Ubuntu Manpage: gist - browse binary cgm graphics files

Provided by: yorick_2.2.02+dfsg-6ubuntu2_amd64

NAME

       gist - browse binary cgm graphics files

SYNOPSIS

       gist [[ -in ] cgmfile ] [ page-number-list ] [ options ]

DESCRIPTION

Gist is a binary CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile) browser. It reads an input cgmfile and
produces output to the X window system, PostScript files (which can be printed using
lpr(1)), or another binary CGM file. The cgmfile may be a family of CGMs; a family is
recognized whenever the final one or two characters of the filenames (excluding an
optional trailing ".cgm") are digits in a numerical sequence (e.g.- myfile00.cgm,
myfile01.cgm, myfile02.cgm, etc.). In this case, the cgmfile argument should be the name
of the first file in the family; gist will automatically hop back and forth from file to
file as necessary. (A single page must not be split across files, and each file must be a
legal CGM in its own right.) When gist opens a CGM for input, it must catalog the pages
in the file by scanning through the file to find them. This cataloguing operation takes
place in the background while gist waits for your input. Therefore, if you open a large
family of CGMs, gist will be able to display the first few pages immediately, but if you
ask for the last few pages, you will have to wait until the catalog is complete. After
gist has catalogued the input family, you can render any page without delay.

Options
-in cgmfile The -in is necessary if and only if the cgmfile name begins with a
digit or - sign.

-ps psout to specify a PostScript output file.

-cgm cgmout to specify a binary CGM output file.

-display host:server.screen
to specify an X server connection. If this option is not given, gist
will use the DISPLAY environment variable.

-75 create window(s) at 75 dpi (small window)

-100 create window(s) at 100 dpi (large window, default)

-geometry WxH create window(s) with specified width and height (in pixels)

-gks create window(s) at 8x8 inches (default 6x6). If your cgm file was
NOT created by yorick(1), this may be a better guess at an appropriate
window size. You can also resize the gist window using your window
manager or -geometry.

-nd to suppress the automatic display of the first picture when gist
starts in interactive mode

-b to run in batch mode (either -cgm or -ps must also be specified,
implies -nd)

-f to run in filter mode, placing PostScript output on stdout (implies
-b)

-x to run as a pure X window program (no keyboard)

-fmbug to compensate for a bug in FrameMaker, reverse the EPS preview top-
for-bottom in EPS files. But I recommend using ghostscript(1) from
project GNU to convert gist's PostScript output files into EPS files
instead of gist's EPS command, which makes much cruder preview images.

-bg0fg1 commercial packages which produce CGM files may use color index 0 to
mean background, index 1 to mean foreground, despite their own palette
-- this switch compensates

-nowarn suppress all but first warning message

Page-number-list
is any number of space-delimited list elements; each element has one of the following
forms:

m just page m

m-n pages m through n, inclusive

m-n-s pages m through n in steps of s Using m<=0 or n>=total number of pages
is legal, causing the loop to terminate at the end-of-file (or end-of-
file-family)

Thus, pages 3, 5, 7, 9, 31, and 17 through 26 (in that order) would be specified as:
3-9-2 31 17-26

A page number list on the command line is most useful in conjunction with the -b or -f
options.

Commands
Unless the -b or -f options were specified, gist expects further commands from the
keyboard, or typed in its X window. Keyboard commands are:

open cgmfile open a new CGM for input, closing the current input CGM. This has no
effect on any output device.

quit finish and close any output files, then exit. Synonyms for the quit
command are exit and end.

cgm cgmout [size] create a new output CGM. If size is specified, the file will be split
into a family whose members are about that size in bytes as more
frames are added. The default family member size is four megabytes.

ps psout create a new output PostScript file. The lpr(1) utility can print
PostScript files.

display host:server.screen [dpi]
create a new output X window. The dpi (dots per inch) can be either
75 (a small window), or 100 (a large window, the default).

draw [page-number-list]
render the specified pages on the "drawing" devices (X windows by
default).

send [page-number-list]
render the specified pages on the "sending" devices (PostScript files
and CGMs by default).

info list current output devices and their states. Also prints the current
input CGM and page number.

draw to dev1 [dev2...]
specify "drawing" devices; dev1, dev2, etc., are device numbers
printed by the info command. By default, X windows are the "drawing"
devices.

send to dev1 [dev2...]
specify "sending" devices; dev1, dev2, etc., are device numbers
printed by the info command. By default, PostScript files and CGMs
are the "sending" devices.

free dev1 [dev2 ...]
close the output file or X window; dev1, dev2, etc., are device
numbers printed by the info command.

eps epsout create an encapsulated PostScript file, render the current page there,
then close it. This command is provided only for sites without the
project GNU ghostscript(1) program. Ghostscript's ps2epsi command
produces an infinitely better preview bitmap. If you are interested
in this command, get ghostscript; it's free software.

help [topic] prints a summary of these commands. If specified, topic is one of the
command names; gist prints a more detailed description of that
command.

Any of these commands may be abbreviated to the shortest part of their name which is
unique -- dr for draw, s for send, etc.

The following commands may be typed either in a gist X window or at the keyboard prompt.
The n is a prefix consisting of zero or more digits; if you do not specify n the default
is always 1.

nf advance n pages and draw

nb back up n pages and draw

ng go to page n and draw

s send the current page to all "sending" devices

q quit

If the -x option is specified on the command line, gist can be run in the background like
other X window programs. In this case, only the window commands will be recognized.

EXAMPLES

       To print every page of a CGM file family myfile00.cgm:
        gist myfile00.cgm -f | lpr
       To print only pages 3, 5, 7, 9, 31, and 17 through 26 (in that order):
        gist myfile00.cgm 3-9-2 31 17-26 -f | lpr

       To start gist as a pure X window program, with output to PostScript file myfile.ps:
        gist myfile00.cgm -ps myfile.ps -x &
       Type the f, b or g commands in the gist graphics window to navigate through  myfile00.cgm.
       Use the s command to write the current page into myfile.ps; the q command quits.

       To use gist on foreign.cgm which was not generated by Yorick, try:
        gist -75 -gks -bg0fg1 foreign.cgm

AUTHOR

       David H. Munro, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

FILES

       Y_SITE  refers to the Yorick site directory; use the help command in yorick(1) to find its
       name at your site:

       Y_SITE/gist/*            graphics style sheets, palettes, and PostScript template

BUGS

       Gist is designed to convert yorick(1) binary CGM output files into  PostScript  perfectly.
       That is, running a yorick binary CGM through gist will produce exactly the same PostScript
       file (and X window) as yorick would have produced directly.

       However, the ANSI CGM standard  is  not  a  page  description  language  like  PostScript.
       Therefore,  non-yorick  CGMs  may or may not be acceptably rendered by Gist.  The -gks and
       -bg0fg1 options may help, but you can expect fonts, polymarkers, and line styles  to  look
       different with Gist than with other CGM browsers (.e.g- idt from NCAR graphics).

       If  gist cannot find the PostScript template Y_SITE/gist/ps.ps, PostScript output will not
       work.

       You can't use multiple X windows to compare two different pages (they all display the same
       page).  Start a second copy of gist.

       On  pseudocolor  displays,  a  color image may require you to move the mouse into gist's X
       window to display properly.  Unless your window manager allows you to set  colormap  focus
       independently of keyboard focus, this can be annoying.