plotfr

Process Help

PLOTFR - create a frame plot

Process Name	Menu Path	Link to Command Table
PLOTFR	Command line only	Click here

Introduction
Files, Fields and Parameters
Notes
Example
Errors

Introduction

Generates a frame plot, consisting of a frame, a grid or tick marks, with annotation on each axis, and user defined titles on each axis.

How to use

This is a general process, which may be used to add a frame and axes to any plot. The usual method of operation is to generate a frame plot when the user is satisfied with the plot of the data to which the frame is to be added. The components are:-

Frame

A box around the data area (the X and Y axes) and an optional box around the full plot area (negative values of @IGRID parameter). The data and picture area sizes are taken from the prototype, or defined to be the screen size if the null plot prototype plotprot is used.

Numbering

Annotation at each tick mark or each grid mark.

Tick Marks

Out: Tickmarks outwards from the box around the data area.

In: Tickmarks inwards from the box around the data area.

Grid

A full grid of intersecting lines in place of the tickmarks.

Interior Crosses

A set of interior crosses marking the intersection points of the grid lines.

In addition, up to 80 characters of label are permitted on each axis. These are prompted for. The labels start from the origin (bottom left-hand corner of the data area), so that spaces should be inserted at the start of the label to space the text along the axes.

Normally tickmarks and grids start from the XMIN, YMIN values; however these may optionally be started at any required position by use of the optional parameters @XGSTART, @YGSTART.

If a number of plots are to be generated with the same scales and axes, then it is only necessary to generate a single frame using PLOTFR. This can then be joined to any data plot required by using the APPEND process.

Files, Fields and Parameters

Input Files

Name	Description	I/O Status	Required	Type
PROTO	Plot prototype file. Must contain the fields X, Y, S1, S2 and CODE (numeric, explicit) and XMIN, XMAX, YMIN, YMAX, XSCALE, YSCALE (numeric, implicit). If these last 6 values set in PROTO , then corresponding parameters need not be set.	Input	Yes	Plot Prototype File

Output Files

Name	I/O Status	Required	Type	Description
PLOT	Output	Yes	Plot	Output plot file.

Parameters

Name

Description

Required

Default

Range

Values

XINC

Grid increment on X axis.

Yes

Undefined

YINC

Grid increment on Y axis.

Yes

Undefined

NDX

Annotation decimal places on X axis.

Yes

Undefined

NDY

Annotation decimal places on Y axis.

Yes

Undefined

IGRID

Option	Description
0	frame only;
1	frame + outwards ticks;
2	frame + crosses at grid intersections;
3	frame + inwards ticks;
4	grid;
5-9	as 0-4 minus frame.
10	as 4 but anno- tation parallel to grid lines.
11-2	0 as 1-10 with annotation on right and top as well. Negative values of IGRID give an additional frame around the full plot area.

Yes

0,20

Undefined

NOXAXIS

Suppresses plotting of X-axis.

Undefined

NOYAXIS

Suppresses plotting of Y-axis.

Undefined

XGSTART

Start point of X grid, ticks Default is XMIN.

Undefined

YGSTART

Start point of Y grid, ticks Default is YMIN.

Undefined

CHARSIZE

Character size in millimetres (3).

Undefined

ASPRATIO

Aspect ratio, width / ht. for chars (0.9).

0.9

Undefined

Colour [as 'pen' number] for plot (1).

Undefined

APPEND

Plot append flag. If set to 1 then the new plot will be appended to the PLOT file, if it exists and is a valid plot file (0).

0,1

XMIN

Minimum value of X for plot. None of XMIN, XMAX, YMIN, YMAX, XSCALE, YSCALE need be set if this information is already in the prototype.

Undefined

XMAX

Maximum value of X for plot.

Undefined

YMIN

Minimum value of Y for plot.

Undefined

YMAX

Maximum value of Y for plot.

Undefined

XSCALE

X scale in user data units per millimetre.

Undefined

YSCALE

Y scale in user data units per millimetre.

Undefined

Notes

No additional notes.

Example

Example 1

The following example generates a frame with scaling information supplied on the command line. If a plot file already exists, then the scale may be taken from it in the following way:

!PLOTFR

&PROTO(PLOTPROT),&PLOT(FRAME),@XMIN=300,@XMAX=600, @YMIN=300,@YMAX=600,@XINC=50,@YINC=50,@NDX=1,@NDY=1, @IGRID=4

XLABEL > Collar X Co-ordinate.

YLABEL > Collar Y Co-ordinate.

Example 2

The following example generates a frame for an existing histogram plot file:

!PLOTFR

&PROTO(HISTPLOT),&PLOT(HISTFRAM),@XINC=50,@YINC=10, @NDX=0,@NDY=0,@IGRID=3

Error and Warning Messages

Message	Description	Solution
>>> CANNOT APPEND TO NON-EXISTENT OUTPUT FILE. >>> A NEW OUTPUT FILE WILL BE CREATED	The @APPEND parameter has been set to 1, but the specified plot file does not exist. A new file will be created to contain the new plot being produced.

>>> ERROR - CANNOT APPEND TO PLOT FILE AS IT DOES >>> NOT CONTAIN ALL THE REQUIRED FIELDS. >>> THE PLOT FILE WILL BE OVERWRITTEN.	The @APPEND parameter has been set to 1, the specified plot file exists but is invalid. The existing plot file will be overwritten by the new plot being produced.

>>> FATAL ERROR, BAD SCALE/RANGE COMBINATION(S) <<< >>> XMIN, XMAX = nnnnnnnnnn.nn nnnnnnnnn.nn >>> YMIN, YMAX = nnnnnnnnnn.nn nnnnnnnnn.nn >>> XSCALE, YSCALE = nnnnnnnnnn.nn nnnnnnnnn.nn	Either insufficient scale information had been entered (at least two of XMIN, XMAX, XSCALE or Y equivalents must be entered either from the prototype of from parameters) or the combination given of XMIN, XMAX, and XSCALE (or their Y equivalents) was impossible. Often caused by entering a null plot prototype and no parameters. Fatal; the process is exited.