[Plplot-cvs] SF.net SVN: plplot:[11514] trunk/README.release

[<ai...@us...>]

Revision: 11514
          http://plplot.svn.sourceforge.net/plplot/?rev=11514&view=rev
Author:   airwin
Date:     2011-01-27 20:27:42 +0000 (Thu, 27 Jan 2011)

Log Message:
-----------
Describe recent work with making PLplot constants available for both
f77 and f95.

Modified Paths:
--------------
    trunk/README.release

Modified: trunk/README.release
===================================================================
--- trunk/README.release	2011-01-27 19:03:39 UTC (rev 11513)
+++ trunk/README.release	2011-01-27 20:27:42 UTC (rev 11514)
@@ -194,6 +194,15 @@
 example 23) or better yet, UTF-8 strings (e.g., "ε") to specify
 exactly what unicode glyph they want.
 
+XX. As of release 5.9.8, the full set of PLplot constants have been
+made available to our Fortran 95 users as part of the plplot module.
+This means those users will have to remove any parameter statements
+where they have previously defined the PLplot constants (whose names
+typically start with "PL_" for themselves.  For a complete list of the
+affected constants, see the #defines in swig-support/plplotcapi.i
+which are used internally to help generate the plplot module.  See
+also Index item 2.51 below.
+
 INDEX
 
 -1. Important changes we should have mentioned in previous release announcements.
@@ -209,6 +218,7 @@
 1.3 Octave bindings now implemented with swig
 1.4 Documentation redone for our swig-generated Python and Octave bindings
 1.5 Support large polygons
+1.6 Complete set of PLplot parameters now available for Fortran
 
 2. Changes relative to PLplot 5.8.0 (the previous stable release)
 
@@ -265,6 +275,7 @@
 2.48 Octave bindings now implemented with swig
 2.49 Documentation redone for our swig-generated Python and Octave bindings
 2.50 Support large polygons
+2.51 Complete set of PLplot parameters now available for Fortran
 
 -1. Important changes we should have mentioned in previous release announcements.
 
@@ -381,6 +392,39 @@
 are used and for large polygons new arrays are allocated and freed.
 This strategy has been applied to all relevant source files.
 
+1.6 Complete set of PLplot parameters now available for Fortran
+
+The #defines in bindings/swig-support/plplotcapi.i (which are
+consistent with those in include/plplot.h) define the complete set of
+important PLplot constants (whose names typically start with "PL_").
+We have implemented automatic methods of transforming that complete
+set of #defines into Fortran parameters that can be used from either
+Fortran 77 or Fortran 95.
+
+For Fortran 77, the user must insert an
+
+      include 'plplot_parameters.h'
+
+statement in every function/subroutine/main programme where he expects
+to use PLplot constants (whose names typically start with "PL_".  (See
+examples/f77/*.fm4 for examples of this method).  When compiling he
+must also insert the appropriate -I option to find this file (in
+bindings/f77/ in the source tree and currently in
+$prefix/lib/fortran/include/plplot$version in the install tree
+although that install location may be subject to change).  Note, the
+above method does not interfere with existing apps which have
+necessarily been forced to define the needed PLplot constants for
+themselves.  But for future f77 use, the above statement is
+more convenient and much less subject to error than a whole bunch of
+parameter statements for the required constants.
+
+For Fortran 95, the complete set of parameters are made available as
+part of the plplot module.  So access to this complete set of
+parameters is automatic wherever the "use plplot" statement is used.
+This is extremely convenient for new Fortran 95 apps that use PLplot,
+but, in general, changes will have to be made for existing apps. (See
+announcement XX above for the details).
+
 2. Changes relative to PLplot 5.8.0 (the previous stable release)
 
 2.1 All autotools-related files have now been removed
@@ -1169,3 +1213,36 @@
 that for small polygons, the original statically defined arrays
 are used and for large polygons new arrays are allocated and freed.
 This strategy has been applied to all relevant source files.
+
+2.51 Complete set of PLplot parameters now available for Fortran
+
+The #defines in bindings/swig-support/plplotcapi.i (which are
+consistent with those in include/plplot.h) define the complete set of
+important PLplot constants (whose names typically start with "PL_").
+We have implemented automatic methods of transforming that complete
+set of #defines into Fortran parameters that can be used from either
+Fortran 77 or Fortran 95.
+
+For Fortran 77, the user must insert an
+
+      include 'plplot_parameters.h'
+
+statement in every function/subroutine/main programme where he expects
+to use PLplot constants (whose names typically start with "PL_".  (See
+examples/f77/*.fm4 for examples of this method).  When compiling he
+must also insert the appropriate -I option to find this file (in
+bindings/f77/ in the source tree and currently in
+$prefix/lib/fortran/include/plplot$version in the install tree
+although that install location may be subject to change).  Note, the
+above method does not interfere with existing apps which have
+necessarily been forced to define the needed PLplot constants for
+themselves.  But for future f77 use, the above statement is
+more convenient and much less subject to error than a whole bunch of
+parameter statements for the required constants.
+
+For Fortran 95, the complete set of parameters are made available as
+part of the plplot module.  So access to this complete set of
+parameters is automatic wherever the "use plplot" statement is used.
+This is extremely convenient for new Fortran 95 apps that use PLplot,
+but, in general, changes will have to be made for existing apps. (See
+announcement XX above for the details).


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