Name

dxpsview − DECwindows PostScript previewer

Syntax

dxpsview [ options ] [ file ]

Arguments

fileSpecifies the file to open at startup.  If you omit a file name, you can open a file from within dxpsview. 

Description

The dxpsview PostScript viewer displays files coded in the PostScript page description language.  The dxpsview window consists of the following four areas:

Title BarDisplays the name of the window, the name of the file currently being viewed, and window manager icons that allow you to move and resize the dxpsview window and shrink the window to an icon.  For more information, see dxwm(.).

Menu barLists the available dxpsview menus. 

Work areaContains the image of a page generated by the PostScript document (or some of that image if the page is larger than the work area).  This window does not accept input focus and does not support text selection. 

Status areaSpecifies the current page status and provides buttons for viewing the next or previous page. 

Options

−bd color Specifies the color of the window’s border (color displays only).  The default is specified by means of the Session Manager’s Customize Window dialog box. 

−bg color Specifies the color of the window’s background (color displays only).  The default is specified by means of the Session Manager’s Customize Window dialog box.  When a file is open, the work area has its own color, which cannot be customized. 

−d dispname Specifies the display screen on which dxpsview displays its window.  If the display option is not specified, dxpsview uses the display screen specified by your DISPLAY environment variable.  The display option has the format hostname:number.  Using two colons (::) instead of one (:) indicates that DECnet is to be used for transport.  The default is :0.  For more information, see X(.).

−display dispname This option is the same as the −d option. 

−geometry Specifies the width, length, and location of the dxpsview window.  If this option is not specified, dxpsview uses default values.  The geometry option has the format [width][xlength][x][y].  For more information about the screen coordinate system, see X(.).

Menus

The dxpsview application contains the following menus:

File
Page
Options

File Menu

The File menu contains the following items:

Open SelectedOpens a file that you selected using the pointer in another application window on the screen. 

Open...Displays a File Selection dialog box that lets you specify the file to open.  To view a file in another directory or one that does not have the .ps extension, change the pattern in the File Filter text input field and click on the Filter button.  When a file is opened, the title bar displays its file name. 

RevisitReopens the current file.  This is useful for displaying modifications you have made to the source file. 

ExitCloses the dxpsview window and exits from the application. 

Page Menu

The Page menu contains the following items:

Display numberDisplays the page that precedes the current page.  If the current page is the first page, this menu item is disabled. 

Display ...Displays a dialog box that prompts for the number of the page to display. 

Display numberDisplays the page that follows the current page.  If the current page is the last page, this menu item is disabled. 

Options Menu

The Options menu contains the following items:

Sheet SelectionDisplays a dialog box that lets you specify how dxpsview displays the file image on a screen "sheet."

The Sheet Sizes option lets you select the screen sheet size.  Each PostScript file is designed for a particular page size; this option lets you match the screen sheet size to the page size in the file.  If the screen sheet size is smaller than the file’s, some of the file image is lost.  If the screen sheet size is larger than the file’s, white space appears around the file image.  The choices are Letter, Legal, Ledger, Executive, A3, A4, A5, B4, and B5. The default is Letter. 

The sheet can be at one of four angles, in portrait or landscape orientation.  Click on the button next to the layout you prefer.  The default is upright (0 degrees), in portrait layout. 

The scale factor specifies how much to shrink or magnify the images in the file, in comparison to their sizes when printed on paper.  The scale factor range is from .1 to 4.0; the default value is 1.0 (screen images are the same size as printer images). When you change the scale factor from the default value, the new scale factor appears in the status area. 

Use CommentsTurns comment mode on or off.  In comment mode, dxpsview attempts to interpret comments in the file as hints that allow moving from page to page more quickly.  By default, comment mode is on.  If you have trouble viewing a file, you may be able to correct the problem by turning off comment mode. 

Use Bitmap WidthsSpecifies whether to use the bitmap widths or scalable widths of the predefined fonts.  Using bitmap widths, characters are spaced more evenly and legibly, but the right edge of paragraphs is jagged.  Using scalable widths, the right edge lines up but character spacing is uneven.  Scalable widths help to show font placement when you are viewing a document for form rather than content.  A change in this setting applies to the next file that you open; to apply the change to the current file, choose Revisit from the File menu. This option is turned off by default. 

Use Fake TraysAllows files containing tray size directives to be displayed.  Some PostScript files for the LPS40 include tray size directives.  Tray size directives are PostScript programming language instructions that tell the printer which tray size to use.  For example, a file might contain tray size directives that instruct the printer to switch from the letter tray (8 1/2 x 11) to the ledger tray (11 x 17) while printing the file.  The viewer does not, however, permit the addition of tray size directives to PostScript files in this way. 

If you try to display a file that contains PostScript tray size directives, dxpsview displays an error message. To display the file, acknowledge the error, choose the Use Fake Trays menu item, and redisplay the file by choosing the Revisit menu item from the File menu. By default, this option is turned off. 

Watch ProgressThe Watch Progress menu item lets you specify how dxpsview draws images onto the screen.  Usually, dxpsview prepares and stores an entire page in its cache before drawing it.  With the Watch Progress option on, dxpsview displays images immediately as it prepares them.  This option is turned off by default. 

Commands

The command box of the
dxpsview window contains the following labels and buttons:

PageSpecifies the number of the page currently being displayed.  In most cases, the label specifies the total number of pages that can be displayed in the file. 

Next PageDisplays the next page.  If the current page is the last page, this command is disabled. 

Previous PageDisplays the previous page.  If the current page is the first page, this command is disabled. 

CancelCancels a display operation.  The Cancel command is enabled only while dxpsview is in the process of displaying a file or page.  When dxpsview stops displaying the file, it leaves the screen sheet with whatever was completed at the time you cancelled the operation. 

Scale FactorDisplays the current scale factor, in the format nnX, when the scale factor is other than 1.0. 

X Defaults

The dxpsview application reads the .Xdefaults file during startup and uses the appropriate resource specification to customize the appearance or characteristics of its displayed dxpsview window.  The format for a resource specification in the .Xdefaults file is: [name*]resource:  value

nameSpecifies the application name or the name string that restricts the resource assignment to that application or to a component of an application.  If this argument is not specified, the resource assignment is globally available to all X applications. 

resourceSpecifies the resource. 

valueSpecifies the value that is to be assigned to the resource. 

For more information, see X(.).

Because each toolkit-based application can consist of a combination of widgets (for example, push buttons and a scroll bar), you can form the name string by adding widget class and name identifiers to the string.  For further information about adding class and name identifiers, see X(.).

For dxpsview, the available class identifiers are:

DPSViewer
Label
MainWindow
Menu
Pulldown
PushButton
Scroll
Scrollw
Separator
Window

The class DPSViewer must be specified in the .Xdefaults file when the resource applies to dxpsview only.  The class DPSViewer must be the first element in the specification. 

For dxpsview, the available name identifiers are:

commandBarApplies the resource to the command bar located at the bottom of the dxpsview window.  The named items on the command bar are odometer, next, prev, abortBtn, and scale. 

scrollwApplies the resource to all dxpsview scroll bars. 

vbarApplies the resource to the vertical scroll bar.  To specify a resource for either the up or down stepping arrows, you can add the name ScrollButton1 or ScrollButton2. 

hbarApplies the resource to the horizontal scroll bar.  To specify a resource for either the left or right stepping arrows, you can add the name ScrollButton1 or ScrollButton2. 

menuBarApplies the resource to the menu bar. 

fileApplies the resource to the File menu.  To specify a resource for one of the items displayed in the file menu, you can specify openSel, openDialog, revisit, or quit. 

pageApplies the resource to the Page menu.  To specify a resource for one of the items displayed in the file menu, you can specify displayPrev, displayChoose, or displayNext. 

optionsApplies the resource to the Options menu.  To specify a resource for one of the items displayed in the File menu, you can specify trays, comments, bwidths,  faketrays, or windowDrawMode. 

HelpApplies the resource to the Help menu.  To specify a resource for one of the items on the Help menu, you can specify Help or About. 

In addition to the general resources listed in X(,), the resources available for dxpsview are:

pixmapCacheSizeSpecifies the number of pages that dxpsview stores in its cache. If the value is greater than 0, dxpsview can display previously viewed pages more quickly.  However, the greater the number, the more memory used in the server.  The default is 0. 

fileNameSuffixSpecifies the file name extension used by the Open... menu item in the File menu.  The default is ps. 

fileNamePrefixSpecifies the directory used by the Open... menu item in the File menu when searching for a file.  The default is the directory from which the previewer was invoked. 

Files

~/.Xdefaults
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/DPSViewer

See Also

X(1X), dxwm(1X), DECwindows Desktop Applications Guide
 

Commands