The graphics translation file

This section fully documents the graphics translation file. By convention graphics translation files have file type `.grt'. A graphics translation file is a simple ASCII text file which can be created and modified with an editor. The following general rules apply to the contents of graphics translation files:

• they are free format; there is no requirement that items occur at fixed absolute positions in lines,

• keywords are case-insensitive (though throughout this manual they are shown in upper-case for clarity),

• blank lines are ignored; they may be introduced freely to improve readability as required.

Any text following an exclamation mark (`!') is treated as a comment and ignored. The exclamation mark introducing a comment may be either the first non-blank item in a line (`comment lines') or may follow other items (`in-line comments'). Comments are terminated automatically at the end of the line.

The graphics translation file defines how objects in a target list are to be plotted. Each symbol plotted is defined by a number of items: SYMBOL, COLOUR, UNITS, SIZEn and LABEL, They are specified using the syntax:

item_name = value

For example:

SYMBOL = opencircle

specifies that the objects will be plotted as open circles. The details of the individual items are as follows.