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Environment variables

The behavior of tek2plot is affected by several environment variables, which are the same as those that affect graph and plot. For convenience, we list them here.

We have already mentioned the environment variables BITMAPSIZE, PAGESIZE, BG_COLOR, and MAX_LINE_LENGTH. They serve as backups for the options `--bitmap-size', `--page-size', `--bg-color', and `--max-line-length'. The remaining environment variables are specific to individual output formats.

tek2plot -T X, which pops up a window on an X Window System display and draws graphics in it, checks the DISPLAY environment variable. The value of this variable determines the display on which the window will be popped up.

tek2plot -T pnm, which produces output in Portable Anymap (PBM/PGM/PPM) format, is affected by the PNM_PORTABLE environment variable. If its value is "yes", the output file will be in the portable (human readable) version of PBM, PGM, or PPM format, rather than the default (binary) version.

tek2plot -T gif, which produces output in pseudo-GIF format, is affected by two environment variables. If the value of the INTERLACE variable is "yes", the pseudo-GIF output file will be in interlaced format. Also, if the value of the TRANSPARENT_COLOR environment variable is the name of a color that appears in the output file, that color will be treated as transparent by most applications that read GIF files. For information on what color names are recognized, see section Specifying Colors by Name.

tek2plot -T pcl, which produces PCL 5 output for Hewlett--Packard printers and plotters, is affected by several environment variables. The position of the graphics display on the page can be adjusted by setting the PCL_XOFFSET and PCL_YOFFSET environment variables, which may be specified in centimeters, millimeters, or inches. For example, an offset could be specified as "2cm" or "1.2in". Also, the display can be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise on the page by setting the PCL_ROTATE environment variable to "yes". This is not the same as the rotation obtained with the --rotation option, which sets the rotation angle of the plot within the display. Besides "no" and "yes", recognized values for the PCL_ROTATE variable are "0", "90", "180", and "270". "no" and "yes" are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively.

The variable PCL_ASSIGN_COLORS is also recognized. It should be set to "yes" when producing PCL 5 output for a color printer or other color device. This will ensure accurate color reproduction by giving the output device complete freedom in assigning colors, internally, to its "logical pens". If it is "no" then the device will use a fixed set of colored pens, and will emulate other colors by shading. The default is "no" because monochrome PCL 5 devices, which are much more common than colored ones, must use shading to emulate color.

tek2plot -T hpgl, which produces Hewlett--Packard Graphics Language output, is also affected by several environment variables. The most important is HPGL_VERSION, which may be set to "1", "1.5", or "2" (the default). "1" means that the output should be generic HP-GL, "1.5" means that the output should be suitable for the HP7550A graphics plotter and the HP758x, HP7595A and HP7596A drafting plotters (HP-GL with some HP-GL/2 extensions), and "2" means that the output should be modern HP-GL/2. If the version is "1" or "1.5" then the only available fonts will be vector fonts, and all lines will be drawn with a default thickness (the `-W' option will not work).

The position of the tek2plot -T hpgl graphics display on the page can be adjusted by setting the HPGL_XOFFSET and HPGL_YOFFSET environment variables, which may be specified in centimeters, millimeters, or inches. For example, an offset could be specified as "2cm" or "1.2in". Also, the display can be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise on the page by setting the HPGL_ROTATE environment variable to "yes". This is not the same as the rotation obtained with the --rotation option, which sets the rotation angle of the plot within the display. Besides "no" and "yes", recognized values for the HPGL_ROTATE variable are "0", "90", "180", and "270". "no" and "yes" are equivalent to "0" and "90", respectively. "180" and "270" are supported only if HPGL_VERSION is "2" (the default).

The drawing of visible white lines is supported only if HPGL_VERSION is "2" and the environment variable HPGL_OPAQUE_MODE is "yes" (the default). If the value is "no" then white lines (if any), which are normally drawn with pen #0, will not be drawn. This feature is to accommodate older HP-GL/2 devices. HP-GL/2 pen plotters, for example, do not support the use of pen #0 to draw visible white lines. Some older HP-GL/2 devices may, in fact, malfunction if asked to draw opaque objects.

By default, tek2plot -T hpgl will draw with a fixed set of pens. Which pens are present may be specified by setting the HPGL_PENS environment variable. If HPGL_VERSION is "1", the default value of HPGL_PENS is "1=black"; if HPGL_VERSION is "1.5" or "2", the default value of HPGL_PENS is "1=black:2=red:3=green:4=yellow:5=blue:6=magenta:7=cyan". The format should be self-explanatory. By setting HPGL_PENS, you may specify a color for any pen in the range #1...#31. For information on what color names are recognized, see section Specifying Colors by Name. Pen #1 must always be present, though it need not be black. Any other pen in the range #1...#31 may be omitted.

If HPGL_VERSION is "2" then tek2plot -T hpgl will also be affected by the environment variable HPGL_ASSIGN_COLORS. If the value of this variable is "yes", then tek2plot -T hpgl will not be restricted to the palette specified in HPGL_PENS: it will assign colors to "logical pens" in the range #1...#31, as needed. The default value is "no" because other than color LaserJet printers and DesignJet plotters, not many HP-GL/2 devices allow the assignment of colors to logical pens.


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