postmini_users_guide_v92.tex

this file is contain important facts aboute different programming langueges.

The following attributes can be modified from within Postmini:
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{ll}
\hline
Attribute & Possible values \\
\hline
Force solid lines on contour plots  & Yes/No \\
Linewidth scale factor & 0.0 -- 5.0 \\
Hidden line algorithm  & Device dependent \\
                       & Horizon function \\
                       & Painter's algorithm\\
Default hardcopy device & (See list of supported devices) \\
Workstation window size factor & 0.1 $>=$ factor $>=$ 1.0 \\
                               & the factor is a percent of \\
                               & the full workstation screen \\
Hardcopy reduction factor   &  0.1 $>$ factor $>$ 1.0\\
Hardcopy orientation    & Landscape/Portrait \\
Text scale factor       & $>$ 1.0 enlarges all text\\
                        & $<$ 1.0 shrinks \\
Force autoscale of coordinate axes & Yes/No \\
Length unit name & Arbitrary string \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
%
\subsection{The shell function}
You can execute operating system commands without leaving
POSTMINI by using the shell function.
Under VMS, your DCL prompt will be set to \verb+Postmini>+,
to remind you that you must return to POSTMINI (type LOGOUT to do this).
Under Tru64 Unix,
a C-shell process is created. Type ``exit'' or ``control-D''
to return to POSTMINI.
%
\subsection{Managing windows on workstations}
When POSTMINI is run on a workstation, it can plot data in
multiple windows. Select the ``windows'' option from the main menu.
From there, you can opt to delete any or all plot windows on the screen,
or select the ``style'' of window management.
The three available styles are:
\begin{itemize}
\item Single window - All plots go to a single window.
\item Multiple - Each plot type (e.g. 1D, contour, 3D, comparison)
uses a separate window.
\item Reactivate - Reactivate plot windows that have been ``saved''
on the screen.
\item Retained - All plots go to a single window; however,
you can elect to save the current window on screen.
POSTMINI will prompt you when the plot is completed if you want
to save the window.
POSTMINI will open a new window for the next plot.
Retained windows remain on the screen until you delete them.
You may keep up to 10 windows on the screen at once.
\end{itemize}
The default style is ``retained''.

If you use several windows, you will probably want to rearrange or
shrink/expand the windows to your liking.
Use the normal Motif window manager functions to manipulate the
GKS plot window.
Under Motif, when a window is re-sized,
the underlying graphics are redrawn to fit in the window, while maintaining
the original aspect ratio of the plot.

Under Motif, you may notice that the window ``input focus'' is transferred
to the GKS window whenever there in any input or output to that window.
This is inconvenient when using Postmini, since you need to click on your
terminal window to restore input focus so you can type at the terminal
window. This also has the side effect of popping the terminal window
up so that it covers the graphics output.
This is especially annoying when performing graph annotations.
One way to avoid this problem is to change the Motif window manager
input focus policy so that input focus is assigned to the window
where the mouse is pointing. To do this, click and hold down mouse button 1
on any part of the background window. A menu should come up.
Point to ``Options $\rightarrow$'' and select the ``Workspace'' submenu.
Under ``To make a window active'',
select the ``Move the pointer into the window'' option.
Also, turn off the option ``Raise it to the top of the screen'' under
``When a window becomes active.''
Then save the settings and restart the Motif window manager.

If you do not like the ``focus follows mouse'' approach,
you can just turn off the option ``Raise it to the top of the screen''
and restart the Motif window manager. When the Postmini graphic window
comes up, focus will be on the graphics window, but you can move it
back to the terminal string by clicking anywhere on the terminal window.
Click on the window border to raise the window to the foreground.
%
\subsection{The save/restore functions}
Postmini supports the option to save a description of the current plot
in a Postmini command file.
The command file is ASCII text, and can be edited with any text editor.
It contains all the information necessary to re-plot your graphics.
The command file consists of several sections:
\begin{itemize}
\item PLOT -- The PLOT command describes the type of plot -- e.g.
1D, 2D, 3D or COMPARE.
%
\item GLOBAL -- The GLOBAL command and its subsequent lines set overall
factors, such as defining colors
%
\item AXIS -- The AXIS command defines the limits on the various
axis parameters, such as minimum, maximum, tic marks, etc.
%
\item CURVE -- The CURVE command defines the how to restore an individual
curve of a 1d or comparison plot. It contains datafile information
(filename, data type, cut line coordinate, etc.) as well as plotting
information (color/marker information).
%
\item CONTOUR -- The CONTOUR command defines how to restore a contour plot.
It contains datafile information (filename, data type, etc)
as well as contour values used, and other plot options.
%
\item SURFACE -- The SURFACE command defines how to restore a surface plot.
It contains datafile information (filename, data type, etc)
as well as other options, such as eye position.
%
\item ANNOTATE -- The ANNOTATE command defines the various annotations
of the plot -- boxes, lines/arrows, text, markers and ellipses.
\end{itemize}
%
In general, you would generate a POSTMINI command file using the save function.
It is entirely possible to generate one yourself, although it would probably
be better to use a POSTMINI generated file as a template.
The restore function attempts to catch invalid input as best as possible,
and reports syntax errors to the terminal by line number of the POSTMINI
command file. Section~{sec:pmifile} lists the current set of command file keywords.

Once you restore a plot,
you will be placed into an appropriate full screen, e.g.
if you restored a 2D contour plot, you will be placed in the
2D contour plot menu. You can then plot, annotate, make a hardcopy, etc.

Note that POSTMINI when restores a plot, it
re-reads the original datafiles. If the datafiles
have been deleted, modified or are in another directory,
then POSTMINI may not be able to restore
the plot, or a unexpected graph may be displayed.

POSTMINI automatically saves your last plot in a file called {\tt POSTMINI.PMI}
when you exit the program. Under VMS, a new version of the file is
created, so you should occasionally purge the {\tt POSTMINI.PMI} files.
\section{POSTMINI printer support}
If you want to make a hardcopy plot file,
select the {\tt Hardcopy} menu option.
Another full screen menu will come up.
To generate a hardcopy, enter {\tt P}. To return to the previous
menu without making a hardcopy, enter {\tt Q} or {\tt E}.
Note: POSTMINI will only create the plot file;
it is up to you to print the file.
Note: unlike previous versions of POSTMINI, you may make a hardcopy
without previewing the graph on your screen.

POSTMINI supports a number of output devices.
The supported devices are:
color and monochrome PostScript,
encapsulated PostScript (for inclusion in other documents, like
Microsoft Word or LaTeX),
HP-7550 (HPGL), Laserjet-II (HP-PCL),
and the LJ250 (color sixels).
The plot file will have the name corresponding to the data file
you read in, with an extension of {\tt .ps}, {\tt .eps},
{\tt .hpgl} and {\tt .pcl} for the PostScript, Encapsulated PostScript,
HP7550 and PCL devices,
respectively. You may specify a different output file name
from the hardcopy menu.

One might ask why there are two PostScript file types:
color and monochrome. Postmini will alter the graphics appearance
for the monochrome device for maximum legibility.
For example, if one has an X-Y plot with curves of different colors,
the curves might be indistinguishable when printed to a non-color
printer. For example, both red and blue will appear as black.
Postmini will change the different line colors to different line types,
in order to clearly show them. The expert user will, of course,
just modify graph to use line types and not use color if s/he knows that the
graphic will be printed on a non-color printer.

When you generate encapsulated PostScript for inclusion in other documents,
you should generate the file in portrait mode, so that the graph does
not appear rotated by 90 degrees.
%
\section{Plot annotations}
POSTMINI allows the user to interatively annotate any graph.
This feature is available only on workstations.
The user can add the following items to a graph:
\begin{itemize}
\item Boxes, both filled or outline
\item Elliptical arcs (useful in grouping multiple curves together)
\item Horizontal, vertical or angled lines
\item Horizontal, vertical or angled arrows
\item Markers
\item Mathmode text
\end{itemize}
Each item is positioned on the graph using the workstation mouse.
The user can also delete any item, or reposition items.
The final result is a professional looking graph, especially when
plotted to the PostScript output device.

Here are a few hints on using the plot annotation feature:
\begin{itemize}
\item When you ask to draw a vertical or horizontal line,
POSTMINI will ``snap'' the line to the vertical or horizontal,
even if you try to draw a line that is at an angle.
\item Filled boxes drawn using a color of ``0'' (background color)
can be used to block out portions of the plot (like electronic
``white--out''). This is especially useful in placing text in colored
or busy areas of a plot. First draw a filled box the size of the text,
then place the text over the box.
\item Elliptical arcs are drawn in two steps (v8.2 and higher).
First, the user clicks on the lower left and upper right corners
of a rectangle that is the bounding box for the arc.
Postmini then displays an elliptical arc
in ``real time.'' The end points of the arc change as the user moves
the mouse. Clicking on mouse button one finishes the process.
\item Under some conditions, it is possible for an elliptic arc
to ``cover'' another item, so that the underlying item cannot be selected
for deletion or re-positioning.
To uncover the item, move the elliptic arc off the item you wish to select.
\item POSTMINI uses the built-in PostScript fonts (default: Helvetica Bold)
when plotting to the PostScript device. These fonts are professional
quality, and are highly legible, even after photo-reduction.
The down side of using these fonts is that they are not
exactly the same as the fonts used on the workstation.
Although the fonts are all scaled to the same size,
it is possible that text may come out slightly different in size on
these two devices. The difference is usually negligible.
The other hardcopy devices do not have this problem.
\item You can use horizontal or vertical line annotations to ``measure''
distances. For example, to measure the horizontal distance from the edge
of a MOSFET gate to the junction edge, enter a horizontal line with one
end on the gate and the other on the junction edge (remember, horizontal
lines ``snap'' to horizontal, so you enter an angled line if that's more
convenient). Then move the horizontal line down to the horizontal plot
axis to determine its length.
\end{itemize}
%
\section{Expression Evaluator}
Postmini V8.3 and higher introduces an expression evaluator code.
This allows the user to apply arbitrary expressions to their X or Y
axis data, either when read in from an ASCII file, or in a comparison
plot. Expressions use a syntax similar to Fortran.
The common operators +, -, *, / and ** (exponentiation) are allowed,
parenthesis to group operations, as well as a number of functions, listed below.
A single variable is allowed, either {\tt x} or {\tt y},
which refers to the X or Y data which will be transformed.
If an expression is used, any linear scaling factors
({\tt AX,AY,MX,MY}) are not used.
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{lp{3.0in}}
\hline
function & Operation\\
name     & \\
\hline
sqrt & sqrt \\
log  & log base e \\
exp  & exponential function\\
log10 & log base 10\\
abs  & absolute value\\
sin  & sine function (radian argument)\\
cos  & cosine function (radian argument)\\
tan  & tangent function (radian argument)\\
asin & arcsin function (returns radians)\\
acos & arccos function (returns radians)\\
atan & arctan function (returns radians)\\
atan2 & arctan function with two arguments (returns radians)\\
max(...) & maximum function (arb. number of arguments)\\
min(...) & minimum function (arb. number of arguments)\\
sind & sine function (degree argument)\\
cosd & cosine function (degree argument)\\
tand & tangent function (degree argument)\\
ran  & random function [0,1.0], takes one (dummy) argument \\
\hline
\mcm{2}{l}{The following functions are valid for 1-D data}\\
\hline
integrate(y,x) & Integrate y(x) from initial x to current x value \\
deriv(y,x) & Differentiate y with respect to x\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{center}

Note that only one differentiate function is allowed per expression.
Versions 9.1-002 and higher of Postmini implement a two-pass
function evaluator, which allows implementation of a central difference
differentiator, which is more numerically accurate than in previous
versions.
%
\section{POSTMINI startup file \label{sec:startup}}
When POSTMINI starts up, it reads a file named {\tt POSTMINI\_DEFAULTS.DAT}
from your current directory. If no such file exists, it tried to read it
from your home directory. The startup file can be used to modify many
features of Postmini. The file consists of lines as follows:
\begin{verbatim}
   keyword =  [value1 [[value2] ...]
\end{verbatim}
Keywords are case independent. Blanks or commas may be used to
separate values.
Comment lines begin with an exclamation point ``!'' in column 1.
You may place several items on one line by separating
the items with a semicolon.
The following is a sample startup file:
\begin{verbatim}
!
!  A sample Postmini default file
!