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Customizing print operations with Print Scripts
When you press the 'Print' button on any grid, the
grid appears as a printed page on your printer. This scheme is
useful for most situations. However, since the 255x VCS system
was flexibly designed, many variations of the path that the plot
can take are now possible.
This document describes some of the ways that you
can customize your printing procedure.
<B>Script Files. A UNIX script is a file that
contains keyboard commands as you would enter them at the '%'
prompt. Scripts are helpful in automating repetitive operations.
A simple script follows:
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# The pound signs (#) are comments
# and the text is ignored.
# EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST LINE THAT INVOKES THE SHELL TO EXECUTE IT!
#
echo "This file is a script"
#
Open the Text Editor (to access, select Workspace
| Programs | Text Editor), enter the above text, save the text
as a file called
'print-script'
and then exit the Text editor. Now, you must make this new file
executable with the command:
% chmod +x print_script
%
To execute and test this script file, enter the filename
at the % prompt.
% print_script
This file is a script
%
In addition, the script file can compare internal
values and then branch to other commands that are out of sequence.
This decision making ability causes scripts to be very helpful
during intelligent repetitive operations.
Print Operations - Inside the 'Print Command'
window (to access, press the right mouse button on the 'Print'
button and then press the left mouse button on the 'Print Command'
selection), there are three command lines. They are labeled "Text",
"B/W Graphics" and "Color Graphics". The command
line contains either a valid UNIX command or a script file name.
For example, the "Text" command is
"lp -o nobanner".
The VCS application
appends the name of the PostScript file to the end of the command.
Thus, the complete UNIX command that you could enter at the %
prompt would be:
% lp -o nobanner /tmp/pfileAAAa000Nj.ps
For another example, the "B/W Graphics"
command is the script file
"default_printer".
When the VCS application appends the PostScript file name, the
complete command becomes:
% default_printer /tmp/pfileBAA000Nj.ps
This script, located in your home directory (/usr/home/vcs),
uses the appended PostScript filename as an argument.
NOTE: If the UNIX command includes the variable '$FILE',
the '$FILE' variable will be replaced by the actual filename of
the PostScript file and the filename will not be appended to the
command. The variable '$FILE' may be used more than once.
Print Command Files - Any
command that appears on the above command lines can be collected
into a file for selection at a later time. The "Text"
commands are located in the file
'.text_print_commands'
that is located in the user's home directory. The "B/W Graphics"
commands are located in the file
'.mono_print_commands'
which is also located in the user's home directory. The "Color
Graphics" commands are in the file
'.color_print_commands'.
These files are containers for the many different
scripts or UNIX commands that you may need to completely customize
your system.
Select the "[v]" object on each command
line to access the contents of each file.
NOTE: after selecting a command, be sure to press
the 'Return' key before pressing the 'Apply' or 'Save' button.
NOTE: after adding or deleting entries to these files,
be sure to logout and login to cause the change to take effect.
Sample Print Scripts - The
following script files show typical uses. Please enter the text
into a file (for example, use
"print_script"
as a filename) with the Text Editor and make the file executable
as shown above. The script file name should be entered on the
appropriate command line in the 'Print Commands' window or stored
in the appropriate print command file.
B/W Graphics [v] print_script
1. A script to print the PostScript file name generated
by the application and then remove it. Be sure to open the 'xconsole'
window to see the name appear.
#!/bin/csh-f
#
# Print the filename on the console. . .
echo "The filename is: $1" > /dev/console
#
# . . .and remove the file so they won't accumulate
rm $1
#
2. A script file to move the PostScript file into
a directory (psfiles) within the user's home directory. Be sure
to create this directory with the command
"% mkdir psfile".
Use the command
"% ls psfiles"
to show the contents of this directory.
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# Rename the file into another directory
mv $1 $HOME/psfiles
#
3. A script file to move the PostScript file to a
unique filename based on the current date and time.
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# Rename the file to a unique filename
set day=`date +%h_%d_%y_%T`
(Remember to use the back apostrophe character)
mv $1 $HOME/psfiles/$day.ps
#
4. A script file to move the PostScript file to a
directory specified in the "B/W Graphics" command line.
In this example, the directory is 'psfiles', but another directory
can be entered onto the command line before the 'Print' button
is pressed. [MANY THANKS TO DAVE PARKER]
B/W Graphics: [v] print_script psfiles
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# If the directory does not exist, create it
if (! -e $HOME/$1) mkdir -p $HOME/$1
#
# Move the PostScript file to the new directory
mv $2 $HOME/$1
#
5. Two script files to prompt the operator for a
filename and directory in which to store the PostScript file.
In this case a second script file is needed to ask the question of the user.
It is called 'ask_filename'
and must be made executable.
Here is the file 'print_script'.
#!/bin/csh
#
# run the second script in a pop-up window
# (. . . and pass the PostScript filename in the argument list)
/usr/openwin/bin/xterm -e $HOME/ask_filename $1
#
Here is the file 'ask_filename'.
#!/bin/csh
#
# Ask for the file
echo "Enter the filename of the new file:"
#
# Get the answer
set file=$<
#
# Ask for the directory path
echo "Enter the FULL path to this file:"
set path=$<
#
# If the directory does not exist, create it
if (! -e $path) mkdir $path
#
# Move the PostScript file to the new location
mv $1 $path/$file
#
# Leave the window on screen until killed
echo "Press the 'Return' key to quit"
set ans=$<
#
6. A script file to use the pop up message window 'xmes'.
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# Show the message window
xmes -bg lightblue 1 "Which file should be used?" 2 "1234.ps" "abcd.ps"
#
# Use the proper button
if ($status == 1) then
else
endif
#
7. The Sun utility 'Imagetool' can be used to save
the PostScript format file into another graphic format. The available
new formats are 'EPSF', 'GIF' 'JFIF (JPEG)', 'Sun Raster' and
'TIFF'. Imagetool is able to rotate, scale, mirror and other
graphical operations before the file is saved. Use the command
'% man imagetool'
to learn more about this utility. The 'print_script' file is
shown below.
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# Call the Sun Image Tool utility
imagetool $1
#
8. An unsupported utility called 'print-xfig' can
be used to add clarifying text and to draw lines and arrows onto
the PostScript plot file before it is printed. You must contact
Technical Support to receive the two diskettes to be installed
prior to using 'print_xfig'. The 'print_script' file is shown
below.
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# Call the print_xfig utility
/usr/local/bin/print_xfig $1
#
9. If your printer does not support formatted ASCII text files then you
must convert these files to PostScript format prior to activating the
printer. Call the following script file with the 'a2pd_script' command
at the 'Text' command line. Enter the folowing lines into a file
called 'a2ps_script'
#!/bin/csh -f
#
# a2ps is the 'ASCII to PostScript' conversion utility.
# -nP -> print to standard out
# -nu -> don't print filename footer
# -nH -> don't print header (filename and date, filename is wrong)
#
# For more information on changing the printed format, please
# enter the following command into an Xterm window:
# % a2ps -h
#
a2ps -nP -nu -nH $1 | lp
Logo Support - You can customize your plots
with your own company's logo, your customer's logo or Spectral
Dynamic's logo.
Prepared script files already exist in your home
directory (/usr/home/vcs) to facilitate logo usage. The Spectral
Dynamics logos are carefully positioned on the plot depending
on whether a plot is single or multiple grids and the orientation
is landscape (wider horizontally) or portrait (wider vertically).
A script called 'default_printer' merges a generic
PostScript file called 'logo.ps' with the PostScript file to be
printed. Initially, this 'logo.ps' file is blank. But, you can
copy one of the existing SD logo files into this file with the
commands:
% cp sd_landscape.ps logo.ps
(i.e., 1 grid horizontally per page)
or
% cp sd_portrait.ps logo.ps
(i.e., 2 or 3 grids vertically per page)
or
% cp sd_quad.ps logo.ps
(i.e., 4 grids horizontally per page)
To erase the contents of this generic 'logo.ps' file,
use the blank file, called 'blank.ps', with the following command:
This generic 'default_printer' script file must have
the correct 'logo.ps' file already loaded prior to use and works
satisfactorily when single format plots are used. However, time
spent with the above copy commands can slow printing of multiple
formats. In this case, multiple script files are needed to quickly
change formats during printing. The files 'sd_logo_1', 'sd_logo_23'
and 'sd_logo_4' can be selected from the Print Commands window
to quickly utilize the correct logo for the desired format.
To create your own logo or modify an existing logo,
use the Sun Image Tool utility (accessed by: Workspace | Programs
| Image Tool). The Image Tool can read files in other graphical
format, such as TIFF, GIF and JPEG. Be sure to save your logo
in a PostScript format file. The PostScript description must
include the proper size location and orientation of the logo.
A PostScript description normally includes the "showpage"
command. You must edit the logo file to delete this command so
that the logo and plot will appear on the same page. (Use the
Text Editor, accessed by: Workspace | Programs | Text Edit, to
open this PostScript file and then open the Find menu and select
'Find and Replace'. Type the text 'showpage' on the first line
and then open the 'Find' menu and select 'Forward'. Delete the
line and save the file. 'showpage' is often the last line of the
PostScript file.) You may also need to modify the Graphic Position
parameters in the Print Commands window to adjust the size and
location of a plot in order for your logo to not overlap the plot.
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