[comp.sys.dec] Xmgr - graphics for exploratory data analysis

pturner@ese.ese.ogi.edu (Paul Turner) (03/18/91)

Xmgr - Graphics for Exploratory Data Analysis

Xmgr, the rewrite of the XView plotting tool xvgr, while still
in the prototype stage, is starting to come to life. I would like 
to, at this point, test for portability to other vendors' hardware 
(this being the promise of Motif, X, and Unix). The only machines 
on which we have Motif are RS6000s with 8-bit color - I've run it
from mono NCD X-terminals. I would like to see what happens on 
RS6000s with 24-bit color, 4-bit grayscale, HP, DEC, X-terminals, 
and etc. Reports of the results of compilation on non-RS6000s
would be appreciated.

Xmgr, as with its predecessors, remains in the Public Domain.

There is a preliminary version available at ese3.ese.ogi.edu
[129.95.20.62] in pub/grtool/rs6000/xmgr-proto.tar.Z. This
includes an executable for the RS6000. Remember to set transfer
type to binary. This includes all sources needed to compile
xmgr on the RS6000.

Some of the features presently working (some less reliably
than others) in the current version are:

o Up to 10 graphs per session
o 30 sets per graph
o 5 Non-uniform rectangular grids per session (z = f(x,y))
     Any grid can be simultaneously linked to any of the 
     10 graphs.
o Contour plotting with color fill and/or lines
o Data slicing - along an arbitrary path or along a line
o Point locations by bi-linear interpolation on grids
o XY plots 
o Numerous symbols, line styles, line widths, color
o Bar charts (might not be useful right now)
o Error bars
o Add, find, delete points in XY data sets
o XY data set operations, move, copy, kill, split, sort,
     join, reverse, drop.
o Transformations, linear/polynomial regression, running averages, 
     DFT (with inverse), FFT (with inverse), cross/auto correlations, 
     histograms, differences, integration, point sampling, splines.
o Pan and zoom.
o Read/write parameter settings.
o Read/write data sets.
o Hardcopy support for Color/mono PostScript, and FrameMaker .mif 
     format files (might do HPGL also).
o Adjustable tick marks, tick marks in, out or both.
o Alternate/multiple axes scaling, axes offsets
o Annotative text, lines with arrows, boxes
o Command line control (from a command window)
o Warp pointer to a specified location
o Locator giving current location of pointer in terms of
     world coordinates, delta from a fixed point, distance
     from a fixed point, and polar coordinates.

Note: log plots, polar plots are works-in-progress

Understand that xmgr is marginally useful at present, it is not
completed, documentation is a work-in-progress, and it has not 
seen much testing - my knowledge of Motif is weak to say the least. 
I do believe, however, that on completion xmgr will be a significant 
offering. I'd appreciate any help you may be able to provide.

Thank you,

--Paul

Paul J Turner
pturner@ese.ogi.edu