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[ Contents
| Operating Manual
| New Features and Bugs Fixed
| Technical Information
| Authors ]
[ Introduction
| Command Panel
| Drawing Mode Panel
| Editing Mode Panel
| Indicator Panel
| Miscellaneous Panels
| Keyboard Accelerators ]
Quit: Exit from xfig
Port/Land: Change orientation of canvas to/from Portrait and Landscape
New: Delete all object from the canvas
Undo: Undo the last operation
Redraw: Redraw the canvas
Paste: Paste object from cut buffer
File: Load/save fig file
Export: Export figure in various file formats
Print: Print figure to PostScript printer
Help: Popup help menu
If the figure has been modified and not saved, a popup panel will appear to ask the user if he wants to save the figure first and then quit, quit without saving, or cancel the quit altogether.
If xfig is terminated with signals such as HUP or INT (for example, by the kill command or an internal error of xfig), xfig will try to save the figure in the SAVE.fig file.
The default orientation may be specified by command line options. The orientation is automatically changed when loading a fig file to correspond to the setting in the file.
If you attempt to save the figure without specifying a file name after this, the File panel will appear and you will be asked for a file name. If you want to delete all the objects and retain the file name, you may use accelerator Meta-d. If you want to delete selected objects, you may use DELETE.
Multi-level undo is not supported. If Undo is clicked twice, it will revert the state before the first undo.
The object will appear on the canvas under or near the mouse
where it may then be moved and placed by pressing mouse button 1.
This function can be used to copy part of another figure into the figure being edited. The cut buffer will shared between xfigs if a user opens two or more xfig windows at the same time, and it is possible to copy objects between those xfig windows. If you want to copy an entire figure from another file, you can merge the file using File panel.
Normally, the ``.xfig'' file in user's home directory is used as the cut buffer.
If the File button on the command panel is clicked by mouse button 3 (`Save shortcut'), a save is performed without poping up the File panel. This is very useful when saving figure to the same file after editing the figure. The accelerator Meta-s will also perform this function.
Clicking the File button with mouse button 1 (`Popup') will pop up the File panel. The accelerator Meta-f will also perform this function.
Current Filename
When the file has been loaded or saved, Current Filename will be updated to the name of the file.
Filename
The file name in the Filename field may be changed by clicking a file name in File Alternatives list, or by typing the file name on the keyboard . If return is typed after the file name is entered, the file will be loaded as if the Load button was clicked.
(File) Alternatives
Clicking a file name in this list with mouse button 1 will copy the file name to Filename field. Double-clicking a file name in this list with mouse button 1 will load the file as if the Load button was clicked.
Filename Mask
Typing return in this field will cause a rescan of the current directory as if the Rescan button was clicked. The initial value of this string is ``*.fig*'', which will show all Fig files including compressed files and backups, but it may be changed by the Fig*file_panel*mask*string resource if necessary.
Current Directory
The directory name in the Current Directory field may be changed by clicking a directory name in Directory Alternatives list, or by typing the directory name on the keyboard. If return is typed after the directory name is entered, the directory will scanned as if the Rescan button was clicked and the contents of File Alternatives list will be updated.
(Directory) Alternatives
``..'' indicates the parent directory. Moving to the parent directory may also be performed by clicking mouse button 3 on the File Alternatives list or the Directory Alternatives list.
Load/Merge figure offset
Home
Show Hidden
Rescan
Cancel
Save
When trying to save to an existing file other than Current Filename, a popup panel will appear and the user will be asked if he wants to save over that file.
Also, Current Filename is updated to reflect the new file name.
Before saving the file, the original file (if any) will be automatically renamed to the same name but with the suffix ``.bak'' to leave it as a backup file.
Load
Before loading the file, the figure on the canvas is cleared. If the figure on the canvas has been modified and not saved, a popup panel will appear and the user will be asked to save the current figure, discard it and load the new file or cancel the load of the new file altogether.
The figure will be shifted by the amounts specified by Load/Merge figure offset.
xfig can also read files compressed by compress or gzip (files which have suffix .Z, .z, or .gz). Before loading a compressed file, the file will be uncompressed by uncompress or gunzip.
A newer version of xfig can always load Fig files created by older version of xfig, but the reverse is not true. When loading files of older format, xfig will notify the user in a popup message panel and will convert the file to the current version. There is no way to save a Fig file in an older version format.
Merge
As in Load, the figure will be shifted at the amounts specified by Load/Merge figure offset.
If the Export button on the command panel is clicked by mouse button 3 (`Export shortcut'), export will be performed without popping up the Export panel.
Clicking the Export button with mouse button 1 (`Popup') will popup the Export panel. The accelerator Meta-e will also perform this function.
Magnification
Fit to Page
Orientation
Justification
Paper Size
Pages
Export Offset
Language
The following formats are available:
LaTeX picture environment
PicTeX macros
IBMGL (HP-GL)
Encapsulated PostScript (EPSF)
PostScript
Combined PostScript/LaTeX
Textyl
TPIC
PIC
ACAD (AutoCAD slide format, SLD)
MF (MetaFont)
PCX paintbrush format
PNG Portable Network Graphics
GIF
JPEG
PBM Portable Bitmap package
TIFF Tag Image File Format
Tk (Tck/Tk toolkit)
XBM X11 Bitmap
XPM X11 Pixmap
PPM (Portable Pixmap)
As a variation of the LaTeX format, epic, eepic and eepicemu macros are also available. It is also possible to output the text part of the figure in LaTeX and the graphics part in PostScript using Combined PostScript/LaTeX. This is especially useful when complex numerical formulas are included in the figure (see also TEXT FLAGS).
Not all of the features in xfig are supported by all export languages. For example, imported pictures are not supported for IBMGL export. The PostScript export language supports all features of xfig and a fairly high quality output will be generated.
To export the figure in a bitmap format such as GIF or JPEG, you must have the GhostScript and netpbm packages on your system.
Transparent Color
The default is None.
Default Filename
This file name is the figure name plus an extension that reflects the output format at the default, and it will be changed to the specified file name if export has been performed by specifying a file name in Output Filename.
Output Filename
The file name in the Output Filename field may be changed by selecting a file name in the File Alternatives list, or typing the file name from keyboard directly. If return is typed after file name is entered, export to the file will be performed as if the Export button was clicked.
(File) Alternatives
Clicking a file name in this list with mouse button 1 will copy the file name to the Output Filename field. Double-clicking a file name in this list with mouse button 1 will cause exporting to the file as if Export button was clicked. Note that exporting to the existing file will over-write the old contents of the file.
Filename Mask
Typing return in this field will cause rescan of the current directory as if Rescan button was clicked. The initial value of this string is ``*ps'', but it may changed by the Fig*export_panel*mask*string resource if necessary.
Current Directory
The directory name in the Current Directory field may be changed by clicking a directory name in Directory Alternatives list, or by typing the directory name from keyboard directly. If return is typed after directory name is entered, the directory will scanned as if Rescan button was clicked and the contents of File Alternatives list will be updated.
(Directory) Alternatives
``..'' indicates the parent directory. Moving to the parent directory may also be performed by clicking mouse button 3 on the File Alternatives list or the Directory Alternatives list.
Home
Show Hidden
Rescan
Cancel
Export
When trying to export to an existing file other than Default Filename, popup panel will appear and the user will asked to confirm the export operation. If the figure is exported to a file other than Default Filename, then Default Filename will be set to the actual export file name.
If the Print button on the command panel is clicked by mouse button 3 (`Print shortcut'), Print to Printer will be performed without popping up the Print panel. If the Print button is clicked while the SHIFT key is down, Print to Batch will be performed.
Clicking the Print button with mouse button 1 (`Popup') will popup Print panel. The accelerator Meta-p will also perform this function.
Magnification
Fit to Page
Orientation
Justification
Paper Size
The following paper sizes are available:
Letter (8.5in x 11in)
Legal (8.5in x 14in)
Tabloid (17in x 11in)
ANSI A (8.5in x 11in)
ANSI B (11in x 17in)
ANSI C (17in x 22in)
ANSI D (22in x 34in)
ANSI E (34in x 44in)
ISO A4 (21cm x 29.7cm)
ISO A3 (29.7cm x 42cm)
ISO A2 (42cm x 59.4cm)
ISO A1 (59.4cm x 84cm)
ISO A0 (84cm x 118.8cm)
JIS B5 (18.2cm x 25.7cm)
Pages
If Single is selected here, this facility will not be used; any part of the figure outside the paper boundary will be clipped.
PostScript Printer
The default value is specified by the resource Fig*printer*string or the environment variable $PRINTER.
Print Job Params
The default is empty, but it may be specified by Fig*job_params*string resource.
Figures in batch
Dismiss
Print FIGURE/BATCH to Printer
The label of this button will be Print BATCH to Printer if there are any figures in the batch file, or Print FIGURE to Printer if there are none.
When printing to the printer, xfig will first convert the figure to PostScript with fig2dev program, and pass the result to lpr (lp on System V system). When executing lpr (or lp), the printer name specified by PostScript Printer field and options specified by Print Job Params will be passed as command-line options.
Print FIGURE to Batch
The figures stored in the batch file will be printed to the printer when Print BATCH to Printer is clicked later. You can use this facility when you want to send some figures to the printer at one time.
Clear Batch
Xfig Reference
How-to Guide
Man Pages
About Xfig