From: corbet@sargon.psu.edu (Robin Corbet)
Subject: "Robot" graph plotter 0.45
Reply-To: corbet@sargon.psu.edu
Organization: Penn State University.
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 15:52:41 GMT


Version 0.45 of the XView based graph plotting program "robot" is now
available.  Changes from version 0.44 are listed below followed by a
brief description of the program.

0.45
----
Bug fixes to allow Robot to run on DECstations again.

The plotting area is no longer attached to the command area.

Additional plot areas can be created with previous ones retained
for display (but old areas cannot be drawn to).

The plot area has a menu associated with it (use right mouse button).

Color can be changed inside a text string (\red, \green, \blue,
\white, \black). Color change only applies inside the text string.

Double clicking on a text string in the plot area enables
it to be edited.

A command line argument of -landscape brings up the plot area as
landscape orientation. The default is portrait mode. Button added to
switch between landscape and portrait.

SolidLines, DashedLines, DottedLines and DotDashedLines - specify
different line styles for drawing.

ARC - draws circular arc

POLYLINE - draws a series of connected lines.
POLYGON - as above but connects first and last points.

The main title position can be changed to the the top right, centre or
top left (default). (CENTERTITLE/CENTRETITLE, LEFTTITLE, RIGHTTITLE).

SPLINE is now a plot mode rather than a separate command.

"Plot" menu renamed "Draw".

Draw commands can now use the right mouse button to indicate a
new start position is required for the object.


"^" as well as "**" is recognized as exponentiation.

Division of plotting area into sub-windows (DIVWINDOW,
SELWINDOW) also applies to 3D plots.

Errors on data points are available via functions as input to commands
e.g. xerr{10} is the value of the 'X' error on the 10th data point.

-------------------------------------------------------------
	Robot - a scientific graph plotting and data analysis tool
	----------------------------------------------------------

The program "robot" is now available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.astro.psu.edu.

Main Features of Robot
----------------------
* Graph plotting in various styles - error bars, histogram,
	symbols, lines, dashed lines etc. Linear or logarithmic axes.
* Data manipulation - arithmetic, functions, smoothing,
	folding, sorting.
* Fitting to data using built in functions such as Gaussians,
	polynomials, Lorentzians, and/or a user defined function.
* Annotation of graphs with text in various styles, simple
	drawing tools.
* Interaction with Robot is via pull-down menus, buttons
	etc. and/or a pseudo command line type interface.
* Commands are stored in log files for later play back, editing etc. 
* Command files  can also include basic programming constructs:
	loops, if tests, user defined variables.
* Multi color plots. Multiple plots per page.
* Output in PostScript format.


Requirements
------------
Robot is XView based (version 3). User interface portions of code are
written in 'C'. Data manipulation code is written in FORTRAN. Hence the
public domain f2c package (available from research.att.com) or a
FORTRAN compiler is required.
Alternatively, binaries for Sun's and DECstations are also available by
anonymous ftp.

The full distribution (source, documentation etc.) takes up about
1.9Mbytes of disc space and the executable consumes approximately 2.8
Mbytes of RAM.

Availability
------------
By anonymous ftp from ftp.astro.psu.edu (128.118.147.28) in
the directory pub/astrod.

The relevant files are:
robotx-.--.tar.Z	- Full source, plotting library, example scripts,
			  documentation etc. 
			  "-.--" is the version number, e.g. the file
			   may be robotx0.45.tar.Z
RobotManual.ps.Z	- just the documentation.
robot.sun4.Z		- binary built on a SPARCstation.
robot.dec.Z		- binary built on a DECstation (Ultrix).



Robin Corbet				    |   corbet@astro.psu.edu 
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics    |	(814) 863 7946	- voice
525 Davey Laboratory 			    |	(814) 863 3399	- FAX
Pennsylvania State University		    |	(814) 865 2977	- FAX
PA 16802				    |