Re: Set pagesize [was Re: Clipping of arrows buggy]

[Hans-Bernhard B. <br...@ph...>]

Ethan Merritt wrote:
> On Wednesday 19 January 2005 08:38 am, Harald Harders wrote:
> 
>>After Dan's mail, I have had the same idea. I think it is a good idea that
>>screen should be in the range 0<=screen<=1. But it should also be possible
>>to change the size of the page as well. This could then also apply to
>>other terminals as x11. I volunteer to add at least the basis of a
>>'set pagesize' command. I also will add support to some terminals that I
>>understand. I then will need some help to support all terminals.
> 
> 
> I don't understand how this is intended to work.
> You have changed all the places that currently refer to
> term->xmax or term->ymax so that they refer to some
> global variable instead.

That's indeed seriously bad.  The patch should follow what the existing
code does, i.e. use the values of 'set pagesize' instead of 'set size' 
in exactly those places I already described, where currently a 'set size 
before set terminal' makes a difference.

> You can't just assume that you managed to set it to something
> else.  What about output to a printer?  You can't change the
> page size other than maybe feeding it an extra long piece of
> paper.

It's not that meaningless, actually.  Workgroup printers often have 
automatic page-size detection per print job, meaning they'll 
automatically pull in paper from their A3 tray if that's what the print 
job says it needs.  If gnuplot can pack this kind of information into 
the printable file at all, then 'set pagesize' would be exactly the 
method to do that.

> gnuplot does not control the size of the X window, 

And it shouldn't.  I.e., x11.trm should ignore 'set pagesize'.

> I see that your patch touches many terminal types.
> If you have to change them anyhow, would it not make
> more sense just to add explicit size specs for the 
> terminal types that already support it?

That would be a different, possibly better approach to that.
IIRC, Lars once wanted to collect common terminal options like this into 
a central handling routine, but that plan never got to fruition.