RE: [Groff] How to embed PS char into groff input

[Ted Harding]

On 07-Dec-01 Amitava Dutta wrote:
> I have 
> (a) a PostScript code fragment
>       (i.e.  gsave .... grestore)
>       which draws a piece of graphic.
>    This is to be used as the character XY
>    in a groff input (below).
> 
> (b) a set of groff (rather troff) input files
>      that has the sequence
>           \(XY
>     and each such occurance has to use the 
>     graphic (above) as the character XY.
> 
> How do I print these to a PostScript printer ?

Sorry about the length of this response. The following
is from a groff demo talk of mine, using PS code from
"PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook" (the "Blue Book"),
page 133 ("Program 1 / Repeated Shapes"). First the PS code
for the graphic, then the details for making this into a groff
character, finally a demo of how it can be used.

1. Put the PS code into a file "rose2.ps". NB that this code
MUST include a suitable "%%BoundingBox:" comment line.
====================
%!PS-Adobe-3.0
%%BoundingBox: 172 173 259 260
/inch {72 mul} def

/wedge
{ newpath
%%  rgbR rgbG rgbB setrgbcolor
  0 0 moveto
  1 0 translate
  15 rotate
  0 15 sin translate
  0 0 15 sin -90 90 arc
  closepath
} def

gsave
  3 inch 3 inch translate
  0.5 inch 0.5 inch scale
  0.02 setlinewidth
  1 1 12
  { 12 div setgray
    gsave
      wedge
      gsave fill grestore
      0 setgray stroke
    grestore
    30 rotate
  } for
grestore

showpage
===================

2. Define the character "\[rose]" using the groff ".char"
request, which uses the "\X'ps: import" function to pull in
the code from the file (Note the explicit citation of the
"%%BoundingBox:" coordinates from the graphic file):

.char \[rose] \Z'\h'+\\n[.ps]u*1u/40u'\v'\\n[.ps]u*10u/42u'\
\X'ps: import rose2.ps \
172 173 259 260 \\n[.ps]''\&\h'\\n[.ps]u'

====================

3. Use it:

A Rose \[rose]\s+8 A Rose \[rose]\s0 A Rose \[rose]
.sp 1
\[rose]\*{\[rose]\*{\[rose]\*}\*}

(This uses the ms macros where "\*{" raises the following
text as a superscript with reduced font size, and "\*}"
restores the normal printing on the line).

====================

I hope this is a sufficient model for you to adapt it to
your own requirements. Use \(XY or \[XY] instead of \[rose],
your own PS file instead of "rose2.ps", and watch out for
that "%%BoundingBox:"!

This should work on any version of groff. You don't need
to interfere with any of the font files in ..../devps,
since it is all done "in-line".

Good luck!

Ted.


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E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <address@hidden>
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Date: 08-Dec-01                                       Time: 09:45:31
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