb
cp URWGothicL-Demi		a010015l.pfb
cp URWGothicL-DemiObli		a010035l.pfb
cp URWBookmanL-Ligh		b018012l.pfb
cp URWBookmanL-LighItal		b018032l.pfb
cp URWBookmanL-DemiBold		b018015l.pfb
cp URWBookmanL-DemiBoldItal	b018035l.pfb
cp NimbusMonL-Regu		n022003l.pfb
cp NimbusMonL-ReguObli		n022023l.pfb
cp NimbusMonL-Bold		n022004l.pfb
cp NimbusMonL-BoldObli		n022024l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-Regu		n019003l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-ReguItal		n019023l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-Bold		n019004l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-BoldItal		n019024l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-ReguCond		n019043l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-ReguCondItal	n019063l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-BoldCond		n019044l.pfb
cp NimbusSanL-BoldCondItal	n019064l.pfb
cp CenturySchL-Roma		c059013l.pfb
cp CenturySchL-Ital		c059033l.pfb
cp CenturySchL-Bold		c059016l.pfb
cp CenturySchL-BoldItal		c059036l.pfb
cp URWPalladioL-Roma		p052003l.pfb
cp URWPalladioL-Ital		p052023l.pfb
cp URWPalladioL-Bold		p052004l.pfb
cp URWPalladioL-BoldItal	p052024l.pfb
cp StandardSymL			s050000l.pfb
cp URWChanceryL-MediItal	z003034l.pfb
cp Dingbats			d050000l.pfb

to create copies of the font files.
Move the *.pfb files into a separate directory, i.e. /usr/local/gs-fonts.

Should I use the GhostScript *.pfb fonts?

It depends.
GhostScript -- and the GhostScript fonts which are a part of GhostScript -- are released under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) with only one exception: Documents including/referring to the fonts are not required to use the GNU GPL.
All works based on a GNU GPL licensed work are required to be distributed under the GNU GPL too if the program is published/distributed. If your *.jar archive contains any of the files from the GhostScript distribution it is based on GhostScript and must be distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL.
If this is not acceptable to you to publish your Java application under the terms of the GNU GPL you must not use the GhostScript fonts.

UTF-8 support FAQ

What is UTF-8?

UNICODE is a character set using 32 bits. Documents using this character set can use characters/glyphs from different languages.
UTF-8 is an encoding for UNICODE characters using 1 byte for the glyphs used most often and up to 6 bytes (48 bits) for the not-so-popular glyphs.

What problems can occur when using UTF-8 encoding?

The same glyph is encoded differently when using UTF-8 and traditional encodings. An application showing text must know whether or not the text is UTF-8 encoded or not.

What's the problem with Fig files and UTF-8?

The Fig file format does not allow to provide information whether or not UTF-8 is used.
So there are two ways to tell applications processing Fig files which encoding is used:

  • command line options and
  • special comments in the Fig files. These comments are processed by programs like fig2vect and ignored by other programs.

[Unix/Linux] How will I know whether or not UTF-8 is used?

Check the LANG environment variable. If it ends on ``.UTF-8'' (not case-sensitive) -- like ``de_DE.UTF-8'' your system uses UTF-8 encoding.
If it does not end on ``.UTF-8'' -- i.e. ``de_DE'' -- your system does not use UTF-8 encoding.

How does my graphical desktop handle native characters?

Handling of native characters (i.e. german umlauts) depends on the systems LANG setting.

  • If UTF-8 is turned off and you type the german umlaut ä on the keyboard, one byte -- the ANSI code for ä -- is sent from the X11 system to the application.
  • If UTF-8 is turned on and you type ä two bytes -- the UTF-8 encoded ä -- is sent to the application.
    An UTF-8 aware application will inspect the two bytes, find the ä and save the ä correctly in output files (using the encoding required by the file format specification). To render texts on screen the ä is sent to X11 UTF-8 encoded.
    If the application is not UTF-8 aware it simply stores the two bytes as two characters. In most cases text is shown fine on screen (if X11 is set up to use UTF-8 it will create keyboard events containging UTF-8 encoded data, the routines showing text expect UTF-8 encoded text). When saving data to files, data is stored UTF-8 encoded no matter whether or not the file format specification allows this.

Can I simply change the LANG environment variable for one program?

No, don't do that! All desktop applications must use the same UTF-8 setting. You may change LANG from ``de_DE'' to ``en_US'' or from ``de_DE.UTF-8'' to ``en_US.UTF-8'', but not from ``de_DE'' to ``de_DE.UTF-8''.
If you want to change the UTF-8 usage, log in as root (or Administrator), change the setting globally -- i.e. in /etc/sysconfig/i18n -- and reboot the system.
If the desktop delivers not-UTF-8 encoded data and an application expects UTF-8 encoded data (or vice versa) there is a wide variety of results: unknown keyboard bindings, application crashes...

How do Fig drawing applications handle UTF-8 encoding?

  • jFig -- or one of the libraries jFig uses -- seems to handle UTF-8 encoding perfectly (from my point of view). If LANG is set to ``de_DE.UTF-8'' german umlauts are saved to Fig files using 1 byte. This indicates that the texts were recoded internally before saving to file.
  • XFig 3.2.4 on Fedora Core 5 with LANG="de_DE.UTF-8" used 2 bytes to save ä the encoding was UTF-8. When typing text in the drawing area, german umlauts are ignored. In the "Edit" dialog box one can enter german umlauts.
  • XFig 3.2.5 on Fedora Core 11 with LANG="de_DE.UTF-8" saves ä as one byte, this is not UTF-8 encoded.

How do fig2vect, text2lat and echo2lat handle UTF-8 encoding?

Fig2vect cares about UTF-8 encoded text in non-special text only.
In special text you can use LaTeX code directly to produce the glyphs you need.
Handling UTF-8 encoded strings depends on the driver:

  • EPS and PDF: The driver can hande UNICODE characters in the range 0x00000000...0x000000FF. Texts are recoded from UTF-8 to ANSI and saved in WinAnsiEncoding in PDF files and in ISOLatin1Encoding in EPS files.
    Characters above 0x000000FF can not be handled.
  • TeX and MetaPost: The texts are recoded to UNICODE, the driver uses the dkle_...() functions to find an appropriate LaTeX encoding.
    Note: The encoding tables in dklibs are very incomplete, at this time they contain support for some european languages only.
    If you have created a table for codes not yet in the list, please share it and use the bug track/feature request mechanisms on SourceForge.

In text2lat and echo2lat input text is UTF-8 decoded if necessary, the programs replace each character by the corresponding LaTeX encoding. Text2lat allows to specify whether or not newlines are replaced by ``\\<newline>'' and whether or not spaces are replaced by ``~''.

How are LaTeX encodings found, how do I create my own tables?

The dklibs library set uses a preference to find a shared directory (shared between all dklibs-based applications). This directory is /usr/local/share on Unix/Linux and c:\programme\krause\share on Windows by default. The ``c:\programme'' part can differ, it depends on your Windows version and language.
This directory contains a sub-directory ``uc2lat-t'' providing tables for translation from UNICODE to LaTeX. There is a nested directory structure containing multiple files. Files are loaded on demand.
The encoding for UNICODE 0x01234567 is found by searching the file 01/23/45.dat file for an 0x67 entry.
There are three types of entries in the file:

  • * hex LaTeX
    The LaTeX code can be used both in normal and in math mode.
  • t hex LaTeX
    The LaTeX code can be used in normal (non-math) mode only.
  • m hex LaTeX
    The LaTeX code can be used in math mode only.

Example (from 00/00/00.dat):

# Raute
*	0x23	\#

# Asterisk
t	0x2A	\textasteriskcentered{}
m	0x2A	*

# Smaller-than
t	0x3C	\textless{}
m	0x3C	<

If you have created or modified tables, please share them! If you are willing to publish them under BSD-style license conditions (the license used by dklibs), please use the bug-tracking or feature-request mechanisms or forums on SourceForge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/dklibs/) to submit the tables.

Developer FAQ

Should I apply changes to the *.c or *.ctr files?

Apply changes to the *.ctr files only.
The *.c files are generated from the *.ctr files automatically by running the tracecc preprocessor. See http://dklibs.sourceforge.net for details, there is a manual tracecc.pdf available.

Dirk Krause
Schmalkalden (Germany), 2009-11-24
http://fig2vect.sourceforge.net