scalebar snafu?

[Adam Ryan]

Help me see the scale from the bars.

The mapfile-reference documentation for the SIZE parameter of the SCALEBAR
object reads:

SIZE [x][y]
Size in pixels of the scalebar. Labeling is not taken into account.

The part about labeling does not seem to be consistent.  If I make a map
and measure the pixels of the scalebar I find that the [y] value represents
the thickness (height) of the actual bar itself, while the [x] value
represents the width of the entire scalebar graphic (the width of the bar
plus 40 to 50 pixels of white padding on the edges).  The later makes it
difficult (if not impossible) to tweak the size in order to achieve a
specific interval length (like 1 inch) for printed maps.

Any ideas.

Cheers to all,

Adam