Immediate Printing of Plot Files

  FEMGV allows the user to specify the name of a command file which will be invoked whenever a plotfile is generated. This command file can then be used to send the plotfile to a printer without having to exit from the program.

The use of this command file is controlled by two environment variables:-

Name Purpose Default

FV_PLOT Specifies valid candidates for immediate plotting none

FV_COMM Specifies the command file to be invoked null

FV_PLOT can take one of the following values:-

• NONE
  No plotfiles will be considered as valid candidates for immediate plotting. The command file specified FV_COMM (if any) is ignored. This is the default value for FV_PLOT.
• PLOT
  Plotfiles generated by the command DRAWING SAVE PLOTFILE will be eligible for immediate plotting.
• HARD
  Screendump plots created via the option UTILITY SETUP PLOTTER FORMAT HARDCOPY will be eligible for immediate plotting.
• BOTH
  Both DRAWING SAVE PLOTFILE and UTILITY SETUP PLOTTER FORMAT HARDCOPY files are eligible.

FV_COMM specifies the full pathname of the command file to be invoked. This environment variable must be set if FV_PLOT is set to anything other than NONE.

When FEMGV invokes the command file it passes two parameters

• The name of the file to be plotted.
• The plotfile format.
  Currently this will be one of the following:

  Type Format

  0 Workstation dependent screendump format

  1 FEMGV neutral format file

  2 Mono Postscript

  3 Interleaf

  4 Colour Postscript

  5 LaserJet

  6 PaintJet

  7 HPGL

  8 HPGL/2

  9 DeskJet

  10 CGM

  11 TIFF

Some examples of machine specific immediate plotting command files are given in Appendix C.