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ATOPLT Installation Guide
-------------------------
Rob Cook
La Trobe University
Computer Centre
6-Jul-77
1.0 CHANGES BETWEEN VERSION 1 AND VERSION 2A(47)
1. ATOPLT has been entirely rewritten. It is now smaller
and faster and more accurate as well as having many
extra features. It is completely compatible with
version 1 although the plots may be a little different
due to different choices of tick values.
2. An ATOPLT tag and date/time stamp is plotted in the
lower lefthand corner.
3. The caller can choose the increment in tick values.
4. The caller can specify the value to be plotted at some
tick. 3 and 4 allow the caller to choose 'nice' tick
values.
5. The caller can specify the value at the axis origin. 3
and 5 cause windowing at both ends of the axis.
6. The caller can specify that the labels written at ticks
along the axes should be written as INTEGERs instead of
REALs.
7. The caller can specify that he wants character strings
rather than numbers at ticks e.g. 'Jan'.
8. Data can be logarithmically scaled.
9. Least squares lines can be added.
10. There are even simpler calls for elementary users.
11. ATOPLT is a supported product of La Trobe University
Computer Centre.
12. The software can be easily modified to suit any plotter
and any basic set of plotter subroutines.
13. During frame and title plotting, ATOPLT tries to
minimise pen movements to make life easier on pen
plotters.
Page 2
2.0 KNOWN DEFICIENCIES
None.
3.0 DISTRIBUTED FILES
APNAM.FOR global internal parameter definition
APLOT.FOR computer, plotter and basic plot subroutine
independant code. This is the core of
ATOPLT.
APSUB.FOR contains subroutines called by ATOPLT to
perform basic plotting functions. These
subroutines can be modified or replaced to
suit the base subroutines that ATOPLT calls,
whether it be Calcomp, TCS or some other
package. It may be necessary to build
different APSUBs for different plotters but
at La Trobe both Gould and Tektronix devices
can be called through Calcomp style
subroutines.
APGLD.FOR parameter definition for the Gould 4800
printer/plotter.
APTEK.FOR parameter definition for the Tektronix 4012
terminal.
APTEKM.MAC to arrange that the TCS library is searched
without the user's explicit specification.
At La Trobe the TCS library is contained in
PIC:TEKLIB.REL.
GLPLOT.REL relocatable binary subroutine library for the
Gould 4800 printer/plotter
TKPLOT.REL as GLPLOT but configured for the Tektronix
4012 terminal
APMAN.RNO,.MEM user's guide to the ATOPLT package.
APINT.RNO,.MEM description of the internals of ATOPLT
APBAS.RNO,.MEM calling sequences for the La Trobe basic
plotting subroutines
APL02.RND,.DOC this file
APLNC.RNO,.MEM licence agreement for the use of ATOPLT.
Please print a copy, sign it and return the
signed agreement to
Page 3
The Director,
Computer Centre,
La Trobe University,
Bundoora,
Victoria 3083
AUSTRALIA
APDEX.FOR a program that draws all the examples for the
ATOPLT user's guide. This program can be
used as a test of the ATOPLT system.
APDEX.DAT data file for APDEX that specifies which of
the 12 examples are to be drawn (how many
followed by example numbers in 13I format).
APDAXB.FOR a program that draws the special symbols used
by ATOPLT, for publication in Appendix B of
the user's guide.
APMAKE.CTL batch control file for building ATOPLT
4.0 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
Because there is very little standardisation in plotter
characteristics or in calling sequences for basic plotting
subroutines, every implementation of ATOPLT whether on a
DECsystem-10 or on any other computer will almost certainly
require program changes. The ATOPLT package is built to
minimise difficulties in tailoring the code to fit a new
environment.
At La Trobe the basic Gould plot subroutines are kept
in FORLIB, but the Tektronix TCS subroutines and the
interface routines that turn Calcomp style calls into TCS
calls are kept in PIC:TEKLIB. The module APTEKM exists
merely to force searching PIC:TEKLIB and to avoid the user
mentioning TEKLIB in his command to execute a program using
ATOPLT. Similar strategies could be used at other
installations and for other plotters.
4.1 Tailoring To Suit A Plotter
ATOPLT needs to know some hardware characteristics of
the plotter that it is using, such as maximum plot size. To
fit a new plotter a new parameter definition subroutine must
be built and used instead of APGLD or APTEK. APGLD and
APTEK can be used as models and each contains a description
of each parameter that must be defined.
Page 4
4.2 Tailoring To Suit Basic Subroutines
All the drawing performed by ATOPLT is channeled
through the subroutines in APSUB. The APSUB subroutines
make calls on a Calcomp like set of basic plotting
subroutines. Very likely these calls will have to be
modified to a greater or lesser extent to suit another
system. The APSUB subroutine calling sequences are fully
documented in APBAS.RNO and in the code.
APOPEN start a plot
APPLOT move the pen, up or down
APSYMB draw a special centering symbol or text string
APNUMB draw a number
APWHER return pen coordinates
APSHAD set dotted line drawing or pen colour
APCLOS finish a plot
4.3 Tailoring To Suit A Computer
ATOPLT was built on a DECsystem-10. The only known
computer dependencies are in FUNCTION APPVAL in file APLOT
where there is a DATA statement that includes the largest
positive and negative real single precision numbers
available on the computer. ATOPLT will work without
changing these numbers since they only affect the value
parameter checking on a call to ATOPRM.
The method of loading ATOPLT and basic plotting
subroutines will need to be reviewed. The Gould version of
ATOPLT uses basic plotting subroutines included in the
FORTRAN subroutine library at La Trobe, which is
automatically searched on loading a FORTRAN program. The
Tektronix version uses the TCS subroutines supplied by
Tektronix Inc. and an interface that converts Calcomp style
calls into TCS subroutine calls. The TCS and interface
subroutines are contained in a file TEKLIB, and the assembly
language module APTEKM merely forces searching of TEKLIB so
that the user does not have to mention TEKLIB in every
command that loads a program with ATOPLT.
4.4 Building ATOPLT
These instructions apply only to the command language
for the TOPS10 operating system running on a DECsystem-10.
For the Gould 4800
.COMPIL APLOT, APSUB, APNAM, APGLD
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.R FUDGE2
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Page 5
*GLPLOT=APLOT,APSUB,APNAM,APGLD/A$
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*GLPLOT=GLPLOT/X$
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and for the Tektronix 4012
.COMPIL APLOT, APSUB, APNAM, APTEK, APTEKM
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.R FUDGE2
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*TKPLOT=APLOT,APSUB,APNAM,APTEK,APTEKM/A$
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*TKPLOT=TKPLOT/X$
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5.0 SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
1. Make ONEPLT call ATOPLT instead of duplicating the code
2. Make a new call identical to ATOPLT, but changing the
order of the indices to the NOTES array to make it more
logical
3. Make a new call similar to ATOPLT but allowing the X
and Y arrays to be 2 dimensional, and avoiding the use
of ISYM.
4. Invent a method of returning the slope and intercept of
any least squares lines plotted.