#443 epslatex: orthogonalize linewidth and dashtype

[Anonymous]

Hi,

This isn't a "bug" per se, but if possible, I want linewidth and dashtype to be orthogonal. Currently changing line width changes gaps of dashed lines on the epslatex terminal:

set style line 1 dashtype 2 lw 2
set style line 2 dashtype 2 lw 5

set terminal epslatex standalone
set output "try.tex"
plot sin(x) ls 1, sin(x)+1 ls 2
unset output

junk = system("latex try")
junk = system("dvips try -q")
junk = system("ps2pdf try.ps")

Notice that the dash segment is longer and the gap between the segments is longer for the thicker dashed line than the thinner one. For this reason, it is hard to get two dashed lines with different thicknesses and similar or the same "dashness".

gnuplot 5.0 patchlevel 3.

Regards,

Ryo

Edit: Sorry I submitted this without realizing I hadn't logged in. Now I've logged in, I'm trying to edit it. Does such an edit work?

[Ethan Merritt]

The behaviour you describe is intentional and is [supposed to be] uniform across all terminals. It allows you to scale the size of the plot up or down without changing the visual appearance. This is standard in vector graphics. For example in the Qt library a dash pattern is specified in units of linewidth so that width and dashlength automatically scale together.

So: Not a bug. Will not change.

[Ryo]

Thenk you, Ethan, for your prompt response! I understand that. This is not a bug.

In that case, Could we make it a wish for an aditional feature? An ability to "unscale" the lines in the lengthwise direction is a useful addition. Even if to scale both spanwise and lengthwise is the standard behavior, as you say, scaling only in the spanwise (width) direction is possible, isnt' it?

Regards,

Ryo

[Ryo]

I might add

It allows you to scale the size of the plot up or down without changing the visual appearance.

When we want to change the width of a line in a line graph, we are not scaling "the size of the plot up or down". We are changing the width of the line. Period. Nothing more than that.

In other words,

a) changing linewidth,
b) scaling the whole line,

are two separate notions. Although I understand it's easy to implement (a) by (b), I don't think that's an ideal implementation for a line graph. To be able to change the width and only the width, is better (more useful).

So, I would like to put my idea as a "feature request", if possible.

Regards,

Ryo

[Ethan Merritt]

Ticket moved from /p/gnuplot/bugs/1788/

Can't be converted:

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