[GRASS5] [bug #3350] (grass) ps.map: vpoints draws before grid

[Hamish]

I'm short on time (currently in the hardcopy output stage you see...) so
I won't address larger issues right now (e.g. ordering of layers), but:


> >> I think a big improvement would also be choosing only one method
> >> for the  fontsize in all instructions, dropping "width"
> >> sub-instruction in "text" section, adding "bold" and "italics" for
> >> all instructions realated to font. Do you think these would be
> >> usefull and possible to apply?
> >
> > I find this to be frustrating too, so both are on my TODO list.
..
> > re. font sizing. Yes, the text, labels, and comments instructions
> > are awkward. If you don't give "text" a fontsize it defaults to
> > 10points. Currently I edit the .ps file in a text editor to change
> > that to 8points or whatever if I need to. But I'm not going to drop
> > existing functionality just becasue I don't use it (ie ground based
> > sizing).
..
> > You can do bold or italics by changing the "font" subinstruction I
> > think. Watch this space. text+labels really need better fontsize
> > control.
> > e.g. bold:
> > 
> > comments comments.txt
> >   where 1.0 10.8
> >   font Helvetica Bold
> >   fontsize 13
> >   end

I have just added a "fontsize" sub-command to the "text" command and 
v.labels parsing code in ps.map. enjoy.


> Can you tell what is the reason for ground based font sizing in map
> production?

No, I can't.


> > Specifically: if the "where" x,y contains a %, use percentage of map
> > window instead of inches for decorations. ie "x y" instead of "x%
> > y%" use inches. Both ways have their merits & uses.
> 
> And both either x%,y% or x,y will be possible to use in any
> instruction which requires position? That'd be excellent.

Yes. If it sees the "%" it calculates based on position in the map box.
I had a cursory look at doing this last night for the scalebar. It
wasn't as easy as I first thought so I won't get to this in the near 
future.


> Please let me bother you with some remarks on ps.map. I'd be grateful
> if you  could take a look.
> 
> 1. Problems with margins ie. the black frame extents. The bottom
> cannot be set eg. to 0. The possible minimun is always the S region
> value. Also, when using 0 for top and right the output is not like one
> would expect, and different in regard to paper size. Eg. in case of a4
> the resulting top and right borders are trunctated. In the opposite I
> recall when I used some non-standard paper size I got a one pixel
> column of map canvas standing out the frame, while the three other
> borders where ok. What could it be?

bug probably. Can you provide a ps.map command file using the spearfish 
dataset which reproduces this?

"maploc" will auto-adjust itself to the default margin limits or as defined 
in the "paper" command.

 
> 2. How to get rid of the frame for good?

command file: Don't know. (that doesn't mean it isn't possible)
in the code: find where it draws it, /* comment it out */, and recompile.
   may require trial and error, but easier than you might think.

 
> 3. Could there be a 'presentation slide' paper size preset added (bad
> idea?)?

Yes, but what resolution? Generic .eps + 1.3333:1 aspect ratio?

Using d.* + d.out.png is better for this?

ps -> png:
pstoimg -aaliastext -flip r90 -out output.png -scale 1.3 -crop a input.ps

('pstoimg' is part of the latex2html debian package)

 
> 4. Regarding the manual: could the mapping instructions be grouped
> into thematic sections instead of alphabetical order? Say general
> options, rasters, vectors, decorations, externals (for eps, psfile,
> read). Much easier to learn then in my opinion.

I've added internal links to the help page in CVS:
  http://grass.ibiblio.org/grass61/manuals/html61_user/ps.map.html

Hopefully it makes the HTML version of the man page easier to use.



Hamish